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Forced off HRT at 60?

Posted , 117 users are following.

groovygranny
groovygranny

I've been on HRT, very happily, since my menopause at 45 (I'm now 67).  My doctor is really pressing me now to come off it.  Personally, I believe in 'if it ain't broke, why fix it?'.   I am (as far as I know!) in very good health:  I walk for over an hour a day, work out, eat extremely well, don't smoke, am not overweight, I'm still working part-time, I don't have any cancer history in my family and feel full of energy and bonhomie!   The risks relating to HRT and breast cancer are now proved to be unfounded and anyway there is no breast cancer in my family.  The risk, apparently, that rises after 60 on HRT is stroke.  However, doctors also say that you are 43% less likely to have a stroke if you exercise an hour every day, which I do.  So, is it not reasonable to say that as long as I am low risk, and as long as I feel great on HRT, why come off it?  My age group are all one big experiment anyway and in America I know women can be on it till they drop.  The question is: can my doctor force me to give HRT up?

26 likes, 445 replies

445 Replies

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  • jeanjeany
    jeanjeany groovygranny

    Posted

    I AM NOW 68

    I HAD EARLY MENOPAUSE AT 37

    I FEEL I AM A PIONEER FOR HRT.

    WITHOUT BEING LONG WINDED I NEVER QUESTIONED THE DOSAGE I WAS ON , JUST TOOK MY PILL DAILY.

    I DID TRY TO COME OFF IT WHEN THEY HAD A BREAST CANCER SCARE ABOUT 20 YEARS AGO.

    OH MY-SWEATS-UNABLE TO SLEEP-COULDNT EVEN COPE WITH THE SMALLEST OF TASK-PANIC FEELING

    SO AFTER 6 MONTHS OF TRYING ALSO ALL HERBAL STUFF THAT HAD NO EFFECT WHATSOEVER, I HAD TO GO BACK ON IT.

    AS YEARS WENT BY I STARTED TO THINK ABOUT THE DOSEAGE I WAS ON AS I DID HAVE A BREAST CANCER SCARE ,WHICH BELEIVE ME WAS VERY SCARY.

    FOLLOWING THAT I CUT MY DOSAGE DOWN TO HALF A TABLET PER DAY

    IT WORKED.

     A MONTH LATER I CUT DOWN TO HALF TABLET EVERY ALTERNATIVE DAY

    IT WORKED

    THEN I CUT DOWN TO A QUARTER OF A TABLET DAILY -YES IT WORKED

    THEN I CUT DOWN TO A QUARTER OF A TABLET EVERY ALT DAY -IT WORKED

    THIS I DID INCREASING THE DAYS IN BETWEEN TABLETS.

    AFTER ABOUT 12 MONTHS I GAVE IT A TRY TO STOP AS I WAS THEN TAKING ONE QUARTER OF A TABLET EVERY 4 DAYS IT WORKED.

    HOPE THIS HELPS ANYONE AS THERE IS A RISK OF BREAST CANCER , YET FOR YEARS I WAS NOT EVEN CONSULTED ABOUT DOSAGE , I DID IT ALL MYSELF, NOW OFF IT WITH NO SIDE EFFECTS.

    NO DOCTORS SEEM TO TELL YOU THIS WAY OF COMING OFF H R T.

    OR REDUCING THE DOSAGE.

