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[Dee46]

I have been on Femoston 1/10 for 7 weeks tomorrow & still suffering shaking, panic attacks & adrenalin surges, palpitations, tight chest, nausea, is this normal or should I expect to see some results by now? Also could cry at the drop of a hat, it is exhausting as I have been like this for a year now & would like to see some sort of results...maybe I am expecting too much too soon?

Any advice would be really helpful

[Dancinggirl]

Dee46 - it is unrealistic to expect HRT to solve all these problems. Are all these symptoms since starting HRT or are they the symptoms you are trying to control? I can't remember whether they tested your thyroid function? What your lifestyle is like? Are you in a pressured job etc.  You may need something to help with the panic attacks - sometimes an AD alongside HRT is necessary.  I'd get back to your GP to discuss this.  Dg x

[dazned]

In my personal experience hrt did nothing for my anxiety,palpitations,panic attacks,insomnia etc unfortunately. I had to resort to an AD ,only then did I get any relief. Hope you find something that suits you soon. I would have expected you to have seen some improvement by now if this regime was going to be the one for you 

[Dee46]

Dancing girl I was put on Sertraline last year for panic attacks which put me into high anxiety & depression which I thought I was having a breakdown, I am on Citalopram & have been since end Dec 2015 which has done nothing for anxiety hence going onto HRT, all these symptoms are since going on Sertraline, I am trying to control the anxiety which I have never suffered from in my life until the AD was given to me, my thyroid has been tested & came back fine, my job is not stressful at all but I chose to still work as it keeps me sort of sane!!

Dazned as you can see above the AD was what started all this off & thinking it is hormonal it why I have gone down the HRT route, I have some days which are a little calmer but then the anxiety kicks in for a few days, wondered if my oestrogen could be really low, all this meno stuff is new to me, I am 46

[Freckles]

Hi Dee46
I was put on Femoston 1/10 when I was perimenopusal (five years ago) as I was having generalised anxiety, attacks, low mood, feeling unreal, etc., and had been feeling like that for some months beforehand, with no external cause for feeling like that.
Femoston 1/10 worked ok for about 6 months (looking back I think it was because I was perimenopausal and still producing some hormones naturally) but over time it just became progressively ineffective.
All my previous emotional symptoms gradually returned. Saw my GP who wanted to take me off it and prescribe AD's.
As I knew it was due to very low oestrogen levels (and I was so  right- my oestrogen level was only in double figures- 72!!), I didn't want AD's which I don't get on with anyway, I went privately to "He Who Shall Not Be Named" in April this year and was placed on the Oestrogel/Utrogestan treatment regime.
It's worked really well for me and I feel better now than I have done for years.
It seems to be a safer and more effective treatment option than oral HRT tablets
Perhaps read up on the threads on the subject on here and maybe return to your GP to request  having your hormone levels checked and maybe considering the Oestrogel/Utrogestan regime?

[Dee46]

Hi Freckles
Sounds familiar to how I was feeling I knew that I wasn't me but wasn't sure why, I had a hell of a time when I was put on the AD which I know were not what I needed then although they put me in this dark place as I thought I had a mental illness.
Did Femoston work quickly for they anxiety when you first started taking them? That is what I am wondering as my own hormones are still producing is this not the right HRT.
I obviously do not get on with AD either or they would have sorted the issue by now, I think I know who you are talking about who you went to privately, I did consider the private route locally but gave the GP the benefit of the doubt. I did ask my GP for the oestrogel/utrogetan treatment but she just gave me Femoston.
I had my hormone levels checked & they came back normal but I will go back & say I am not getting any results, but then again some say on here that the tablets take longer to work & the emotional side takes longer to go. I just feel so frustrated it is running me & my family down

[Freckles]

Hi Dee46

Initially the Femoston worked for me within a few weeks re emotional  symptoms  but I was *just*  peri menopausal  so think my own hormones helped, for the first six months- but not for the past 2-3 years.  I have really suffered.
I looked and felt like an anxious walking zombie (if that's not a contradictory phrase) with two dead oysters as eyes.

As for "normal" levels of hormones- I know "He Who Shall Not Be Named"  and many other experts in the field advise it's down to a woman's history, symptoms, etc., as to what is "normal". Don't be misled by "normal" results.  I tend to regard them as "guidelines" when it comes to hormones!
Personably I don't like AD's- the emotional flattening effect and they can have a paradoxical effect in making some people more anxious or depressed. I do accept they can be helpful for some folks, but just not for me.

I did masses of research before going to see  "He Who Shall Not Be Named"  (who happens to have the best surname for a gynaecologist ever, but then I have a warped sense of humour!).

Certainly women with a history of what he call "reproductive depression" (includes anxiety) such as a history of PMS, PND, feel great when pregnant but worse as their periods return, etc.,  he reckons especially as they approach the menopause get worse mood symptoms and are often misdiagnosed with anxiety, depression, bi-polar etc., even if they still have "normal" hormone levels.
When it's hormonal in origin, AD's won't help.
My recent problems were certainly due to low oestrogen being post menopausal and being on ineffective and inappropriate HRT.
 
