Print

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

[NCT]

Hello lovely ladies
I’m just after some advice or reassurance before I call the Dr first thing in the morning.

I have already tried Evorel patches and then gel with Utrogestan previously and had undesirable side effects.

I then had three months on Femoston Conti 1mg/5mg and a good amount of my symptoms disappeared, but was still having some night sweats and fatigue with slight brain fog.

Early last week Dr switched me to Elleste Duet Conti 2mg/1mg. I am on day 6 and I feel absolutely horrendous. Can’t hold a straight thought in my head, extremely anxious, depressed, feelings of panic and so very irritable.

I’m presuming it’s the norethisterone as I was psychotic on cerazette.

I don’t know whether to give it a bit longer to see if it settles down or go back on the Femoston. I go on holiday in a week and can’t cope with feeling like this and having to be active and jolly.

Any advice would be really appreciated 🥰

[Dotty]

Hi it could be the norethisterone or it could be that you’ve doubled the oestrogen.

[CLKD]

Many react to the progesterone phase and not in a good way 

Which symptom did U want to relieve ?

[Gilla999]

This won't be very helpful, but I also have found there is a great variability in doses between transdermal and oral. My HRT journey is very similar to yours, and I know through a lot of trial and error that I'm a super absorber of all things transermally and when I've switched to the BMS advised equivalent of Elleste solo, it was much too low, as I have problems with absorption of nutrients (and meds) in my gut.

As Dotty has said, you have doubled your Estrogen dose, so it could equally be that it's too high for you - I get the extreme anxiety symptoms you describe both from too high and too low Estrogen.

[NCT]

Hi it could be the norethisterone or it could be that you’ve doubled the oestrogen.

Thank you, I hadn’t really thought about that 🥴 If it is the increase in oestrogen, might it settle down as my system gets used to it?

[NCT]

Many react to the progesterone phase and not in a good way 

Which symptom did U want to relieve ?

Thank you.
It’s mostly the feelings of panic, hopelessness, complete brain fog and confusion that I’m struggling with.

[NCT]

This won't be very helpful, but I also have found there is a great variability in doses between transdermal and oral. My HRT journey is very similar to yours, and I know through a lot of trial and error that I'm a super absorber of all things transermally and when I've switched to the BMS advised equivalent of Elleste solo, it was much too low, as I have problems with absorption of nutrients (and meds) in my gut.

As Dotty has said, you have doubled your Estrogen dose, so it could equally be that it's too high for you - I get the extreme anxiety symptoms you describe both from too high and too low Estrogen.

Thank you
Oh, it’s just a mine field isn’t it? So many symptoms cross over so it’s difficult to know what is causing the problem. I would try and wait it out but dread the possibility of feeling worse than I do now.

[CLKD]

Hormone upheaval can cause intense anxiety = panic attacks.  How is your diet overall?

[Hurdity]

Hi NCT

 

Sorry to hear about your ongoing symptoms.

First, just to clarify - Cerazette contains desogestrel, also a synthetic progestogen but different from norethisterone.

Yes your symptoms may settle once you acclimatise to the higher dose of oestrogen...but.... maybe due to effects of continuous norethisterone which can give pms type symptoms in some women.

You haven't said where you are in menopause or how old you are, but I am assuming post-meno ie 12 months minimum since last natural period before starting HRT?

If Femoston suited you, some women who need a higher oestrogen dose have been prescribed double the Femoston 1/5 for continuous use - off-licence and I remember reading one woman who was advised to take an extra tablet every other day, to give a higher oestrogen dose - but to emphasise this is strictly off-licence, but could be one solution. This is because there is no commerical preparation of continuous Femoston higher than 1 mg oestrogen, which is a pity since dydrogesterone is the one synthetic progestogen which appears to be better tolerated than some of the others - being very close in structure to our own progesterone.

Hurdity x