Curious for those of you who've used BHRT...

Has it been estrogen that helped or progesterone? Or neither? Did either make them worse?

Thanks, Jeanne

I "think", and really who can say for SURE! That Progesterone gave me occular migraines. Not the prometrium taken orally (that only made me gain copious amounts of weight, bloat with excess fluid, cause fatigue, impaired liver function...well you get the idea!) but the Progesterone 5% cream.

So now I am on prometrium vaginally as per advice from my gyn, BUT he said to use 200mgs this way....I have been a RAGING mess for the last couple of days....I think it is TOO MUCH!!! Oh and having hot flashes to beat the band.....good lord it is tough getting this all figured out!!

I had a lot of migraines right before my periods stopped entirely....then they went away for 18 months....thought I was done with them forever!! NOT!!

So...I THINK maybe progesterone is the culprit....maybe....haha!! Don't you LOVE my descisiveness!! (And I realize I can't spell!!)

Dr. Vliet and other well-known hormone docs find that women who suffer with migraines often get complete relief from them once given estradiol. Have you had your blood levels checked?

Floater,
So far I've avoided taking the P, but a couple women I know who are sensitive to P find that using 100mg. works just as well, with less side effects, although admittedly they still hate how it makes them feel.

ive used p and test, cream for the last 2 mos and its been ok no side effects , not too much anxiety,,,

For me, progesterone will trigger migraines and sometimes estrogen will help. It's hit or miss with additional estrogen, but maybe that's because the headache is burrowed in by the time I add extra. Progesterone always brings one on, guaranteed. During my menstruating years, I am certain it was the estrogen drop around day 27-28 that triggered them. I think part of it may depend on where you are in the meno years.

Blood levels checked a while back. Am in full meno (3+ years) and still feel like cr*p - mild hot flashes, night sweats, depression, low energy, low libido and pain behind and around my eyes most of the time. I don't think the pain is migraine, but they have nothing else to call it. I did try BHRT and my body LOVE Estrodial, but since I have a uterus they insist I use P with it. Even with a tiny amount it brought on severe depression.

But I'm ready to try again and was just wondering about experience with migraines - have been reading this guy, Dr. Andrew Jones - Women's Health Institute - www.migraine-headaches-information.com - who swears that it's the P that gets rid of migraines. I just don't see how that's possible given my own history.

But wanted to find out what others have experienced.

Hi - H. Jeanne,

I can't say about Estrogen, it's on my never touch list.

But I was put on Bio Progesterone for irregular peri periods. It helped a TON for a few years. 4 I think.
In fact I went a while without a period, and just a period until 2 days ago. Yep, thought it was over, but got a period.
So I'm supposed to go back to using it every month for another year.

Having had migraine since 1981, I can tell you that many times it comes on when you relax.
I can't count how many times I had a Huge Deadline at work, burned the Midnight Oil, and then
got a day off and BAM woke up with a Migraine.
Or went on vacation, or after anything where you end up relaxed (after massage, facial, good long nap, sex)

My GYN suggested applying the cream in the evening. ( Inside thigh, wrist, etc.)
and I slept great, felt great and love it. But it did bring on a few Migraines.
I always go them either 2 days before, or most what I labelled "Day 2".
Where I would be relaxed, exausted, no palps, pale and bleeding heavily, lightheaded
and yes, often with a Migraine. Most of the tme until ast year - when they mostly stoppped.
Today I'm in a period, complete with "moths in my ears"...

~MB

And yes, woke up with a terrible Migraine.....
~MB

I'm still experimenting with E for headaches. It's been about 2 months since I started it. Headaches are my main reason for using it although relief from all the other menoupaus symptoms is fantastic. My early conclusion is that E has had a hugely positive impact on controlling my headaches. Weirdly enough, bio's are not effective and don't make me feel as good as synthetic. Estrogel and Biest had no impact even after trying different doses and application areas. The jury is still out on Estradot. But Estraderm is a clear winner for me. I am disappointed in not having success with bio's. I don't need P so I haven't tried it.

MIGRAINE QUEEN TO THE RESCUE.... lol!

First please give me some additional information. When do they occur? Day...night...What time to month?

Have you always had them?

Does your family members have them, too?

Do you any type of warning?

Thanks...and I will get back with you.

Do you know what triggers them?

Shebee

Maybe a coincidence but I have not had a migraine since being on Progesterone. I did get a headache when I cut it back during a milligram change.

OK, thanks for the information. Perhaps I can help a little. I was kicking into migraine overdrive. Instead of the occasional migraines, I was having at least 4 a month, which took me out for two days. I had to stay in a dark room with no noise or etc. I was taken out of commision for at least 1/3 of my life. My poor family...poor me! LOL!

First of all migraines seem to run in families. Because the genetic make-up is similar, our bodies follow suit. My great-great grandma, great grandma, grandmother, mom, sisters, and daughters had them or have them.

First of all, I would look at food triggers. I found that I was allergic to lemon oil. (within minutes I started into a migraine cycle. I always had 30 min. to get home. Thank God I had warning.) Also, red wine, citrus, red dye #3 (they now use #40 in everything because #3 is deadly) and a few other things.

The only way to track down a food trigger is to keep a daily log of what you eat. ...or at least write down everything that you put in your mouth preceding the migraine. You will need to look at the ingredients in salad dressings and etc. If your migraines are food related, a pattern will soon show up. This is a inconvenient, but you need to do this. Food that we are allergic to are foods that we crave. (figure that one out?)

Mine were a combo....I had food triggers, but the frequent migraines that I was having were strictly hormonal in nature.

