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

Prev
  • sheryl37154
    sheryl37154 dollydip

    Posted

    Hi dollydip, I am angry for you too.  "Evil?"  I know who is evil and uneducated!  First the research regarding HRT has been found to be flawed.  Women in the study had to be at least 5-10 years out of menopause and have no menopause symptoms before they were allowed to participate in the study.  Then wham, they are given HRT - no wonder it played havoc with their body and caused all sorts of problems including breast cancer.

    Young women in their 20s are found to be getting breast cancer and it is nothing to do with HRT.  Ask your dr for written proof justifying what she is saying.  Ask her for a test to see if you are genetically disposed to breast cancer.

    When your marriage and other relationships and your health is destroyed and you want to jump off the cliff, where will she be then?

    I too had a hysterectomy at 38 and my enlightened gynae surgeon put me straight on to oestrogen implants.  How wonderful they were for years.  My body could take the oestrogen as it was needed.  Then they stopped making them and patches are the next best thing.  I stick to bio-identical hrt which is oestrodiol.  The patches are a pain because they can become unstuck and itch but oral tablets are not bio-identical and I don't want them to pass through my liver.  Make sure the patches are MX (matrix - which makes the hrt be absorbed slowly), the non MX ones give you a big hit of oestrogen which I was told would be too much in one go and give me all sorts of mood/headache problems.  My gp, not knowing the difference, prescribed the non MX ones, and my pharmacist let me know.

    I am now 63 and I am not going off them ever, ever.  There is no proof that we must go off them by a certain age.  Dr Christiane Northrup, a menopause guru, advocates them, and have you read about Terese Gorman - try googling her.  She was still on them at 81, she is now 83 according to the date of the data I read about her.

    If you go on off on you are more likely to have some problems.  My current dr was anti HRT but she has not been through menopause yet and has come round to see that my body needs it.  If not, I would have changed doctors.  I know the difference as for 6 years I had a pit gland prolactinoma which made my HRT ineffective and I had severe menopause problems constantly and no one could identify what was happening until out of the blue, another dr referred me to an endocrinologist first time I saw her.  I am never going back to those symptoms.  If they did not go away naturally by 6 years, then it was never going to happen.

    So, stick to your guns dollydip if HRT is keeping you healthy and happy.  It keeps your heart healthy too.  Heart attacks increase dramatically in women who have gone through menopause without HRT.  Change your dr if you have to - go to another clinic.

     

    • dollydip
      dollydip sheryl37154

      Posted

      Hi Sheryl

      Thanks for replying- you speak my language! I think the two female doctors at the practice come from a different ethinicity and thats why one of them said it was 'evil' to me I don't think this. i am feeling fine on it and I think  the old saying -'' If its not broken -why fix it?'' come to the surface here. Yes I have googled  Theresa Gorman and I remember her talking about how well she felt, I am thinking of writing to her to enlist her support. Honestly its awful how women of a certain age are treated- isn't it? I am healthy apart fro the M.E, which I have no control over. My weight is good and I don't smoke or drink and never visit the doctor unless i have to. Last year i had a Dexa bone Scan and all my bones were great (after i lost my balance due to the M.E. but I did well and healed quickly) If I had not been on HRT I would have beeen a sorry mess ending up in Hospital. I have no family history of breast cancer or any cancers so they keep trying to send me for tests -all come back clear,its like the WANT to find somthing wrong with me. I am going to go to a male doctor next week

      to out my views across to him , but I'm worried he may back them up

      any ideas of what to prepare for this visit?

    • jayneejay
      jayneejay dollydip

      Posted

      Hi Dollydip

      good luck with the male doctor i hope he listens to you, he may be better then the other female ones you have been seeing also... make sure you get somemore of what your on already, a stock up, so you do not have to suddenly stop HRT that would be awful... if you have to stop, explain you need to do it as slow as possible so they give you more 😀

      thanks to you ladies for sharing, I cant take HRT but it still interests me and especially the patch information ... thank you and good luck..

      Jay xx

    • sheryl37154
      sheryl37154 dollydip

      Posted

      Hmmm, dollydip, apart from what I have already told you, that is difficult.  The news about the flawed research was spread across the tv news and newspapers in Australia long ago but does not seem to have made an impact in the UK.  I would do a lot of googling to find a report about 'flawed hrt research'.

      Let him know how much happier and healthier you feel while on hrt, and what happened when you went off (and I don't see why you had to have some scans).  I have lots of scans (because I have haemochromatosis which has done a lot of damage to my body) and hrt supplementation does not even rate a mention.  The MRI people want me to remove my patch in case it heats up, but after wasting a few because they do not restick, I left one on as a secret trial and no reaction whatsoever.  I now leave them on all the time (unbeknownst to the MRI people).

      If you are in a marriage, let him know that the effects of menopause without oestrogen causes you to be so unhappy that it destroys your relationship and you don't need a divorce on top of everything else.

      You could let him know of the attitudes of your current dr and her ethnicity and cultural beliefs that it is 'evil'.  I have found that women with ample hips and padded thighs just sail through menopause with hardly a blink and they wonder what all the fuss is about when other women complain.  The fat on their hips and thighs keeps a supply of oestrogen, as the adrenal glands can still produce oestrogen.

      I am the top heavy, narrow hips and thin thighs type (more like a boy) and I just cannot sustain oestrogen in my body.  That is why the implants were so good.

      Take copies of your tests to the new dr to show that everything has been tested and it is not causing you problems.   If you have not had an Iron Studies test, ask for one to make sure that you are not loading iron now that you are no longer menstruating.  That is what causes major health problems post menopause, not HRT.

      Although you think all the tests are a waste of time, continue to be compliant as afterall, it is good attention.  Though anything out of the ordinary does not mean it is caused by HRT.

      Do write to Theresa Gorman - it will be good if she provides support to you or brings hrt to the attention of the media again.  Being Australian, I had never heard of her till someone mentioned her on another blog.  Print off what you have found about her, and take it with you.

      If he insists the research has found it to be bad, ask for a copy of that study.  For every study that says it is bad, there is another study that says it is good and causes no harm, and is beneficial.

      Good luck, be assertive, and don't give up.

       

  • liz53953
    liz53953 dollydip

    Posted

    If you want to stay on it see another doctor my friend tried to come off and couldn't cope and they gave her a different form of hrt.  Herbal helps vitaminb6 sage tablets for hot flushing. I go scarlet in the face and glow with my flushes and wearing red clothing or orange really makes you match!!!! But it's your body take control of the symptoms and tell people it's a hot flush or power surge it makes you back in control. Lots of luck there are loads if us with these problems keep talking. . 
Back to top
Prev

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.