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[Diamondqueen]

Hello lovely ladies!

This is THE place to come for advice so here we go...

Started oestrogel 3 days ago, 2 pumps. Almost immediately made me anxious but that settled. The main thing was about an hour or so later I had terrible drowsiness but insomnia that night. Day 2 same again but  felt so exhausted and drugged I slept well but was in tears and feeling desperate earlier that day as I felt so sedated. Day 3 (today) I did 1 pump. No anxiety but the drowsiness is back.

Now, the daytime sleepiness has been my main perimenopause symptom as well as brain fog so this gel is just making it worse. I'm minded to stop it as going away soon and don't want to feel this bad. I saw a private endocrinologist last year who did extensive tests to rule out anything else (this was after GP did bloods twice which were all normal but I was still suffering). I'm 47. Wondering if patches might be better. I feel confused and at the end of my tether. I've been feeling exhausted/sleepy since June last year but not weak in my body. I'd had some prolonged stress but wonder if hormones were making me more stressed than usual about the stuff going on.

If adding oestrogen is making me more sleepy I wonder if I'm oestrogen dominant. I have PCOS. Can you take Utrogesten only? May try that.

[sheila99]

Ate you taking utro on a conti or sequi regime? Are you on utri now? One of it's more common side effects is drowsiness (I'm dopey all day on it but can't sleep at night). If you're not I would start with 1 or even 1/2 a pump and see how you go. Some people are more sensitive than others and have to build up slowly. Too much as well as too little oestrogen can give you anxiety. I don't know much about PCOS but doesn't it mean your own levels of oestrogen are likely to be low? Another option might be a combined bcp which can work well in early peri and might control your own cycle better. I don't know if any gp will prescribe utro only. Have you asked? Do you have any other meno symptoms? Just in case it isn't an oestrogen problem. Presumably thyroid, vit d and b12 have been ruled out? Did they test you oestrogen levels? Might be worth doing a forum search for PCOS in case anyone else has had similar issues.

[HellsBells]

Try 1 pump. It's a 'blunt instrument' as hormones fluctuate so much. Less certainly won't do any harm.

[Hurdity]

Hi Diamondqueen

 

Sorry to hear about your tiredness and other menopausal symptoms.

The one good thing is that tiredness and brain fog are NOT caused by oestrogen - quite the opposite. The sedative hormone as sheila99 says is progesterone. Brain fog can be caused by progesterone and also by low oestrogen ie due to menopause. Oestrogen dominance as a cause of such symptoms is a myth - though excess oestrogen in peri-menopause can cause bleeding problems so the two need to be balanced to protect the womb. If you haven't had bleeding problems then you would not benefit from taking progesterone along, which is sometimes prescribed in early peri-menopause when ovulation is skipped in some cycles which can result in heavy bleeding.

PCOS is a condition which I imagine requires specialised treatment. For example one of the features of PCOS is raised androgens, and deficiency in these post-menopause can result in lack of energy and brain fog, hence some women take replacement testosterone, so if you are peri-menopausal maybe somethng has happened to your testosterone levels?

Can you ask to be referred to a specialist - in menopause and who knows somethong about PCOS and can do other tests. eg did you have T and SHBG tested as well?

I don't know how sudden increase in oestrogen would affect your condition such as to increase tiredness but I would agree with sheila about getting thyroid etc tested too, thouygh as you suggest this might have already been done when you had the extensive blood tests done last year?

Hurdity x

[HellsBells]

I get tiredness with medication as I am very sensitive to what I put in my body - my GP puts me on a half dose quite often. Sadly medicines are not dosed by body weight as it is too onerous on doctors (as they are with children). I am small and weigh very little so a dose for a 20 stone woman and me could have a different effect.

Humans do not resound to drugs in identical ways to each other (hence massive differences in side effects) so there could be many reasons for your response. If you feel it IS the oestrogen at least get that checked. Progesterone is indeed the 'soporific' hormone but your drowsy feeling could be something else altogether.