Hey ladies,

My biggest complaint with menopause is the inability to stay asleep. I never seem to get tired and I wake up frequently during the night. I often feel like a zombie. Tired of being tired. I am unable to take progesterone because of the gastrointestinal disturbances. I did cycle it in for 10 days after being on the E alone for three months and I must say that it did help me with sleep. I have tried different combinations of bi-est and that didn't seem to work very well as far as helping with the sleep. Then I thought I would try just ESTROGEL......that helped a little but did not deliver the punch I was looking for. My gyn suggested taking 80 percent estradiol and 20 percent estriol. I have been on that a week and am waking up all night long. I just don't know any more. I AM SO READY TO GIVE UP ON ALL THIS HRT.

When I was taking the ESTROGEL I understand I was getting .75 mg. per press of pump and with the 80/20 biest I am getting 80 mg. per mL. But the bi-est doesn't seem to be working as well as the estrogel did. I AM CURIOUS AS TO WHY.

So--if anyone getting relief from insomnia with just estrogel and no P? Just curious

Yes!!!! I get great sleep from estradiol. Prometrium gave me insomnia (along with a whole lot of other side effects). Now I only take oral bio fda Estrace (generic and only costs 4.00 per month) along with vaginal bio fda Estrace cream. I sleep, I dream and its goooooooooood. Some women dont seem to d<o well on the compounded hrt while others do. Its just a matter of trial and error. I've decided to stay with stuff that's covered by insurance, bio if possible but will take synthetic if necessary. My docs kept insisting that the vivelle patches were enough. Well after 2 years I finally switched to the oral estradiol and feel GREAT!!!! I just wasn't getting enough absorbtion from the patch (.1 patch but at times my levels would drop <32) That should not have been happening. Saw your other post and your levels are too low for what you take too.

Two nights ago, I used probably a wee bit too much P before bed. I knew it but as I thought about it, I already had it rubbed in. Anyway, I hopped in to bed looking forward to a nice, deep sleep but no way!!! I buzzed all night long in that zombie can't move my limbs kind of way. I was awake until I got out of bed at 7 AM.....;-)
Last night I didn't use any P, and slept like a rock.
I'm sure part of the reason was because I hadn't slept the night before, but it's happened before when I have not taken the P and I sleep.
I use between 1 and 1/2 squirts of Estrogel each day.
So, yeah. I sleep better these days without the P on board.
Wish I didn't have to take it at all.

Love E, hate P.

I'm at the point where I am trying to decide whether to quit or stay on the HT because of the P.

avalina,

I meant to ask you in my earlier post, what kind of gastro disturbances do you experience with P? I have been having some terrible bloating recently and I think it may be caused by the P.

Thanks

Hi there,
Well, the P seems to cause bloating, diarrhea and candida like symptoms. Just doesn't agree with me. I do have crohns disease and it just seems to exacerbate it.

Yes!!!!!! I agree with you. I too have thought about throwing in the towel because of the P. I know I have to take it at some point because I have my uterus. Gosh--what to do?? I am obsessed with getting this all figured out and it is literally driving me crazy. Actually-I just want to sleep and I want to quit feeling so hot all the time. Maybe I just need more estrogen. Who knows?

Hi, thanks for your response. Perhaps you can tell me a little bit about estrace? What are the milligrams that are normally taken. Is the strace cream estradiol also. I thought estriol was better to help support the bladder, uterus, etc.? My estradiol was 20--i guess that is low when the reference interval is 19-528. I am thinking of quitting the bi-est even though I am taking 80 percent estradiol and going back on the Estrogel--or perhaps trying the estrace pills. Just don't know what to do. It is all so frustrating because I have to try a new formula for a month. So--if it doesn't work I am stuck for thirty days before my insurance will let me try something else. While I was on the Estrogel I also inserted some estriol vaginally and it did seem to help with bladder control--(I didn't have to run to the bathroom quickly) LOL. Anyhow--I would be interested in learning more bout the Estrace. I wonder if it would be better then the Estogel? Any idea?

Hey there,

Estrace is great. I started on it at 1 mg. and 100 Prometrium. I found that I needed more E, so doc gave me .5 Estrace to add so ended up on 1.5 mgs. I switched to Estrogel because after reading so much (not so good some times), I felt it better to go the transdermal route. My doctor gave into me saying that it's "6 of one, half dozen of another" meaning it's a personal choice. One is not better than the other.

Then I changed from Prometrium to compounded cream and this is when everything changed. I felt pretty darned good on the Estrace and I must say that it's easier to pop a pill than to mess with the gel.

If I decide to stay on HT, I'll probably give a vaginal method of P a try and go back to the Estrace.

I would take 1 mg. in the AM and the .5 in the afternoon. Worked really well.

Didn't mean to jump in here.....I would like to hear JZZ's experience with it also, but this is my story (and I'm sticking with it......;-)

Hi,

I've been posting in the Evamist topic, but I'll jump in here too! I've been on Estrogel for a couple of days after having no help from Evamist. I'm still having hot flashes, and it makes me tired, not more energized. I also noticed that my breasts are sore. I added 100 mg. Prometrium 2 nights ago, and so far nothing...It doesn't help my interrupted sleep.

What was your experience with Prometrium? Was the compounded P better? Did the estrogel help you at all?

Thanks, and I'm happy to be joining in!

Florida
.

At first the Prometrium was great. Slept like a baby for the first time in 20 years......:-) But, after some time I began to feel lethargic in the day time, even while taking the Prometrium at bed time. There were other side effects that I began to feel as the progesterone built up in my system.
There are lots of ladies who do very well on Prometrium and it's too early for you to know for yourself, so stay on it and see how you feel. Best not to pre judge it by other's experiences, I'd say.

For me, the compounded cream was a bit better but only because I could use less of it which is not always a good thing. Some nights I felt as if I should have the Hormone Police looking over my shoulder to make sure I used the prescribed amount.....I cheat sometimes because I know how it will make me feel.

Estrogel/estrogen works wonders for me. No night sweats, hot flashes or heart palps. And, it really helps with anxiety. I'm not sure whether it's causing me to gain weight around my middle or not. Could either be because I'm not using enough though. I take when I need to treat my symptoms which is bare minimum in my case.