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How quickly can I wean off of HRT? Horrible bloating!

Posted , 6 users are following.

jeannecatlover
jeannecatlover

I started on HRT in May and had horrible bloating within a week.  My obgyn said I had three choices:  (1) stay on it and the bloating might decline after 3-6 months, (2) switch to another type of progesterone and I might not get bloating, or if I did, it might decline after 3-6 months, or (3) wean off HRT.  I stuck with option 1 for a month but couldn't stand it anymore and went to option 2.  I've been on that a month with no sign of improvement and am now, sadly, beginning to wean off HRT.  I've reduced estrogen by 50%.  In the first week, I had some increased body pain and some night sweats, but that's now gone away.  As I understand it, the next step would be to reduce estrogen to every other day.  But how long should I wait before I take that next step?  And once I do go to every other day, how long should I wait before discontinuing HRT entirely?  I've heard many horror stories about the problems of going off HRT.  So far, I'm not experiencing anything like that.  But I don't want to wean off too fast and end up with horrible effects.  Guidance?

Thanks.

Jeanne

1 like, 12 replies

12 Replies

  • price6209
    price6209 jeannecatlover

    Posted

    HRT is a strange creature. I tried going down to almost nothing and a few weeks later had terrible side effects (night sweats, itching skin, twitching facial nerves, bleeding gums, terrible anxiety, panick attacks, shaking etc.) I'm now pretty much back to where I was in the beginning, but having a few issues, hopefully I'll be normal again. I'd said I'm about 95% back - bottom line - wish I'd NEVER tried to get off HRT. I had the bloating as well, when I went back up in dosage it went completely away in about 4-5 months.  Some ladies have the luxury of not needing it, others like me just can't. Regardless if you go up or down - do it VERY slowly, about 1/2 mg at a time, let it do its thing for about 3 months, go another 1/2 mg, wait 3 months (or longer) and so on. That was my mistake in the beginning - I would jump 2 or 3 mg up or down-bad decision. For HRT to be completely settled down it takes at least 1+ year to where you feel great - at least for me that was the case.

    • catbee
      catbee price6209

      Posted

      This post may be duplicated. My initial reply to you just vanished. Anyways, i'm on BHRT and after being on it for 7 months, I began to have horrible abdominal bloating and fluid retention. I also experienced cramping, a lot of gas (sorry, TMI) and a change in bowel activity. It felt like bad PMS . My doctor said it was NOT the hormones! He suggested nothing other than doing an ultrasound. I asked if we could first try tweaking the dosages of the HRT a bit to see if it would help, he said it wouldn't. Its amazing the differences in what docs address and don't address...seems like most of them are all over the map when it comes to hormones. I was ready to switch doctors or go off the HRT (if needed) because I literally looked like I was 5 months pregnant and very uncomfortable from the abdominal pressure. I'm petite, slim, active and was very distressed by the bloating, abdominal distention and fluid retention. I was also starting to store fat in my abdomen and thighs and it was obvious. After some research (on my own and without any help from my doctor who didn't have anything to suggest to me anyways), I looked at what was different in my diet. It's been a very hot and prolonged summer here and I was drinking a lot of fluids, but I was constantly adding Crystal Light to my water. Crystal Lighth has sucralose, a non-caloric sweetner. It's not unusual for it to cause all of my symptoms by messing up the flora in the gut. I cut out ALL sucralose and started to notice a difference within a few days. It's still present but no where near what it was. I continue to store fat in my abdomen and thighs and I truly believe that this is from the HRT--I used to do this cyclically when I had periods!. Just thought I'd share with you because somentimes there can be contributing  causes and I know that our hormone levels (whether higher or lower) can affect the digestive system in women, cause fluid retention and fat stores in areas where we didn't have it before. I'm hanging in there with the HRT but if the fat storage continues to increase and my weight continues to climb, I will probably be looking for another doctor. 

    • jeannecatlover
      jeannecatlover catbee

      Posted

      This is very funny (in the ironic sense).  My digestive problems started years ago with sucralose, which destroyed a normal gut.  That stuff should be outlawed.  I'll skip the long story, but these days, I am diagnosed with chronic constipation.  I didn't know HRT could also cause constipation.  When I went on HRT, I couldn't understand why my constipation was getting worse, and I had to increase medication for that.  There could definitely be other causes for both this and the bloating, but I try to keep most things constant, so I feel pretty sure it's the HRT.  But I am haunted by the idea that I will finally get off HRT and still have the bloating and increased constipation.  If that happens, I will be very, very upset.

      Thanks for sharing your experience.

    • jeannecatlover
      jeannecatlover price6209

      Posted

      Thanks for sharing your timetable.  I'm so eager to get off of the HRT--I want to make sure I don't do it too fast and bring on more problems.  I was only on 1 mg of estrogen initially, so I've reduced that to .5 mg.  It sounds like I have to wait about 3 months before reducing to .5 mg every other day, or something like that.

       

    • catbee
      catbee jeannecatlover

      Posted

      Is your progesterone taken orally?   I never had a problem with sucralose in the past, but after several months on HRT, I did. Or a consultation with another HRT practitioner for a different perspective of the cause of the bloating and/or perhaps a whole new HRT plan. I'm curious to know what your current doctor said about the bloating...did he/she feel that it was due to the HRT? 

    • jeannecatlover
      jeannecatlover catbee

      Posted

      Both estrogen and progesterone taken orally.  The sucralose problem was several years before menopause or HRT, so that's another issue.

      My gastro had no idea what was causing the bloating and put me through a bunch of tests that showed nothing.  My obgyn took one look at my stomach and said the bloating was from HRT, 100% sure.  She said only progesterone causes bloating, so that is the culprit.  According to her, estrogen does not cause bloating.  But progesterone must be maintained at full strength until I am completely off of estrogen.  That's why I'm trying to get a better sense of how quickly I can reduce estrogen.  Thanks.

  • mitch83295
    mitch83295 jeannecatlover

    Posted

    Hi

    I had similar issues with my hrt and was convinced it was the pogesterone and not the eostrogen. I decided on a mirena coil as the hormone goes straight to were it is needed rather than taking in a patch or tablet that has to travel around your body to get to were it needed and all my symptoms of feeling bloated and severe headaches disappeared within a week. May be worth a try rather than giving up.

  • paula_25654
    paula_25654 jeannecatlover

    Posted

    Hi I weaned myself off fingers crossed it’s only been a month off of HRT and no hot sweats. Have started to ache more but I hated being on HRT, my stomach is still swollen but I feel as if it’s nots as bad. Everyone is different so it’s trial and error.
    • julie73239
      julie73239 paula_25654

      Posted

      Hi Paula I have Ibs too but never considered hrt a factor until I read this thread  it’s interesting. I have a concern around vahinal atrophy if I stop was this a problem for you ? Also I’m concerned about any other physical body changes too. I’m less worried about managing the hot flashes. My dr is becoming a challenge in giving me more patches so I have to consider stopping  
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