|
Hi :-)
Sept 14, 2012 10:31:07 GMT
Post by rusalka on Sept 14, 2012 10:31:07 GMT
Let me introduce myself in few words: I'm from Germany, almost 47, married, 2 kids. I'm a singer and writer. At the moment I'm struggling with severe anxiety and insomnia, which are my main problems. One month ago I have started with BHT, with estrogel, because my E was extremely low. The gel raised the levels immediately and my almost lost libido returned. After 2 weeks my E levels were normal again ( 121) But today I'v got my latest blood results and my E is low again- 23! I didn't changed the dose, so I wonder why? I heard that the gel should be applied at least 4-6- hours before the blood is taken, I did it 2 hours before. Could this be the cause for the low number? Well, maybe I should start with questions in other forum...
|
|
|
Hi :-)
Sept 14, 2012 11:14:38 GMT
Post by rusalka on Sept 14, 2012 11:14:38 GMT
Hi,
BHT is bio identical hormon therapy, I'm using german brand Gynokadin Gel. I don't use progesteron yetm but most probably in the near future to protect the uterus. I actually already tried progesteron cream, but it made me extremely tired and my libido was non existant anymore...My doc knows that many women don't tolerate bio identical progesteron well, that's why she wants to see if I have a ovulation. Otherwise I have to take some P. I have a prolactinoma on my pituitary gland which is actually causing my hormonal chaos. My FSH is still very low, so officially my peri didn't start yet ( as ma doc says), but I have already the symptoms due to elevated prolactin. I can't tolerate the meds for prolactin, so I better choose HRT instead of Cabergoline. I so hope that good estrogen levels will help with my anxiety and insomnia. I have started an AD too ( 2 weeks ago), specially for insomnia and anxiety (Agomelatine or Valdoxan), but it don't work yet, so I have to make through somehow during the next weeks...
I'm an opera singer, but I finished my careee due to health problems few years ago. Now I'm writing, my first novel was already published and I'm writing on the second one and looking for an american agent to represent me on the english speaking market.
|
|
susan
Member
I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member - Groucho Marx
Posts: 749
|
Hi :-)
Sept 14, 2012 11:52:53 GMT
Post by susan on Sept 14, 2012 11:52:53 GMT
Hi Rusalka
So nice to have a lady from Germany on here.
I think your Gynokadin is the same as our Oestrodose Gel as I was looking at it on the internet on a site called goldpharma yesterday, it's in a green can.
In the UK our Doctors start women on 2 doses a day, as it comes in a pump dispenser. That is considered a low dose and if they don't get relief from their menopause symptoms are allowed to increase to 3 pumps a day and then 4 pumps a day. Any more like 6 pumps a day tends to be prescribed by Specialists or for early menopause women.
As you know you will need to add in some sort of progesterone in the future. The thinking here is that it is OK to be on oestrogen only for 3 months if you still have a uterus.
Good oestrogen levels should ultimately help with both anxiety and insomnia but unfortunately it seems to take some months to deal with it.
If you can't get on with a bioidentical progesterone you could always take a synthetic one like Provera, not sure if it is called the same in Germany, but it seems to be used worldwide.
Sorry to hear you had to stop singing due to ill health, sounds like you have an exciting life.
Keep posting and let us know how you get on.
Would be great to hear how the Doctors deal with menopause over there. Is HRT popular with German women?
xxxx
|
|
|
Hi :-)
Sept 14, 2012 12:16:34 GMT
Post by rusalka on Sept 14, 2012 12:16:34 GMT
Hi Susan,
I started with one pump of the gel, now I'm on one and a half, the doc said I can increase if I still don't feel better. I think tomorrow I will start with two pumps. I'm very careful, because I always react sensitive on everything. Regarding P, I will probably try with one capsule Utrogest vaginally after another cycle. Well, in Germany there is a huge controvery about the HRT. It is still considered dangereous and the therapy with bio identical hormones isn't really popular yet, because there are not many doc's which are prescribing it. I needed to change three of them to find my gyno who respects that I want bio identical hormones and she also preferes them. A lot of my friends in my age are quite shocked when they hear I'm on estrogen. They think peri and meno pause are natural and we don't need to put any artificial hormones in our bodies, it's too risky... Well, in the past I thought like this, but now I think if the body need certain hormones to feel better, then it should get it! I hope too that good estrogen levels will help with anxiety and insomnia soon. In another forum where I met Jacks I find such a relieve when I saw how many women actually suffer anxiety in this period of their lifes, I already thought I'm getting insane... Nobody told me what is coming into my life, I always thought, well ,some hot flashes and swing moods CAN'T be that bad, I will menage it without the hormones...
|
|
susan
Member
I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member - Groucho Marx
Posts: 749
|
Hi :-)
Sept 14, 2012 12:55:16 GMT
Post by susan on Sept 14, 2012 12:55:16 GMT
I think it is sensible to increase the Gel slowly. This is the excellent thing about the Gel as it is very flexible and you can work out the exact amount to make you feel great.
