How long does it take for HRT to work?

Thanks Mars 777 You have given me hope x

Thanks price6209. I just want to feel like me again x

And you will, I promise!  I failed to tell you something; exactly like my two friends, when we started our HRT the first few weeks we felt wonderful, then the bottom dropped out with severe anxiety and fatigue. I thought I was having a nervous breakdown. My friend told me to grit my teeth and get thru it, then after a few weeks I started feeling a little better, a few weeks later another episode and so on with the time in between the episodes getting a little further apart, after about 3 months that is. I can almost tell now when it's about to happen, but, now the days of anxiety (and they aren't all that bad, and more like the old PMS days) this last episode only lasted two days, so I ate a good meal, took an over the counter PM pill at bedtime and felt great the next day. I'm getting close to a year now of taking the estradiol estrogen tablets. I'm starting to have a lot more energy, finally feel like being with friends, change my hairstyle, etc. Life is finally about 98% good again. I know the reason mine is probably taking longer than other women, my last OBGYN changed my dosage up and down 8 times in a year and a half and my poor body is probably telling me "stop, we can't do this."  Stay on this thread of other women's comments - it has been a Godsend

 for me.

Hi Cluxton I’m 53 and 3 years post meno. Managed ok till now but symptoms hit me like a brick wall a few months ago . I was getting constant hot flushes, constant nausea, no appetite, heart palpitations , exhausted, shaky and just feel really ill. I’m on Elleste Duet Conti.  Hot flushes during day have stopped and heart palpitations have stopped. Everything else is just as bad x

Hi again Jeudi, I felt exactly as you did was taking Hrt quite a long time, then all th symptoms came bk but worst . I am post meno as you are I am almost 64 I take  Indivina 2mg/5mg .. as I said never felt so good . Honestly there is hope. I never thought I would feel normal again x

Hi Mars 777 did the symptoms come back when you were taking hrt?  I hope I can soon feel normal again xx

Hi Jeudi, I have a long, pretty boring story, so I,m not going to go into it! But.....I was on the Elleste Duet Conti and while everything else had settled down, I still felt anxious and as though I was on the edge of having a panic attack. So about five weeks ago, after finally having a phone consultation with the hospital menopause clinic (I waited nine months for this call)my hrt was changed to Femoston Conti 1mg/5mg,twice daily. I have had it explained that the progesterone is a kinder one and good for anxiety. And it has hugely improved the anxiety I felt on the Elleste. I felt a difference within a few days and have continued to improve. The progesterone  in the Elleste is supposed to be better for improving libido,  but I can't say I noticed! The aches and pains I had prior to Femoston have gone.....no more sore shoulder that I put up with for over a year. And now I am able to relax, everything else seems to have fallen into place. Maybe you could get your hrt changed and see if it can help you, too?

Hi supemack 39 good to hear that you are feeling better. I’ve got to try this hrt for 3 months. Interesting that you take Femoston twice a day x

I take the Femoston twice daily, as apparently you can't get it in 2mg/ in the conti. I asked about the progesterone  appearing to be a high dose, 10mg in total a day, and had it explained that because the two progesterones are different, I needed to take the two tabs a day. I feel that because it is spaced out that I don't just get relief from one big dose but spreading it out seems to work well over the 24 hour period. 

Sounds like a sensible idea. Yes it’s a different progesterone to Elleste x

Hi Mars777

Did you feel really ill? X