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[juliekim]

Hi everyone,

I do hope I am posting on the right bit as I am a newbie but have already posted on the new members bit and this is a new question!

I wanted to ask if anyone has had any side effects of racing pulse from taking Estrogel, or who are hypothyroid and have felt racy and wired after being on Estrogel for a short time.  This is because for the last few days I have felt like this, my pulse is 99 today when it is normally around 70.  The only time I have felt like this before is when I have supplemented with too much of my thyroid tablet.  I can't quite fathom it as estrogel is meant to suppress utilisation of thyroid hormones and not enhance it!!

If anyone has any explanations I would be grateful to hear them!  I take a split dose of my Armour Thyroid so am not going to take the afternoon dose to see if my pulse slows down. My only other explanation could be that the mouth splint I am wearing to see if realigning my jaw helps my ME is suddenly having a big effect on the balance of hormones - will have to speak to my lovely alternative dentist about that!! I have been wearing it for 4 months now, so I feel it is more to do with using 14 days of Estrogel.

I am sorry to sound so complicated but thought I would give you the full picture of what is going with me healthwise! If anyone has words of wisdom, I would be grateful to read them!!

Many thanks,

Julie

[Rowan]

Hi Juliekim

There is an awful of of info about estrogen and its interaction with  the thyroid, boring and hard to understand "Papers" so have tried to pick one that's fairly easy to understand.

http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jtr/2011/875125/

I know when I have to much estrogen I feel wired as if I have had too much coffee, so keep my dosage very low.

It might be a good idea to have a word with whoever prescribed your thyroid med.

Here is a good site  http://thyroid.about.com/

[juliekim]

Many many thanks Sliverlady, I will now read and digest!!!

Julie xx

[Suzyq]

Hi juliekim. I am on day 19 of estrogel and my pulse has also increased from around 70 to 85 to 95. I have read up and estrogen is meant to reduce this, so am assuming it's just a temporary side effect! At least I'm hoping it is. How are you getting on with the estrogel so far?

[juliekim]

Hi Suzyq,

Am glad its not just me!!!  I have been using 1 pump for the last 14 days, increasing to 1 1/2 pumps today as still getting hot flushes although I don't think quite so many and still no sleep! I am going to now read Silverlady's link to info on estrogen now I can sit on computer for a while!  Have you noticed anything apart from the increased pulse?

Julie x

[juliekim]

Hi, another message for Suzyq,

I have read Silverlady's links - the thryoid one is very high brow!! But I didn't manage to find anything to explain a racing pulse.  I did however do an internet search on estradiol side effects and found that one of Estraderm (estradiol patch) side effects was racing pulse and was under the heading of 'stop using immediately and report to doctor'!  So am a little concerned about that!! 

Do hope Hurdity or some other experienced bod reads this and can offer advice.

Julie x

[Rowan]

Think you should see your GP estrogen definitely effects thyroid especially if you are on thyroid medication

Female hormones and how they impact your thyroid:
 
The use of bio-identical hormones. birth control pills, hormone creams, estrogen patches and all hormone potions, lotions and pills all cause problems in the body for thyroid hormones. When a woman has too much of these hormones, thyroid hormone can't enter the cells. If a woman is taking thyroid medication, she may still experience hypothyroid symptoms because the thyroid hormones can't get into the cells to do their job. Excess estrogen can even hamper the conversion of the inactive thyroid hormone T4 to the active thyroid hormone of T3 causing a functional hypothyroid condition. Also, hormone creams accumulate in your body fat which puts an excess burden on the liver to detoxify these excess hormones. All of this puts a stress on the body and your adrenal glands-not to mention the liver.

I don't think any of us on MM are able to give indepth advice about medical problems, but I do think a racing pulse can be a symptom of an overactive thyroid.

I would check with your GP.

[juliekim]

Thanks Silverlady,

I do agree, racing pulse is a sign of being hyperthyroid and I am hypothyroid, but the fact you have felt racy on too much Estrogel and Suzyq is also feeling racy seem to suggest that Estrogel does produce this symptom. Please could you tell me how much estrogen you are on and how much made you feel racy.

