Need a quick answer

Could those of you who take HRT tell me how long it takes to start working? I am 52 and have been taking Remifemin for almost a year for hot flashes and it has really worked well until recently. I'm either becoming immune to it or my hormones are going downhill faster now. Or maybe a little of both. I posted a response to an old message about Remifemin on the hormone board but haven't gotten a response. If anyone takes Remifemin please read that and respond if you will.

This weekend I have had some really wierd things going on and was wondering if it has to do with menopause. Friday night I suddenly got very swimmy headed and dizzy and felt nauseous. I had to go to bed. Wierd!! Then this morning I woke up around 7 with a killer headache. I haven't had a real headache since I used to get migraines about 15 years ago (from drinking diet coke, nutrasweet- bad stuff) I just wonder if any of this is related to menopause and if I just need to go ahead and start on HRT.

My pre-op appt. is Weds. and I will schedule my surgery asap. I have put it off for about 10 years and the time has come. Also we leave for the beach on Thursday and I am worried about feeling bad on vacation. Thought if I called the doc tomorrow they might go ahead and let me start on something since I am having the hyster soon.

Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated. I am thinking about asking for the Vivelle-dot. Thanks sisters.

Hi Belinda,

I'm sorry that you have been feeling so bad this weekend. I can't answer your question about Remifemin, but I do want to urge you to call your doctor and let him know exactly what you have told us.

When I began to go into menopause, I had hot flashes, night sweats and moodiness, but no headaches, no dizzyness and no nausea. I took PremPro for a few years prior to my hyst, and Premarin for about a year afterward, and now I'm on Estradiol. If I am remembering correctly, the PremPro began to work fairly quickly, but it's been several years, so I can't be positive of that.

Please do call your doctor about what has happened this weekend - none of us are medical personnel, and we can't give you any advice, except to contact your doctor whenever you experience something unexpected like this. Please let us know what you find out.

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Thanks Karen. That's what I call a quick answer. I will call the doctor tomorrow. Problem is I'm not sure which one to call. I was wondering if this might possibly be blood pressure related although I have been on the same BP meds for quite a while and doing fine. Guess thats why I thought maybe this was menopause related. My GP is monitering my BP but not sure who to call. I also mentioned in the post I did on the hormone jungle forum that I started taking an Equate brand of Remifemin (cheaper) about 4 or 5 days ago and was wondering if maybe that was what was causing the problems. If I could go ahead and get some HRT from the doc I could stop taking the Remifemin stuff and maybe see what happens. I just hate to make a lot of changes at once. Makes it hard to figure out what was or is causing a problem.

Another thing that is going on right now that I am sure is menopause related is I am still spotting from my last period and it is day 18. This is very unusual for me. I am usually through spotting by day 14 (ha ha!!) Like that's normal! Anyway I hope I have seen my last period.

I'm just stressing cause I put off having a hyster for so long and now that I have been told I have more problems and really need to and have decided to have it done I am going nuts trying to decide a date etc. The timing is lousy anyway I look at it because I am just starting a new job and have no sick days. Hoping to do it soon before the business I work for opens a new location in about a month when they will really need me.

Can't believe that before this month is over I will have finally done it. Thanks again.

(((Belinda)))

I think I'd call my GP first, since he probably knows your over-all health better than the gyn. You can always ask his office if you should call the gyn also. If you can't get through to the GP, then call your gyn's office.

I can understand about wanting to get things taken care of quickly, especially with the stress of starting a new job, but realistically, you will need at least 4 to 6 weeks off work, if not more. You will only have one chance to heal correctly from this surgery. Please don't jeopardise your future health by doing too much too soon afterward.

Be sure to let us know what you find out.

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Thanks again Karen. I will be sure to keep you informed of what I find out this week.

I was just reading your profile and see that you are close to me in age and if I figure right you had your hsyter when you were 54 (I'm 52) Just curious as to why you decided to keep your ovaries and if you had to talk the dr. into it? I have thought about asking to keep mine (if possible) but feel that dealing with HRT would be easier without them.

Also, how are you doing on the hrt you are currently taking?
Always interested in each persons individual decisions.

Thanks again.

Hi Belinda,

I was 55 when I had my hyst, and had been in peri-menopause for about three years. I didn't find HS until the night before my surgery, my doctor was very uncommunicative, and I didn't know enough to know that I should have been asking some questions!! (You can read my story by clicking onto the WWW link under my name)

Actually I didn't discuss keeping or not keeping my ovaries with my doctor - she just left them in. At my 4-week check-up, after doing a lot of reading here, I asked her why. Her response was that they were healthy and that whatever small amount of hormones they still provided, was just that much less than I would need to have supplemented.

I started out on Premarin, and had to adjust the dosage down three times, I think, before I found the strength which was right for me. After doing more reading, I decided that I wanted to try a bio-identical estrogen, and so now I'm taking Estradiol. I'm not having any hot flashes, no horrible moods, but once in awhile I do still have night sweats. I don't know whether that is related to the Estradiol or to my ovaries (and me) getting older.

I think most doctors prefer to leave your ovaries in, as long as they are healthy.

's

My doctor suggested I take a large dosage of Vitamin E (800 mg) a day to help with hot flashes. I haven't had one since! As for your dizziness and nausea, I've been battling with that on and off since mid-May. It was diagnosed as a viral ear infection! It can take months to go away totally and people have relapses (I just went through one the past two weeks). Had blood pressure taken and blood work to check on other things and they concluded it was the viral thing. Guess a lot of people in this area have been having it. It's the pits because they can't prescribe anything to "fix" it.

Bedeal,

I took Remifemin for about 6 months. It worked great, until my ovaries shut down more, and I had lost weight (30 lbs). My doctor explained the weight loss affected estrogen levels and I was getting further into menopause - Remifemin wasn't working anymore for hotflashes. I went on Estradiol pills 1.5 yrs before my hyst., and am now at 7 weeks post-op and on the Vivelle patch. (Menopause started at 45, I'm now 47.) On Vivelle, my gyn started me at .075, then lowered it to .05 and after a few weeks was having lots of hot flashes and very moody/teary. Bloodwork showed hormones too low, so she increased it to .1mg. It's been only a week since the increase, I had one hot flash yesterday, and it was extremely mild. Hopefully another week will eliminate them altogether! So far I haven't experienced any side effects from the patch.

Hi, thanks for your reply. How often did you have dizzy spells before you went to the doc? I have not had any more since Friday night. I am going to the doctor anyway on Weds. so will probably just wait until then and tell him about it. I have been trying to get through on the phone just to ask about it but phone has been busy.

Thanks again.

I woke up so dizzy one morning out of the blue, my husband took me to the walk-in clinic that day! If it is a viral ear infection, that's how they present themselve most of the time. You'll be dizzy when you shift positions or lie down.