Hi there. I registered so I am able to post here because I do feel quite lonely trying to stop the activelle medication I have been using for 8 years now. My female doctor told me I should not have many side effects and if I had they were another cause. So I kept at it and instead of taking 1 pil a day I did 5 x 1 and 2 days I only took a half. Now I am talking a half 3 days a week. Only weird thing is suddenly painful legs and arms and 12 days ago my fingers were numb. They checked blood and all was good so she said I must have slept weirdly. Yes that is why and my legs and my arms were numb. yeah right doc Must have been a very weird sleep position. . Anyway now only my thumb is still numb so I thought okay but today my legs and arms are hurting and feeling weird again so I thought could this not be from reducing the hormon therapy? Anybody else had the numbness or the tingling? Hmm I see it was 19 days when someone posted here.
I think I might have to take your route as well. I am trying too quickly I think. So far I've tried justt talking nothing on one day and the rest just took my pills. Then I tried doing it by 2 days just take a half a pil and the rest normal. I felt quite good with that but I did had weird symptoms where my legs and arms hurt and feels like sleeping. Did that for 2 weeks and this week I decided to do 3 x 0.5 this week and 4 x 1 but today my legs are hurting and tingling and I think that is because of the hormones so maybe I really have to take it slow. How are you now Loretta?
Hi, I had a hysterectomy at 25 and have been on HRT since.
I am now 48 and have no intentions to stop taking it as I think the world is a safer place when Im not a moody cow 
I think quality of life is much more important.
I could not agree more! I am also a moody mindless cow without my HRT!
I have been on 2mg. Estradial & 100mg. of Prometrium at night. I also purchase an OTC Pregnenolone 100mg. I was on this for about 2 years. I felt great! No more hot flashes, night sweats, sadness or depression. Then my new Dr. decided to wean me off of the Estradial. I am now waking up a night with severe leg cramps! I now the risks but I am considering of going back on. What do you think?
Hi everyone I am 62 and have been on HRT since my hysterectomy aged 42. I am on Oestrogel which is an oestrogen only gel as I don't need to take progesterone due to the fact I have had a hysterectomy. The HRT really suits me but a couple of times I felt I ought to try and cut down now being one of them. I am getting horrednous migraines and headaches, all over aches, can't sleep due to hot flushes and feel generally ill almost like I have flu so I have decided quality of life for me is more important and I am going back to my original dose. I am I know on quite a high dose (3 dollops every day) but no way can I go on feeling the way I do right now. I also have fibromylagia so have enough pain anyway without this. I have seen a Gynaecologist and talked through the risks and benefits and have decided I will continue with it much as I don't like being on any medication at all normally.
hi Nancy. I'm Pauline. I am 77 and still take HRT on and off since my menopause at 51. I have horrendous hot flushes when I stop taking HRT which ultimately prompts me to start up again. I am nevertheless quite anxious having taken it for so long and am scared of cancer. I am going to stop yet again for a while but I know that the symptoms will come back fast and furious and I will go back on them again. Natural remedies don't help at all.
I went on HRT at 50 as I was having so many UTI s and hot flushes and felt very low.As soon as I started the combined patches Evorilconti I felt better and like myself.After 10 years thought I should try to come off but finding it hard as I stopped sleeping well,became depressed and suffered hairloss in patches not sure if connected to stopping HRT.I am still on a low dose ,half a patch twice a week but trying to reduce it very slowly by cutting a tiny bit off the half.My husband thinks I should stay on it as I cope with anything when I am on it and getting a good nights sleep.It is so hard to know what to do for ones health isn't it?I am 63 and in good health .
I recomend St John Wort for depression and anixiety and find it works better than prescibed medication. I take three 300 mg tablets per day
and 5 tablets if the depression is very bad. This treatment works for anxiety symptoms as well.
I have used the 5:2 diet to reduce weight after menopause. I recommend starting this diet gradually and taking about 150 calories every four hours to balance the blood sugar. It reduces my appitite on the five days I am not dieting and I feel more like my old self again.
Hello there, I am 56 and just started taking hrt a few days ago. I have been diagnosed with Osteopena which can lead to Osteoporosis which my mother had. I just wanted to share with you that before going on hrt, I had severe hot flushes and I controlled these by taking Menopace night, they completely stopped, this item is now stocked by boots and they have started to deliver abroad, I live in Italy, you can buy on boots. My worst problem is not sleeping, I have tried everything and the benefits of hrt outweighed the risks for short term use. I hope this helps you.
Hi all,
Wanted to send a message of hope. Aged 57.
