my doc says i am too old for more estogen

I am only 36. I am on .9 mg premarin. I feel like i am going nutso! I am happy then sad then angry in a flash. My poor hubby never knows what is going to come out of my mouth. I am also having night sweats on occasion. I called the doc today and she said I can't increase my estrogen because of my age. She wants to put me on effexor?? I dont know what to do? Does this sound normal? should I take the effexor? or look for a diff doc?
Carri

(((Carri))) I think you know the answer to this question. Does it make sense to you that your DR thinks 36 is too old for estrogen? Is 36 too old to have ovaries? Because most women of 36 have fully-functioning ovaries. Would she have them all removed?

I would be finding another DR, one with a better understanding of hormones and HRTs, ASAP.

s,
-Linda

Carri - I agree with Linda. Sounds like your doctor is another one of those who would like to treat you as a normally menopausal woman. This is not the right "group" for you. Your ovaries have been removed and you will want to think about taking enough hormones to give you what your ovaries would have. Even the ovaries in post-menopausal women are producing some hormones, just not as much as before. Without ovaries, you don't even have that. Think about it. And think about finding another doctor.

There are SO many options for hrt out there, and this site is a great place to research. Remember, too, that things like Premarin and all the others that are manufactured pharmaceutically are developed and dosed for women in natural menopause. Because I came to this site and got informed, and because my doctor trusts my judgment (likely because I showed her I was well-informed), I was able to work with her to experiment with different mainstream products that are bio-identical. Sometimes it takes a little creativity. At your age, it would not be surprising to need a slightly higher dose than the highest one designed for a woman in natural menopause. I am 48, and I use the highest strength vivelle dot and I supplement with a small amount of estrogen cream on those days when I need a little extra (usually just once a week).

My doctor suggested anti-depressants to me when my insomnia was at its worst. Many do. I refused (because I've taken them in the past and know the side effects) and opted instead to work on finding the right hormone replacement therapy for my needs. It took several months, but I feel better than ever. In my personal opinion, while A/D's are a God-send for people who are depressed, and they do help mitigate menopausal symptoms in women who absolutely cannot take hormones for medical reasons, they are serious medicine and should not be taken on a whim.

Just my own views and experiences, your mileage may vary

Good luck and let us know how you're doing.

Carri, I am 40 yrs old and I take 1.25 premarin and my face gets hot from time to time.my emotions are all over the place too,like yours. I had my tah/bso on june 6th. so I think you could need more, So I would try a new doctor. Have you had any bloodwork drawn?

I don't know your med background but for reference I am 40 and my doc has me on the 1.0 Vivelle Dot and just added 1mg estrace daily because I was so tired and waking up with hot flushes. I had a hormone test and it showed I was a little over 100. For my age the doc said my level should be closer to 300 to feel good. I know every is different but I think your level seems low for your age.

Carri, Have you been feeling this way since your surgery or here lately? Did they start you off in the hospital on premarin? My estradiol,serum level is pg/mL= 64,does anyone know if that is low? like I said I am 40.

well it is kinda a long story. After my recovery she put me on .625 premarin, i was not sleeping so they increased it to 1.25. Then I started being really dizzy all the time, and just really sick feeling with headaches weakness and shakes. they had me on avandia to lower my blood sugars,(i am not diabetic) and my sugars were in the 40's. but they thought it was the estrogen and lowered me back down to .625.

Once we figured out it was the avandia and stopped that, my sugars are now in the 90's and I am feeling better. well, I developed pneumonia, and have been fighting that for the past 6 weeks.

So i have not felt normal since my surgery in june. Now that my health is geting better i am realizing that the night sweats are not from the fevers, and that I am so snippy, not because I dont feel good. I just feel like I am going nuts. I made an appointment with another doctor for next week. I hope he can help me.

thanks everyone.
Carri

Carrie, to help you put this in perspective, I'm 50 years old and was not in menopause before surgery and even at my age I needed 1.25- 2x a day at first.

You need what you need and the doctor should be going by your symptoms.

My primary symptom of not enough is the irritability. A smaller amount helps the hot flashes and the vaginal tissue, but it takes a larger amount to stop the mental fog/irritability/forgetfulness.

Hello, Carri. It is hard to say what I think, since I have tried not to use HRT. My doctor finally put me on Vagifem for vaginal atrophy. I think what worries me in your situation is that your doctor seems a little uninterested in listening to you talk about the way you are feeling. If your health coverage, or whatever health plan you are on, will cover it (and maybe even if not), it seems to me it might be good if you could find another doctor who will listen to you a little more and work toward your wellness rather than simply following her or his established protocol. It's not about what your doctor wants, it's about you. I hope you find a doctor who knows it's all about you. Warm good wishes to you.

I didn't do well on Premarin. I started out on 1.25 for three months, then I started retaining mega water so and it was lowered to .9. After 6 months the water retention did not go away, and so it was lowered again to .6 and then in a matter of days I was in a severe state of depression. So I went back to the .9 dose and went to see my Dr. ASAP. We discussed it at length and he put me on a compounded Est/Pro/Test cream and I have been on that since March and I feel better than ever.