My main meno symptom has been unrelenting, horrible insomnia. I tried doing nothing, doing just melatonin, doing just progesterone (synthetic and natural), doing climara/prometrium, and finally went to prempro. It works--sort of. That is, it works erratically and also causes monster nightsweats UNLESS I also do melatonin with it, do colace with it, and do lots of psyllium fiber supplement with it. Do all of those and I am fine. Drop off any one of those things and not only does the insomnia come back, but I also get nightsweats. No nightsweats off hrt--but no sleep. On hrt, some sleep but nightsweats unless I carefully balance these other things.

Anyone else have this problem with hrt?

My theory is that the prempro is too strong, my dr thinks too weak. I think the melatonin tamps down my own estrogen and some receptors, and the fiber and colace make me absorb a little less.

I am two years post meno, and still struggling.

Any and all suggestions welcome.

Hi Sarah, and welcome to Power-Surge.

I haven't done HRT, but know that my issues with nightsweats (which have gratefully gone away) were always much worse during stretches of terrible insomnia. When sleep improved, nightsweats went poof! Sleep got worse, nightsweats came back. The two were definitely inter-related.

It's very difficult trying to get balanced with this stuff, isn't it? Hope you find an approach that makes a real difference.

Maybe someone else who's been on Prempro will jump in here with more advice. You certainly aren't alone with this stuff!

JJ

Thanks for the encouragement. Yes, it is quite difficult to sort things out. For me it was, off hrt, JUST insomnia. On hrt, it is also nightsweats (but far less insomnia) UNLESS I also use all that other stuff. Adding to the mix is severe gerd, which also can cause nightsweats and adrenaline jolts. Melatonin also lowers stomach acid a tad. By balancing everything I did fine for over 2 years. Then dr had me use more colace for a week. Had some bladder symptoms of meno. Reduced the colace back and was told to stop weaning off hrt and go back to higher dose. At that point the nightsweats, insomnia, and joint pain rebounded. Now to figure out if I am still low estrogen, or if I need to get back to weaning down.

Just in case anyone else has this problem: lowered my dose of prempro back down last night. Slept much much much better--no nightsweats, no hot flashes, no adrenaline jolts.

Sarah

I am really pleased this gave you a better night. I found insomnia to be one of the worst symptoms and would have welcomed anything to end it.

Hope you continue to sleep well

Janey

Have you considered trying one of the bioidentical hormones rather than using prempro which is a synthetic? Just a thought.

Yes--but prempro is a better choice for me BECAUSE it is a "synthetic". (Actually, horse pee is as perfectly natural as are yams and soybeans. Sorry. Farm joke.) I am very allergic to the "natural" estrogens, and my bladder and kidneys absolutely do not tolerate the "natural" progesterones. I have lowered the dosage of prempro on my own and am back to sleeping quite well.

My theory is that I was successfully weaning down. When told to up the colace 100mg, I believe I basically went "cold turkey" off the prempro. Rather than up the prempro, I needed to drop the extra colace. Upping the prempro to full dose made it too strong. I've dropped the extra colace, gone back to lowering the prempro, and am doing fine.

I suspect some of us DO need some hormonal support, but find "normal" doses far too strong. I know when I went on the climara patch, lowest dose, I got swollen, sore breasts, acne, depression, and while I had not been sleeping, I had not had nightsweats. Climara GAVE me nightsweats.

Bioidenticals are wonderful, or so I hear, for women who a. can afford them. b. can tolerate them. I could not afford them (prempro is cheaper by far and is a stretch for our budget) but more importantly, just could not tolerate them. For me, cutting pills allows me to tailor the dose to my own need. It is also allowing me to very gently wean off of them.