Ive been on BHTs since Feb. I started out on 1mg of Estradiol and 100mg of Prometrium. First 2-3 months were fine. Last month she changed my Estradiol dosage to .5mg bc I had major PMS symptoms that started out lasting 1week, then 2weeks. Now I know she should have started me out at the LOWEST dosage to begin with, but my symptoms prior to starting BHTs were pretty severe. So I can only think that that was why.

My doctor is a naturopath. Should she have also changed my Prometrium dosage as well? Its only been a month, and I started feeling better a week in from changing from 1mg to .5mg. Im feeling pretty good now....just concerned about the dosage and if its too much (of the progestian)

Wondering what everyone else's dosage is, if its the same. I am in the process of going to an Osteopath bc my insurance wont cover the naturopath anymore.

thanks!

Hi Watergoddess,

I am also taking the 100mg. Prometrium, along with .025 of Vivelle dot. I don't think that Prometrium comes any lower. I am thinking about having my doctor put me up to the next level of the estrogen though as my anxiety symptoms are starting to creep back in at certain times of the month. Guess my estrogen is still going lower!

I don't notice any problems from the Prometrium. A little dizziness here and there if I'm really tired but that's about it. I am sleeping better than I was before starting it.

Are you cycling the Prom. or using it continuously? Mine is continuous and I'm getting periods a couple times a month. I'm thinking maybe cycling it is the way to go for a while. I have to talk to him about that too.

Im taking it continuously.....no side affects that Ive noticed, but I did have alot with the estrogen. I felt better within a week of going to the lower dose, it was amazing.

Thanks for the reply! I didnt know the Prometrium didnt come in a lower dose.

It figures!!!

Now that I have finally found some relief in the bios, I get a letter from my insurance company saying that the Vivelle Dot is no longer going to be on their preferred list!!!

Not too sure what that means at this point but I suspect it means that I will be paying through the nose if I want to stay on it past December. I'm paying $80 for a 3 month supply of that and Prometrium through their mail order pharmacy and if it's not "preferred" any more, that means it will go up to $160 every 3 months! Unreal!

It's unbelievable how much insurance companies run our lives and there isn't a damn thing we can do about it!

Hi Ladies,

Has anyone experienced an abatement of most of the symptoms for a few months (for me 3 months); just to have symptoms come back (not as severe but noticeable change). I initially was on 1.0 mg estradiol and 100 mg progesterone and then cut the estradiol to 0.5mg with 100 mg progesterone (felt pretty good for 3 months with the exception of sleep problems) but this 3weeks I've been spotting, not sleeping well and the head pressure and slight dizziness is back. I have a doctor's appointment next week, so I'll see what she says.

I am so sick of this!!! I am thankful that I can still manage and function unlike 2 years ago. I am almost tempted to leave the hormones level alone and stop adjusting in the hopes that my body will right itself on its own. My doctor only believes in being on hormones for 5 years and then wean...so am I just prolonging the inevitable??? This is so darn confusing...sorry, I'm venting.

Anyway, if you have experienced the same thing, let me know if you adjusted the hormones or left the dosage alone.

Thanks,
Plumeria

Plumera,

I would be looking for a new doctor because they are going to have to pry the estrogen out of my hands when I die! No doctor is going to wean me so that what happened to my mother and grandmothers is going to happen to me.

Your estrogen may not be high enough for the progesterone which can cause spotting. Ask the doctor to do an estradiol level when you go in.

I have a new book for me that explains how to do low dose estrogen therapy which I have found very helpful:
“You’re Not Crasy, It’s Your Hormones!” by Larrian Gilllespie.

Kathy

I'm with Kathy. I will not give it up, full stop, if I continue to have symptoms after 5 years. I've been through 14 months of heck, and won't be going back any time soon

started on 0.025 patch, progressed to 0.05 then 0.1 was on each level 2 months.
then started on pills, 0.625 conjugated estrogens, yam based;4 months; then 1.25 also yam based. Feelin' groovy.