Here we have two strengths of Utrogestan 100 mg and 200 mg.
They give 100 mg for 25 days a month to women who no longer need to bleed. They give 200 mg for 12 days a month to women who still bleed.
HRT is controversial in the UK as well. I think this is why many women talk about it on forums and not in real life.
I think it is actually good for the long term health provided you can stick to bioidenticals if possible.
In the UK many of the Doctors want woman to take Anti Depressants to deal with their menopause but a lot of women don't like them as they make them feel spaced out and removed from what is going on, also AD's are no good for getting rid of all the symptoms in the way that HRT is as it is hormones that we are all missing.
I hope you can get on with the utrogestan.
I take a patch at the moment it has bioidentical estradiol in it but the progesterone is synthetic so I will probably change to Gel and utrogestan eventually.
But the patch is so very easy to use I just put it on once a week and forget about it.
xxxx
|
|
|
Hi :-)
Sept 14, 2012 13:02:28 GMT
Post by rusalka on Sept 14, 2012 13:02:28 GMT
I never thought I will start with an AD, but the sleep problems are so strong that I need a break and my AD is specially for insomnia, it is called ironic "Luxury sleeping Pill", because it's very expensive, have very few side effects and don't make addicted. I take here and there Lorazepam/Ativan, but I'm too much scared of possible addiction. I hope when my hormones are balanced a bit I won't need other drugs anymore. But my kids and my husband need me and I want to live my life fully again, not only functioning... I so hope there is light on the other side of the tunnel! xx
|
|
susan
Member
I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member - Groucho Marx
Posts: 749
|
Hi :-)
Sept 14, 2012 13:06:39 GMT
Post by susan on Sept 14, 2012 13:06:39 GMT
Similar for me too, I though I would never start with a sleeping tablet but now take one. It is so annoying when your body lets you down like this but as you say when you have others depending on you like children and husband and ageing parents sometimes you need to take these things.
It is good that you have managed to get one that does not cause addiction as I think the sleeping tablets I take do, so I am ver careful with them and take either one or sometimes a half. But I need to sleep to function.
xxxx
|
|
|
Hi :-)
Sept 15, 2012 4:04:16 GMT
Post by Robyn on Sept 15, 2012 4:04:16 GMT
Hi rusalka
HRT in Australia is pretty much an accepted thing. There are still those who cling on to the old horrors myths of it being dangerous, but I think the majority of women who need it take it without fussing too much about it. It is also very readily available and very cheap to buy because the majority of it is covered by our PBS system.
We have a mix of available HRTs here. The oestrogen in patches and gels is bioidentical. That's the non-compounded type, which I always feel compelled to add, because this is a big issue in some countries. In those countries the term "bioidentical" is often confused with the compounded type of hormones. Tablets can be either bioidentical or synthetic. The progesterones we have are all synthetic because we don’t have anything like Utrogestan available here for some reason, but you can buy it online.
I’m currently using Utrogestan progesterone (which I buy online) and I’m using a synthetic oestrogen (Premarin), but I’ve had a lot of problems getting on to the right HRT and I want to be stable on something for at least 6 months before I start experimenting with changing it again. I do plan on trying oestradiol again – maybe next year.
I wouldn’t get too hung up on what your hormone levels are because very few doctors really take much notice of them because they are too unreliable. You need to go more on how you feel. I wouldn’t have a clue what my levels are because my doctor refuses to test them. If you are still having problems with anxiety or insomnia maybe you need an increase in your oestrogen.
I also have a problem with insomnia. I have tried ADs, but I didn’t like how I felt on them. To be honest, what I’ve read about ADs makes me not want to use them at all anyway. They’re supposedly non-addictive, but that’s nonsense. They can be very hard to get off once you’re on them - much worse than sleeping medication.
I use diazepam, which I find quite good and it’s very gentle on the body. You can reduce it very slowly when you want to wean yourself off it. It’s the only sleeping medication that you can do that with. None of the other types come in small enough doses that will allow you to reduce slowly enough or in small enough increments, so when you try to reduce them your body “crashes” very quickly and you can suffer quite severe withdrawal symptoms. I’m currently weaning myself off diazepam and it takes time, but I’m happy to take it slowly.
Don’t worry too much about taking a low dose of sleeping medication because as my doctor always tells me, sleeping is far more important that taking a small dose of medication.
|
|