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[CrispyChick]

  Omg... 4 sizes  . That's crazy. Jeez, mine are not much there to start with and I'm lucky if they go up half a cup  .  I understand your pain though. I had immense pain with the first pill I tried last year. None of the others did that... So I guess they are all very different.

Thanks for the message. Particularly the point about trying anything. You are right. I can't give up. I'm so much better today than I was on the hrt the past few weeks. But today, my good day, I have had crashing fatigue, narkiness and am now about to take a triptan for a migraine I can feel coming on. This is a good day!!! I need to try something.

It will be the patch I think.

I hope zoley works for you. Have you tried alternative pills or is this your first attempt???

[dangermouse]

Hey, just to reiterate what I'd said in the other thread, it's very hard to control these extreme fluctuations. The combined pill or high dose oestrogen gel would be best bet but, as hard as it is, I would also consider riding it out.

If you can find a way to cope, knowing it will calm down, might be less stressful than trying endless things that can irritate and make things worse. I'm saying this from my own experience!

What are your worst symptoms and could you bear them if you knew they would end of you were given a date (even though of course you can't know the date!)?

Sometimes the fear of thinking it will never go can be the worst part about it.

[Flan747]

I am currently reducing my HRT in the hope that I can come off it! I too suffer from extreme fluctuations and have been changing and upping doses for over 18months now! I do wonder if I can now ride it out and see how i go! Not an easy decision but one I feel I must try
Good luck everyone

[CrispyChick]

Thank you ladies for the alternative views.

I guess I was planning on trying to ride it out after my full year of pill trials, 2 of which I managed the full 3 months on. The last one I did 3 months but was feeling really ill on it.  . My GP suggested I go with the best of a bad bunch... That was the one that gave me severe migraines... So that wasn't an option.

So after 3 months of nothing I felt desperate again and tried the hrt. The estradiol alone seemed to poison me. It's all so hard.

I'm feeling dreadful today. Dizzy, nauseous. Low and teary (that's not a particular problem). The dizziness is awful. Yesterday it was fatigue and migraine. As every day is different, I guess it is surges and dips.

I'm not sure I can ride it out....

I don't have bad flushes though... Is that what should come next once I stabalise on lower levels?? Funnily evough I got bad night sweats on the last pill I tried...

Im not going to take anything over Xmas.. See where I am at in the new year again. I'm hoping today is he still coming down from the hrt which I stopped on Tues after 15 days.

Danger mouse did things just eventually start to calm down and stabalise for you?

[CrispyChick]

Flan.. Are you still peri?

[Flan747]

Hi Crispychick!
Yes I am peri had regular periods up until I had the mirena coil fitted

[Mary G]

CrispyChick, finding the right balance is very difficult.   

You have a few choices, the pill works well for many women in peri menopause because it overrides the cycle but if you can't find one that you can tolerate, it's not a goer.

Another option is to go very high with the oestrogen component of HRT which also overrides the cycle and counters fluctuating hormones but you either need a progesterone coil (synthetic progesterone) oral synthetic progesterone or Utrogestan which is body identical progesterone.   The problem with oral synthetic progesterone and oral/vaginal Utrogestan is you either have to take them every day (which often causes problems) or suffer the instability of using them cyclically.

The other option is to go the bio identical (aka compounded, bespoke) route as I have done.   I had no choice because I had tried every conventional progesterone available and I could not tolerate any of them.   I use conventional oestrogen and testosterone and just use the bespoke progesterone at a low 50mg continuous dose and it works extremely well.   If you feel unbalanced but don't need or want a high dose of oestrogen then this regime might be worth considering.   Have a look at my thread on compounded hormones in the Alternative Therapies section on here.

What type of migraines do you have ie are they with or without aura?  I starting having silent migraines (migraine aura without headache) in the lead up to the menopause and they were caused by extreme hormone fluctuations, oestrogen spikes and low progesterone.  I have since realised that my own produced progesterone acted like a protectorate and stopped my oestrogen spikes which is why I didn't have migraines during my reproductive years.   In my case and possibly yours too, it's all about hormone balance and synthetic progesterone will not balance your hormones, it is just to protect the womb, you can only achieve balance with body identical progesterone.   The idea is to mimic your own hormones as closely as possible and to avoid the upheaval of a cycle.

I wonder if you need a steady, low dose HRT?

[dangermouse]

I started to feel halfway better when hot flushes kicked in properly which coincided with big gaps between periods. I assume this is because oestrogen is reducing.

I still have some some oestrogen spikes where I get very shivery and legs go like jelly but it's nothing like it was, which was a constant surging feeling.

Mary G's regime is the one I didn't try with the very high oestrogen (apart from via my combined pill) and the lower dose progesterone that you take every day so that you don't have to keep going through prog withdrawal. Stability is key when you already have so much volatility.

[CrispyChick]

Thank you ladies. I really do appreciate you taking the time to respond.

Dangermouse - you have given me hope. I'm not really having many flushes. Roll on the flushes and some stability then. I should prob be careful with what I wish 🤔.

Mary G - thank you so much. I have looked at your other posts and was considering finding a clinic and looking at bioidentical.... Bug then I had an awful experience on the low dose estradiol that taking a much higher dose if that, just feels wrong  . Maybe it's just prog I need, I really don't know.

So, from what you say, synthetic prog won't help balance. I wonder if that's why I started to feel so bad on the mini pill because, if my estrogen was spiking, I expected it to kerp it low. It was really bad moods I was getting with it though. So I assume too much prog and low estrogen.  If I tolerated cerazette mini pill for years, I'm guessing I'm not prog intolerant.

My migraines are just classic head pain. No aura. They are now a lot more frequent when on nothing. Low estrogen? But then one of the pills gave me regular migraines, high estrogen??

It's all such a mind field. I think I'll ask to see a specialist again. The meno clinic had one phone call with me then signed me back to gp... But I'm still in hell, so surely they have to help me 🤷‍♀️

[Sage 🍃]

Hi sweetie, how are you doing? Hope you had a lovely Christmas, without migraines! 

[CrispyChick]

Awww thank you Sage. So kind of you to ask.

I had a migraine on 23rd... But survived 24th, Xmas day avd today without. Woo hoo. I've been soooo fatigued, but hey ho. Had a decent Christmas with the kiddies. Hope you have too.

I now have my contraceptive patches ready to try...

Hope you having a lovely holidays. Xx

[Sage 🍃]

I'm sorry about the migraines but glad you have been spared during Christmas! I had a lovely time, thank you! Everyone is healthy and that's what matters.

Which brand is the contraceptive patch? My fingers are crossed for you