1. Community
  2. Women's health
  3. Menopause

My HRT Is being stopped !

Posted , 5 users are following.

dollydip
dollydip

After previously trying to come off my HRT I was recently summoned to see my female GP who in the past has spoken of her dislike of HRT in fact she called it ''evil'' I disagree. I came off last year as I had to have some scans done but I knew then I was going to go back on when i had the scans done. I'm glad I did. The horrendous flushes, prickly skin, depression, tiredness etc. well I had it all -and as i suffer from M.E. as well this was awful. Now I have been told by one of my female doctors that I have to come off- no arguments. I have tried things in the past that didn't work for me so I am feeling that I have no say in all of this, I know the risks and the benefits(but no one mentions these) I don't want to come off so what do I do? Any help would be great!

3 likes, 20 replies

20 Replies

Next
  • jayneejay
    jayneejay dollydip

    Posted

    Hi Dolly

    what was the reason they took you off ? I dont take HRT, I cant due to family history it is not a safe option for me, plus I dont want to anyway, so do the natural and Vitamin route, Am I correct in thinking you can only take HRT for a certain amount of time, or am I totally wrong..  what age are you if you dont mind me asking, maybe they stop giving it after so long, are you post menopause or peri ? must be quite panicky for you when it suited you and they say no now... 

    hope you find something that helps you. Jay xx

    • dollydip
      dollydip jayneejay

      Posted

      Hi jayneejay

      i am not off yet but have been told i am not having any more px for any more HRt -I have no family history of breast cancer and I am not overweight either-but I feel I have no control over this. i am in my 60's by the way and yes they don't like that you take it after this time although i've heard of women older than me who still take it. I am post menapausal too having started that late. I am angry that I have no control

    • jayneejay
      jayneejay dollydip

      Posted

      Hi Dolly

      yes I can imagine you are ...

      like sonja says, there are natural progesterone creams and i tried these ages ago but they made my right breast lumpy, I had a big lump, so I had to stop them, then a few weeks after the lump went, they seemed to interfere with my hormones too much and I stopped it...  I just wanted my body to do what it had to to with out confusing it. ... 

      but you can buy natural progesterone etc on  Biovea web site  they sell both creams progesterone and oestrogen ... they may be an option for you, if your good with them,  i used the progesterone ... 

      dont despair there will be something .. or see another doctor maybe they will let you have HRT longer if your healthy etc.. second opinion sometimes good ... Jay xx

    • dollydip
      dollydip jayneejay

      Posted

      Thanks for your views. I will try the cream but i don't want to end up with another problem- I think they are on a campaign -and if you feel you have no say it feels awful -like you have no voice.xx
    • jayneejay
      jayneejay dollydip

      Posted

      Hi Dolly

      i know what your saying and totally understand... 

      maybe you will be surprised if you do have to stop taking it .. maybe you will be fine as your  post meno..

      i am in year 9 of peri and been natural all the way... Vit B6 has been my saviour, wow boosted energy, all my feeling of doom, dread, anxiety went, and tingles and aches .. its also good for HRT too as assists absortion..

      it be a year next month for me no periods so hopefully things will start looking up i certainly feel much better since B6 150mg daily since April and its my life turned around, i take other things too.. Menapol Plus etc etc 

      good luck Dolly I am sure things will be good for you.. and you will find something that suits.... Jay xx

       

  • SONJA3124
    SONJA3124 dollydip

    Posted

    Hi Dolly,

    Have you looked into bio-identical hormone creams? They're supposed to be better for you than the oral therapy and most natural doctors recommend them.

    Sonja

    • dollydip
      dollydip SONJA3124

      Posted

      Hi SONJA3124

      I am going to buy this cream as I may need it if they do stop my HRT

      I am angry that I get no say and it is my body. I could try another doctor in the practice but am sure they would back her up- what do you think?

    • dollydip
      dollydip SONJA3124

      Posted

      Hi SONJA3124

      Yes I will look into that cream. I am angry that I have had no say over this. I am healthy (apart from the M.E) my weight is good and I feel I know the benefits too of HRt-but they don't mention this!

