HELP ladies, unscheduled vag bleeding, progestrone, cancer scare and taper.

Hi

Hope someone can help me. Sorry for long post.

I am british so cannot get progesterone cream.

In late 2016 i was permenopausal and was taking evorel 100mcg oestrogen patch and cyclical 200mcg micronised progesterone for 12 days a month, and I was 50 and at the time, addicted to 75mg diazepam.

I am really worried because of these threads from perseverance regarding the disasterous effects of prog withdrawal when tapering as progesterone is cross tolerant to valium

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=47259.msg639848;topicseen#msg639848

and

this on how benzos cause hpa axis dysregulation

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=44373.0

 

I am worried because, in late 2016, to keep my GABA stable without my doctors consent, I changed my 12 day cyclical micronised progesterone use from 200mg 12 days a month to 100mg daily and reduced the oestrogen patch to 75mcg to reduce the chance of endometrial cancer as daily progesterone meant no withdrawal bleed that I Was getting on the cyclical.

I had two bleeds one month apart in late 2016, then nothing until June and in june I started getting small amounts of watery pink discharge and darkk brown discharge randomly, and am still getting it, and these are symptoms of endometrial cancer as I had no bleed from end of 2016 until june this year when these smalll amounts of discharge appeared at random times.

I know that my doctor will take the progesterone off me and change it and I am really worried about how my mental state will be, as it is cross tolerant to valium, and also my physical health, adrenal crash.

I have spoken to my psychatric nurse who told me to ring my doctor tomorrow, as i havent had the courage to ring him/her since the bleeds started.

I live alone in a block of flats and am worried that I am going to run amok.

I suffer from meltdowns as I am undiagnosed asperger's/ADHD and had fits of rage all my life and all the other sypmtoms of adhd and aspergers, and cannot get tested until I am drug free.

I am stuck between a rock and a hard place, I cant stay on the daily prog cos of cancer, I can't come off it cos of adrenal crash and mental breakdown and running amok and am worried as I have no one who can watch over me as my family live 300 miles away and i am housebound and see no one, people i know have thier own problems.

I am worried I will be incpacitated as I live on 3rd storey with no lifts, incpacitated as prog withdrawwl is like big benzo cut doctors dont put you on continuous prog/oestrogen until age 54 in britain, also, even on continuous hrt, there is still a 3 day prog break for withdrawal bleed, to keep womb lining thin.

I am scared I am going to end up in prison if I go psychotic as you hear of these people in the news going psychotic and turning violent and trashing the place.

My psych nurse is nice but doesnt understand the benzo/progesterone/adrenal thing and neither does my GP.

If I do have cancer I will have to have a hysterectomy, and they wont let me take progesterone on the NHS in this country and I cannot buy it online.

I am terrified but I promised my psych nurse i would make an appointment with my doctor and my psych nurse is going to ring me tomorow.

My doctor will not understand the link between benzo/progesterone/adrenal and neither will the gynaecologist they will refer me to.

I have googled my particular discharge and it points to cancer of the womb lining, pink watery and dark brown.

Im 52 now, and am not catastophising, and progeseterone withdrawals take a while to manifest, so if I run amok with psychosis or get adrenal crash, no medics will know what is wrong with me.

I also have a prolapse of the bladder, which i have been hiding from the doctor, I cant empty my bladder, stop uti's by drinking loads of water, and my vagina has a bulge in it.

Ive written a sheet of info about all of this down for my doctor but am scared stiff, that disaster of some sort is imminent.

HELP pls?

I'm at my wits end.

Can anyone tell me what is going to happen to me, preferably british as we cant get prog cream to taper from, but happy to hear from non brits as well so long as you know i cant get prog cream.

I am on 34mgs valium at the moment and they want to refer me to drug agency where doctor will control my taper and cut me weekly by too much and I will jump at 2mg like all the others i know whove tapered with drug agencies.

Can anyone tell me how long it takes for micronised prog withdrawals to appear after stopping taking it please? sorry for bold, important question.

Thanks for reading.

 

 

Could you take your Dr some info on progesterone and GABA receptors to explain their relationship to Benzos?

 

I just googled progesterone and GABA receptors and there was, for instance, this:

 

https://neuroendoimmune.wordpress.com/2013/11/21/progesterone-and-the-neurotransmitters-the-under-recognized-relationship/

 

Also you may not have cancer and it might be worth just getting that checked first before mentioning the progesterone cream.

 

I have a friend who has bled constantly with watery blood post-menopause and been checked for cancer several times but doesn’t have it.

 

 

I am so glad I read this...I just had my bloodwork ( I am 57 years old Post Menapausal) and it came back that I have little or no progesterone ....my doctor wants me to take Bio Identical Progesterone (Prometrium) to help me sleep, ( still not sleeping well in withdrawal) but I am afraid to take it as it works like a benzo.....I don't know what is causing what.....Is it the withdrawal from the Klonopin and Amitriptyline  or is my sleep issue from lack of Progesterone?  You try to explain this to your doctor and they look at you like your crazy....Will I have a withdrawal from taking the progesterone?  Do your hormones ever even out on their own? 

