Last spring I visited my family practice physician. She is a woman of Goddess age and I asked her if she was taking anything for Menopause symptoms. When she told me that she was on HRT, I Mentioned that I was considering titrating off my bioidentical estrogen, since I’d been on it nearly three years.
Research suggests that a woman can take hormones for 3-5 years with no increase in side effects like cancer, stroke, or blood clots. Bioidentical hormones might be safer, but we don’t know that for sure. So my goal had been three years of hormones and then au naturel.
“I tried to go off this month,” my MD shared. “But I was dripping on my patients and it is just too hot with summer right around the corner. So I’m going to wait.” Feeling that to be prudent, I decided that I’d wait also. Summer is enough of a trial for the thermically challenged without tempting fate!
This month I went back for my annual checkup and broached the subject again. Had my MD (we’ll call her Dr. A) decreased or discontinued her HRT (hormone replacement therapy)? She had not.
I proposed that she and I try to decrease and ultimately discontinue our hormone therapy together. “It’ll be fun,” I told her. “It might be fun,” she mused with a small frown.
Furthermore, we agreed to keep track on a daily basis of any symptoms or signs of withdrawal from estrogen addiction and to post our progress right here on Menopause Goddess Blog.
So, starting one week from today, two real Menopausal women, an MD and an RN, will attempt the terrifying, amazing feat of weaning ourselves from pill and patch. Evel Knievel, eat your heart out.
Like the Cowardly Lion as he prepares to storm the witch’s castle to rescue Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, I have just one favor to ask our sister goddesses before we run this gauntlet. Talk us out of it! (Just kidding. Sort of. No really.)
Lastly, if you’ve already performed this heroic act of derring-do? Tell us how it went for you. We’ll take all the preparation, encouragement, and ideas we can get! And chocolate. Please send chocolate.
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Buck it up girlie and just do it. We will be glad to have you on board.
I was forced to go off more than a year ago, when I developed an allergy to the adhesive in my HRT patch. Tried the other brand, also allergic. Due to HBP, I’ve been off oral meds for some time. I’ve been a bit bitchy and hot flashing for over a year, but surviving just fine!! (I take a sleeping pill, which helps. And I frequently open the doors at work and try to get some air.) But surviving better than I would have thought!! We are all gonna have to suck it up and deal w/ it at some point. This is what I tell these women in their 70′s who still want their estrogen. “”NO more”. You can do it! It’s the natural progression. You still need to exercise and take Calcium, Magnesium and Vit D for your bones, etc. But no more hormones. And the body doesn’t know or care if they are “bioidentical” or not. I’m the new menopausal nazi. And I live it every day. Other than my mild dementia, I am highly functional and productive, and pretty popular, in spite of being a wicked old witch. We were not meant to take estrogen and progesterone into our elder years. But we canstill live long productive comfortable lives. Suck it up, girls. we are in our 50′s or 60′s, not our youth.
A.
After a complete hysterectomy 8 yrs. ago, I’ve been on reg. estrogen and in the past couple of yrs. added progesterone cream. (I have a naturalpathic and western MD) I have been weaning off of both for the past couple of yrs. from 1.0 and down to .025 for the estrogen. I haven’t been able to tell much difference being on the full dose or the tiny bit I’m on now. I have “waves” of more hotflashes at different times of the year but regardless of the dose I’ve still had them. It appears that my headaches (chronic) get better when I lower the dose. I’m debating if I should go off completely now. My western MD said since I have no ovaries there was no test we could do to see if my hormones were balanced. My naturalpath disagreed and has done several syliva based hormone/cortisol tests. Last fall I was in a good range and shortly after I lowered the dose on both again. I’m just wondering if I won’t do BETTER w/o them. Way back at 19 when I got married and was put on the pill is when I first started to get chronic daily headaches–coincidence? I don’t think so (I’m now 55). So, maybe because you are going off, it is a “sign” that I should too.
I met the wonderful women at Emerita and am now using Pro-Gest. It’s a cream I place on the inside of my wrists. Now in my 14th year of menopause symptoms this is the one and only thing I have tried. I can say my hot flashes are cut in half everyday…in fact I’m rather chilly! A first! Also…kicking the covers off at night is less as well…which hubby appreciates. This has been given the nickname at home as the ‘magic sauce’. I have not reviewed this with my OBGYN but I will at my next appt.
ANNIE, I LOVE YOU COMMENTS, ALL YOU GALS, GO GIRLS!!!! ALOHA RAE
I wasn’t going to chime in on this because I weaned myself off HRT in 2008 and, it took about a month to get them out of my system. At least that’s how long it took for the hourly hotflashes that suck the life out of me to come back. Tried everything — soy/black cohosh/accupunture/no wine or chocolate (that was the worst!) Recently though (as in 2 weeks ago) a friend told me about Andrew Lessman’s “Women’s Wellness” vitamins and for the past 2 weeks my hotflashes have been significantly reduced (only 3 all day yesterday!) Feel a bit less foggy too. His products are really good quality and part of his profit (really) goes to help some good organizations (more on his website.)
