Don't feel right and don't know if peri menopause is the cause.
Posted , 9 users are following.
After blood tests and no periods for some months plus hot flushes, I was diagnosed as pre menopausal. I was given HRT but was taken off it after 3 months due to headaches. I've had no periods now for 14months. This part of it is great for me but I feel like absolute crap. I'm having loads of hot flushes mainly in the evening and through the night, and a couple of nights ago woke up absolutely soaking wet so much so I queried whether I'd wet myself!!!
My memory is appalling and I walk around most of the time in a fog. I feel really low and feel completely useless. Maybe it's a midlife crisis? My sleep is appalling; I wake up after 2 hours and stay awake until I feel like I am nodding off which is usually about 4 hours later. I get itchy at night and basically don't feel like me. Does anybody know if this is maybe due to my hormonal changes or if there's anything I could take apart from HRT that may help these symptoms?
Also, how long does it go on for?
Any advice would be much appreciated!!!!!
0 likes, 18 replies
nancy0925 catarratto
Posted
I have been dealing with peri for years now and as my periods are declining my symptoms change. Now i'm down to every few months getting a period. I feel horrible everyday. I'm hoping it's the decline of hormones. Doctors tell me hormones can really mess with you. All I can describe is that I feel like an alien has taken over. I have so many weird things going on yet bloods are always normal
I am still looking for that light at the end if the tunnel!
catarratto nancy0925
Posted
Are you taking any meds/supplements?
Sochima822 catarratto
Posted
Hi cat, been there. Unfortunately, every body is different. I went through it roughly for about 3 years off & on with the soaking of the bed. My doctor put me several meds that helped. For hot flashes I took maca, chia seeds, flax seed drink and some pills called Hot Flash. However, before I discovered these things I was using ice packs under the sheets to keep me cool. The clay packs are the since they absorbed the heat. I also took St. John's wort. This pill gave me back my life. Hope this helps.
Sochima822
Posted
Btw, for hot flashes I was given, gabapentin, which worked well. Before that I was given effexor, I had a bad reaction to it so my doc stopped it immediately. About a year later my symptoms came back with a vengeance. That's when I went to the herbs. Also, forgot to mention some women do really well on Sage. I also reacted to it so I can't take it. Good luck.
catarratto Sochima822
Posted
Thanks for that Sochima822, I will definitely explore the things you suggested
gailannie catarratto
Posted
Since you haven't had a period in 14 months, you are now considered menopausal.
This isn't a mid life crisis, the things you are feeling are the result of the decline of hormones your body has had it's whole adult life. And no, it's no fun.
Many women complain of brain fog, poor sleep, itchy dry skin, drenching night sweats and hot flashes.
Apparently the HRT you were given was not a good fit for your body. Possilby too much estrogen! But that doesn't mean you can't find something that works well. So I understand wanting to try herbal and vitamin supplements, but that's not what your body is screaming for.
catarratto gailannie
Posted
Thanks for your advice gailannie ?
I honestly didn't think about the fact that there are many different doses and combinations of HRT ( brain fog!!). Unfortunately, when I went for my 3 monthly review at the doctors, I couldn't see my usual GP and she possibly would have suggested something else. I am going to make an appointment to discuss it further as I can't stand this!!!
One worry though. Do you think going on and off HRT is bad for the body with hormone levels going from high to low? I feel like it may be unsettling for the body somehow.
gailannie catarratto
Posted
Catarratto, ALL of this is unsettling to the body. Every bit of it. Our bodies have had estradiol for so many decades, it's trying to learn a whole new language. And one that doesn't work all that well, I might add. That's the thing, our thyroid is trying to learn to work with out estrogen (tight connection there), our insulin relies on estrogen to help get sugar in and out of cells, our adreanal galnds are over compensating and working really hard to fill in the gaps.
