Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Sandra W]

Morning ladies I would really like your help and advice please. I am 55 am currently on everol sequi (tried conti but kept bleeding) i moved on to this from oestrogel & utro on advise of gynae as I couldn't tolerate the 200mg of utro.
I am not sure I am getting much benefit from the HRT as I went back on to help with sleep issues but my sleep is worse than ever.
I am going to try chelated magnesium (anyone have good results with this?) but I am thinking of stopping HRT for a while.
Is it possible that your body adapts to the change in hormones and goes back to its normal state? Should I try another diff regime? Can HRT even make your sleep worse? I am in such a mess - tired/anxious/struggling without a good nights sleep. I take phenergan every now & then but even that doesn't seem to help anymore. Thank you for any advice you can give x

[Wrensong]

Hi Sandra, sorry to hear you are struggling with sleep issues - a lot of us on here are the same but I know there's not much comfort in that when it can have such a profound effect on your life.

Can I ask what dose of gel you were on & whether you were sleeping better on that before you changed to Evorel?  At just 50mcg oestradiol the Evorel is considered medium dose oestrogen & I wonder whether that's not enough for you.  Also how long have you been on the Evorel?

I found Utrogestan was very bad for sleep - I felt wired & very hot on it & it brought back palpitations, so it really worsened my insomnia & I had to abort several trials of it with different doses of oestrogen.

Some women find they absorb poorly from Evorel products.  After 2 years on Evorel Conti, bloods showed I only got approx 50% the expected oestradiol from those patches & that was not enough to control my symptoms.  A Meno specialist recently told me that's not uncommon with Evorel, so I wonder whether you may be the same.

Magnesium is said to be helpful for sleep & to exert a generally calming effect on the system, so worth a try, but I would start with a low dose & be cautious, as it can muck around with electrolyte levels.  I found it did help me with sleep & other things before perimenopause but I can't tolerate it now as it seems to increase my flushing & night sweats.  An alternative is to try a combi calcium-magnesium supplement.

[Sandra W]

Thanks Jari - I do get some exercise but not enough so I could try increasing. How do I come off the patches gradually? Cut them in half?

Wrensong I was taking 3 pumps of oestrogel & yes I did seem to sleep better on that but again it seemed to wear off and I couldn't tolerate 200mg utro (when I was on the conti regime of 100mg although I slept OK I bled almost continuously). I have been on everol since november. Interesting to hear that some women don't absorb well on everol - I was wondering if I wasn't absorbing well with the gel. Thanks also for your comments on magnesium - its so fascinating how women differ so much in terms of what impact diff meds/supplements have on them. I'm not sure whether to try coming off or trying a diff regime but what else could I try other than the patches or gel (not that keen on pills) 

[Wrensong]

I wonder whether an oestrogen only patch (say Estradot 50mcg or if not enough, maybe 75mcg - equivalent to 3 pumps of gel) with conti MPA might suit you if you slept better on a regime with conti prog.  Estradot is a small patch that sticks well & suits many women.  The MPA comes in different doses but is oral, so I appreciate you may not want to consider that.  You could try it on a sequi regime too if you prefer, to find out whether it's the higher dose of oestrogen or conti prog you need for better sleep.

[Sandra W]

Wrensong what is MPA please?
Jari - I have just bought some chelated magnesium and vegan omega 3 to try. I know that I don't drink enough water so that's something I must work on. Thanks again ladies for your support

[Wrensong]

Sandra, MPA (also called Provera) is a tablet form of synthetic progesterone you could combine with patch or gel if you want to keep to transdermal oestrogen.  It was suggested to me as an option at a Meno Clinic when I couldn't tolerate Utrogestan, absorbed poorly from Evorel Conti & didn't want Mirena.  I never tried it as life got in the way!

https://www.menopausematters.co.uk/to_progestogens.php

[Letmein]

Hi Sandra, the only Menopause symptoms that has been ruining my life is the impact on my sleep. I went from being one of those annoying people who sleep through everything even in very stressful event to a mad woman who is up at 3am cleaning feeling wide awake despite only a few hours of sleep.

Like you, hrt didn't help in any way and just brought more disturbing symptoms so I decided to stop after 3 months.
I've tried every treatment possible both medicated and meditation. In the end, some of the issues are due to my lifestyle and the stresses it causes and the impact Of the menopause itself which mean I feel wired every time I go to sleep and through the night

One bit of advice, exercise is good but I definitely find that it makes my sleep worse even a brisk walk. I've had to cut down on how much I do and definitely do no exercise 2 hours before bed. I know when I've over done it as I get restless legs which I never had before and sadly, I know then that my sleep that night won't be good.

I would give anything to sleep well again as I used to.

[Wrensong]

Hi Letmein - so sorry to hear about the sleep issues. Totally sympathise with the wide awake at 3am scenario & unable to get back to sleep  afterwards.  Me to a T.  Glad someone else has testified to exercise making their sleep worse - I do exercise but find bizarrely that since peri started many years ago, doing too much is a very big no-no for sleep so I have to be very careful not to overdo it.  The more tired I am mentally, physically or emotionally, the worse my sleep.  Counter-intuitive & took me many years to make the link with exercise & even poorer sleep.

[Sandra W]

Lack of sleep is so frustrating and the worst symptom of the menopause in my view as it has such a huge impact of every element of life. I'm sorry that you haven't found a solution Letmein - hopefully once you come out the other side if menopause you will be able to sleep again. I'm sure there will be mixed views on exercise - I only do pilates and always in the mornings.