    • SONJA3124
      SONJA3124 dollydip

      Posted

      Hi Dolly,

      I hate to say it but your doctor is probably right in taking you off the HRT due to your age. It's not safe to stay on that type of medication for a long period of time. As far as I know you can be on the bio-identical hormone creams for as long as you want. I have a regular MD who specializes int his area so I supplement with a mixture of 2 different forms of estrogen and about 200 mg of progesterone. Testosterone is supplemented maybe once or twice a week since I'm extrememly sensitive to it. The creams are ordered from a special compounding pharmacy and sent to my home. Not that I'm a big fan of Suzanne Somers but her books on bio-identical hormone therapy were really helpful to me when I first started out. She is a bit extreme and repetative throughout the books but if you can deal with that there is really good information mixed in there too. Wishing you the best of luck. There is still hope out there :-)

    • dollydip
      dollydip SONJA3124

      Posted

      Hi Sonja

      Thanks so much for all the support and info youv'e given me, I am not feeling so alone and will try some of the vitamins you recommend. I guess I was frightened as I came off last year for three months- horrendous! So thats in my mind still. But hearing all your stories has helped me so thanks to all of you! xx

  • gillmm
    gillmm dollydip

    Posted

    I am 50 and started to have symptoms of sweats etc and missed periods, anxiety, about a year ago, now having occasional periods at random intervals.

    I take the vitamin supplement 'menopace night' with evening meal and all the sweats have gone, the anxiety and grumpiness is more or less gone (although with teenage children and a job in IT grumpiness sometimes surfaces!), sleep is more relaxed although still rather odd. (One spell of sleep at the beginning of the night, then another at the end, and a big gap of being wide awake in the middle!!)

    To take more control over your life, I would definitely recommend you try these vitamins, you can buy them at good chemist and some supermarkets. Before menopause I took 'Well woman' and it was a life saver - the doc had advised that high levels of vit B, taken for at least a month, can help with stress and anxiety and he was right. These multivitamins have bucket loads of vitamin B plus many other things.

    There is also 'Menopace' regular whcih I think you take in teh morning if sleep is not the issue. I take the 'night' version as it include tryptophan which is good for sleep. Boots also make their own version.

       

    I guess if you are post menpopausal there will also be a multivitamin designed for your age! I find the high dose multivitamins are the best, more expensive but definitely worth it. Low dose ones are not worth paying for.

    • dollydip
      dollydip gillmm

      Posted

      Hi and thank you too for your lovely reply.I will also try some of the things you mentioned and agree the better quality vitamins are worth paying for. My doctor said to take evening primrose oil, so It must be good for this too. To be honest she told me to cut down gradually on the HRt and I started today. So better get somthing going with the supplements! x
    • deirdre._03652
      deirdre._03652 dollydip

      Posted

      Hi dollydip,

       I have been on HRT for the past 21 years after having a surgical menopause. I must say that I have never had any problems while on it, in fact it has been a bit of a life saver....I had a sudden and very unpleasant start to the menopause after having a hysterectomy at the age of 40yrs.

      the hot flushes and night sweats were unbearable, I was constantly absolutely soaked with sweat (and a scarlet face)  which was not only embarrassing but also extremely uncomfortable.

       I was also depressed  and began to suffer from anxiety attacks. I found that vitamin B12 and vitamin B6 helped a great deal alongside the HRT.

      Ask your gp if it is possible for you to go onto a lower dose of HRT as this may be acceptable to them..

       I wish you well, try to keep your spirits up and be kind to yourself....

      Sincere regards, Deidre x

  • jane98094
    jane98094 dollydip

    Posted

    My GP has always said it's up to me as long as I have my HRT check ups which is mainly blood pressure check.

    i decided I should try to come off just reading how the risks go up slightly on the leaflet that comes with the patches the older one gets but this is true whether you are on HRT or not and there are benefits too.

    I am 62 and on combined HRT patches .They suit me but I am trying to come off very very slowly to give my body time to adjust.I am down to 1/3 rd patch twice a week and will stay at this level for a few more weeks before going down to 1/4 patch.My doctor also advised to come off slowly as last time I couldn't sleep and my skin felt it was on fire !

    Compared with my friends who  aren't on HRT I seem to be healthier and have had less problems am I just lucky or do the benefits out weigh the risks ?There needs to be more research .Its strange that the contraceptive pill is prescribed for years and there are stronger hormones in those.I hope that it isn't just when we get free prescriptions we are encouraged to give up because of the cost ?

    i shall try without and may take green tea and soya supplement .I am not sure about natural progesterone as I read someone who had terrible side effects.Atleast if you have HRT from your doctor they can monitor it's effects. 

    • dollydip
      dollydip jane98094

      Posted

      Hi Jane

      thanks for your thoughts. i think HRT has benefits that outweigh tthe risks

      last year I lost my balance (due to my M.E.) and had a few fractures that healed quickly. I would have come off worse had I  not been on HRT.I came off for 3 months last year and it was awful- like hell. Good  proven research is needed I think. I am fine on it so why chnge and make my life a hell? For I know that will happen, if its not broken etc....

Back to top
Next

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.