I am having a blood done next week to check thyroid levels, so that will be a good thing!

I really don't feel great, my pulse has come down to 85, my blood pressure is fine, but I still feel racy and wired in my chest.  I don't know whether to use the Estrogel tomorrow morning or not!! 

Julie x

[Rowan]

I use a lowest dose patch, but when I used Arodiol nasal spray estrogen (discontinued now) it happened to me together with palpitations, also when I increased my patch  but that was a few years ago.

I can't advise as to whether you should keep using your estrogel but I know there are some women on the forum who take medication for the thyroid, hopefully they will see your post.

Perhaps if you don't use tomorrows dose, you can gauge how you feel, or try putting half a dose on.

Please try not to get too stressed juliekim. Is there chance you can get an appointment at your surgery or even speak to the nurse.

[juliekim]

Thank you so much Silverlady, I will make appt Monday if I am unable to speak to someone tomorrow.

Saying that, I feel the racy chest is calming.  I now recall I had the same thing happen when I took a preparation that had a small amount of dhea and pregnenalone for adrenal fatigue a few years ago.  It was fine to begin with and after about 4 weeks I had the same symptoms.  I have got a feeling it has something to do with my fatigue and the imbalances there and not absorbing at cell level, so have too much in my blood swimming around and not being absorbed and causing a reaction.  I think I will take your advice and use half a pump tomorrow as my hot flushes have definitely been better today!  -so that is one very good thing!!

Julie xx

[Cassie]

I take thyroid medication for a hypothyroid and have been on this plus the gel for years, have never had this problem and am very prone to palpitations, anxiety, panic attacks etc, I highly doubt that it is related to the gel, in fact, when I ran low on my gel was when I started getting the racing pulse as one of the symptoms of meno and low oestrogen is palpitations. I would check your levels of thyroxine, perhaps your dosage there needs adjusting, have a blood test and see what your TSH etc looks like before you start thinking that it could be the gel, it really should not cause this side effect, I guess, that, anything is possible, but I would think that it is more to do with your thyroid gland.

[juliekim]

Thanks Cassie, I am having a blood test next week so that will be useful! 

Unfortunately, because I have chronic fatigue/ME which really is adrenal fatigue in my case, it complicates my thyroid problem as taking thyroid meds has never got me back to 'normal'.  I seem to have gone rather sensitive to lots of medications since having this stupid condition 

The racy symptom is definitely calming right down tonight 

I am meant to be having my first every Utrogestan Sunday night, so that will be interesting!!!!

Thank you again,

Julie x

[Cassie]

Now, strangely enough, that is something that makes me, not as much racy, but turns me into an insomniac for 12 days and yes, I guess, does make me feel a bit hyper, most strange, as, Utrogestan, is supposed to have a calming effect, but as mentioned before, I seem to be one of those people that it has the opposite effect on, am sure that it will make you feel wonderfully calm though, all the best, and let us know how your blood test goes.

[Suzyq]

Hi juliekim.

I think mine was worse just after I started (also at 1 pump) and then after when I upped it to 1 and a half pumps. It then calmed down for a few days but to be honest too freaked out to check it lately as I tend to stress about small things! Not sure if it is too little estrogen or maybe just getting used to extra. For the last couple of days I am having little chest spasms which are really freaking me out.again, maybe too little estrogen and maybe the gel. I did used to have bad palpitations and racing heart before starting estrogen so maybe they are just breakthrough symptoms. I don't know! Just about ready to ring doctors and ask if I should stop taking the stuff or not!! Anybody else had is?

[Suzyq]

Oh I also did have leg cramps initially, but they stopped after a couple of days. I started taking magnesium as they are supposed to help with this! I tried not to worry about the fast pulse as anything under 100 is 'normal' and tbh I just sort of figured that it was likely breakthrough flushes although less severe