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[Unicorn]

Hi ladies ❤

Sorry to vent and witter..... I'm 48 and been in peri for about 4 years... ive been on Sandrena 1mg and Utrogestan 200 for about 4 months now.  After a few weeks, I felt better for a while but now my symptoms have returned.  Everyday I have something different.... racing heart, palpitations, anxiety, weepy, headache, sinus problems, migraine, dry mouth, no appetite, diarrhoea etc.

These don't happen together everyday, thank goodness, but I yet to have 1 day where I feel really good.... surely it's not too much to ask? 😔.  I must admit, I do feel slightly better as in my flushes have eased, but I'm still not happy.

Im on 100mg of Sertraline too, but I don't think that's helping the anxiety much.  I think I'm anxious because of all these physical symptoms too 😒.

I also had another surprise period within the two utrogestan withdrawal bleeds.  I'm also worried about blood tests I had 2 months ago which showed my Liver function tests were high, high white cell count, low folate (im taking spirulina tablets) and cholesterol is raised.

I'm just so fed up and scared really, as I truly think there is something sinister going on with my health or I'm going to go bonkers 😒.

The thought of this crap going on for another 10 years is heartbreaking and just when I think I'm better, it all pops up again.

Thank you for listening xxxxxx

[joziel]

Hey Unicorn, try not to worry. Anyone who knows me would think it insane for me to say that, because I am the worst worrier, but really stress just makes things worse. I have several of the things you list there and I know they are hard symptoms to deal with in terms of anxiety (the palpitations and racing heart) - because it's like your body is physically telling you to feel anxious and it's hard for your mind to withstand that.

It is very common for women to start on a low-ish dose of estrogen, see improvements - and then see everything come back again. It often means they need more estrogen.

1mg of the Sandrena is equivalent to a 50mcg patch, so it's very possible you need an increase after 4 months, to feel better. Many women need even double that.

On the other hand, to complicate matters, some of the things you list there (the heart palps and the racing heart and anxiety) can actually be caused by the estrogen - by starting at too high a dose, too suddenly, or by an increase. Did you have these particular issues before starting HRT? If not, then it is likely the estrogen. I am experiencing that at the moment as it turns out I'm really sensitive to estrogen. I also seem to wake up at 5am on the dot, for no apparent reason, feeling wired and a bit jittery and I know that is also the estrogen for me.

So I'm not sure what to suggest, except if you do try an increase, do it gradually - a small increase and then hold at that for at least 6wks. Keep a diary or symptom tracker so you can see if things are getting better.

[Unicorn]

Hi Joziel! Thank you so much 🥰

I had the palpitations and racing heart badly with a hot face 🥵 before I started the HRT.  I think it has improved.  Some days, I don't get it but over the last 3 weeks I have it everyday, BUT not as severe, so I think the HRT is doing something maybe? Xxx

[joziel]

In my eyes you are luckier than me  because if these were your symptoms from before starting HRT, it suggests you just need an increase in estrogen now and you'll feel a lot better.

Whereas I didn't have them before and the estrogen seems to have caused them. And I'm a bit stuck now, because it doesn't seem to be completely going away. The palps have stopped but the waking at 5am and feeling jittery thing continues. And I need estrogen. So not sure what to do!

Anyway, you should for sure try to get an increase on your estrogen. Try 1.5mg for a while.

[Unicorn]

Oh Joziel, what a pain for you ❤ they make it sound so easy in the media..... 'take this HRT and you'll feel fabulous!' ...it's not quite that really for some 🙄 we are all so individual xx

Stupid question, have you reduced your oestrogen to get rid of these horrible symptoms? Or do others pop up when you do? Xxxx

[VanillaLover]

Hi Unicorn. I have been on HRT about 8/9 months (same dose as you) and I still have good months and bad months. As well as good days, bad days and so on. But overall I am much better than I was. I would say that there is still ongoing improvement. I don’t think that in peri it’s realistic for HRT to totally stabilise the swings, just dampen them down.  I so understand you being fed up! I guess it’s two steps forward, one step back ….you probably are getting there. Trying a higher oestrogen dose is something you could try?

What did your doctor say about the blood test results? Is any action to be taken over them?

