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[DebJ]

Hi Everyone
I'm 55 currently on Tridestra HRT and the first 3 months were good apart from the return on my anxiety for a short time. It really helped me sleep better and my anxiety and low moods were significantly reduced.
I was taking St Johns Wort but stopped as it says not to take with HRT though I have read that some doctors say to carry on taking it as there no proof the HRT is affected by the St Johns Wort.
My anxiety and low mood has returned and I am not sleeping well and am considering stopping the HRT. Can I just stop? I would like to stop just to see if I feel better or worse.I wondered if others have stopped taking it and how you felt after?
Many Thanks
Debbie

[clare663]

Hi DebJ yes I have just stopped many times. After a day or two of slight anxiety, I felt better day by day but this did have a lot to do with the fact that I felt so awful on the HRT!! I have stopped from tablets, patches and the gel and all 3 times I was back to feeling better within days. It varied when the hot flushes returned tho, anything from 2 days to a week.

[Misstidy]

Hi DebJ, I had a total hysterectomy with BSO last year.  This sent me into surgical menopause which is quite radical.  At least it was for me.  I felt really awful and my health was at an all time low.  I'm 51 by the way.  I tried HRT but I didn't like it.  I was on it for 2 months and I really didn't take to it.  I tried eating for the Menopause too but this wasn't enough.  I've been trying various supplements which are natural and have found the perfect balance and things seem to be a lot lot better.  I have loads more energy and brighter skin and my hot flushes have subsided so much, they're practically non-existent.

[Hurdity]

Hi DebJ

Sorry to hear you are still not feeling quite right.

If you are peri-menopausal then your own hormones may well come into play now and again so may be responsible for some mood changes. Also if you feel rough during the progestogen stage or in the week or so after it - this could be due to the effects of the progestogen, or the withdrawal symptoms after stopping.

The aim with HRT is to feel generally better overall on it than off it - it is not a maigc cure that will enable you to feel 100% the whole time - very few could claim that!  Only you can decide on whether this is the case or if the off days are more numerous now you are on HRT than they were before you started. Do keep some sort of diary so that you can see if there is a pattern emerging.

Alternatively you could try a different HRT type eg one that gives a monthly bleed, so the progestogen dose is not so high when you do take it - but then you have a cycle to contend with. In terms of oral HRT many women seem to get on well with Femoston so perhaps that is worth thinking about?

Hurdity x

[Mary G]

DebJ, if you are taking HRT and not feeling at least significantly better then chances are, you are on the wrong type of HRT and/or the wrong dose.

I took oral HRT for a while and didn't find it very effective at all.  I had digestive problems and did not find the oestrogen dose strong enough although mine only contained 1mg of oestrogen.  I also found that it all started off OK and then the positive effects tappered off after a few months.  The other problem with oral HRT is that very often much of it gets lost in your digestive system. 

Why not look at a cyclical, transdermal HRT regime?  I use Oestrogel and have found it to be the most effective form of HRT by far.  I use Utrogestan vaginal capsules for the progesterone part (I can't oral progesterone or have a Mirena coil) but there are other forms of progesterone you can take if you prefer.  It does mean having periods again but that's a small price to pay for feeling normal again.

It's probably worth a try.

[dazned]

I stopped last November and feel ok still. Its your choice ,maybe stop see what if any symptoms come back then re evaluate. 

[Misstidy]

Does everybody take HRT?  What are people's views on it?  After researching it, I was very sceptical and came off it.  I didn't feel any worse for it and I searched around for other ways to cope with menopause symptoms.

[dazned]

No not everyone here takes hrt ,its a personal choice,some use ADs,some use herbal things,some use exercise,diet,lifestyle changes,some use a combination of these things 

[Dancinggirl]

Misstidy - welcome to MM - it sounds to me as though you might not have been getting bad meno symptoms so probably didn't need HRT - maybe the HRT you tried wasn't the right one for you???.  Believe me, if you had the flushes, poor sleep, aching joints, vaginal and bladder problems etc. that many women get then you may well have stuck with HRT.  If you are one of the lucky 40% who have fewer meno symptoms for a shorter time - then this is great.  If however you are still getting lots of flushes, bad nights etc. and didn't get relief from HRT when you tried it, then you might want to consider trying a different HRT??? Do look under TREATMENTS above - browse around the site to get clued up - there are some doing well on HRT, others that have difficultly finding the right HRT and some who choose not to use HRT for various reasons.  We welcome everyone and their views here. DG x