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Menopause/Hormonal Support


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  • 1 month later...

This is month one after a rapid taper...I know I always feel very low(depressed ) during my period, but now since BW my period comes sooner, lasts longer. I'm coming up to my period again and I feel waaaay worse today.

I am so nauseous today, chills, ache, crying, etc. I know these are regular symptoms of BW, but the way it just came on and I know my period is on the doorstep - will it be like this each month?

I know a spike in progesterone causes the depression/anxiety normally. I had hormones tested months ago and naturopath had me take progesterone bc it seemed I was estrogen dominant. Holy heck followed after taking it - I cannot take progesterone.

Looking for feedback from those who have weathered this. Does this eventually go away?

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  • 7 months later...

Hi,

I have these mood swings or something. Its driving me crazy. One minute I like someone the next minute I dont, more aggravated I think. Not ,ike I hate them. One minute I feel one way then I change my mind. Stuff is going back and forth over and over in my head. I cant tell if some of this is menopause wd or both its hard tontelp because my wd started at perimenopause,  so I don't know really what me oppose feels like. Im thinking I need hrt

Its so messed up its like I love you I hate you I love you I hate you. It making me nuts.

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IMHO (not a doctor) my advice is to have your hormones levels checked.  If you decide to try hrt, do it in a layered fashion.  Go with patch estrogen for 6-8 weeks and see how you respond.  If you can tolerate the next step is to layer on a low dose of Progesterone.  Do not use the synthetic version.  I reacted horribly.  Start with compounded progesterone at 100mg and take blood work at 8 weeks.  Your estrogen should be in the 60-80 range for heart health and the Progesterone needs to be between 5-20 for appropriate uterine protection. 

 

Progesterone acts similarly on the gaba receptors so you might get withdrawal sensations such as insomnia and squishy brain. 

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Thanks, I think I really need to do this. I wanted to wait ti.l another of wd. Im just so moody. But thats a sx too. Thank you so muchvfor the tips.
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  • 2 weeks later...

I have been troubled with abnormal uterine bleeding, saw Gynaecologist today who said she was happy with my womb thickness.

I've had it since June 2018

I first saw doctor in Dec 2018 because I was on cyclic HRT and went mental on the days I was not taking my oral micronised progesterone, so without her consent I started taking 100mg orally daily to balance out GABA.

She kindly kept me on that regime after hearing my concerns about going mental (I am autistic and have meltdowns) and booked me in for a scan which showed a slightly thickened womb lining, and a hysteroscopy followed with no cancer cells. 100mg vaginally was added.

Fast forward to June 2019, bleeding re-strted and GP reduced my oestrogen from 100mcg to 75mcg.

All well until end of 2019 and I kept getting heavy periods, pelvic pain and clots, and put it off until a few weeks ago, where I was able to see the original doctor from 2018 who referred me to gynaecologist today.

I have just come to the end of a three month bleed which included clots.

I am 54. The gynaecologist couldn't say if my womb lining was thinner as I had spent the last three months shedding it.

I had heard that diazepam can cause abnormal uterine bleeding but the gynaecologist did not know anything about this.

She said if it were to start up again, to see my GP and she would be happy to re-scan me to scan to check my womb lining is not thick.

Do Benzes cause any other women abnormal uterine bleeding, it never happened when I was on a much higher dose?

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I will say this.  The stress of withdrawal messes with your hormones.  Many people are having their hormones adjusted because they aren't working properly from the stress of the virus lockdown.  You are better off getting blood work along with having the lining checked.  You want the estrogen level to be between 60-80 and the progesterone between 5-20.  The stress of withdrawal is real.  It put me into menopause.  100mg isn't really a therapeutic dose.  You can only know how balanced your hormones are with blood work.  My progesterone was upped from 100mg to 200mg and my estrogene was lowered briefly to create a period.  After you started bleeding the progesterone should have been lowered.  Get the blood work.  You need to work with the Doctor and the pharmacist together.
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I will say this.  The stress of withdrawal messes with your hormones.  Many people are having their hormones adjusted because they aren't working properly from the stress of the virus lockdown.  You are better off getting blood work along with having the lining checked.  You want the estrogen level to be between 60-80 and the progesterone between 5-20.  The stress of withdrawal is real.  It put me into menopause.  100mg isn't really a therapeutic dose.  You can only know how balanced your hormones are with blood work.  My progesterone was upped from 100mg to 200mg and my estrogene was lowered briefly to create a period.  After you started bleeding the progesterone should have been lowered.  Get the blood work.  You need to work with the Doctor and the pharmacist together.

Sorry for the late reply, had a lot on mind.

We don't get bloodwork here in the UK sadly on the NHS.

Thanks anyway

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Bummer. I have also purchased my own bloodwork.  The Dr can order it and it should cost more than $100.

We can't do that in the UK, its a one size fits all kinda thing with HRT, women are given varying amounts of progesterone and oestrogen, some take testosterone.

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Anyone had an endometrial ablation done but started feeling pelvic pain few months later? My breasts also hurts like hell.

I just read that ablation can fail. It is adding to my anxiety.

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Anyone had an endometrial ablation done but started feeling pelvic pain few months later? My breasts also hurts like hell.

I just read that ablation can fail. It is adding to my anxiety.

No, sorry, sounds awful, have you been to your doctor about it?

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I will have an appointment with them on Tuesday

My periods are so bad that I want to have a surgical menaupose. Last night, it was like being back in acute.

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I will have an appointment with them on Tuesday

My periods are so bad that I want to have a surgical menaupose. Last night, it was like being back in acute.

