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[Anjia]

Now I have probably asked this another time but has testestosterone helped with foggy brain and anxiety for any of you ladies ?

[Anjia]

No Birdy to be honest I never really thought about this but I will take notice now of symptoms and my diet thanks.

[Natatters]

I started On a new hrt regime about a year ago. Prior to that I was taking indivina. New regime is oestrogen patches and various different progesterone (not sure we have perfected that element yet) and androfeme (testosterone) cream. I felt better after about a month, definitely less anxious. I do put this down to the testosterone as I had been taking oersteogen and progerstone orally with the indivinia, but I guess it could be a combination of everything. Testosterone has Also helped with libido. Both of these things combined have made me feel better generally about myself. I won't say the anxiety has gone, but definitely better. Are you considering it or waiting for it to kick in?

[Anjia]

Thanks Natatters I have been thinking of it for a while the last time I asked my gp for it she refused so I'm going back to try again and hope this time see another doctor who will prescribe it.

[Natatters]

I get mine privately. Was at GPS today and asked again if they could prescribe. They looked it up on their system and the answer was no. I did ask about androfeme though and I am not sure that is available anywhere on the nhs.

[Annie0710]

Testosterone has given my life back.

Prior to using it I even struggled to go to the supermarket with my hubby, now I don't even give it a second thought going alone.  Mine was social anxiety and since introducing T I actually arrange social meet ups ! X

[Annie0710]

No I haven't had a uterus for years although I have dabbled with progesterone and tolerate it well x

[NuclearScientist]

I am waiting for a private prescription for testosterone from NHS menopause consultant. Reading your story gave me hope. I've been so down and anxious not wanting to go out or do things. I hope it will have a positive effect for me too.

[cityrat]

Hi...I'm curious what dose of testosterone, daily, you all are on. I'm in the US and started Testosterone about 6 months ago, I use a cream in a click dispenser from a compounding pharmacy. I started at 1 mg a day and now am using 2 (one click morning and night). It is actually amazing. Not only has it really brought my libido back (not in a crazed way just something like it was prior to peri-meno 10 years ago) but really helped my energy and sense of well being. No side effects so far. My gyno who is great with hormones said use it vaginally, I do that and also rub on outer thigh, lower abdomen or forearm, sort of alternating.

Re estrogen HRT, I am also on Duavee (Duavive in UK and CA) which is CEE .45 (somewhere between a .25 and .50 estradiol patch) + bazedoxifene so no prog needed though i have a uterus. Need a bit more i think so may supplement with .25 patch. it's a hack but my doc says it works. May try the same dose in just estradiol patch or gel, plus prog, just to compare, after that.

also use local estring and estrace gel for vaginal and urogenital issues. Also use a little estrace on my face which no one talks about but is brilliant 

anyway the T has been brilliant, I actually think i had a lot of it in younger days, but also the fact that i take an oral estrogen (same with the lo loestrin BC i was on at peri) supposedly eats up free testosterone and makes you even more in need of it.

I do hope it lasts, the good effects of it. Wondering about dose though as I really dont want my hair to fall out (had a bad experience with this a few years ago with getting off a higher BC pill) or grow facial hair.

I'm 52 and no period for over 6 months. peri since like 45.

[Hurdity]

Hi cityrat

 

Have a look at the long running thread in Private Lives - Tesosterone Here We Go - for lots of experiences. Also I did a post on doses here: https://www.menopausematters.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,39588.60.html

I use a daily pea-sized blob of 1 % gel applied to lower thigh inside knee - in UK there are no products currently on the market designed for women (as also in US). In Oz there is Androfeme cream which some can get privately in UK but very expensive.

In UK (and in US!) compounding pharmacies dispensing Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy ( BHRT) creams are not recommended for general HRT for a variety of reasons although testosterone cream may be OK - I hope your blood levels of T are being monitored along with SHBG to make sure you are within physiological range? Provided you keep within range then hair loss should not be an issue so you must get tested - no-one can guess what dose of cream will do this as the dose will be variable with different pharmacies. Control of hair-shedding anyway seems very complex to me and I don't fully understand it! ie testosterone can actually leader to thicker hair on head - something to do with conversion to DHT, and yet too much T can lead to hair loss and hair growth in unwanted places???

Not a good idea to supplement extra oestrogen while taking Duavive but if you are under medical supervision and being monitored might be worth a try? The oestrogen dose of Duavive is low hence not suitable for wmen who need more oestrogen! The trial studies that led to its introduction did use different doses of oestrogen (CEE) as well as bazedoxifene (sp?) and I do recall that higher dose of oestrogen led to nore instances of breakthrough bleeding. I think also that bazedox... is dose dependent ie more needed for higher doses of oestrogen so I would be cautious here and report anything abnormal to your doc.

Hurdity x

[Mary G]

Cityrat, that's interesting.   In Spain (and I imagine it's the same in the US) you can buy bazedoxifene as a separate product so I decided to run my own trial of bazedoxifene with Oestrogel.   I didn't experience any breakthrough bleeding but my symptoms returned so I had to stop.   That said, I think it's a regime that could work well for some women.

I've topped up with patches in the past (not with Duavive though) and it's worked well but have you thought about topping up with Oestrogel or Lenzetto - Evamist in the US?   It might work better.

I'm now settled on a continuous combined HRT regime including testosterone.

Good luck with your trials.

[Yorkshire Girl]

I think Testosterone has helped my anxiety at times - mind you only have mild anxiety. Also helped with aches & pains, hoping it will eventually have some effect on libido.

[Hurdity]

Like I said - for anyone reading this, it specifically says in the product info for Duavive that extra oestrogen should not be added due to increased risk of endometrial hyperplasia - "Women taking DUAVIVE should not take additional oestrogens as this may increase the risk of endometrial hyperplasia and endometrial carcinoma".

Cityrat - If your doc has suggested this and is prescribing it then hopefully s/he is prepared to monitor your uterus lining to check?

Hurdity x

[NuclearScientist]

I started the testosterone today. I obtained Androfeme on private prescription from my NHS menopause consultant. It was ordered last Wednesday and arrived last Friday at my local pharmacy. The dose is 0.5ml cream to be applied daily. I am hoping it helps me as my blood testosterone ratio was well below 1.

[Ladybt28]

Let us know how you get on with it NuclearScientist.  I found libido wise it was not an immediate thing, but interestingly it helped my brain fog quite quickly.  I am, it seems a little unusual with that, some poor ladies have no impact on brain fog whatsoever.
I was just accessing thoughts quicker and sharper although I can still have problems if I get tired.  I have been on it 7 months now and it made all the difference when it was added in.  Good luck x