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Coming off HRT - should I taper?

Posted , 6 users are following.

Nixy
Nixy

Dear lovely ladies,

The fear of the long term side effects is scaring me. I've put on a lot of weight which is depressing me but more importantly I can't even touch my breasts anymore for the dreaded fear of finding something. Therefore, I know that this is not right for me.  I've made the decision to stop but just don't know how to do it?

Im taking Femoston 1/10 and have been for 4 months....can I just stop, or should I taper????

Any advice is very much appreciated 😊😊

0 likes, 10 replies

10 Replies

  • tina00239
    tina00239 Nixy

    Posted

    Hi hun, unless you want to make any symptoms you have suddenly worse I would taper very slowly. However your anxiety issues seem to be out of control and you most definitely need professional help with that and maybe some medication for it otherwise your quality of life is going to go up s**t creek without a paddle! Even if you do decide to stop the hrt the anxiety wont stop without help. Please dont delay and let yourself be so down. I've suffered anxiety really badly like you. Any twinge anywhere and I'm dying of cancer. So bad it has made me agoraphobic on top. Cant cope with any stressful situations, I just sit and shake and cry. So I got help for it. On top of my hrt, I take high strength vitamin supplement, Vit B complex, Vit D, evening primrose oil and valerian. I also have diazepam for when my anxiety is just too much. I really hope this advice helps you and I hope that your anxiety reduces very soon so you feel better. Message me anytime you need to. XXX

    • Nixy
      Nixy tina00239

      Posted

      Hi Tina,

      Thanks for taking the time to reply. Yes, I will come off it slowly. I often think I should take some form of anti-depressant instead of hrt but its the insomnia that concerns me. I already suffer in that dept. and I have tried AD before and one of the side effects is... insomnia. Great! Funny you should mention about B vitamins, I've tried these too, they make the anxiety worse. 

      Xx

    • tina00239
      tina00239 Nixy

      Posted

      B complex in the form of a drink should help with anxiety and depression maybe you just werent taking the right ones! Also have you tried making a warm, milky drink at bedtime and adding 1 or 2 crushed valerian tablets. Again good for anxiety and insomnia. Give it a go, you just never know until you try. XXX
    • marcia_27799
      marcia_27799 Nixy

      Posted

      Have you tried B-stress complex? Can't make your anxiety worst, how about your thyroid have been tested?

      Good luck 

  • Mars777
    Mars777 Nixy

    Posted

    Hi Nicstead .. I would come off the HRT gradually .. I have just stopped taking them ... I had my symptoms come straight back Hot sweats anxiety awful. I have had to go back on them . I have just had my results of my Mammogram come back clear. I have been taking HRT for many years now. As long as you have regular checks you should be fine. Was your symptoms bad before you went on HRT? 
    • Nixy
      Nixy Mars777

      Posted

      Hi there Mars....thanks also for your reply.....well my symptoms were insomnia (think hrt has helped a bit),slight anxiety but not a massive issue, just sometimes feeling fearful that something bad might happen.  As I just mentioned to Tina, I wish I could take AD but scared they will make my insomnia worse as have tried a few over the years with no luck. They can reduce R.E.M. Sleep. 

      I will I'll just try and taper the HRT slowly x 

    • Mars777
      Mars777 Nixy

      Posted

      Yes be best to come off slowly this is twice now I've had to stop them no tapering .. symptoms bk with a bang hope you will be ok ?

  • vicky77852
    vicky77852 Nixy

    Posted

    How old are you? I feel that you are in panic. If you take hrt only for 4 months there is no increase at breast cancer risks! 
    • jude84900
      jude84900 vicky77852

      Posted

      Hi vicky,

      I agree. Especially if you are using bio identical forms of hormone replacement that our bodies recognize and know what to do with. Its the synthetic forms of HRT that have been the culprits of causing women problems. Why would hormones that our bodies know, that we have had in our systems our whole adult life, all of a sudden be deadly for us?  Of course proper dosing through labs and symptoms must always be done properly to ensure safety.  I believe femostan, if I've read right is bio identical estrogen but synthetic progesterone in the form of dydrogesterone. Why do they turn a completely good hormone that is natural into something else? It brings the patent into the picture for the drug companies. Patent means profits. You cannot patent natural hormones so they alter a natural substance to get the patent.  There is plenty of good reading to be found out there on the safety of BHRT. Women should be able to feel safe getting the relief they need using hormone replacement and it starts with using the right hormones that are not altered that our body recognizes. It also makes sense when women get off hormones that all their symptoms are going to come back because our body is never going to make the amount of hormones it use to make. Some women even on this board in their 70s are still looking for relief from menopause. That's  a long time for women to suffer if they have been toughing it out for 25-30 years! So quality of ones life has to come into play here too. 

    • vicky77852
      vicky77852 jude84900

      Posted

      Hi! Dydrogesterone is more close to our natural progesterone than the other progestins and has a safer profile regarding breast cancer risks. The safest is micronized progesterone. I was on cyclo progynova for 8 months and on femoston 2/10 now. I’ll try micronized progesterone after some years I guess if everything is ok until then. I think that hrt helps us to stay healthier! smile
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