Probably a silly question

I know that you need to give it about 4 weeks before judging a hormone, and it's been less than a week since I switched, but I've already noticed some changes, and I'm curious.

I am 11 weeks post op after LAVH/BSO. I got a patch in the hospital (I think Climara) which I hated. I felt ok, but found the patch irritating. At my one week post op visit was switched to Estratest HS. Sometime after that I started having REALLY bad insomnia and pretty bad constipation. I called the dr and was switched to full strength estratest. I also started using some OTC progesterone cream which seemed to help with the insomnia, although I was still taking a Benedryl everynight just to be sure. I also used a stool softener and sometimes laxatives to relieve the constipation and was eating S-O-O-O much fiber!

Then my face and hair got really oily and I started having some nasty zits, so I called again and after some discussion was switched to Estrace 1mg. Of course my insurance will only pay for the generic, so that's what I'm taking. It's only been 5 days, but I am no longer having constipation, and I've noticed an improvement in sleeping. In fact, last night, I fell asleep without any problem, only woke up once, went back to sleep til the alarm went off, and I DIDN'T TAKE ANY BENEDRYL!!!

On the down side, I've gotten pretty hot a few times when my husband was comfortable, and I'm always colder than he is. In fact, the one time I woke up last night, it was because I was hot. It's very frustrating because the weather's hot, so it's kind of hard to judge whether it's a hot flash or not.

On both hormones, I've experienced a fair amount of brain fog. Since I was given clearance for sex, libido has been pretty good, although I generally am not the one who initiates things.

So, here are my questions:
1) Has anyone heard of estratest causing constipation and insomnia?

2) Should I be considering asking for a stronger dose of Estrace (estradiol) because of these "hot flashes."

3) Is the brain fog caused by too much estrogen, not enough, or is it something else?

I'd sure appreciate any info or opinions.

Thanks,
Helen

Helen,
No question is ever silly here in the jungle. Hot flashes can be a sign of too little estrogen or a fluctuation in your levels. So the flashing could be your body adjusting to the new hormones.

Brain fog can be a sign of too little estrogen. Keep in mind that it is not uncommon when switching hrt for you to experience some symptoms of fluctuation as your body adjusts.

You may want to keep a journal of your symptoms for the next few weeks. This may give you a clearer picture to see if things are improving.

Sorry, I'm not sure about the constipation and Estratest.

Good luck Helen, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you.

hi Helen,
Sorry to hear about you difficultys.
After surgery I was givin a shot. This contiued for the first three months.
Then I was put on estrace 2. aday no progestrone.
After 4 or 5 month the estrace was ok but I was have hot flashes daily. So the doc put me on climara 1. which I believe you took first. The hot flashes are gone and all seems well. The patches do bug me abit but with preping the area first I am having little trouble at this time. The next thing the doc and I have talked about was the other patches you change every three days or using a gel form of estergen.
About three weeks ago I finally got my progestorone cream from a compond pharmacy, the doc was not into this but agreed after some good conversation and me bring in literature that I printed off this site.
Hope this helps some, I know its all so confusing but in time I think things start to come to gether.
Take care.

Thanks for the info & support. Has anybody else had these experiences with estratest?

I was on the Estratest for about a year. I didnt have constipation or insomnia with it but Ive been using the progesterone cream (over the counter kind) since right after my surgery in April of last year. With the Estratest I gained alot of weight and the longer I took it the more angry I got. I also had the greasiest :nose: around. It did help to keep from losing all of my libido but its still nothing like I was before I had the surgery.

Right now Im using a compounded estrogen/progesterone/testosterone combo that is in the form of drops I used every night, plus I still use a little bit of the progesterone cream in the morning. Im hoping I will feel more like my old self with these.

Good luck!
Pam

Thanks Pam. How long have you been using the drops. Have you noticed any changes?