I highly recommend them if you haven’t heard of him or tried them already. He sells on HSN.com and his own website — check both to see which is offering the best deal at the time.
I wish you both good luck with the transition and, one thing you can say for us menopausal goddesses, we’re red-hot mamas!!! Woo hoo!
Thanks for all the great comments, Goddesses. I am trying to suck it up. Today, I cut my .025 patch in half – don’t forget to send that chocolate!
Has anyone noticed a increase in their dry skin and vaginal dryness since stopped HRT?
i am on primulut n and another one and i am nearly 45 and i am suffering bad sweats after i have a shower/during the day. i am on ovest cream as my body juices around the vagina are so dry/sex is hard.
any one have any ideas. i thought the sweats was premenapause b ut the blood tests the gyno did show no menapause.
I met the wonderful women at Emerita and am now using Pro-Gest. It’s a cream I place on the inside of my wrists. Now in my 14th year of menopause symptoms this is the one and only thing I have tried. I can say my hot flashes are cut in half everyday…in fact I’m rather chilly! A first! Also…kicking the covers off at night is less as well…which hubby appreciates. This has been given the nickname at home as the ‘magic sauce’. I have not reviewed this with my OBGYN but I will at my next appt.
I’ve been on the patch for 1 month and am generally pleased with no hot flashes, nicer skin, better sleep and nicer mood. I have been cutting patch so I only use 75% of it and considering cutting it in half. Has anyone tried this?
I started cutting my low dose patch in half 3 months ago – it is working great. I have the occasional warm flash (it IS summertime) but mostly feel fine – sleeping well etc. I’ll probably continue with half patch for a few more months and then stop it altogether. Good luck!
After taking HRT for 23 years after having a full hysterectomy at age 26 my new doctor decided the risks now outweigh the benefits and cut me off cold turkey. Its been about 1 month, things were going along just fine, a few flashes here and there, nothing too bothersome and then wham – migraine headaches – nine days in a row. Doc won’t put me back on HRT but now wants to treat the headaches with another pill. I can live with the risks of HRT but not with a headache everyday – a real disruption of my life – work, fun, etc. Anyone else have these horrible symptons and how long do they last. At my wits end right now.
Had a complete hysterectomy at age 35. Slowly took myself off HRT by taking premain every other day for 2 months. Have been off for about 4 months. Hot flashes during the day are not so bad. Having the most trouble sleeping because extremely hot one minute and cold the next,constantly putting covers on and thowing them off. I am tired alot because can’t sleep, but am not willing to go back on HRT I’m going to stick it out.
Hi Joyce,
I’m with you re: the HRT. Check out my blog on this ‘cool’ new fan – My Breeze that works for promoting sleep by interrupting the nighttime hot flashes. The manufacturer made it for his wife, who also couldn’t sleep – he sent me a prototype to try – and I am completely hooked. Here’ s my blog post for more info: http://www.menopausegoddessblog.com/2010/05/03/nighttime-hot-flashes-don’t-have-to-disrupt-sleep-any-longer/
Good luck, my dear. I’m rooting for you (and for me).
Lynette
Hello Girls, I’m thinking about getting off HRT, because i have gained 20 pounds in 5 years. I work out but the weight still doesn’t come off. I had a hysterectomy 5 years ago and have been on HRT every scene. Tell me girls how should i do this. Should i quit cold turkey or take it slow. Two of my sisters have had a hysterectomy and they take nothing and they do just fine. I’m just worried what a witch i will be without the HRT. HELP ME OUT GIRLS.
Well, fair Goddesses in distress, I started bio-identical progesterone replacement only in 1992, because I had migraines from a head injury. Then, I read up a great deal on bio-identical hormones during peri-menopause, and my doc added estrogen to the mix in 2003. The estrogen really got rid of the hot flashes and other symptoms. anecdotal evidence from docs who prescribe bio-identical hormones supports lesser incidences of stroke, cancer and heart attacks the HRT used by most establishment brainwashed by big pharma docs. Now after using bio-identical hormones for nearly 8 years, I’ve begun to titrate my dose down and am doing that very slowly. My original dose of .6 ml/da. is now at .3 or .4 ml/da depending on the day. I take .3 on one day and .4 the next in order to get my body used to less. I plan on doing this for another month and then trying to titrate the dose to a .3ml every day until I feel comfortable with that. My main symptom is feeling tense on the .3ml days. Hopefully that will stop, so I can proceed to lessen the dose. I’d like to be totally off or on a very low dose within 6 months. I tried cold turkeying it, and that didn’t work. I’ve heard there is danger in varying estrogen dosage. Any suggestions? What’s in Andrew Lessman’s Woman’s Vitamins that makes them different from every other vitamin?