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[warwick01]

Hi fellow meno sufferers and merry Christmas!

Just to let you know how my appointment went with a new Gyne consultant.

First of all if you have followed me over the last few months you will be aware my anxiety, depression has increased along with additional lightheadedness and feeling really hot and sweaty. My life has been a nightmare for several months causing me to give up work.

I visited my GP and broke down in tears, she referred me to a new Lady consultant where we both hoped this would be beneficial. I had my appointment on Tues and first thing she said was at 56 I am on too high a dose of Oestrogel which is 3/4 pumps per day with separate prog She told me to start reducing and she would put me on a low dose combined pill.

I have tried to reduce but already the night sweats are increasing, got up at 4.00am last 2 nights cos needed a shower. Should I persevere? so fed up as if I go out during the day my head feels foggy and I feel lightheaded/off balance.

I don't know where to turn. The only positive is she took a blood test which may show Im not absorbing the Oestrogel (which I hope is the answere) I did ask if may be I should try patches......... but she said I should not be on such a high dose.

Your comments would be helpful.

p.s she had never heard of Utrogestran?? which again didn't fill me with hope, she appeared 'old fashioned'

W

[CLKD]

If medication is working why change it.  What has age got to do with the price of fish  .   Blood tests are reliably unreliable ……….

Some ADs help hot flushes and/or anxiety and depression. 

[Taz2]

I found that it was the menopause clinic consultant who first brought up the idea of having to drop the level of HRT due to age warwick so it's not unheard of. Also, it is thought to be better for us as we get nearer the dreaded age of 60 to swap to patches rather than pills. When do you start the new HRT?

Taz x

[CLKD]

'thought better' is different to actually benefitting from such ideas 

[warwick01]

CLKD & Taz

Thanks for your reply.

The Consultant has told me to reduce my current 3/4 pumps and when I can manage on 1.5 pumps of Oestrogel she will put me on a low combined HRT. This appears to be going backwards, as I prefer not to use HRT in tablet form.

I am already finding reducing a little is causing me to feel very hot and sweaty. I will look forward to finding out my blood results on 14 Jan. I will try to carry on reducing and see what happens.

I am of the opinion that it's quality of life that matters

Wx

[CLKD]

Yep.  Quality is important.  Are you keeping a journal?

[Taz2]

Quality of life is very important. As long as you have had the risks explained to you if you stay on your current strength then there is no reason for the GP/consultant not to continue prescribing although it may take a bit of persuasion on your part. Is your overall health good i.e. weight, blood pressure, family history etc. Although a lot of us think "cancer" if we continue with HRT long term it seems that the thing which causes most concern is heart disease and stroke - this is after the age of 60 - although as has been posted on here before there seems to be no real reasoning behind it. There appears to have been very little research carried out on women who continue with HRT into their sixties and seventies. I may be wrong but it is difficult to find.

As regards lowering the dose it can take around three months before you stabilise and know how well you will do on the lower dose. I stopped completely in October 2013 as I was coming up to 60 and the flushes etc were all back to pre-HRT levels within three months. However, they stayed at that level and didn't improve at all and my doc has put me back on a half dose (Evorel 25) which keeps the hot sweats at bay but doesn't do much for foggy brain, dry skin or vaginal dryness. My gynae consultant who carried out my hyster in the summer is "really amazed" that I have returned to HRT "at your age".

Taz x

[CLKD]

"at your age" is sexist - such an expression would not be allowed in any other industry    [off soap box now  ] but I would be pointing out that even if he thinks it, he is NOT allowed to say it …………

and what is 'at your age' anyway ………. haven't we all been told that by our parents etc. from the year we first began to toddle ……...

[Taz2]

Age is relevant in this case though CLKD as 60 is the date when many medications become inadvisable - even things for cystitis etc. have a "not over 60" warning on the box. The risk of stroke and heart disease from HRT is thought to begin increasing at 60 although between 60 and 70 the risks and the benefits are equal. The cancer risk is thought to be due to the amount of years the body is exposed to oestrogen - hence you are at a higher risk of different cancers if you began periods early and finished them late.  After 70 the risks then outweigh the benefits.

Taz x

[CLKD]

   wonder who funded such research?  People are going to die, better to have been well for as long as possible even if it shortens Life expectancy.  Surely?  That's why I stopped Tamoxifen - it almost killed me and as I hadn't felt physically ill throughout diagnosis, surgery, treatment and recovery I decided to risk not taking it.  A friend who did continue with it suffered cancer of the womb 15 years into treatment and had to have severe chemo to come through *that*! So she went through 2 lots of trauma because of a drug that was only 'suspected' to stop breast disease returning …… different surgeons who had different ideas!

[Kathleen]

Hello warwick 01 and sorry that you are suffering.

Hopefully your blood test results will give you some answers and perhaps when you report on how the reduced dose has affected you your Consultant may be more helpful ( my GP had never heard of Utrogestan and it was only because I had read on this site that it is listed under 'micronised progesterone' that he was able to find it in his book and prescribe it for me, however you would think a Consultant would know that!)

In the meantime sending hugs and lots of sympathy, this meno ride is a bumpy and frustrating one for some of us.

Take care.

K.