Just to add, they ("He ...") say it takes 2 to 3 months to notice a significant difference on HRT and that includes emotional symptoms.  I'm on Oestrogel 3 pumps daily, a tiny bead of Testim (testosterone) gel daily and 7 days of 100mg Utrogestan each month. I noticed a shift in my mood happening in the first week, and within about four weeks felt so much better. At 2 - 3 months I  really noticed a huge difference, hence my enthusiasm for the regime (although it unfortunately seems to upset some posters on here).
 
Also noticed additional benefits re my skin, hair, nails, VA, but it was the emotional symptoms that I was so relieved to get sorted. 
Certainly transdermal oestrogen (whether patches or gels) are clinically shown to be safe and more effective than tablets.
I'd certainly do a bit of reading up (on here and the NICE guidelines) and go back to your GP armed with information to request Oestrogel/Utrogestan treatment. 
Life is far too short and uncertain to be miserable when it can (hopefully) be sorted.
Big girl's knickers on, pulled up and go see your GP (or consider other options)!
PM me if you want any information.  xx

[Dancinggirl]

There is no doubt that anxiety, low mood, palpitations etc are the more difficult meno symptoms to tackle. The way hormone fluctuations and low oestrogen messes with your head can be awful.

I would just like to add a little balance here:  Whilst there are many women who benefit greatly from the Oestrogel with Utrogestan regime, there are also many, like me, who don't do well on Utrogestan.  I felt quite sedated, almost high and detached from life when on Utrogestan and there are some women that find this combination even worse than other HRT types. We are all different and what works for one women may not work for another. 
Femoston is a good HRT to try initially and any HRT can take 3-6 months to work it's magic, particularly if anxiety, palpitations etc are the symptoms needing to be controlled.  To say an AD/SRRI won't work is simply wrong - there are many that do very with ADs/SRRIs (if appropriate) and indeed many need an AD together with HRT to really control low mood anxiety etc. Like HRT, finding an AD/SRRI that suits you can be trail and error.

I know that the eminent specialist, that some on MM have seen, has done a great deal of groundbreaking research and has greatly improved the treatment for women with hormone problems, however, there have been quite a few postings on MM from women who have been far from happy with the treatment he has given.  There are many reasons for the low mood, anxiety, nausea, tight chest etc and it isn't always to do with hormones.
Because of my age (60), I have been to a specialist gynae privately in Norfolk, on the recommendation of my GP, who gives a far more holistic approach, explains any treatment very clearly, tailoring things accordingly and you come away having been heard and understood.

Debs46 - if you are not getting the results from this HRT over the next few weeks then hopefully your GP will be happy to refer your to a local gynae for advice - if you can afford or need to go privately then that could be an option but the NHS should give you help.  Do bare in mind that the peri stage is particularly challenging and it's often a range of things that need to be put in place to help us through this difficult time - not just HRT.
DG xxxx

[Milamam]

Dee46,
I would also echo DG that Femoston is a very good product and it has worked wonders for me (still does). Why don't you try the higher 2/10 dose before switching to something completely different? Maybe you need more estrogen, while at the higher dose the progestin is the same amount (dydrogesterone 10mg day 14-28). If this change diesn't suit you, then perhaps explore other options.

And yes, I agree with you that tbe ADs alone did nothing for my anxiety. It was adding systemic HRT that helped.

All the best and keep posting,
Milamam

[Dee46]

Thanks for the advice it has all been taken on board, have had a fairly calmer day today a few jitters, palpitations & numb brain!! I am not an expert on AD but when I was on Amitriptyline for nerve pain they didn't have the initial effect that the SRRI had which immediately made me feel suicidal & this is when the panic attacks started so not sure if I am not suited to the SRRI or if my body was telling me something.

Do all AD make you in this state & send you off the rails or could it be that because it was hormonal my body did not like the drugs, I do not get how all these AD's work that is why I took the SRRI thinking it would be like Amitriptyline..shame I didn't realise then what all this meno stuff was all about & I might have gone down the correct route in the beginning, I will plod on with the Femoston & wait for it to work its magic

[dazned]

AD are like hrt everyone reacts different to different ones,we're just all so different. Gosh thats a lot of differents in on sentence !   

Anyway I hope you know what I mean 

 As others have said some rave about utrogeston and oestrogen ,I personally don't get on with it ,it didnt suit me ! Hrt stopped my flushes but not my anxiety palpitations panics so I used an Ad alongside,had to try a few before I found one that worked for me . Such is the nature of the beast Im afraid we can give you suggestions and support but you need to find the magic formula that works for you individually. Hope it soon. 

[Dancinggirl]

Thank you dazned and Milamum for sharing your experience - you have illustrated my point really well which hoping will help Dee46.
I think we all need to keep an open mind about how we tackily our meno symptoms - too many women have very fixed ideas.
I do think it is unrealistic to expect HRT to solve everything - even bio identical progesterone(Utrogestan) is quite powerful and can actually make low mood and anxiety worse. 

Dee46 - I do hope we have been of help - I would definitely talk with your GP.  DG x