Hi Everyone, I have not had a period in 17 months! Yay! But the hot flashes/night sweats, weight gain (about 8 lbs) and depression s*ck! I finally went to a naturopath last week and had the necessary bloodwork to start NHRT. OK. Just started 3 days ago. Progesterone - 100mg. One capsule days 1-14. BI-EST 2.5 mg days 15-28. DHEA - 15 mg every morning. He also added 10mcg T3SR to the Synthroid I have been taking for 15 years. My progesterone level was 0.32. Normal is 0.5-3.0. So you can see how much in need I am of the progesterone. This will be my 4th day of taking it (before bedtime) and I am feeling exceptionally tired/sluggish. I have read on this thread that some have gained weight from the progesterone also. God, I sure hope that doesn't happen. I'm already depressed about the 8 lbs I've gained in the last year and a half. Anyway, I am wondering if the progesterone is making me so tired? Is this possible in just a few days of taking it? Actually, I have been feeling tired and sluggish for the past year but wondering if taking it for only 3 days could make me even more so. My DHEA level is 0.77. Normal is 0.35-4.30 So there again, I am low in that. The doctor told me the DHEA should help pretty quick with the energy level. I have been taking it for 4 days but maybe it takes a while to work, or maybe I will need a higher dose. I don't want to be growing hair where it's not suppose to be-ya know what I mean? Between that, my thyroid, and cortisol level which was extremely low (7.8 Normal 8.7-22.4) it is no wonder why I have been so tired for so long. The doctor told me this is a good way to take the NHRT - rotating - 2 weeks progesterone - 2 weeks bi-est. He mentioned some possible breakthrough bleeding which I will dread (the compounding pharmacy said good possibility it will NOT happen. Now I am reading Suzanne Somer's new book, "The Sexy Years" (my doc recommended) and if I am reading correctly it sounds like I will be having monthly periods again. Now that really s*cks! I don't know if I can deal with that. I'll have to feel pretty darn good to have a period every month for the rest of my life. I'm a little paranoid about the progesterone. I remember years ago when I suffered horrible PMS, (my doctor now thinks I probably had PMDD which is much worse) I was given progesterone suppositories and seemed to become more anxious and depressed. Go figure...it was suppose to help. Oh-btw, the doctor told me bi-est was preferred over tri-est. I think it is the 3rd hormone, estrone? that he said actually does more harm than good. Anyone know anything about that and agree with it? So - how are you guys doing on the NHRT? Would love to hear some updates as there are alot of old posts on this thread. Thanks for reading this. Good Luck to All

I do well with progesterone, but some people really do not, and some just get nothing out of it. Dr. Uzzi Reiss's book says for some of his patients, the 100 mg Prometrium is just too much at one time (and he thinks nat'l progesterone is the greatest thing since sliced bread). But that is the lowest dose they make commercially (but maybe you are using one from a compounding pharmacy). So, he recommends transdermal twice a day, but I don't know what that translates to (the transdermal bypasses the liver so you can use a lower dose). I use an (bio-identical) estrogen patch, because I wanted the estrogen to be released steadily like the ovaries do. I use a really low dose, because I know I can always increase later. I use just 5 mg. of DHEA, because I'm a little leary about it. I've read both good and bad opinions on it, and it can cause masculinization if you use a higher than needed dose. But that's just my opinion. Anyway, progesterone did not cause me to gain any weight. I personally don't really believe that it does (again, that's just my opinion and maybe some do gain weight, but I would bet it could be due to other things, like just getting older). In fact, I've lost 12 pounds since starting it a year ago, and did not really try to lose weight, since I was not overweight to begin with. But it's nice to weigh what I did 30 years ago, so I'm not complaining. (I don't mean the progesterone caused the weight loss, but it certainly did not cause weight gain.) Since you just started 3 days ago, I guess you can't tell if you are feeling better yet. Keep us posted on your progress. Good luck.

Hi Aimee, Thanks for the reply. I have Dr Reiss' book too but have only skimmed over it. I thought I would be getting the creams to use both every day and he did ask me which I preferred but he said they have better results with alternating the progesterone (14 days) and the estrogen (14 days) so I thought I'd give it a shot. Do you have any breakthrough bleeding or periods? Do you go to a naturopath for the patch? If this doesn't work out for me maybe I should try the patch. You say it is bio-identical so I assume you get the patch at a compounding pharmacy? How long have you been using NHRT? I'm a bit leary of the DHEA myself. Geez, I hope 15 mg isn't too much but I guess the doctor is going by my level. You've got to start somewhere and just go from there... I think you are probably right about the weight gain. Just part of getting old. I am 52. I eat 3x what the average person eats...I should weigh 300 lbs. I weigh 125 and I'm 5'2. But I've always weighed between 110 and 118 so this extra weight makes me feel like a slug. Thanks again, and I will keep you guys posted. I hope more people post on the NHRT thread. I know what works for one doesn't necessarily work for the other but I do believe knowledge is power! Barb

