Livial I love you!

Hi Sandrasmac from Melbourne!

It does seem to me this HRT is very trial and error, my mum took it and always had pain in her under arm for 20 years, then developed breast cancer in the same place, she swears it was the HRT, but you can't prove that (she is fine now BTW). My sister in law is on HRT due to hysterectomy and swears she feels amazing and is telling me I should take it. My mother in law had a hyterectomy age 40 and never too HRT and felt fine.... never needed it..... The Doctors say because I had early menopause I should take it as its nor normal for the body to go without for so long (now 41, was 37 when got menopause). So you just do not know which way to turn. My doctor is now saying try patches instead, but I'm really nervous about starting again after the livial. I think I will try a few natural remedies for a while and let my body have a break. Also booked in to see an HRT specialist Gyne.. so will see how that develops. FYI ALL headache and neck pain completely gone - so proof it was the Livial. Good luck Sandrasmac hope you are still feeling great. Rachel from Suffolk UK !!

Hi guys, day 15 and feeling good... Just a quick question... Nipple pain... Any one experienced this from taking livial ? Think I read somewhere it's a side affect ? Thing is it's just the one.. A bit strange really, maybe nothing to do with drug... Hope not really. Nice catching up on all your posts this morning. This thread is great. Kinda nice to off load, and a feeling of " WE R NOT ALONE" .

I was on Livial for 5 years, then last year all my symptoms returned, Consultant said Livial had stopped

Working!. Went onto oestrogen patches for a year, now they have stopped working, so I asked to go back onto Livial , now on day 11, still getting some palpitations and feeling a bit low, hoping it will kick in soon. The 5 years I was on it were wonderful, so hope it works again soon.

Hi Karen,

I agree with you, its just amazing that we can all connect all over the world about the same issues, and hear it from the horses mouths, not just what doctors say.... Keep it up girls, I'm continuing to follow whilst I decide what to do....

I just started taking Livial about 11 days ago. I have horrible sweating at all times of the day (not just at night) and literally feel weakened, drenched, dirty and lifeless after I do any kind of activity (i.e., putting on make-up, cleaning house, walking, etc.). Life for me is unbearable at this point. I live in the U.S. and Livial is not available, but I found it on a web site where you can get it without a doctor's prescription, but have to answer some health questions first. I know the risks and I've read all the pros and cons. I have tried so many types of menopause remedies. Nothing has worked. I cannot take HRT. I read that Livial is not available in the U.S. because of the drug companies here and I find that deplorable.

I have a 3-month supply of Livial purchased for about $160 with shipping and "prescription" from the on-line doctor. Can anyone tell me how long it takes on average to notice a difference in the sweating? I can deal with the mood changes and fogginess I feel every day -- it's the sweating that's taking the life out of me and makes me not want to do anything at all. I have to force myself to do any kind of activity. I know everyone is different, but I would like to hear the average time it really takes to notice the drug working. Thanks.

"... I cannot take HRT. ..." Livial is a HRT

But Livial is not considered HRT because it is biodentical and mimics estrogen, at least, that's what I've been reading. Thanks.

Hi Andie,

I took Livial for a week and I my night sweats went away and my mood felt better within a week but unfortunately I got severe neck ache and headache with it, so I stopped it and that went away. I think they are all trial and error. I read that USA don't market the product. I wonder why? Anyway Good luck!!! Hope it work for you especially with all the trouble you have gone to in order to get hold of the drugs at such a cost.

Thank you so much, Bucketroyal! I appreciate your feedback on the issue. The U.S.'s FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has not approved Livial -- apparently, they've been "studying" it since about 2000! Anyway, I understand that our other drug makers don't appreciate having the competition and that's really why Livial hasn't been approved here.

I sure hope I see some improvement in the next few weeks as I don't feel any better right now. Maybe it'll just be longer for me as we're all different that way. I don't have any aches or pains, so maybe I'll be lucky in that regard. As it is, I think I'd try to bear the aches and do away with all this sweating if I was offered the choice between the two. It affects my life so much and I am not a happy person at this point. I'm 58 and have been through breast cancer. I know that I shouldn't even be considering the Livial, but my quality of life is so poor that I'd rather risk it. Anyway, our medical world still doesn't know enough about estrogen and breast cancer. I've been going through menopause since 2002 when I started chemotherapy (and finished it in 2003). The sweating was pretty mild back then, but in 2010, I had a hysterectomy and my ovaries were also removed. For the last 3+ years and esp. in the last few months, life has been miserable with the constant sweating. And as other women have indicated, it's very embarrassing and I always have to explain why I have the a/c on in my office and why my house is cold. No one understands and that makes it more frustrating!

Oh Andie Poor you, that sounds miserable. My night sweats are bearable, needing the odd towel but during the day they're OK (for now). It must be terrible to be having them all the time. Hopefully the Livial will work for you. Have you out of interest tried any natural pills such as stinging nettle extract (others have mentioned that one)? I'm sure you've already gone through every option! Good Luck with it all, keep us all updated. Rachel

I haven't tried stinging nettle (never heard of that one!). That'll be my next option, along with soy pills. I've tried so many natural remedies and over-the-counter stuff -- nothing works. Thanks for letting me know about the stinging nettle. This discussion forum is very helpful so far. Thank you, Rachel! My name is Linda.

Hi there Andie, I have been taking Livial for about 18 months now, I like you was experiencing embarrassing hot flushes, would be soaking, really affected my life, I didn't sleep at all because of the night sweats. I tried all the natural products.......everyone of them.......but no relief at all. I finally started using Livial, I got relief within two weeks, and finally had a good nights sleep!!! Before Livial, my mood was low, I was getting angry quite quickly, but it put this down to not sleeping properly, as getting to work every day was so hard. I have experienced muscle and joint pain, but not enough to make me want to stop taking Livial, so I am lucky in that respect, I consider myself quite healthy, don't drink or smoke, am a veggie and I weight train, walk etc. I am 55, not too sure how long I will have to take Livial for, I do still get some hot flushes, most days/nights, but they are manageable. Hope you start to get some relief soon, really feel for you and the price you are paying is pretty much the same as I do in Australia, good luck

Karen -- thanks so much for your input. This discussion forum is proving to be very helpful to me. My sleeping pattern is terrible -- I'm lucky to get 2-3 quality hours of sleep. The rest is tossing and turning (and having weird dreams). Sweat most of the night and wake up with it. I had to get my hair chopped off much shorter because I couldn't stand my hair wrapped around my neck. Plus, my hair, which was always coiffed so nicely before the menopause, was making me feel haggard and old. This new do is nice, but it's not really me. I don't mind paying $50 - $60 a month for a drug that will help me, if this does indeed. I need to exercise again -- I used to walk 3-4 miles a day, but now I have no desire or energy to do any of that. Any little thing I do makes me sweat! Again, thanks so much for offering your help! You ladies around the world are wonderful.