My thought is if you felt better with HRT (minus the headaches) then take that as your bodies sign of approval. You can try another form, dosage, and delivery method of HRT and see if you improve. It often is a trial and error kind of thing. So start very low, go really slow, giving your body time to adjust to the help, and see where it takes you. If you do't like it, you can always stop. But if it helps you feel more normal then it's worth a try.
LouiseScotland catarratto
Posted
My main symptom was anxiety, and Evening Primrose capsules (1000mg daily) helps hugely. They took about 2 weeks to work and any time I stop taking them I start to feel awful again within a week or two. They work wonders and I would say they actually keep me sane! They're not particularly expensive (Tesco often do 3 for 2) and they may not work for everybody, but worth a try? I'm wondering if a simple antihistamine might help with the itching, and maybe work on your bedtime routine...warm bath, milky drink, lavendar, etc. Good luck and hopefully it will all pass very soon xx
Tunsc1963 LouiseScotland
Posted
I get quite anxious do you think evening primrose could be taken with HRT? Yes good tip about the antihistamine that might work don't know why I've not thought of that I take them for hay fever!!!
LouiseScotland Tunsc1963
Posted
I honestly don't know as I've never taken HRT, but you could certainly check with your GP. Like all natural remedies I'm sure there are some meds it shouldn't be taken with, but I don't now about HRT. I hope you'll be able to give it a try and it will be interesting to see if antihistamines help at all. Keep us updated xx
catarratto LouiseScotland
Posted
Thanks LouiseScotland ?
I am going to see my GP so will ask about antihistamines and discuss the evening primrose and other alternatives suggested if I choose to go back on to an alternative HRT. I can't make my mind up about HRT at all. I partly feel maybe I should let it happen naturally with natural aids but on the other hand as I'm 45 I feel maybe I should have the hormones that by rights should be there. My GP said she'd stop it after 5 years anyway. Any thoughts?
gailannie catarratto
Posted
Time to find a new physician!
You are 45 years old, so this is considered early onset menopause. And by your own words, you feel like crap. While these hormones my not be the "fountain of youth" there are certainly things that you need to consider. These was so darn much unjustified scare with that OLD study, (the women's health initaive) done on nothing by synthetic hormones. But there are real and proven benefits for estrogen and progesterone in our bodies.
And any doctor who says she'd stop it after 5 years has not been reading the new recommendations from the Endrocrinologist Menopausal guidelines.
Sorry, I don't mean to sound upset about this. But it is irresponsible of our medial community to ignore, deny, and tell women to forget about it. There is nothing wrong with wanting to feel better now, and to help our bodies age better for the future.
Maybe I am mad, just a little. I sat around for 4 years with constant, chronic muscular and ligament pain. Saw 12 doctors, of every type and speciality. NOT ONE of these goof balls even thought to ask if I was menopausal, or taking any estrogen. It wasn't until the vaginal atrophy, dryness and painful sex set in, that I was given vaginal Estrace. And low and behold.......ALL THE PAIN WENT AWAY. GONE. And hasn't returned.
So seriously, what does a woman have to do to get some help, or to have a physician suggest that hormones just might be a part of the problem????
If you feel bad Catarratoo.....demand someone pay attention and help you.
Guest catarratto
Posted
Tunsc1963 catarratto
Posted
Hi I am on HRT prempak c 1.25mg I suffer from the occasional migraine i have found this to be agreeable. I don't have hot flushes anymore but when I did I had them just initially started at night like you I woke up soaking. I don't sleep well as it is but they kept me up most of the night I was absolutely shattered in the mornings. They gradually increased to the point I was having them constantly thought out the day and night, to the point where I thought my head was going to explode. My cousin was 39 when she started the menopause and frequently fainted with her hot flushes. I was having terrible mood swings, I felt like killing people, I was extremely depressed and felt like I couldn't go on. The prospect of suffering for the next 10 years filled me with dread. I couldn't take it anymore so went on HRT, I feel a lot better now although not quite myself. My cousin smokes and recently started using a cream/gel which has helped her she lives in Canada maybe this is something you could ask your doctor about.