headaches

Women's health
1

i'm going through the menopause and have had severe headaches for the last month managed to get a doctors appointment who said the headaches were due to high blood pressure and put me on medication. that was over a week ago and still got the headache. i asked the gp if the headache could be from the menopause and he said i don't know. does anyone else suffer from headaches sine being menopausal?

2

Hi anne

​Yes I was exactly like you with headaches. I was put on blood pressure tabs as my blood pressure was high. It does take a while to get into your system. I have had my tabs increased over time & decreased. I must say that blood pressure does cause headaches with some people as it did with me. Maybe give it a couple more weeks to see how you feel. I was menopausal when I started blood pressure tabs hope this helps !

3

Hi, yes I was suffering with very bad headaches but am ok now I am on HRT.  The Progesterone can give me them too but I am now on Utrogestan 200 Progesterone pessaries and no longer get the headaches.  Good luck, I hope you find a cure x

4

And you can tolerate this form of progesterone?

5

Yes I can tolerate that form of Progesterone.  Because it is taken vaginally it goes exactly where it is needed and bi-passes the liver, this cuts down the side effects immensely.

6

I got alot of headaches when peri kicked in too.. even migraines . Yes menopause can cause headaches and it also puts up your blood pressure too. So its good you got it checked out.  I bought myself a blood pressure monitor to keep an eye on mine as i also have POTS.   I fund that sugar was causing alot of headaches, and when i cut it out of my diet they reduced by 80%.  I still get bouts of headaches but they are obviously hormone related as my bloodpressure is now normal and they tend to come around ovulation and period (even when i miss) . When Peri kicks in you have to really watch your diet. Cut out alcohol sugar and processed foods where you can and try and eat as clean as possible. It really does help. Also no caffeine either as that is a big trigger.  It does get better i was terrible this time last year but now im coping alot better most of the time.

7

I ma glad you found something that works for you!  What does it help with?  I wonder if it can help insomnia?

8

If your insomnia is caused by the Menopause, then HRT will help if you are prepared to go down that route.

9

Thank you.  It has been a long, hard struggle 2 years of hell.  I tried a lot of HRT brands before finding one that works.  I have had a lot of really good advice from users of this site.  If you decide to go down the HRT route, then biodentical is best.  Good luck with it all x

10

 I am glad you made it!  Do you take progesterone only?  How long?

 

11

Thank you.  I take Estrodial Oestrogen, 4 pumps every day.  That is what takes away all the horrible Menopause symptoms.   The Progesterone I take for 10 days, I wouldn't take it if I didn't need it, but if you have a womb and just take Oestrogen you are at risk of getting womb cancer, the Progesterone prevents this.  I still get a few mild symptoms from the  Utrogestan Progesterone pessaries such as mild tension and tiredness but I can cope with those.   Professor John Studd has done a lot of research on the Menopause and HRT, He is worth looking up and reading his findings.

12

Thank you for your kind replies. You give me hope, I have this obsessive mind now, with obsessive worries, since I stopped sleeping revently. When you say "tension", you mean like nervous tension? I read in some posts that progesterone helps with anxiety, then others say it makes it worse. for some it is calminng.

13

You are very welcome.  By tension I mean being slightly uptight about things.  Things bothering me when usually they don't.  Professor Studd has researched Progesterone intolerance, it is worth reading up on his findings.  Many woman are better with Progesterone, the one's who aren't have usually suffered all of their menstruation years as they are also intolerant to the Progesterone their own bodies produce.

14

Hello Anne

my symptoms are exactly like yours, headaches and after a while went to GP who diagnosed high blood pressure, put me on meds, I still get the headaches on side of my head, so eti es neck and shoulders too. I check my BP with a home monitor and it's ok, 130/80, 2 wks ago I went back to my GP, complaining headaches, he says it's sinus... Put me on antibiotics, headache is still there, comes and goes...

I've try not to stress myself, as I have lived with stressing myself all my life, as a  single parent... Just try to relax and keep taking the meds doctor prescribed for u..

kadija

15

I did research about progesterone and it seems that since I have used benzodiazepines in the past I may not be a candidate for progesterone replacement. It seems that it works on GABA receptors just like benzodiazepines and it may cause increase of anxiety and insomnia for me.  I wonder if estrogen suppl on its own would change anything in the way I sleep?

16

You cannot take Oestrogen (UK spelling) on it's own as it can cause thickening of the womb and cancer, the Progesterone prevents this.   Have you looked into the Biodentical Progesterone vaginally pessaries.   It's seems strange that you couldn't take these as it is what we produce naturally in our menstruation cycle.