I was told to double my patches by the hrt clinic. After 2 weeks on the Evorel 50 patch the crying had eased off a good bit, anxiety had lessened and i got a couple of better days. Day 2 of Evorel Conti patch i wakened to the morning crying again and have been crying off and on all day. Mood has dropped dramatically again, not a hint of i feel ok, cant be bothered/interested in anything. Im at my wits end with all of this, was going to phone the hrt clinic this morning and ask to be changed to something else but thought id be given the stock reply of you need to give it time, 8-12 wks so didnt ring. I cant carry on like this, affecting my relationship with my children-aged 7 and 6 yrs.
Please any advice would be appreciated, i am now desperate!!!
Angela how long exactly have you been using the Evorel Conti? why were you told to double the HRT .. I am not sure I understand your post.. you say after 2 weeks on the Evorel 50 patch you felt better and the then day 2 of E Conti you feel bad.. could you explain in a little more detial what has happened please 
Hi pat, i have a post on here 'please help, struggling with crying, anxiety and depression' which covers the background of what has happened if you would like to read it. I most definitely wasnt better after 2 wks on ev 50 but had a couple of days were i felt a bit better than before. I had happily been on the patches for 11 mnths then was hit with terrible anxiety, crying, especially first thing in the morning (for no reason) and very low mood, also started to get hot flushes and night sweats back. The doubling of the patch was to try and allieviate these symptoms.
It does sound like maybe your oestrogen levels dropped, as you get older you can require more.. I think you should talk to the clinic again.Can they test your oestrogen levels? I know there is a Gyno Dr .. I believe his name is Professor John Studd he runs a clinic in London and his website has some very good information. He is a staunch advocate of HRT. Meanwhile to boost your mood, try a range of high strength B Vitamins and Vitamin D.
Hi Angela, sorry you feel so bad. So you are still having periods,? the sequi pack has evorel 50 which is the ostrogen and then you use the conti the second half of the month? It seems like it's the progesterone in the conti patch affecting your mood? Does it feel like pms symptoms. Maybe you could have your hormone levels checked.
I agree with Pat on the vitamin suggestions and I have read the Prof website, it is very good.
I'm so sorry that you're feeling so bad Angela, but there's nothing I can say which will make it any easier I'm afraid.
Everything I've read suggests that it can take up to 3 months to feel the benefit of an HRT medication. I don't know anything about the patches, but as you're feeling so bad I'd certainly go back to your GP and talk to her. There may be non-HRT medication which can help alleviate some of your symptoms until the HRT kicks in properly.
I wish you good luck!
I've read your previous discussions Angela and that you tried Vit B6 and D3. It will take about 3 to 4 weeks to feel the benefits. Vit B6 has definitely helped me in the past with tearfulness and mood swings. Ask your doctor about a high strength dose. I take a multi vit, D3 and magnesium now. Passionflower helps me with anxiety but I'm not sure you can take it with antidepressant.
I'm on Evorel conti patches, continuous oestrogen and progesterone, not sure if this is something you could switch to? Depends on your age and menopause status.
Hope you feel better soon xx
Hi pat thanks for your reply. I spoke to the clinic last week and they said i need to ride it out and give it 8-12 wks, they do a telephone review after 8 wks. Im taking vit b complex, high dose vit d3 spray and have just bought magnesium as ive read it helps with anxiety.
Hi maisie thanks for replying to me. Yes thats the patch im on, i had 2 missed periods jan/feb 17 and started on the patches in march as i was having bad night sweats and hot flushes only no anxiety or crying then, im 48. I am taking vit b complex, vit d3 spray, only for about a month now and just got magnesium to start. Maybe just takes a while for the patches to settle with the extra hormones?
Hi Angela, I do feel for you, this happened to me a couple of years back, i was taking HRT felt great then all the symptoms came back. My Dr put my HRT up to a higher dose, i felt the effects after three to four weeks. Felt really great on them. Had to come off them for a while re op. Now back on them for just over two weeks & just feeling they are kicking in, it's very subtle.
That was meant to be 2016!, last period was dec 15
Hi zibbyl thanks for replying. When i spoke to the clinic last week they said 8-12 wks. Going to make an appointment with my gp see if she will do bloods for me, the clinic havent mentioned doing bloods at all.
So the Evorel Sequi makes you have a bleed every month? Maybe you could discuss trying the Evorel Conti? Your hormones would be levelled out then.
You aren't meant to have a period on the Conti tho' it is causing me some spotting but nowhere near the heavy periods I used to have.
Hi Angela, sorry to hear you are suffering so much. I have been on Evorel Conti/Sequi patches for just over a year and have been fine. We are all different & maybe you need to try another brand. I suppose I was lucky as I only had a couple of flushes at night time, no other symptoms. I tried various herbal remedies first but am ok with this patch. perhaps ask about the gel or soemthing but don't be fobbed off!! Good luck, let us know how it goes.
Maisie.. Evorel conti (which I am on) is notorious for causing bleeding/spotting (especually when you increase/decrease dosag as I have had to ... some of my flushes have come back, seems to be mostgly in the morning .. but I would rather have a few of those (which are relatively mild at the moment) than spotting every few weeks. How long have you been on Evorel Conti?
Hi Pat. I started the patches last September and after a couple of heavy periods the spotting started. I think I've tied it down to every two weeks for 3-5 days, red blood trickling out of me. I had only missed 3 months of periods prior to starting so technically not in menopause. But as I'm 58 my GP said it was ok to go on continuous.
Sorry but I read so much on here, is it you who has cut down to half a patch?
Hi Maisie, the spotting/bleeding is a pain (literally) .. I get period pains.. and like you every few weeks.. here we go again.. (ever since my GP asked me to stop using HRT in Oct 2015 and I went cold turkey).. big mistake! I ended up slapping a full patch on again after about a week because I felt so awful.. (I had been cutting my patch half for about 5 yrs and sailing along nicely) anyway.. I have been weaning myself off and am now down to a half but it has not been plain sailing.. when you increase or decrease a dose it can play up .. I am sticking with half now and hoping my system calms down to where I was before.. fingers crossed!
Yes I remember your story now. It is a nuisance but worth it to be free of the flushes, sweats and shakes. A little weight gained but I can cope with that. I was having such heavy periods with clots and that has stopped now. Hoping it will all settle soon, if not I'll try cutting the patches.
I was on holiday recently, sat at a poolside bar having lunch in my swimsuit. Felt the familiar warm trickle between my legs and thought oh my god, what to do now. Can't discreetly stick a tissue in my cossie! Had to dash to toilet with legs squished together and ran like a penguin with handbag in front of me. I just thought, heyho, no one knows me. You have to see the funny side.
Maisie that really made me laugh! .. omg! It's good to have others to relate to, it makes me feel not so alone .. and yes.. onwards and upwards, or something like that! Do you get period like pains?
Pat I sometimes get a dull ache in lower tummy. I've wondered if it happens when I've been a bit over active. We were drinking and dancing the night before poolside incident, and this weekend I've had my grandchildren to sleep and carried my 16 month old grandson to bed, then been bleeding since. It's all a mystery! Nice to talk to you x