Ladies of Surge!!

I just wanted to tell you that I started hormone replacement on Friday....I am using Prometrium 100mgs oral and Estrogel 1.23mgs transdermal.

I had my big crash in August where I was so ill and depressed, anxious, fatigued and full of panic I became agoraphobic. I found this site shortly after in mid-September and was surprised to learn that all of these symptoms were menopausal, I had no idea.

I started on Paxil in late September and felt so-so by the end of October. Then I heard about L-Theanine and started that a little over two weeks ago, and that really really helped take care of the last of the anxiety I was having. By then I was feel pretty good, but not great. Still suffering with hot flashes, low (or no) libido, terrible fatigue, sleep disturbances and general blah.

I was getting out, working some, starting to get ready for Christmas, but I still wasn't really right. I lacked motivation a lot of the time, had to force myself to do things, would have been content to stay home....but not because I was agoraphobic anymore, just because I was still not energized to do much.

On Friday I got my Rx for hormones, both of the hormones I am taking are bio identical, but they are prescribed by a mainstream doctor and available at any pharmacy. After I had the Rx filled I went to my sister's house for a visit and rubbed the Estrogel on my arms while I was there. I was very tired and was ready to come home and have a nap. I left my sister's place and came home, but ended up not having a nap. I ended up charged with energy and did tons of housework, cooked supper, did laundry, made the beds (which hadn't been made in months!!)...I was totally amazed at myself!!

On Saturday I went out and shopping for 4 hours, came home..wrapped all the Christmas gifts I had purchased, decorated the house - I already had the tree up, but had decided earlier that was all I was doing this year!! - made supper again!! I also discovered my libido had returned!

On Sunday I spend the whole day moving my guest room into the basement and putting a little gym in the upstairs room....I worked on this project for 12 hours!!! Last night I slept from 1130pm until 730am!! That is a full 8 hours!! I also realized I had not had a hot flash Saturday or Sunday.

I just can't express in words what a huge, positive experience this has been. I must have been so low on estrogen that even the minimum dose has supercharged my energy levels! I feel like myself for the first time in many many months, if not years!!! I have drive and motivation again. It will be interesting to see if this stays with me, or peters out after awhile. I had not expected to feel any different for about 3 weeks, and I figured it would be gradual. I am shocked it changed how I felt in an HOUR!!

I realize there are risks taking the hormones, but they are worth it. To feel this good is too fantastic to worry about the risks. I was so far down a few months ago, I could not have imagined living that way for long...I wouldn't even want to. Quality over quantity, that was my choice.

Oh Floater I am so happy for you and sooooooooo thrilled that you are sleeping too! I have a lump in my throat writing this and can absolutely feel the elation of your response. You go Floater! you are an inspiation to many of us.

Love pookish/Linda

Floater, thanks for posting your experience. It is so refreshing to read positive posts especially when going through all the mental and physical changes of peri/meno.

I know that there is controversy concerning hormones...well, in reality there is controversy about just about everything. The bottom line is what is best for us individually. I'm using compounded hormones and like yourself with in the first 30 minutes of using compounded biest I felt the old me coming back. I would not say that I feel great, but I'm slowly feeling more and more like me.

We all want to be healthy and we all want the best quality of life. When you get to the point where you can not function doing basis regular daily activities it's time to seek out other options. I'm still in the tweaking and seeking stage, but I'm encouraged by reading your post and success. Thanks !

Floater, thanks for posting your experience. It is so refreshing to read positive posts especially when going through all the mental and physical changes of peri/meno.

I know that there is controversy concerning hormones...well, in reality there is controversy about just about everything. The bottom line is what is best for us individually. I'm using compounded hormones and like yourself with in the first 30 minutes of using compounded biest I felt the old me coming back. I would not say that I feel great, but I'm slowly feeling more and more like me.

We all want to be healthy and we all want the best quality of life. When you get to the point where you can not function doing basis regular daily activities it's time to seek out other options. I'm still in the tweaking and seeking stage, but I'm encouraged by reading your post and success. Thanks !

I'm so happy for you, isn't it great to feel well again?