I am so glad I read this...I just had my bloodwork ( I am 57 years old Post Menapausal) and it came back that I have little or no progesterone ....my doctor wants me to take Bio Identical Progesterone (Prometrium) to help me sleep, ( still not sleeping well in withdrawal) but I am afraid to take it as it works like a benzo.....I don't know what is causing what.....Is it the withdrawal from the Klonopin and Amitriptyline  or is my sleep issue from lack of Progesterone?  You try to explain this to your doctor and they look at you like your crazy....Will I have a withdrawal from taking the progesterone?  Do your hormones ever even out on their own?

Hi

@Runnergirl

I would strongly advise you to steer clear of progesterone because it affects women really badly who have been on benzos, even after withdrawal. It can cause HPA axis dysregulation and adrenal crisis, a potentially life threatening situation.

There is a member called perseverance who has written these threads and loads of women on benzos on this forum have had bad experiences of it.

I would steer clear of prog as it is cross toelrant with benzos and will cause havoc with your gaba receptors. Im glad you asked as Ive saved you a lot of problems in the future.

Thank you so much for replying....I do not think I  will take the Bio Identical Progesterone...I himmed and Hawwed about taking it....I have also read that your hormones should be balanced....but how do you do that without taking any drugs?  I am still having sleep issues....but I have to believe, it is still withdrawal......I do not want to be on any type of meds ....This benzo and anti-depressant ordeal has scared me to death....

Thank you so much for replying....I do not think I  will take the Bio Identical Progesterone...I himmed and Hawwed about taking it....I have also read that your hormones should be balanced....but how do you do that without taking any drugs?  I am still having sleep issues....but I have to believe, it is still withdrawal......I do not want to be on any type of meds ....This benzo and anti-depressant ordeal has scared me to death....

Hi Runnergirl

You dodged a bullet by shunning progesterone, thankfully, but sorry to har you are still feeling bad.

Have you tried herbal sleep aids like valerian. Valerian does not act on GABA in same way as val, I used it when in my first taper with no problems.

Many women also have success with ashwagandha as that is an adaptogen.

sorry for late reply, just seen your post, hth

Hello There...thanks for the reply.....I am not taking the Bio - Identical Progesterone tablets... ( Prometrium)…..I am sure Doctors do not understand or care how it affects GABA after being on Benzo's and Anti-Depressents…..they look at you like an idiot...I have been taking melatonin ….I have not tried Valerian or Ashwagahanda yet...I did order something from Amazaon called LUNA...I googled what the safest non-drug is for sleep and this came up.....I have not taken that yet either....I am so afraid to take anything....everyone says to let your brain heal without taking supplements......but I may give these a try, because I am so sleep deprived. 

 

 

How do you know what is causing what?  My Progesterone levels are VERY LOW.....so is this causing my sleep issues too?  Or is it still the Post Withdrawal symptoms.....I don't have a clue and I am sure my doctor does not either...

 

 

 

Hello There...thanks for the reply.....I am not taking the Bio - Identical Progesterone tablets... ( Prometrium)…..I am sure Doctors do not understand or care how it affects GABA after being on Benzo's and Anti-Depressents…..they look at you like an idiot...I have been taking melatonin ….I have not tried Valerian or Ashwagahanda yet...I did order something from Amazaon called LUNA...I googled what the safest non-drug is for sleep and this came up.....I have not taken that yet either....I am so afraid to take anything....everyone says to let your brain heal without taking supplements......but I may give these a try, because I am so sleep deprived. 

 

 

How do you know what is causing what?  My Progesterone levels are VERY LOW.....so is this causing my sleep issues too?  Or is it still the Post Withdrawal symptoms.....I don't have a clue and I am sure my doctor does not either...

Hi, sorry you are struggling. I hope you are consoled by the fact that Heather Ashton says that sleep does eventually reassert itself. Meanwhile I hope you are ok.

I went to see the gynae yesterday, he was really nice, and agreed to put me to sleep for a hysteroscopy as my womb lining was a bit thick but he didn't understand the benzo/prog thing and suggested mirena coil. This delivers less prog direct to vagina, avoiding first pass through the liver, and the disruption to the GABA would be best avoided to say the least.

I heard him dictating a letter to my GP and he mentioned sequential hrt, and that i had some concerns over it. He said I am still in perimenopause, 10years now nearly.

I'm glad he's having a look at my womb to make sure i am cancer free while I sleep but my goal is to stay on the utrogestan as i am or increase it.

I've been getting help from gynae at an NHS hospital in scotland, who runs menopausematters.co.uk, he read the looooooooooong not I gave him, which I was thankful for but not the email I printed off her, so I aim to ask my GP to read it once i get the all clear after he has been in my womb to ensure its cancer free.