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[Krista]

Sorry to ask but if I go to see my doc this week and say I'd like Oestrogel is she likely to say no because my hormone tests all came back ok? If so, what should be my next move? Can I sort of demand them or will they need to do hormone tests again - but even so the results seem to be within their safe ranges.

Just taken a sleeping pill which makes me a bit high before zedding me out so hope this makes sense.

I don't think this has been answered and I expect you have been to the docs already?

Yes you should ask for the numbers and also depends what they tested. The thing is low oestrogen is normal for post-menopause and if you are experiencing symptoms which you feel are due to menopause then you are entitled to HRT.  Blood tests are absolutely not necessary - you are post-menopausal so your FSH will be high and your oestrogen low. However I can see you are on a cocktail of drugs - what were you given the Amitryp for as this in a nerve pain drug? Not sure why you would have been given this as well as Prozac. I agree with whoever said these drugs may well all be interacting with each other and you definitely need specialist advice and support as to how to maybe withdraw from some of these and replace them with HRT - if they were given for menopausal symptoms.

I presume you started Prozac for reasons other than hormonal or cyclical depression as you have been on it for that length of time, so I expect you would need to continue this? Additional new onset depression/anxiety and insomnia caused by menopause needs treatment with hormones in the first instance.

I hope you are successful and do keep us posted as to the outcome of your consultations and treatment.

Hurdity x

Hi Hurdity,

I was given Ami's for headaches due to lack of sleep, plus the doctor said they will make me drowsy so it would help with the darn insomnia too (had insomnia for years). Over the last three years I've been trying to pinpoint why I'm like this (bad anxiety) and a while ago I told my doctor I wanted to come off all my tablets because I thought (as has been said on here) that the tablets might be the issue. I was told to start lowering the dose of the Zopiclone - actually by the time I got a phone appointment (really hard to get appointments here) - well, that was just two weeks ago so am tapering the Zops down. I've read Zops can cause anxiety. So it could be the tablets or my hormones.

Sigh. Went to see a doctor that turned out to be a nurse earlier and shye was quite good. Told her I'd been reading up on menopause and anxiety. She had never heard of taking HRT for anxiety but was open to it. I told her I'd like the gel. She can't write a prescription so has made me an appointment with the doctor next Monday. She said the doctor would probably prescribe me HRT patches and she didn't think the gel would do anything. I said I needed to read up on it some more but I was pretty sure it's the gel I wanted to try. She told me to read up on it too.

She was good but never heard of HRT for menopausal anxiety. I have no idea what the difference is between HRT patches and the gel/s Mary G and others have suggested - I need to go read this thread again. And this forum in general. Got information overload at the moment but I need to know what I'm talking about and I have a week.

But at least I didn't feel like a total nerd when I saw the nurse so that's a bonus. I felt awful when I went in and she knew me from previous anxiety consultations, but she was pretty good.

[Krista]

Hi ladies
I have never suffered anxiety or depression so I have some questions. Is the anxiety and depression generalised or do you have specific thoughts that bother you? It would be interesting to know if there is a pattern.

For me, I get the odd calm moment - even a calm day and I think to myself, how the heck did that happen. But most of the time it's there lurking like a knot in the tummy. Then all of a sudden I can feel my heart racing for no apparent reason. Just comes and goes but is often just sat there churning away.

[dazned]

Hi Krista there are many forms of hrt,tablets,patches and gel. Some swear by each of these forms! It isn't really a case of some being better than others it's more which suits you personally. Firstly would you say...prefer just taking a simple tablet a day,or prefer to stick a patch on etc. The decision is yours everyone reacts different 
Pick the type you'd prefer and hopefully the gp will let you trial that one. But I advise not to get too hung up on delivery methods of I were you . Hope you find something that suits you personally soon.

[Mary G]

Krista, thanks for the update.  I'm shocked that the nurse knew nothing about Oestrogel, it has been available for many years now.  Why did she think that the gel wouldn't do anything?  This is why so many of us have gone to private menopause specialists for help. 

Personally, I didn't get on with a patch although I appreciate some women like them.  You have to wear the patch on your backside all the time (which I didn't like) and I didn't get anything like enough oestrogen from it (confirmed in blood tests) and it would probably be difficult to achieve the very high dose of oestrogen needed for depression and anxiety even if you went to a 100mcg patch.  This is why Professor Studd favours Oestrogel. 

Oestrogel is a gel that you simply pump out of a container and rub onto your skin everyday and I find it flexible because you can easily adjust the dose up or down, it is easily absorbed and gave me relief very quickly - in fact, it is the only form of oestrogen that works for me. 

I would definitely read up on it over the next week and take another look at Professor Studd's website. 

[Krista]

Thankyou thankyou thankyou everyone. I will get this sorted. If it works it will be a miracle but I have to try. If it does work for me, I will feel so bad for all those menopausal women with anxiety given AD's that aren't working for them.

This week, I will learn from this forum but I think I know what I need thanks to you Mary and everyone else.