I had a similar experience with my first use of a tiny dose of transdermal estradiol, I felt so good it actually reminded me of being a teenager (well, a teenager on a good day :-) )

My E dose needed to be increased after a couple months, especially with taking Prometrium - sometimes you have to tinker a little to keep those 2 balanced I guess.

The studies that highlight risks of using estrogen were all done using horse estrogens, I hear ... my doc says we simply don't know if bioidentical estrogens will have the same risks. In the meantime there is quality of life to consider, and I know for me things were going downhill so much the idea of living that way until I'm 100 was not very appealing!!

[/size][/color]OMG FLOATER!!!! You did ALL that and still had the energy for some FUN with hubby???

I want what you've got.................. NOW!!!![size="3"][color="#FF0000"]

I also use Estrogel and Prometrium. The dose can be a little confusing - there is 0.6mg of estradiol in each gram of Estrogel, but a metered dose is 1.25 grams so there is 0.75mg of estradiol in each measure...2 measures would be 1.5mg estradiol in 2.5 grams of Estrogel, etc.
I do feel a drop-off after 8-10 hours when I am having a busy, stressful day at work and literally on the run all shift...but splitting up my daily dose has helped. So far the Estrogel has made a significant improvement in how I feel; more energy, sleeping better, less "limp dishrag" syndrome!

Congrats Floater
Just as I thought, the proof is in the pudding. I felt great during estrogen only replacement part of the cycle, almost immediately.
Looks like your body was really short on estrogen, since you have no periods, so it confirmed it.
I hope it sticks with you, and please, keep us posted.
Good luck, happy for you.
I.

way to go.Floater,So happy for you.Keep us posted on how things continue,Libbyl

I use maybe half of a pump of Estrogel each day. But I have not felt any differently. My new gynecologist said "Even the reps can't tell me that it is absorbed and will raise the estrogen level." So I don't know what to think with the posters who have had good luck. But I did try using an entire pump (scary!) today. But I have yet to feel any differently.

Des, why are you using such a small amount? the "standard" presciption is for two full pumps. I am using one full pump, half what is considered a normal dose. You are using a quarter.

Do you use it right after a shower? It apparently is absorbed better right after a shower, probably due to open pores. Also I read that applying it to your stomach area is a bad idea...it works better on the arms, inner thighs. And it is true that some people have thicker skin than others....some have better absorption than others.

I can honestly say I felt better within an hour of my first dose. I no longer cycle, so am sure I was super low on the E. Do you still have periods?

Hi Floater,
What good news. Im so pleased for you. Its so nice to hear about other peoples experiences.

I hope all is well with you?
Take care.

From Deb

So happy for you Floater, may you continue to feel normal forever!. I'm still waiting for a period to test my hormones (day 50 and nothing yet) and I may try the Estrogel myself. I just want the achy muscles to stop aching. I've been enduring now for about 2 years and I'm about whipped. I started using Vitex/Cohosh last month and my moods are better and more stable and I also take the L-theanine as needed. But once I get my levels checked I may try the Estrogel and Prometruim too.

Glad to hear such a great response on the Estrogel.

Corky

I also crashed in August ... my GYNO put me on birth control pills and told me to stay on them for the next 6 years (45 now). It's better ... but far from where I was last year.

I know nothing about BHRT, because I assume that if I'm taking BP I'm already taking a higher dose of hormones -- is this correct?

I find the week I'm off the pills (the withdrawal bleed / pseudo period) I'm a complete mess. Night sweats, shakes, very symptomatic. Should I ask my Dr. about taking something during this "off week"?

~EM

p.s. Congratulations on finding something that WORKS Floater, and for sharing the news for all of us to learn from.

My gynecologist says only one pump is the standard, though you can use up to two pumps. Have you read the literature insert? I didn't read it, so don't know what it tells you is a standard dose. But I always use the minimum of every drug. I just worry too much!

I had a period in September, but I have been going 3 months between them, for a couple of years. They can't just go away, they have to drag on, and on.

I'm glad you feel better with it.

EM...I hope you have a wonderful Christmas...mine was very nice, ate way too much, laughed a lot...it was good fun.