I wonder why pre menopausal women get period trouble. I haven't had babies though so my knowledge is limited.

 

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Anyone taking progesterone?

Me with Benzes, a lot of it, I want to come off it but fear coming off because from what I have read on here I fear it could kill me.

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[b3...]

Hi everyone - I just found this threat thanks to Pamster.

 

My story: I was doing great after 3.5 weeks (surprising at the time), and then was thrown back into acute withdrawal about 3 days prior to menstruation. I was shocked and now, 13 days later, am only getting back to where I was. I have done a lot of research (I am also a physician - never learned anything about benzos though, ugh and my specialty is far removed from benzos and, unfortunately endocrinology.)

 

Anyway, from what I can gather, the problem is with fluctuating levels of allopregnanolone. This is the primary hormone in the brain that binds to GABA (in a good way - we want this even in benzo w/d). Progesterone is converted to allopregnenolone in the brain. In the first half of the cycle, progesterone is low so the receptors are very sensitive, allowing us to use the baseline allopregnanolone to keep in balance. In the second half of the cycle, progesterone rises and causes rising allopregnenolone. Some receptors become desensitized, as with any chronic exposure (tolerance). Then, when progesterone falls in preparation for menstruation, these receptors have to re-sensitize. This takes about 3 days. This is the crux of the problem, as when in benzo w/d we are already lacking receptors.

 

Benzos can reduce the production of allopregnanolone in the brain (adding insult to injury). This causes our baseline to be low. When progesterone falls and receptors are not yet sensitive, this causes the feeling of acute withdrawal. For me, it lasted more like 2 weeks rather than 3 days, but maybe it was because it occurred only 3.5 weeks out from stopping.

 

From what I can tell, there are only 3 ways to increase allopregnanolone 1) progesterone (this is inhibited on birth control pills so be careful) 2) pregnenolone (a supplement) 3) low-dose Prozac

 

As a perimenopausal female, I had a hormone panel which showed low-normal progesterone - all other hormones normal. So my plan 1) start micronized progesterone on day 21 of my cycle to build up a little more allopregnanolone during the days it is falling due to perimenopause 2) take low-dose pregnenolone 10mg starting day 21 3) start very low dose fluoxetine (I got my doctor to prescribe this for me when I explained the science) at 2mg daily (should be below the SSRI dose, but at the dose needed to stimulate allopregnenolone based on animal studies, so not a sure thing, but not too risky). I'm also going to try siberian rhubarb and am considering Vitex, though I have taken this in the past and it makes me irritable, so not sure. I suppose the other option would be to take birth control pills with low-dose Prozac, thus suppressing the fluctuations and building allopregnanolone, but in the past the pill has given me severe anxiety, so not excited about that.

 

Anyway, I just thought I'd share and also find out if anyone out there has found anything that works as I am incredibly upset at the thought of going through withdrawal every month.  :'(

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  • 2 weeks later...

I'm new to the board, so have a bit of catching up to do. My experience with perimenopause, birth control and monthly withdrawal has just started coming together for me.

 

I'm 40, and peri kicked in HARD in January. It did not let up. Panic attacks, all day sweats, night sweats I had to wake up and change from, constant nausea, weird periods, you name it. I felt like i was dying. Nothing helped.  Actually, it's why I got hooked on benzos! Yay!

 

I found a gynecologist who believed me (first hurdle), because i am young for this to start. She put me on a combo birth control pill with a high dose of both synthetic estrogen and progesterone. After a couple of months, the sweats stopped and the nausea. No night sweats and sleep improved. As did body aches. Didnt have to pee every 5 seconds either. Her plan was to override my fluctuating rollercoaster hormones entirely and give me a nice flat, constant level.

 

Except it seems that my body is fighting back. My testosterone has increased to the point where we are treating it to lower it. I also rarely, if ever, stop bleeding. It's not a period or anything like it but its constantly there.

 

The most obnoxious is that, despite skipping the sugar pills, I get pms every month and during that time I go into benzo withdrawal. My boobs hurt. I bleed slightly heavier. My body aches like I have the flu and severe nausea comes back. Headaches...I mean, you name it. I'm stuck in bed.  It's a pms/withdrawal cocktail!  She says my body is predicting the timing and hormones are breaking through.

 

I have had hormones tested NOT during the pms windows. The bc pills are suppressing my own as they should. I have yet to figure out what's going on during the pms windows. Guess that's next steps. It can never be simple, can it?

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  • 2 weeks later...
I am using biest and progesterone creams. So far they really seem to have helped my menopausal symptoms. Especially the biest. It has been keeping my estradiol level at ~100 which is enough to stave off symptoms. I don’t notice much of anything from the progesterone but I did have higher anxiety when I first started using it.
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  • 2 weeks later...

I'm 47 and in perimenopause and am in hell.

I have periods every three weeks.

I only feel functional for 1.5-2 weeks out of the month if I am lucky.

Feel to scared and worn out to try hormones. I've been off benzos 2 years and wasn't in perimenopause before this. I'm so scared this is going to be my life here on out where I feel psychotic or physically ill.

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[b3...]
Warrior24, at two years out I think you should consider slowly starting hormones to heal. Have some testing and maybe test allopregnanolone too. Some women feel like this was the final stage needed to heal.
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Has anyone tried bio-identical hormones?  I jumped in June 2017. I've had hot flashes around the clock ~1/hour since I started weaning off in 2015 - over 5 yeas now.  I'm wondering if it's safe to try bio-identical hormones.  I went through menopause many years ago. 
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