I sleep better, am comfy, deal with all the little ups and downs of life better.

It takes up to three months to reach the maximal effects.

I'm with Duch and Kathy, too. I can't remember a time in my life when I have felt so awful (w/o hrt). I will never, ever, go off of them again.

Colleen

I won't go off my BHRT either even if I have to get it from Lord knows where someday . I felt my memory was broken and my temper was broken without a little estriol at least. I mean within 3 days of just taking a little estriol cream on my arm my brain was no longer broken. I feel this talk about post menopause zest is sort of false advertising. If you look at really fit looking people for their ages like Nancy Pelosi or Chuck Norris there is just no way in the world that I don't suspect that they are not using BHRT. You can just see the vitality in the face of people who use it, and if my number gets called then my number gets called. I want to live the time I have as a whole person, and not inflict my foggy brain or Joan Crawford moments on people around me. I ant a good night's sleep every night. Period.

I'm not going off them either. My mom was on them from about 1962 to 1999. She would try to come off, but all the bad stuff happened like she was just beginning. When she did come off this time, her body had made the adjustment. There was a time - in the eighties I think when a change in doctors caused her to come off the hormones. It cost her a fortune to have laser treatments for rosacea. She found a new doctor who rx'd the stuff. That doctor retired, or I'd be there.

A friend of mine who doesn't have insurance showed me a couple of web sites. Estrogen (pills) is dead cheap at overseas pharmacies. She pays a dollar or two more for a three month supply than I do with insurance. I figure its actually less when you consider gas.

If doctors knew there's a new player who doesn't judge, or keep you waiting a couple of hours or cut you off, and who know less about this situation than we do, do you think they'd be less inclined to act like a bunch of snots?

Plumera: I have had my estrogen level raised 3 times. Your natural levels go up and down, but ultimately, it just goes down. Getting an adjustment is sensible. What's the point of paying for bhrt if its not working? And those pills I mentioned above are plant based. Soy or yam, I forget which but I'll ask if you want to know.

Thank you all for your responses. I really appreciate it. In my last appointment, she actually said maybe we should up the estrogen back to 1.0 mg to improve sleep. The new thing that she added was 50 mg of time-release pregnenalone, a parent hormone that will breakdown to estrogen, progesterone, etc. it has helped in some ways and I think I am sleeping better with its addition.

I should post on the "cholesterol topic" but anyway here goes, has anyone notice a worsening of their symptoms when they try and reduce their cholesterol using statin drugs? I have genetically high cholesterol and when I try and reduce it, it seems all my symptoms are worse. Cholesterol does play a major role in producing hormones.

Plumeria

Not sure about the cholesterol, although I have read that having hormones balanced actually makes cholesterol issues better. Men less likely to have coronary artery disease if their testerone is balnced for example. I would go study the Life Extensions website about cholesterol helping vitamins and stuff. Life Extensions has many great articles and I just love reading their stuff. I am getting my pregnegalone tested to see how it is doing and yes it is parent hormone of the others. Bottom line is if you are not sleeping okay then you need more estrogen closer to bedtime. Maybe a little extra progesterone at bedtime. Maybe you sould take your pill at night instead of in the morning. They say with birth contorl pills for instance that by t he e nd of the day the hormone is back at rock bottom in the body. Imagine it is the same with the estrogen pills.

Lillyyoga,

Thanks for your reply. I use to take 1.0 mg estradiol (.5 in the morning and .5 at night) and 100 mg of progesterone at night. Anyway, I am now taking .5 estradiol and 50 mg pregnenolone in the morning and 100 mg progesterone at night. Anyway, my doctor has talked about taking 200 mg progesterone or going back to taking 1.0 mg of estradiol.

The reason, she decreased the estradiol is because this urine test that I took shows that my ratio of good and bad estrogen was not good and may predispose me for breast cancer.

Thanks again.

Plumeria

I am not familiar with the urine test, but it sounds like your doctor is very on the ball. I guess the BHRT for all of us is work in progress, but still better than the regular HRT I think.