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[pepperminty]

  Hi , I am on the 3rd day of my 4th packet of prempak -C. The first month was brilliant . within a week I noticed I had more energy , the fog was lifting and my aches were improving, my skin was more youthful and my periods shorter. I had to have a biopsy on my vagina at the end of the 2nd pack and put the fact that I couldn't sleep was hot etc exhausted down to the operation. I had a week off work to recover as was feeling very tired as well. But now I realise it was the HRT. I think its the progesterone bit? I have had no sleep for 4 days, I feel sick , I am hot one minute cold the next , totally emotional, exhausted and desperate. please can  someone give me some advice. thanks pepperminty

[Dancinggirl]

Hi and welcome pepperminty
I had these problems with prempak c. - this is quite common.  Finding the right progesterone is the key.  I suggest trying Femoston as it has a kinder progesterone and it suits many women very well.  Do read up all the info under the headings to the left of this screen and get back to us with questions.  Dg x

[pepperminty]

thanks dancing girl, it was all initially going so well. just a bit of nausea at first. then all this, my Gp is hopefully contacting me today, I will suggest that. I am not wanting to take the next pill at the moment. I am considering paying to go to a private clinic I am that desperate.  pminty x

[pepperminty]

Just got a prescription for femoston 1/10 from my GP.He said start taking it today. Has anyone got any good news about this HRT please? I did ask him about a referral to a Specialist and he said that they are trial and error too! Praying that I get a good nights sleep. pminty x

[Dancinggirl]

Try the Femoston. It suits lots of ladies and the  progesterone is kinder and less likely to give side effects.  If Femoston doesn't suit you then it is trial and error just as your GP says.  It's not really worth going privately yet. DG x

[pepperminty]

Thanks DG, it's just that I work full time and need to bring in the bacon , so I am worried about taking time off work, due to not being able to sleep and the exhaustion etc. I am 47 and I think I have been perimenopausal for at least a year without knowing it! I was so thrilled at the surge of energy and felt more calm initially and then the despair and panic when it all went pear shaped was overwhelming .Partly because of the progesterone I'm sure! I had the merina coil fitted 4 years age , but my limbs swelled up like an elephant( very attractive ) and  I had to have it removed , that's progesterone , so maybe I am sensitive to it. I need a season ticket to my GP at the moment!  DEEP joy. pmintyx

[Dancinggirl]

If you turn out to be very progesterone intolerant then there is Utrogestan (which is bio-indentical) as a fall back but the progesterone in Femoston is very close to natural progesterone. What you took before(prempak) is renowned for causing problems - it's a very old fashioned HRT and happens to be the cheapest so many GPs prescribe it first which is a mistake.
Try not to stress you'll probably be fine on Femoston.  Dg x

[pepperminty]

  Thanks DG, My GP is lovely , but not an expert on HRT etc. In January I told him that I thought I was a bit menopausal and he said come back in 6 months!! A female GP spotted my symptoms and did the tests straight away. You know your own body and I was right. All I want is a good nights sleep and I will be Ok. thanks for your support and knowledge. It seems to me that there could be a lot more research into creating more ways /types of HRT .Its quality of life that's important. The oestrogen part of femoston appears to be more natural than prempak C too. So hopefully I will be ok. My mother was on HRT for 18 years , She could not have held down her career without it. Fingers Crossed . Pmintyx

[pepperminty]

Second day on the femoston and already feeling more normal again. very early days though. Obviously the progesterone is the problem. Been reading all the ladies useful tips on the forum , so I know I am not alone. I can identify with a lot of the posts. It is scary, but we are not alone!!

[pepperminty]

Woke up exhausted again, although I did sleep. I have a bad period pain and feel sick. Not sure HRT is for me at the moment . feel a bit teary and despondent. All I want is to feel well and be able to function. I don't understand why I felt initially really good when I started the HRT and now feel worse than I did before I started . 

