Brain Fog

I am considering going off of all hrt. I am now using bi-est sublingual but have used estradiol oral pills the pills worked very well right after surgery for about 2 months felt fantasitic then it all feel apart I have tried every thing that I know and I still can not get rid of the brain fog and fatique . Does going off of all hrt cause more brain fog and fatique? I am worried about going completely off of everything since I am only 36 and don't want to look 86 but right now I feel that old already so might as well look the part. Also what can help brain fog and fatique that is not hormonal?

Thank you so much for all of your help?

((MWare))

I am sorry you are having trouble finding balance so long out from your hyst. 36 is rather young to do without hormones, although some women do find they feel better without.

Before discontinuing though, I suggest you have a chat with your doc. First, My experience is that any change in my hormones (when I was taking them) made brain fog worse, and that it really took a few weeks for me to settle in. Have you been on the bi-est long enough to give it a fair shot? Have you tried a transdermal estrogen such as the v dot? Some women find the transdermals have fewer side effects.

If you still chose to discontinue estrogen, please get a bone density scan and talk to your doc about preventing osteoporosis.

I hope you feel better soon.

Dorrie

Dorrie: I have only been on bi-est for about 1 week I do know to give it at least a month to work. I have tried v-dot but I can't seem to keep it on and they are pretty expensive to just throw away every day. So does the brain fog go away even without hrt? You are always hearing that low estrogen caused brain fog but in my experience before the hyst when I was on a trial of lupron shots, oral estradiol and testosterone the dr upped the estradiol from 2mg to 3mg and right of the bat I notice brain fog and alot of symptoms of low estrogen as soon as I dropped it down again it went away. Well anyway I am going to give bi-est one last shot and if I still have brain fog and fatigue I might as well use nothing. Oh also when comming off of estrogen what happens?


Thanks again!!

I have not used HRT for just over a year and feel great. I am a bit older than you, though.

When I went off estrogen (I had been using estrace) I cut down my dose over a period of about 3-4 months so for me the change was gradual. I don't know if one needs to stretch out the transition that much, but with a job and 4 kids, I didn't want any sudden changes. I had hot flashes on and off, especially at night during the transition and I still get a couple every week, but they are tolerable.

I do use a vaginal estrogen cream for local dryness.

During the transition off estrogen, I took black cohosh, upped my calcium, got a dexa bone scan and started exercising and watching my diet. I think these things helped me weather the transition. Some women get relief from a low-dose antidepressant, but I did not need that.

I hope this helps.

DorrieL: I have been off of ert once and I did feel much better but I had alot of hot flashes bad, heart palps, sleep problems etc. alot of symptoms of low estrogen do these totally go away? My biggest problem seemed that every part of me dried up. When off of all ert what happens to your heart? You always hear that estrogen helps your heart. Anyway if you could give me more insight I would appreciate it.

Thanks again

Why did you go off of ert?

MWare,

I discontinued estrogen because I am at high risk for both cancer and heart disease. The current recomendation is that women should not use ERT/HRT for prevention of cardiac disease. Some women do find that their lipid profiles are better on estrogen, although there are other drugs that are more effective than estrogen for cardio-prevention.

For most women, the hot flashes go away over time. I get 2-3 a week now, one year later - almost always after a glass of wine. I find I have less fog and fatigue now than before, but I have also been taking very good care of myself - lots of exercise and eating right. Some women find a low dose anti-depressant helps as well. I would also suggest you get your thyroid checked. Sometimes a less-than-perfectly functioning thyroid can lead to the kind of symptoms you describe.

Dorrie

Dorrie: Thanks for your reply. I have had all the tests done on my thyroid and everything was normal even the antibodies except the t4 was low but I just had finished a round of t3 for wilsons syndrome. I felt terrible on t4 and t3 also I have tried synthroid and felt terrible on that too. I am just frustrated my dr's don't know what to do either. That is why I am concidering just going off of everything.

Thanks again!

Michele

Dear mware,
i have a solution, or at least something that has helped a great deal with not only the brain fog, but attitude and outlook as well. As part of my work i study recent brain research and develop presentations for educators, suggesting applications of research results, in thier classrooms. one of the things research supports is the plasticity of the brain. it used to be thought that learning stopped as adulthood approached, but it isn't so. i had a great deal of brain fog, as i had chemo for breast cancer at the age of 46 (i'm 50 now!). with 2nd chemo i suddenly entered menopause and subsequent brain fog. they say the fog is due to drop of estrogen. that began in march and by the following march i just had to try something. i know that if neuronal paths and connections are not used, they die off. i also know that paths are more likely to become permanent structures again through repetition. so, i took advantage of an ad for a private tutor of french language, in my neighborhood. it was so hard at first. i was also very shy about speaking/ making mistakes. 2 years later, it is one of the best things i have ever done for myself and family! the point is that my brain was forced to work hard to get anywhere. the processing of learning a language involves auditory and visual processing, and lots of other good stuff that really works out your brain. i don't have brain fog now and am too busy to think about it anyway. i do have lots of terrific french friends, 3 of whom are visitng at my house this week. my french teacher had moved back to france after 1 short year w/him. since then i and my family have been his guests and stayed with his family for 3 visits and vice versa, for 3 visits he and family and friends have stayed at my house.
so i'm not saying you should learn a foreign language as the cure for brain fog, but to do something you've always been interested in, or could become interested in, that involves mental concentration (the exact thing that is a challenge). eventually, when you are just about to give up probably, you will notice you have learned something you never imagined you could and then you will be motivated to continue. i imagine word puzzles, math would be good, and of course creative things, maybe quilting (which is far too mathematically challenging for me!).
good luck!

Thank you so much. But my problem seems to be much more than just estrogen. My dr. and I are looking into systemic candida due to oral estrogen and antibiotics after hyst. Brain fog is only one of many symptoms that I have. I do try to things that I really need to use my brain on but like you said it is very difficult.

Thanks again.