Are you taking natural progesterone or something like Provera? Personally, I can't take either but Provera is worse. Even the natural version caused tireness and depression in me. Fortunately, I don't have a uterus anymore & don't have to take progesterone - but if you do - I would suggest the natural form. If it is too strong, tell your doctor. Perhaps they can get you on a lower dose! By the way, I do take Estrace 1mg and use testosterone cream. I'm doing pretty well on these. Zelma

Hi Zelma, Yes, I am taking natural progesterone. I know the progesterone suppositories that I tried in my late 20s made me feel worse. But my level is soooo low now I would think I would need at least some progesterone - maybe just not 100 mg. I guess I will have to wait and see. I'll go one round of it to give it a chance. I'm hopeful that I will eventually get it right. Glad you are doing well with the Estrace and testosterone cream. Thanks for the reply. I will refer back to this thread if it doesn't work out. Barb

Barb, I've never heard of doing the estrogen for 14 days, only the progesterone for 10-14 days, but the estrogen all month. I could NEVER go off the estrogen like that, because the headaches would return with a vengeance with the sharp drop (and I only use 1/2 standard dose). I'm wondering if anyone else actually cycles estrogen? That's interesting. The Vivelle dot is commercial (or whatever is the correct term), but it is pure estradiol exactly as the female body makes it, and therefore bio-identical. Just my regular gyn prescribes it. And the progesterone is Prometrium, which is also commercial but also bio-identical (but I think too strong for me in the doses it comes in, so I should get that made up at a compounding pharmacy). You do not need a compounding pharmacy to get bio-identicals (but you do if you want tri-est). A lot of doctors (I'm not saying they are right) do not like the compounding pharmacies because they believe they are not as "precise" in dosages or as trustworthy in preparation as big pharmaceutical companies. Unfortunately, my doctor has that opinion. Dr. Vliet pretty much only recommends the patches because they are continuous release, instead of a big jolt and then a let-down. (Some patches are NOT bio-identical, by the way, so if you ever switch, be sure to check which ones are.) However, you can't get estriol in the patch, just estradiol, but Dr. Vliet thinks estriol is not a "good" estrogen (but not as "bad" as estrone), so she only recommends estradiol. They all have different opinions, it seems. I guess we just have to go with our feelings and try to find what works best for us.

P.S. The 15 mg DHEA is not considered a high dose, from what I've read. A woman can safely take up to 25 (again, just what I've read). But I have found that only 5 mg works for me. I'm a light-weight when it comes to medicines or hormones or supplements!

I have PMDD and cannot tolerate anytype of progestin or progesterone. I still believe progesterone is the culprit, since this hormones surges premenstrually. In peri the hormones are all over the map. Balance is difficult, at best. I take a tiny dose of an estradial patch, without progesterone. Three medical experts said this low dose of estradiol should be safe without using progesterone. The only thing HRT is documented to help are flashes, bone density and colon cancer prevention. I hear they are a godsend for some, so count your blessings. Progesterone does have some sedative properties, which I assume could be useful for some women. The pill was the absolute worst. We're talking morbidly depressed. If you have a history of PMDD, peri may be rough going. I've given up on a magic bullet!!!! Oh, one more thing in double blind studies natural progesterone worked no better then placebo for PMS. That placebo works pretty well however.:D Shoot, maybe I should market a product called placebo.lol

cris, about the double-blind studies on nat'l progesterone, the largest one I read about was reported in Prevention magazine (maybe over a year ago, before my subscription ran out) and it showed 80% of the women reported improvement with nat'l progesterone cream. However, it was done on perimenopausal women only. I would figure younger women might even produce too much progesterone, hence the PMS? Maybe that's why I had PMS when young (produced too much progesterone), yet nat'l progesterone greatly improved my symptoms premenstrually in perimenopause, because of basically not ovulating sometimes and have NO progesterone. But it is obvious that progesterone is a big problem for you and some others. My biggest problem now is the drop in ESTROGEN before my periods and getting the headaches! But I still love my progesterone (believe me, though, you can use too much of the stuff even if it works well for you, because I've done that).

ACK!!!!! How many of you feel crappier on hormones? I'm wondering if I just don't have the dosage quite right. I was soooo tired I went back to the doctor and now I am on 2.5 mg bi-est every day and cut the progesterone in half - instead of 100mg in the evening, I am now taking 25 in am and 25 in pm. It's been a couple weeks on this new dosage. How long does it take to start working??? I hate to give up but if something doesn't give pretty soon....doctor also added T3 to my Synthroid and 15 mg dhea. It's going to cost 85 dollars every month for those 4 Rx. It would be okay if I felt great but geesh!! I feel like I am getting short fused and dingyier (is that a word?lol) I guess I am pretty much venting but any suggestions or info would be appreciated. Thanks for listening.... Barb

One thing about the DHEA. I definitely felt worse on it (but I still use it occasionally, 2.5 mg., because within a day or two, I "get" a libido--then I stop using it). I had a problem with concentration when I used it--felt very confused, like dazed. It happened every time I tried it. I know in Dr. Reiss' book, he said that many of his patients could just not tolerate 10 or even 5 mg of DHEA. He often uses just one or two mgs. Just a thought, maybe you are fine with 15 mg. The problems you are having is exactly why I began hormones with doses so low as to be considered ineffective, and built up from there. Good luck.