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[Beanybubs]

Hi everyone. I’m 45 and well and truly in the perimenopause. My worst symptom BY FAR is anxiety. It’s had a hugely negative impact on my life to the point that I never leave home without feeling really nervous and jittery. For several months I’ve been on 1mg X 2 Sandrena sachets each day, plus 1/7 sachet Testogel (plus 150mg Sertraline) but still not better - although much better than at the start of my HRT. My doc suggested I try Utrogestan 100mg tablet every other day to help add a calming element. I know many women have not had positive experiences on Utrogestan. Wondered if anyone has taken it like it’s been suggested for me: 100mg tablet, every other day, to help with anxiety? I’m keen to try it but of course this is difficult because of the current shortage. So my other question is: who is having any luck getting hold of some, and whereabouts in the country are you managing to get it? Thank you! 

[CLKD]

Morning.   

Why hasn't your GP offered to prescribe a known to work anti-anxiety medication  .  A lot of ladies find that they require HRT as well as an Anti-depressant known to ease flushes for example.  Propranolol has worked for me for several years which I stopped in March 2020.  I also have a go to anti-anxiety medication.

When do you feel worse?  Pre-event anxiety can floor me, however - spontaneous decisions and I'm usually OK  .  We are all different. 

Some find that keeping a mood/food/symptom diary helps chart progress.  Hopefully some1 else will be along to offer experiences.  Let us know how you get on.

[Taz2]

Hi Beanybubs. Some women get on brilliantly with Utrogestan and you may well be one of them. You can always stop if it doesn't work for you. It may take a while before you know though. Are you using a progesterone at the moment as part of your HRT regime?

Taz x 

[vintagefiend]

Hi Beanybubs

I'm actually using bio-identical prog for that reason- (it's Bijuve which is an oral capsule of 100mg prog and 1mg oestradiol)
I'm trying it because I've got worse and worse on oestrogen HRT alone over the last 2.5 years- depressed, hugely anxious etc
Had womb and ovaries removed so no need for the progesterone- and in all honesty I thought I couldn't tolerate prog at all (it's why I had womb out in first place!!!)- but I think I might be able to

Are you not on any prog at all? do you have a womb?

I've been on this Bijuve for 12 days now- so it's too early to tell but I'm cautiously optimistic

Right now I'm feeling quite flat due to the prog but am crossing fingers that that will lift over the next few weeks- don't think it's unusual as an initial side effect
It's making me a bit low at times but NOTHING like the oestrogen alone did- that was truly awful
I cannot believe that I've now tolerated 12 days of oral 1mg oestrogen or prog for that matter- I was at the point where I couldn't bear an eighth of that in oestrogen- so undoubtedly the prog element has enabled that
I sleep better as well- not perfect but not gasping awake every 2 hours!
I very much want to take testosterone at some point but that too sent me barmy when I tried it 2 years ago!
However, without wishing to tempt fate- I do feel that the prog is the missing piece for me- albeit that there's a lot of tweaking to do yet.

I may need a different balance of prog/oestrogen if I carry on feeling as I do now- more oestrogen might be needed- or less prog- you talk about alternate days 100mg utro and that may be what I try next if I feel this is too much

personally i'm keen to get off my low dose prozac but it may be that at the moment you need something of that ilk for the anxiety- whatever gets you through. i was on a highish dose venlafaxine during peri years- as CLKD said there may be other more suitable stuff. as I say, you are at a different stage to me- peri rather than some years post meno- so I can't guarantee that what works for me will work for you right now but just want you to know that after chuffin' years of feeling utterly shite I honestly think I'm going to be ok with just HRT

Something else I've done is lose weight, be more healthy etc which I found difficult to do in the throes of peri and that may have helped my ability to take these hormones I'm not sure. But it's definitely the hormones that I need- weight loss just helped, not the full solution for me
honestly I thought my life was over and now I dare to hope

if I could go back to my peri years I would try a consistent dose of utro and really try to be healthier- i was a right state! instead I took prog periodically, then oestrogen alone. it was a very tumultuous time- i do understand where you're at. if the consistent prog had failed then i would have had to have the venlafaxine/antianxiety meds- it got me through but was a pig to get off!!

Good luck x

[vintagefiend]

I wonder if someone can tell us whether it's officially ok to take utro on alternate days- I do know of a couple of women doing this - just that I'd read it has a shortish half life so might be a bit up and down to start with!!

[vintagefiend]

sorry i'm worried i gave the impression that you've got years of crap ahead of you and that's not what i meant at all! i honestly believe i could've saved myself so much misery if i'd tried consistent utro (and got a bit fitter:)).

[Beanybubs]

I am sorry for my delayed reply. Been trying to work out how to respond to individual people but can’t do it.

Finally got some Utrogestan. Taking 100mg alternative days. I’m only in the first week so early days.

CLKD, Hi, so the doc prescribed me 150mg Sertraline for anxiety which I  have been taking for a while now. It was working but I recently had an accident and injured myself quite badly, meaning I don’t go out so much because I’ve needed to rest up. This has had a detrimental effect on my mental health as it’s all too easy to make excuses and not go out! I find I’m at my most anxious when I know I’ve got to go out. It’s crazy - I was not like this pre peri. I’m hoping when I’m in full menopause my anxiety will cease, as it may be the fluctuations that my brain can’t cope with?

Vintagefiend, Hi, don’t worry, I knew what you meant. :-) In answer to your question - I’m on the Mirena coil for my womb. Hope the Bijuve is working well for you - how are you finding it?

Taz - Hi, I’m on Mirena coil and so I’m praying Utrogestan will help with my mental health; to balance out everything else. I’m also on Testogel and Sandrena (and added an Evorel patch too!).

[sheila99]

When did you get the mirena in relation to the anxiety? Just wondering if it might be the cause or making it worse. Is the anxiety long standing or did it come with meno? Mine was due to oestrogen deficiency. For most people utrogeston has a sedative effect but I'm not sure it will cure anxiety.

[sheila99]

I wonder if someone can tell us whether it's officially ok to take utro on alternate days- I do know of a couple of women doing this - just that I'd read it has a shortish half life so might be a bit up and down to start with!!

I think it depends on who you believe - the BMS, nhs and manufacturer think you need it every day, newson  says every other day. If you go off piste probably sensible to have a scan once in a while to check it's doing it's job (think most private patients do so they won't be at risk?). Probably depends on the oestrogen dose as well as individual response.

[Gnatty]

Also, I think some of us taking it alternate days have had hysterectomies so we don't need to think about potential building up if lining

[vintagefiend]

yes, not sure if I said- I have no womb! also no ovaries

I don't know how much coverage alternate days prog would give a woman re womb protection but if it's good enough for the newson that's reassuring.
What I will say is that I had a consultant gynae ok my having utrogestan every 3 months or so in peri (when I still had a womb!)- he may have been quite cavalier- i don't know- I think I used to take it for 7 days then give up, so really I wasn't doin anything like the recommended amount and maybe that was dangerous (of course I didnt care if it meant i might feel better)

I would echo the lady who struggled on the mirena- it sent me through the roof!! but others manage it so I appreciate it might be fine for you, beanybubs

regarding how I'm doing on the regime- well, been on it 4.5 weeks- absolutely shattered but thrilled that i've managed to continue the oestrogen where previously it's driven me demented and pretty miserable. i actually need more of the oestrogen and prob less of the utroestan and will have it all altered after bloods this week. had bloods last week and they show oestrogen low- prog normal and shbg increased which is fab for me

for the first time in years i feel like i've figured this thing out-i honestly though i was made differently! so there's definitely hope