I am 57 and have just stopped taking HRT after 7 years a...
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I am 57 and have just stopped taking HRT after 7 years and am plagued with hot flushes and pins and needles in the fingers. I can find plenty of guidance on the menopause and why to/ not to use HRT, but nothing offering information on what happens when you stop HRT! Help!
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8 likes, 336 replies
alison55211 Guest
Posted
Hi 😊 I am 53
I have been off HRT patches now for 4 months. I was on them for 5 years, I weaned myself off over a few months by cutting the patch in half as suggested by the doctor, although he said it was my choice whether I stayed on them or not.
Over the last couple of months I’ve started to feel what I can only describe as really down in the dumps. I’ve lost my sparkle, the confidence I had has gone . I’m forgetful, nervous and anxious about stupid things.
I get myself in a panic about my job and feel like I can’t cope..it really is awful! I’m actually looking for another job but feel I would be no good to anyone feeling like this.
I only seem to get hot flushes at the end of every month and around the same time I cannot sleep, waking and getting up at 3am wide awake as I did this morning !
I too get the pins and needles , aches and pains in my joints/hands and feet , but take Turmeric tablets and they have worked wonders!
itasara alison55211
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alison55211 itasara
Posted
I feel for everyone suffering, it’s truly awful !
It affects all of us in so many different ways, doesn’t it..
Personally for me the HRT has given me back the zest for life which I had totally lost and I hated that. The anxiety has reduced a lot and I’m able to cope again.
I still have the odd day where I feel a little “off Kilter” but I take those days in my stride.
Hope you are continuing to feel well?
Best wishes x
dana88251 alison55211
Posted
Hi Alison,
I just found this thread. I’ve had pins & needles in my hands/legs/feet for two years now due to menopause. They are worse at night. I’ve not heard of taking Turmeric for it. May I ask how much Turmeric do you take per day? Thanks!
itasara dana88251
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itasara
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joreen10837 Guest
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Mars777 joreen10837
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Hi joreen , I have been on HRT for 7 years I had to stop them for a procedure they like you to stop them for 4 weeks b4 the operation! Like you after a week the hot sweats came back, then the anxiety & not wanting to do anything. I am back om HRT now. But its taken almost 6 weeks to get me back to how I was. No way could I go on as I was. I haven't heard that if you stop them for a long time its risky going back on them? The longest I have been off them is for 9 weeks . Let me know what your Dr says. Good luck I feel for you x
joreen10837 Mars777
Posted
Doctor office called me back and they put me back on them again but said it might take a couple weeks to get back to where I was at. Now it's back to gastroligest so they can do a lethiscope proceedure to see if its really endrom that might be causing the problem. My obgyn would do it but government running the doctors now, he isnt allow to do proceedure because I had complete hysterectomy I dont have any woman parts any more so only an interniest or gastroligest can do it. Makes me feel really good now that I dont have a baby making machine in me now I'm not a woman anymore. This world is getting ridiculous.
itasara joreen10837
Posted
Hi Joreen, I myself feel just about 100% better now that I am back on HRT. I was off it 8 months and my world seemed to go more downhill than it already was. I was afraid the cramping would come back which was so painful and I am pretty sure it was being caused by HRT which is why I came off it. When I came off, the monthly cramps did not come back, so correct self diagnosed, but just like you, hot flashes, poor sleep, night sweats, etc. I did not have a hysterectomy but did have a D&C and supposedly all the endometrium was removed, but I don't believe it could be 100% removed. Anyway, I went back on HRT
but every other day. It took a while but slowly the hot flashes stopped totally. Occasionally I feel like one
is coming on but it passes quickly. In between the days I take HRT, I take Evening Primrose supplement.
Can't tell you if it helps or not, but originally my gyn suggested I take it to curb hot flashes when I came off the HRT. Right now I have no desire to come of it at all unless some other problem crops up. I just past my 70th birthday on March 15th.. Hard to believe, actually. When I was off the HRT if really felt OLD!! Now I don't feel quite like that.
On a political note, I am in the USA and on medicare, which is a federal program but each state has its own rules. It is hard to say what is going to be the end game for healthcare in the US but at least doctors have some leeway which I hope will stay that way. Bad enough that the insurance companies seem to decide what they will and will not pay for and that that is also a matter of what state one is in and what program they will pay for. If they refuse, a patient and doctor can apply to have a panel decide why they should give something to a patient..medications or procedures... and they may or may not agree. It isn't the way medicine used to be practiced but it is BIG BUSINeSS now and it worries me as I get older. Many doctors I imagine don't want to give me HRT at my age, but my doctor does it. He is an older doctor and if I decide to stay on it, and if he should retire, that will be my next worry to find a doctor that agrees to let me stay on it if that is what I want to do! I agree with the book mentioned in this site that menopause is a hormonal deficiency at least for some of us and if I can replace it I'm for it. I do feel badly, however, for the horse industry and wish there were a better way.
itasara Mars777
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loretta63638 itasara
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itasara loretta63638
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I understand how you feel. My gyn has to be around 76 or so. I have been seeing him over 42 years. He has no plans to retire, at least he said so last year. I see him again next month. But practically speaking he will sometime retire or practice till the end, and I worry about the next GYN. I plan to give him some materials I have saved up for him to read and pass on to the next GYN should I continue with the group he is part of. One of articles is a blog from the book I heard about in this blog about an 80 yr. old women who stays on HRT and plans to stay on it because she feels good and doesn't want to go back to the misery of coming off it. I am 70 now and I don't want to come off it either. Other articles I have gathered are about the 1970's scare and why it is not so valid anymore and why each woman needs to be treated as an individual who may or may not have risk factors to discuss and make a decision about HRT. One medical article says that age is not the determining factor. I am not sure but in the 8 mos I was off HRT, and I had a Dexa scan before my last appointment in 2017, my scores which has been very minimal had become significantly worse and I have back problems now. Can't say for sure it happened when I was off hormones, but it is true that Estrogen protects bone health.
itasara Guest
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Willowzoe1 Guest
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Hi needing some advice. I had a hysterctomy nov 2016. Keep ovaries. I have been having awful hot flashes and night sweats. If it was only that I might be able to deal with it but the depression, anxiety, hopelessness, tiredness is unbearable. I was put on .03 Premarin but since increased it to .045 which I think is still to low. But was told to take it slow because of my high blood pressure. I can tell it's helped but now I'm reading so much on breast cancer. If anyone could offer any advice I'd appreciate it.
joreen10837 Willowzoe1
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I had a complete hysterectomy & been on the premarin 6.25. For over 25 years just except that little bit of time they took me off of it for above reasons. But they put me back on it because of what happened going off of it cold turkey. I would never suggest that for any woman. She runs the risk of losing her mind and her family. Lol! Just for the month I was off of it my hubby was trying to be so patient with me but now he teases me and said the old gray mare almost got taken to the field to pop up daisies. I wouldn't worry to much about breast cancer unless it runs in the family. My doctor told me that I was more likely to die of natural causes due to old age then get breast cancer since it doesn't run in my family. If it does run in your family such as a mom or grandmother or sister then there a better chance, but even that's a low possibility.