[Annie0710]

I've tried pill, patch and gel

Pill - this was my first hrt and it worked within days, fantastic pill , max dose and no problems until 13 later when my body rejected it

Patch - change it twice a week, estradot in my opinion is brilliant for adhesion but there's sometimes supplier issues, some flexibility with dose changes

Gel - I never liked the idea of this as I'm lazy and didn't think I'd commit to a morning regime of slapping it on but I wanted to go back to testosterone gel and so thought might as well give it a go while I'm putting on the other gel.  Well I've never looked back so far.  I put both on at the same time and wait and 10 mins til I get dressed.  The gel is great for tapering/increasing the dose and I started off on one pump, then two and am doing ok on 2.5 but may try 3 pumps soon

It is up to you, we are all different and it is trial and error x

[Mary G]

shortie, I found the relevant part!  Professor Studd basically thinks that Oestrogel works better than patches, particularly for women with hormonal depression and anxiety who need to achieve high blood levels of oestrogen to get relief.  Patches may work well for women with moderate menopause symptoms but if you need a high dose of oestrogen, the gel generally performs better.  I found patches didn't stick well and my blood levels were low even when I worked up to a 100mcg patch.  I don't have hormonal depression but I need high blood levels of oestrogen to completely eradicate my sweating/themostat problems and also to counter the ill-effects of the Utrogestan phase. 

I do think that Krista's nurse should have known more about hormonal depression and she should have been clued up on Oestrogel.  We keep having the same debate on here about the Oestrogel/Utrogestan regime being easily available on the NHS yet we have yet another case of someone not being able to get it - well not easily anyway.  The problem is, hormonal depression and anxiety needs very specific and targeted treatment whereas someone with straightforward menopause symptoms could go to their GP and get something that works immediately. 

It's still seems like a bit of a gamble as to how well you get treated for the menopause on the NHS which is why I say if you can afford it, you might as well fast track by consulting a private menopause specialist. 

[CLKD]

Every day is a learning curve  and hopefully as ladies become more aware of what is available, the Medical Profession will catch up ?!?  We are in an age of net-working after all.  I went to our Practice Nurse with a query, she looked up the info., spoke to my GP who rang me ....... Job Done.

[daisysareyellow]

Every day is a learning curve  and hopefully as ladies become more aware of what is available, the Medical Profession will catch up ?!?  We are in an age of net-working after all.  I went to our Practice Nurse with a query, she looked up the info., spoke to my GP who rang me ....... Job Done.

So a Practice Nurse can do some of the traditional duties of a doctor? How does this work?

[MicheleMaBelle]

Hi daisysareyellow- the answer broadly speaking can be yes, but it depends on the nurse and the practice! My current practice has a couple of nurses but I don't find them expert in anything much, so they just perform routine duties, blood tests etc.
At my previous practice there was a specialist nurse who dealt with the asthma clinic- she was absolutely brilliant, extremely knowledge and well qualified and the doctors just let her get on with it. This wasn't for me- it was my son. However, since moving house and to my new practice I feel we've gone back 10 years in the quality of care.

So, a CLKD says, a good practice nurse is worth their weight in gold. X

[CLKD]

Our Surgery employs two Nurse Practitioners who are able to prescribe in the same way as GPs.  Hence : spoke to my GP who rang me ....... Job Done

The other Nurses will pop into the GP to ask questions and if necessary the GP will visit the patient in the Nurses - a phlebotomist is a member of the public who has special training ........... we are short of 1 apparently 

How are we all feeling this morning?

[Krista]

Hi Shortie - I also found your question.

The nurse booked me to see a doctor next Monday so I'm going to try her/him first and if I get no luck, I will go to a meno clinic (didn't even know they existed).

I've been reading some of GRL's posts and others and am a bit worried about what kind of estrogel I will be given.

GRL says she found a pharmacy that can source the proper Besins UK pack (not sure what that is) and I want to make sure I get the right stuff but I'm a bit lost. First of all, if there's a preferred oestrogel, is it down to me to find a pharmacy to supply it?

And secondly (well, this should be my first question really) do I ask for a specific gel and if so what is it?

I'm sorry about all these questions and thanks again.

[Krista]

Thankyou Shortie, it certainly does help. I will post here next Monday/Tuesday and update after my docs appointment. Fingers crossed I get the goods and will be amazing if it works. I will be gobsmacked if so. I have a funny feeling it will though as I've been reading this forum and am pretty sure my anxiety is hormonal.

[Krista]

Hi everyone,

I had a fantastic lady doctor today and got my eostrogel pump. I told her about Professor Studd's regime and she wrote a prescription for four pumps a day. She has given me pregosterone (sp) tablets though but I don't know what they are as the chemist has to order them in and I can't remember what the prescription said. She also said she could give me testo gel off label but I'm to try the other meds for three months first.

She said she usually gives HRT patches and that has helped women with anxiety but she was more than happy to give me what I asked for. She also took time to talk to me.

The only thing I'm concerned about is the prog tablets as I think most women here get the cream that's put down below.

What do you think?