[Unicorn]

Hi VanillaLover! 🥰 lovely to hear from you x

I'm speaking to the Doc tomorrow for a HRT follow up so will ask her, she seems very good so far.  Regarding the blood tests, I have to be retested in a few weeks.... I'm terribly worried about them, which is making me anxious too! I worry i have some underlying horrible disease 😬 apart from horrible peri xxx

[joziel]

"have you reduced your oestrogen to get rid of these horrible symptoms? Or do others pop up when you do? Xxxx"

The problem is that my estrogen at that time (on the 50 patch for 7 weeks) was only 233nmol, which is still very low and lower than is optimal/ideal. And that was when my ovaries were supposedly functioning because I was off the desogestrel POP then too. Now I've gone back on the desogestrel to suppress some mild endo pains again, and any estrogen coming from my ovaries has shut right down again. So if anything that would further decrease estrogen.

So I tried an increase to 75, which saw me in A&E with heart palps and high blood pressure and freaking out. ECG normal. Local GP not bothered unless I have chest pain or pass out. (Really hated that GP.)

Reduced down to 62.5, and I've been there for 4 weeks now and I'm still getting this. It varies from just waking early and feeling my heart beating a bit heavy but being able to go back to sleep again, right through to waking early with heart palps and feeling more anxious and throbbing. I am supposed to be increasing again in a couple of weeks to try to get to 75 and re-test - and I don't know if I should do that anyway or if I should wait until I have absolutely none of this remaining before I do - but I'm not sure I'm going to get to that point, as I wasn't there after 7 weeks on the 50 patch.

I'm supposed to have another review in 4 months but I don't really want to be saying 'errrr, I haven't implemented anything we talked about' because it seems a waste of money not to do what I've been told(!).

[Unicorn]

Oh Joziel, I wish I had an answer for you! ❤ what a load of crap this peri is. Do you see a meno specialist? Just wondering, have you tried a different oestrogen? I'm clutching at straws here 😒.

It's vile and I find it makes it harder when other ladies I know seem to be breezing through it all.... my sister in law is 50 and doesn't seem to have hardly any symptoms and seems to function normally.... I'm really pleased that she doesn't have horrid symptoms but I'm kinda jealous 😆.  Also, no other ladies I know at the same age seem to have the symptoms I have and think I'm odd 😒.  One mate asked me if I suffered 'health anxiety 🤦‍♀️ Not as a rule I have never have until this peri crap started xxx

[joziel]

Yeah, I know tis sh*te 

I haven't tried a different estrogen but that's for sure an idea for the future. One theory I have is that the patches give a constant dose and perhaps my body doesn't want a high dose all night/early morning - and if I tried the gel, it might work better if it was starting to reduce by night time/early morning. At the mo, I'm getting a high dose all day and night.

This Friday I'm due to change my patch in the morning and I'm going to take it off the 50 patch night before and have a night with just the little half a 25 patch I also use at the moment - and see if that's any better. Before I put a new one on in the morning. Because that might mimic a lower dose at night. If that works (might need to try it a few weeks every Friday  ) then maybe the gel would work better for me.

I feel like I am clutching at straws though, because I have a vague memory of being on the combined pill age 21 for a few months and having similar symptoms. I really wasn't that bothered because I knew it was the pill doing it and I just went and got the POP instead and everything was fine. But of course the estrogen is what I need now. But I used to take that combined pill every morning and it still seemed to affect me in the same way at night, so I don't hold out much hope with my Friday patch experiment, but we'll see....

I'm with the Newson clinic (due to ever-failing to find a local GP who knows anything). My doctor there isn't bothered about the heart palps either but says to gradually increase estrogen. Which is all very well, but all anyone seems to care about is whether you have a heart condition and if you don't then they just want to ignore you. Rather than appreciating that you can't actually live like this long-term....

[sheila99]

I think you'd benefit from a higher dose too. I've had to increase twice because of returning symptoms. My own periods were always stronger than the hrt ones so if you're hrt cycle has got out step with your own I would adjust the hrt cycle so they're in sync again.

[joziel]

I don't have periods because I'm on continuous HRT due to having mild endo. Having said that, at the moment I'm having a breakthrough bleed. I need to talk to my Newson dr at my next review in 4 months about what happens if I keep on bleeding randomly on continuous HRT and if I shouldn't experiment with stopping progesterone to schedule a bleed occasionally. I definitely don't want to end up having unnecessary tests and scans because doctors freak out about bleeding....

And with increasing the dose, this isn't a returning peri symptom - I didn't have these jitters or palpitations before going on HRT, so they're not a symptom of low estrogen for me.