[Dancinggirl]

pepperminty - I've read through your post again and you don't say how old you are? Have you been given Femoston 1/10?
You clearly have rather a pressured life and are feeling very anxious about all sorts of things - including coping with being peri meno.  You must remember that through peri meno (and this stage can be 5 or more years) your own hormones will be fluctuating and this will effect how you feel. Once you are post meno it still takes about 2 years for your own hormones to bottom out.
It is also easy to blame every negative health thing on HRT e.g. nausea, headaches etc. when if fact you would possibly be getting these things even if you were not taking HRT. Tummy cramp and nausea could mean you have a tummy bug or some IBS because of stress??!!!
I am now 58 and of course well into post meno - I've been off HRT now since last autumn and I used to blame the headaches and stomach cramps on HRT - I'm still getting headaches and tummy cramps so I know it wasn't the HRT. I'm just not getting much sleep anymore without HRT - so I'm exhausted!
As for fatigue - well, if you have had some time without decent sleep and your are stressed as you seem to be, then I'm afraid fatigue is inevitable. You sound quite a bit like me - when I get a good day I rush around getting things done and possibly over doing it - then I will go through a few days of feeling exhausted and lethargic.  I'm learning to pace myself - my GP told me to read Mindfulness by Mark William and Danny Penman and I have to admit that doing a bit of meditation is helping me.

The peri stage is tough - I would stick with the Femoston for 3 months and let your body adjust to this new and better preparation.  There are no quick fixes.  I bet you will feel better once you've had a week or two of decent sleep.  DG x

[Rowan]

I don't think  if you are able to estrogen only that its a walk in the park either, it certainly has not helped with sleep I can vouch for that!

I don't think its progesterone/progestin per se is the problem but the combination of estrogen and progesterone together that cause the symptoms that most women find difficult,  think back to the run up to your natural periods and how you felt.

As you get older melatonin decreases and this is why many older people find it difficult to sleep. Stress of any kind is harder to deal with and this effects your health also, plus the personal genetic hand out you have been dealt in the aging process.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/397378-melatonin-menopausal-insomnia/    (I have chosen a simple to understand article to read, other then one more complicated of which there are many!)

HRT is not a cure all  unfortunately and you have to incorporate ways too help you feel well and that helps you, not necessarily what would help another woman. Your menopause is your own and no two women are alike even in their responses to HRT.

[pepperminty]

Thanks Silver lady, the insomnia is definitely worse during the progesterone and oestrogen phase of HRT. Thank you again for the advice . Hopefully it will all sort itself out eventually and I will feel more like my usual self soon. xx

[Hurdity]

Actually I find that although the progesterone makes me tired, it also makes me sleep less well because of the effect on the bladder - needing to wake up in the night and empty it more with progesterone. I spend half the night thinking if I try to go back to sleep I won't need to get up and go, and then eventually have to and have a lot of vivid dreams and this is due to the restless sleep I get with the bladder continually waking me up so that I don't go into a deep sleep.

In terms of the second half of the menstural cycle - it is not the combination of oestrogen and progesterone per se that causes symptoms - it is the change in levels of both of these. Oestrogen drops rapidly after ovulation and progesterone rises. The progesterone itself can give rise to symptoms of pms, and the fall in oestrogen can lead to depression and low mood. Then the fall in progesterone leads to the withdrawal symptoms of pmt we've discussed recently on other threads.

With most HRT oestrogen remains constant and once initial side effects have settled it is usually the progesterone, and then withdrawal from it that causes any negative symptoms.

pepperminty - feeling sick is one of the initial side effects of HRT - and it could be due to the HRT itself or the tablets. If it doesn't settle - and I really would try to give it 2-3 months, then maybe a transdermal method would suit you better. Some women continue to get stomach problems with tablet HRT but let's hope you are not one of them!  I started off with transdermal HRT and never experienced any side effects from the oestrogen at all.

Hurdity x

[Rowan]

I don't think there was anything wrong with my explanation of estrogen and progesterone/progestin,  external hormones can never mimic a natural cycle.

I am well aware of the ups and downs of a natural cycle, and even that can make you feel pretty rough.



Just to add I use to advise women on natural birth control, the safe method and observing mucous through out the menstrual cycle.