Your question regarding the BCPs....they are probably synthetic hormones, as opposed to bio-identicals, but if you feel better on them no reason to stop. Because I stopped periods in March, there was no reason for me to go on the pill and have a period. My doc said I could stop the prometrium for one week every 6 - 9 months and see if there was any lining to slough off. If I am not mistaken....and I could be!!...those 7 days without the pills you are experiencing a sudden drop in the sex hormones! A mini menopause!! You could ask your doc for the 84 day pills, where you only are off for one week out of 90....there are also continual use pills where you can stay on them all the time.

Des...I did double check my Estrogel, the dose in the leaflet says 2.5 mg is a normal dose...one full pump is 1.25 mgs, so it is one half of a normal dose. I understand your fear, I share it to some extent....however if you are not feeling an improvement with your 1/4 dose, maybe you should up it a little at a time until you reach the point where you are feeling better. Are you taking a daily baby aspirin as well? If you aren't, you probably should, just to give yourself a little peace of mind in the stroke and heart attack risk area. Keep us posted as to whether you feel any better or not.

Now that I have been taking the hormones for two weeks, I would say I still feel good....but as I had expected things levelled off and I don't feel as wildly fabulous as I did initially. However I noticed that my residue anxiety seems to have gone away, I am not flashing as much by far, and if I do it is a warm flash, rather than a hot flash, and doesn't last as long. My libido dropped off again too...I do think I need some T!! So overall I am still very pleased with how I am feeling, just need to do a little tweaking here and there!!

Kathie

Kathie,

If you want your libido back, you could try cycling your progesterone. When I take my progesterone it eliminates my libido. When I go off progesterone, my libido comes back.

Kathy

Ivy, somehow I missed your post! The doctor said my periods could come back...but not so far.

I have been on the BHRT for over a month now, and I feel good. I still take Paxil and the L-Theanine daily, however there is no doubt that I feel more normal than I have in a long long time. And normal is good. I function, I work, I clean house, I am presently painting my downstairs! A few weeks ago I could have cared less if the house fell down around me! The anxiety is low, I still get the odd moment of the dreaded dizzies, but they are not near what they were. The hot flashes are gone, not even any warm flashes lately. No night sweats, no panic attacks, I can sleep most nights (although being a HORRIBLE night owl, I don't sleep enough hours, but my own idiotic fault), libido seems somewhat improved, huge improvement in mood - much happier, more laughing and smiling and joking - way less crabby. I am much more interested in living, in seeing people, in getting out of the house.

So for me, life without hormones is unbearable. But with them.....wonderful.

Hi Floater...........my name is TerriH........I read this and was wondering about all this since I am so new to all the names and types of these drugs and what they are and what they do.........this post appears to be from 2007......today is jan 23/08
I have Not stopped menstruating.......have you? At least I dont think so , my last cycle was wierd late and very short.........my history is mom/breast and ovarian cancer.......I am 50......she died at 54.......im getting nervous.........I have had some of the worst anxiety attacks ever in the past 2 months................would not leave my home to even go down to my office which is only a mile away...........when do you know you are ready for these medications? Are these hormones you take NATURAL hormomes? Prometrium and estogel? Are there the same risks as HRT? Do you take them in peri or meno? What is paxil used for? I keep hearing about this L-theanine but do not understand what it is????????? Could you please explain it to me and thanks a million times over!!!!!!! I hope you are still feeling so great........
Terrih

Hi Terri, I answered your questions in a PM, I thought it would be too long to post! I can go on and on sometimes!!

I am still feeling great on the hormones, and it has been well over a month now. Do some research, that is what I did..read everything I could find. A great deal of information is available right here on power surge. There are many different options available to you to try. I tried some of the more natural routes but nothing worked for me. Until I got into meds and hormones. Good luck on your quest to find yourself again!!

The saga continues!

I found myself having some rage issues lately! Granted a whole new set of life stress has come into my life, I swear it just never ends...I can never get a break!! But for some reason I responded with rage!! And this is NOT like me at all. It actually felt like really bad PMS...so of course I am wondering if it is caused, at least in part, from the hormones?

I decided to cycle off the prometrium for a week and see what happens. I have been on the hormones for just a little under two months now. I stopped taking them 2 days ago....I don't feel as angry, but that could just be that there has been a small improvement in the life stress department....and I can feel hot flashes trying to return!