Have been taking HRT for 7 years - mainly due to hot flushes (which I could cope with) & heavy brain fog (which I couldn`t).
Along with brain fog felt anxious & spaced.
Took Kliofem 2mg for some yrs & after suffering breast pain reduced this to Kliovance 1mg - which was better.
Found Primrose oil capsules very helpful for breast pain.
Found 5HTP useful for improving mood.
Picked bright spring months & less stressy year ahead to try & stop. Weaned off all HRT slowly over past 3 months - feel good & NO hot flushes returned at all. Brain fog is manageable too.I can certainly live & function ok like this. I feel quite positive.
There is life after HRT! Hope this is encouraging.
I am 62 and have been on low dose Premique HRT for over 25 years due to an early menopause. Depending on which doctor I get an appointment with, a couple of them have suggested that I now stop taking HRT, although none have actually been sure how I should do this. One said to just go cold turkey which I tried. This was absolutely horrendous and I cannot remember the initial symptons or hot flushes being anything like the ones I suffered when I came off the HRT. All of the doctors I have seen have either been male (I'm certainly not a feminist) or females under 35, who couldn't, with the best will in the world, have any idea how bad these symptoms can be. One young female doctor even suggested that these symptons could all be in my mind!!!!! I have now gone back onto the HRT but am going to try and come off these in a very controlled way once I am in a better frame of mind.
HRT has been a wonderful way of dealing with the menopause and it's symptons, but I really wish more research had gone into and more information available onhow we ladies can come off this without feeling
totally wretched.
I am 62 tried coming off my hrt last year slowly. It was a
Nightmare. No one seems to understand what we go through. How did women do it in the old days??? I begged my Gun to start again on real low dose so I have for past several months. At least the hot flashes are gone but still get dizzy or off sensation. Panic
Attacks, and I have Fibromyalgia on top of it. Wish I could say I am enjoying life but I am not. One day at a time and I do a lot of reading or research on subject.
Good luck to you.
That's funny. I meant GYN...NOT GUN. but there are times......lol
I am still at 1 pill every other day. See my gyn Aug 14th, may or may not tell him I am weaning as it really doesn't matter, he doesn't have much to say other than "one day you will just forget to take them and stop"!!! ha!
So, hoping to get another full year presecription and then will adjust, I probably will go to cutting one of the days to half the pill for awhile and see how I do. I am keeping it to at least 2 months before making the adjustment as I seem to react 1 month or so after I reduce the dose. This girl is coming in on a very soft landing, if not I will beg to stay on them for life!!! Right now every other day I feel fine. xo
I too have been advised to stop HRT by various 'young'' doctors. I am 62 and have tried at least 3 times to come off the HRT, firstly by a doctor who told me to go completely cold turkey which would. Be easier. This I did and after 1 week I was absulutely in despair. Terrible night sweats every 20 minutes, also in the daytime and completely wet through. The last doctor I saw was an Asian doctor of about 25 (female) who told me that my symptons were probably all n my mind.!!!!!!!!! As I know you will appreciate this completely annoyed me. Although I would dearly love to come off the HRT, no-one has offered a glimpse of an idea of how we ladies may do this, without feeling utterly wretched and sometimes suicidal. I too have decided to do a very controlled with
Interesting. Did they advise how to stop taking them? Did they prescribe you more HRT ? Please keep me informed how you are doing should you try to wean off again? Best to you!
Hi Pattiecakes
I am so with you in all you say. I am 62 too and also have Fibromyalgia. I have been on Oestrogel )oestrogen only) HRT since I was 42 as I had my ovaries out then due to a very large ovarian cyst. When I try to come off it I feel so ill I feel it is just not worth it. Living with fibro is bad enough I just can;t cope with the withdrawal from HRT as well as the pain gets even worse on top of the other withdrawal symptoms.
I am 63 have been on low dose Premique for 15 years until two weeks ago when my gaenacologist said I should stop taking it before some surgery. Due to having several months of light breakthrough bleeding, I had a small operation last week with a biopsy taken under general anaesthetic. I feel light headed, tingly in my hands, generally exhausted and have hot flushes. I do not remember feeling like this before so assumed it was to do with the opertion until reading the comments on 'Patient' . I do not know whether to feel relieved or worried now! Yesterday I returned all of my spare packets of HRT to Boots for disposal. Perhaps I should see a GP bout it, but I doubt that she/he will put me back onto Premique until the results of the biopsy.
As you say, HRT was great until I had this problem and I just wish some medic had mentioned that there could be withdrawal problems.