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[pinkdove]

Hi Well after my consultation with my Gp, she was reluctant to prescribe a low dose HRT, due to my blood pressure being high, so off i went home with a monitor for a week, taking two readings, morning and evening, so after nearly a fortnight, i get a call from one of the practice nurses saying my blood pressure was normal at home.

My Gp is on holiday, so i see her on the 15th Aug,hoping to start the patches, i have been reducing my antidepressant for 4 weeks now, and have had no side effects, as i am taking it very slow.

I am still suffering really bad sweating, which is lasting most of the day, and i feel so bloated, i am also seeing a dietician, but not till October.......so the sweating, tiredness, and bloating are really getting me down, any advice on whether starting a low dose HRT will help this, by the way i am 62 years old, feeling more like 82, any advice would be appreciated as i am really struggling.

[matildamouse]

Hrt will be good to try though your GP will take in consideration you are 62 when starting hrt. Good luck, you really do not have to suffer like this.x

[Dana]

Yes definitely give the HRT a go. See how you go with the low dose, but it's quite common to need to go to maybe a medium dose if you are post meno. Just go by your symptoms to decide what dose you need.

Incidentally, the thing with your BP is very common. My BP is always higher in the doctor's office, but perfectly normal (even a little on the low side) at home. It's called white coat syndrome where for some reason it's very common for some people's BP to rise just because a doctor is taking it. It's weird, but very real.

[CLKD]

WCS - I think I mentioned this in your previous thread  .  Make a list of your symptoms to discuss with your GP and if she mentions your age, tell her that there are new guidelines relative to HRT and it is important that your symptoms are dealt with, regardless.

[Taz2]

Hi pinkdove - I'm the same age as you and currently off HRT due to high(er) blood pressure than I used to have so I know how you feel. I'm sure that a low dose HRT will help and over sixty it is difficult to get a higher dose prescribed through the NHS if my own experience is anything to go by!

The only thing I would ask is whether your bloating has been investigated? Are you bloated all of the time or does it come on during the day?

Taz x

[pinkdove]

CLKD  My Gp is happy to prescribe a low dose Hrt, just wanted to check my blood pressure first, and i did take a list of my symptoms with me at my last appointment.

Taz The bloating issue is im sure down to the AD i take, hence my trying to get off it, as i have been on ad's for 6 years, so it's there all the time, i have researched it, and it is a common problem with the effexor, i've even had to take my rings off at times

Dana, yes i felt ok in the surgery, but must have been white coat syndrome, just trying to find something to make me feel like me again

Matildamouse, this is what was worrying me, my age, but my Gp is aware of that and still feels if i want to a low dose Hrt could help

Thanks for your replies, just low at the moment, and looking for any kind of reassurance 

[CLKD]

Have you decided?  When I'm low or depressed my brain won't make decisions, in fact, simply thinking about issues causes my anxiety levels to rise 

Have one of these:  ………

My ADs or BBs fortunately don't cause bloating ………. I remember years ago I could wear a skirt in the morning but by mid-afternoon I had to undo the zip ………. 5 years later I was diagnosed with IBS  [long story short]

[pinkdove]

Back to my Gp today, we have decided to start a low dose Hrt, evorel conti  however, she will send the script through to the pharmacy tonight for me to collect in the morning, she said a patch to be changed twice a week for estrogen but is not sure if the progestogen comes in a patch, i am so ignorant as well, just hope someone can tell me what to expect..... feeling nervous.

She is also helping me to get of the antidepressants, she said that some women have gained weight on Hrt, this is something i really could'nt cope with, the main reason i need to get off the Ad's, but i am willing to give it a try

[CLKD]

  Why didn't your GP look in the appropriate book or ring the Pharmacist B4 offering the prescription.   You will of course be able to ask when you collect it, you will need progesterone if you still have a womb (I think).

[Evelyn63]

Glad you are getting started eventually Pinkdove.  Could she not have given you the prescription there and then ?  Our GP print it out while you wait .

[CLKD]

Maybe there isn't a Pharmacist at the Surgery 

[Evelyn63]

Maybe there isn't a Pharmacist at the Surgery 

Yes, that's a point, we have one in same building, though lots of other practices don't, you just take it to nearest pharmacy.

[CLKD]

A lot round here are linked in with Lloyds or have a Qualified Dispenser at the desk.

[pinkdove]

Hi Ladies, yes we have a pharmacy on site, and the reason she asked if i would wait till today is that she was not sure how to prescribe the progestogen, i dont think she is that clued up on Hrt, and that worries me.

I have not picked up the script yet, too busy today,but i will do tomorrow, seems like everything is going wrong for me getting on Hrt.

I need to have the prog as i still have my womb, and she did look up a book, i think i could have told her more to be honest, i was late at being called in for my appointment 20 minutes, so i think it was a case of her running late, and not having the time 

So i will pick it up tomorrow, and i will post on here exactly what it is, the dose etc, and how i am to take it in the hope that you ladies can give me some more advice 

[Dennylou48]

Pink dove it all comes in 1 box, there will be 4 patches of 1 hormone for 2 weeks and then 4 patches of the other hormone 2 weeks, I'm having a crap time of it all and my doctor has given me the same ones bbbuuuutttttt I have not started them, I just so scared too. Good luck and let me know how they work for you. Just remember to place them on the lower part of your body. I am in my 4 month with no bleed so am iffing about them. Don't want periods to return if i can help it.