Do any of you have any experience with this? I am still feeling physically well. So much better than before, way more energy. That part isn't an issue...but I was not enjoying being so angry. It is so difficult at this time in our lives to know if what we experience is "real" or hormonally driven! A few weeks ago I came down with some kind of virus and my first reaction was...oh no, menopause symptoms are returning!!! And they weren't, I was just sick!

Which of the hormones can cause rage issues? I don't even know...I have so much information floating around in my poor brain that it has all become a kalidescope, a blur, I can't make sense of it anymore!

Kathie

I have been using Estrogel for about a month now and I am feeling fantastic. I am only taking it to prevent migraines, because I discovered at 47 last year, doing two donor egg IVF cycles (unsuccessful), that my nearly constant migraines would VANISH when I was on the estrogen injections for the IVF cycle, and they would return when I stopped them. However, in the later part of the cycle, you also inject progesterone, and that is when you feel so cranky and irritable. I think that is what is giving you these rages.

Progesterone also counteracts estrogen's migraine prevention. Thus my OB/GYN has prescribed that I take the estrogen and every three months, use progesterone suppositories to bring on a "period" to clean out my lining. One "period" per season is now considered acceptable to prevent endometrial lining buildup or cancers.

Funny thing is, I actually still ovulated (not menopausal yet) and had a real period, even while on the estrogen gel. So I guess I don't need to use the progesterone just yet.

Ask your doctor if you can do the same - just take the Estrogel alone, and once each season, use the progesterone.

Aha! YES - this is what I was thinking. I have been questioning the use the Progesterone for a while now. If someone is still having their period, why the need for the Progesterone? I started using (again) the OTC progesterone cream just a few days ago because everyone kept telling me to make SURE I am using progesterone if I am using estradiol. So I started using the P cream just a few days ago and have had sore breasts and am quite weepy and gloomy (depressed).

So if we are using the estradiol gel, there is really no reason to use the Progesterone too if we are still having our periods naturally, right? Because we are shedding our endo lining without the help from Progesterone, did I get that right?

I'm still of course going to ask my doc, but it's always best to be prepared with my own knowledge.

Hi, I'm 46, peri and using vivelle patch. My cycles stopped suddenly for 8 months (long story) and retarted by using prometrium (horrid drug with nasty side effects for me), Anyway, ovaries are damaged (fluctuating hormone levels), but am having a monthly cycle again. Ovaries do not produce a high enough level of estrogen for me to feel good and function. (I was having just about every meno symptom.) I use the vivelle 2 x per week and since I have a "natural period" a la my own ovaries have to only cycle in the Combipatch (for 2 weeks) every 3 months. However, the 3 month clock "resets" every time I have a natural period. For example, Period on March 15 - 20....if I don't have another than I have to use the combipatch at the end of June. Also, my dr. will do a uterine ultrasound 2 times per year to make sure that my lining has shed or atrophied enough so it doesn't build up to an unhealty level. (I have had several gyn consults and they agree this is a safe and tolerable approach since I cannot tolerate progesterone) Everything has been working out so far. Hope to avoid any type of progesterone for awhile. Estradiol is the "feel good" hormone for my body chemistry.

Hi, I'm 46, peri and using vivelle patch. My cycles stopped suddenly for 8 months (long story) and retarted by using prometrium (horrid drug with nasty side effects for me), Anyway, ovaries are damaged (fluctuating hormone levels), but am having a monthly cycle again. Ovaries do not produce a high enough level of estrogen for me to feel good and function. (I was having just about every meno symptom.) I use the vivelle 2 x per week and since I have a "natural period" a la my own ovaries have to only cycle in the Combipatch (for 2 weeks) every 3 months. However, the 3 month clock "resets" every time I have a natural period. For example, Period on March 15 - 20....if I don't have another than I have to use the combipatch at the end of June. Also, my dr. will do a uterine ultrasound 2 times per year to make sure that my lining has shed or atrophied enough so it doesn't build up to an unhealty level. (I have had several gyn consults and they agree this is a safe and tolerable approach since I cannot tolerate progesterone) Everything has been working out so far. Hope to avoid any type of progesterone for awhile. Estradiol is the "feel good" hormone for my body chemistry.