    IT SEEMS THE BEST/WORST ADVISE THEY GIVE YOU IS "COME OFF IT"

    AS WE KNOW LADIES IT IS NOT THAT EASY AND HAS A BIG IMPACT ON ONES QUALITY OF LIFE

    GOOD LUCK TO ALL ,I HOPE THIS HELPS

     

    • Jan999
      Jan999 jeanjeany

      Posted

      Hello jeanjeany. I have found your advice really useful. I'm 61 and have been on HRT since 1991 following a hysterectomy and oophorectomy. I have not had any breast cancer scare but my GP wants me to stop taking it and if I'm honest I know at some point I will have to cope with the menopausal symptoms so I may as well do it now. I've reduced my dose fro 2 to 1 tablet a day but hadn't thought about the half tablet etc. Will now give it a try. Thank you very much.
    • jeanjeany
      jeanjeany Jan999

      Posted

      HI MATRON

      I AM SURE IF OVER A PERIOD OF TIME, REDUCING AND REDUCING YOU WILL BE ABLE TO COPE WITH WHATS LEFT OF THE MENOPOSE

      GOOD LUCK AND HAPPY XMAS

    • loretta63638
      loretta63638 jeanjeany

      Posted

      Thank you Jeanjeany,

      I have stopped taking pill on the weekends, so I am now taking one every day Monday through Friday.... I have done this since August, so did you make the adjustments every month?  How long did it take you to do this?  

      What would you suggest for me at this point?  Should I cut my dosage in half on alternative days Monday through Friday?  For 1 Month? Or cut it in half Monday through Friday daily? For how long? 

      Please please help!  No help from these doctors, so far I am ok with not taking the 2 on the weekends, some warm spells at night is all not enough to wake me.

      Thank you.  

    • loretta63638
      loretta63638

      Posted

      JeanJeany,

      I have more emotional fear as I suffered deep depression and high anxiety, unable to function, during perimenopause I was on a BCP therapy, transistioned me on to HRT at 50, I am now 58 and am scared the doctors will just cut me off without helping me to wean off, so I am trying to get ahead of them.  As you stated they just tell you to stop and see how you feel???  So terrible....eager to get you to take them and then deny there is any affects on you when you stop! 

      Thank you again for your information.  So very helpful!!!!

    • jeanjeany
      jeanjeany loretta63638

      Posted

      I KNOW I WAS CUT OFF AS I HAD TO HAVE SOME TESTS.

      THE EFFECT IN 3 WEEKS WAS .

      UNABLE TO SLEEP-SWEATS DAY AND NIGHT-EVEN MY HAIR WAS COMING OUT IN CHUNKS WHICH I TOLD THEM IT WAS BECAUSE THE DOCS MADE ME GO COLD TURKEY HEY THEY DID NOT BELEIVE THAT IT WAS DUE TO H R T ALSO THE OTHER EFFECTS LIKE UNABLE TO COPE , TIRED ALL THE TIME-RATTY WITH FAMILY. YOU KNOW THE REST.

      I BEGGED TO GO BACK ON AS I TOLD THEM I HAD BEEN WEANING MYSEF OFF WHICH  AT THE TIME I WAS THEN DOWN TO A QUARTER OF A TABLET EVERY ALTERNATE DAY BUT I HAD TO SIGN A FORM SAYING THAT IT WAS OUT OF THEIR HANDS, WHICH I DID.

      THEN AS IN MY FIRST POSTING I WEANED MYSELF OFF WITH LITTLE SIDE EFFECTS.

      WHY DONT THE DOCS THINK OF THIS TO HELP US ,ITS COMMONSENSE

      ANYWAY GOOD LUCK AND A HAPPY XMAS

    • jeanjeany
      jeanjeany loretta63638

      Posted

      HELLO LORETTA

      THANK YOU FOR YOUR POSTING.THIS IS WHAT WORKED FOR ME.

      AS I FEEL IT TAKES APPROX 3 WEEKS FOR SYMPTOMS TO SHOW AFTER STARTING A TABLET , I WOULD DO THE FOLLOWING AND MONITOR IT IN A DIARY.

      FIRST OF ALL GO TO BOOTS AND GET YOURSELF A PILL CUTTER AS THIS IS EASIER TO CUT PILLS IN HALF.

      FIRSTLY I WOULD TAKE HALF A TABLET FOR ONE MONTH INCLUDING WEEKENDS.

      THEN HALF A TABLET EVERY ALT DAY FOR A MONTH.