I am in peri and my levels were fluctuating wildly. Some days (or hours) I had too much Estrogen and some not enough.
Because of this, even though I am still having a periods, I went on continuous BHRT. Eventually it is suppose to shut down my periods altogether, but so far this is not the case. At first I had breakthrough bleeding, but now seem to be having light periods at the regular time. With continuous BHRT my hormone levels remain steady. I also take extra estrogen by injection every two weeks. My doc gives depo-estradiol Cypionate.

Since you are in Meno, not peri, I would suggest that you do continous BHRT, and not cycle. I don't know why, but cycling hormones seem to casue many problems. Perhaps this is because of the hormonal fluctuations? Although you did not do well with the Progesterone before, I would try it again, making sure that your Estrogen ratio is high enough to handle a bit of progesterone. Also, it is important to address adding Testosterone to the mix if yours is on the low side. Most docs seem to give a tiny bit of Estrogen that is too little to balance out the progesterone and seem to ignore the need for testosterone. This is only my observations.

Oral dose of caps for Progest. for menopausal women range from 25 to 400mg daily. (dosed once or twice a day)
Tri-est or Bi-est.... .25 (too low) to 1.0
Testosterone is 1.8 - 5.0 daily

Topical
Progest 10-50mg (usually 20-25mg) daily
Testosterone .25mg - 2.0
Bi-est .1-.5mg daily


(I take way more than this amount...)


My doc has a little black book (so I was told) of all of the women who had migraines and have been migraine free since starting bios. My name is now in it. I have not had one migraine since staring bios. It is amazing. As you can imagine, I am very thankful and he is my Hero!

Like most other women, I went to a neurologist. He refused to test my hormones, although he agreed that my hormones were probably the cause. Instead he ordered standard blood work, wanted me to go on daily meds for the rest of my life, and get a MRI brain scan. After all, he said, "What do you expect me to do, I am a neurologist." I guess I expected more?

I never went back to him. Instead I sought out a Top thyroid-bio doctor.



Headaches or migraines are alleviated or even prevented by adding extra estrogen. Sometimes it takes an adjustment to stop them.

It is interesting that davinc817 gets relief from the Progesterone. I believe that this is what she needs to balance her out. Her body is unique and must be making the right mix of hormones. She is awesome and her post give a lot of insight to what is going on with our bodies. By following her example (experimenting on herself until she found out what works,) I know you can track down what is causing your migraines. If you find the root of the problem, the migraines will stop.

We need progesterone... even women who have had hysterectomies. Progesterone is a must. If you are not making it, you need to take it. However in saying that, I would venture to point out that you must be making it or your body absorbs it like sugar. LOL! Perhaps you don't need the Progesterone at this point. ?? Prgesterone keeps the estrogen in check and prevents it from doing harm.

A few years back I tried progesterone alone. My periods were twice as hard, and I was a mess! So what did I do? I gave it to my beloved sister, who in turn, tried it with high expectations. She soon called me back; she accused me of trying to kill her. For us, progesterone alone was like poison, or worse! LOL! Looking back, I now see that we needed added Estrogen in order to balance out the Progesterone.

Again...we are lab rats...waiting to be experimented on. LOL!
(((The world is now using human lab rats for the swine flu shots.
See everyone is exprerimenting!
LOL! What ever happened to animal testing? LOL! Why at an area hospital they just called for 2,500 volunteers with 1/2 being children. You first! LOL! In the 1976 flu scare, more people were harmed by the "cure" than the disease. Sorry, I digressed...ok back on topic.)))

First find "triggers" if they exsist...then try more estrogen...specifically estradiol.

Hope this helps,
Shebee

This is from someone who had horrible migraines since late teens until mid 30s. I had such a bad migraines that when they stopped, I felt there was something missing, this is how I was used to daily headaches at a minimum.
Yes, migraines tend to run in families, they are hormonal and not, some caused my low blood pressure and also can be estrogen related.
I am not 100% sure, but mine stopped once my estrogen dropped, believe it or not.
I haven't had one since my late 30s, I may get occasional tension head aches, mainly due to tight scalp skin and neck muscles, but never those strong migraines with aura, nausea, vomiting, and light sensitivity.
We all different I guess, some women see lack of estrogen as migraine trigger, I believe the opposite is true.
While I hate perimenopause with passion, one thing I surely don't miss is estrogen related migraines.
Cheers,
I.

I always love your post!

Looking at davinc817's post and yours, is it possible that at the time that you had migraines, progesterone would have stopped them by balancing out the estrogen? Out of curiosity, do your remember if your migraines were close to your period time or mid-cycle?

...and I don't miss the migraines, either! I had the aura...and the works.


Thanks,
Shebee
Shebee

Iradan,

I STILL get vicious migraines, in fact I woke up with one today.
I love your posts - and I hope to get back and learn something......
Soon - first I need to try and get this pain under control somehow......
My first was at 21, my last was um, now. ( at 49)
Thank you for posting all this information everyone.
I hope to read and learn.

Mary Beth

Like your posts too Shebee,
I did not have PMS until perimenopause started, nothing to speak about, but now I am paying the price big time.
I had migraines pretty much around the clock, the headache was bad and very bad, never a break, and they worsen in spring and fall. One cloud on the horizon, and I want to scream from the pain, I thought they were weather related more than hormones. Actually, I never thought about my hormones before perimenopause, again, as I did not have bad PMS, barely 3-4 days before TOM I was getting sluggish and flu like aches.
I just know it stopped cold turkey once peri started, now I guess I would trade migraines for 100+ other symptoms I get daily.

If your migraines are hormonal, try adding magnesium supplements to your daily routine. 300-500 mg per day has practically obliterated the 3-5 migraines I had every month the week before and after my period. Good luck!