      THEN A QUARTER OF A TABLET EVERY ALT DAY FOR A MONTH.

      THEN A QUARTER OF A TABLET EVERY 2 DAYS FOR A MONTH

      THEN KEEP REDUCING BY A DAY UNTIL YOU FEEL YOU ARE OK TO COME OF AND SEE WHAT YOU FEEL LIKE AFTER A MONTH.

      IF AT ANY TIME WHEN REDUCING YOUR SYMPTOMS COME BACK -JUST GO BACK TO THE PREVIOUS DOSE THAT WORKED FOR YOU AND TRY AGAIN TILL YOUR BODY GETS USED TO IT

      HAVE A GREAT XMAS

       

    • loretta63638
      loretta63638 jeanjeany

      Posted

      Thank you JeanJeany,

      You are A God Send!  I will do as you suggested and may I keep in touch with you, should I have any questions.

      Thank you and have a Blessed Christmas!

    • loretta63638
      loretta63638 jeanjeany

      Posted

      Jeanjeany,

      Did you take any vitamin supplements while weaning off?  If so what and how much?  Thank you in advance.  

    • loretta63638
      loretta63638 jeanjeany

      Posted

      Jeanjeany,

      I am a little confused. After taking one half tablet daily, Did you take a half tablet every altnernate day and no tablet in between?   Then when you went to a quarter tablet you went back to daily? Then quarter every alternate day?  Then started spacing the days between? 

      Thank you for your advice as this seems so hopeful!!!  I am taking half a pill daily now as of Dec 17th!

      Wishing you a happy and healthy 2015!

    • VauxhallGirl
      VauxhallGirl Jan999

      Posted

      Hi Matron....reading between the lines...does HFT only delay the menopause? Will you be plunged into it when you stop the HRT? If it only delays it, then think I would rather go through it in my 50's, when i am more able-bodied.
  • jeanjeany
    jeanjeany groovygranny

    Posted

    HI GROOVEY GRANNY

    WHAT I DID WAS

    1-HALF TAB PER DAY FOR 1 MONTH

    2-HALF EVERY ALTERNATE DAY FOR 1MONTH

    3-QUARTER TABLET PER DAY  FOR 1 MONTH

    4-QUARTER OF TABLET EVERY ALT DAY FOR 1 MONTH

    5THEN QUATER OF TABLET EVERY 2 DAYS FOR 1 MONTH

    6- QUARTER OF TABLET EVERY 4 DAYS FOR 1 MONTH.

     IF YOU GO BACK TO SIDE EFFECTS THAT YOU FEEL YOU CANT COPE WITH JUST GO BACK TO ONE STEP UP THAT WORKED FOR YOU THEN TRY AGAIN.

    IT IS THE ONLY WAY TO WEAN YOURSELF OFF THE HRT.

    LISTEN TO YOUR BODY -KEEP IN TOUCH YOU WILL BE FINE.

    HAPPY NEW YEAR X

     

    • loretta63638
      loretta63638 jeanjeany

      Posted

      Got it, copied and pasted this to my desktop!!!!  

      Happy New Year!!!

      xo Loretta

  • Guest
    Guest groovygranny

    Posted

    My Mum is 77 and has been on HRT since she was 44. She has gradually cut the tablets until she's on a tiny quarter dose in discussion and with careful checks under her GP. She suffered v extreme menopausal symptoms which come back with a vengeance as soon as she stops even this tiny dose. So it can be done, but it isn't usual and obviously you should always check with your GP/consultant.
    • loretta63638
      loretta63638 Guest

      Posted

      Hello Twins!

      Howong did it take her to reduce! I followed JeanJennys schedule and schedule and one month after doing well in half dose I went to hell in a hand basket full of symptoms! Back on full dose?'! 2 days now and feeling better! Thank you! JeanJenny any advice if you are reading this? Xo Loretta

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