Alternative To Hrt?

Dear Friends,

Yet another question.

I had a hysterectomy a year ago and both my ovaries were taken out, which means that the doctor put me on HRT. But the problem is my body has had a terrible reaction to all the different HRT brands and doses I've tried, such as numbness, dizziness, water retention, excessive drinking and peeing, and an overall feeling of anxiety that prevents me from getting more than a couple hours sleep at one time. So a couple days ago I decided to stop taking HRT, but since then, while I"ve felt a bit better, I still feel some of the side effects I described above. Why? I'm not on any HRT anymore.

Also, what medications can I take to avoid menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and my vaginal atrophy? After having such a bad reaction to all that HRT, I'm afraid to take anything else to relieve my menopausal symptoms because I'm afraid it's either not going to work or it's going to cause me terrible side effects like the HRT. So what works for you?

What works for me is no HRT. I have the same concerns as you do about taking other things. I do take Flax oil, Vitamin E and Evening Primrose Oil, and some Calcium and vitamins. I'm not having many flashes anymore. Dry skin, yes, but that can be taken care of. I'm happier and more even tempered than I was when I was on HRT, too. We all need to find what works for us. Obviously our bodies are all different.

It takes awhile for the hormones to leave your system, so even if you stop taking hormones, you will continue to have symptoms for awhile. And then you may have symptoms because you are NOT taking them. It's probably a good idea to check with your doctor about starting and stopping your HRT.

Joselle

Hi meepie! If you've definitely set your heart on going the no-hrt route, you might want to post over in the No-Hormone Desert Oasis forum. Meanwhile, here's a link to a discussion we had about treatments for vaginal dryness:

vaginal dryness

The most effective remedies are the hormonal ones... but keep in mind that when estrogen is applied vaginally, hardly any of it ever makes it into the rest of the body to cause more systemic effects. So, even if your body reacts badly to systemic HRT you may be able to use vaginal estrogen.

Have you tried strictly bio-identical hormones in low dosages yet? Is that something you'd still be open to? I hope you'll take some time to take a look around at some of the threads here, and also the pull-downs at www.hormonejungle.com . In particular, the one called too much/too little estrogen/progesterone might be helpful to you.

I'm glad you posted... hopefully some other ladies will be along to offer their as well.
s,
-Linda

HI Meepie, I haven't had any of the symptoms that you just mentioned other than the water retention,so it's hard for me to try and help you out.
I would say make sure you get a full check-up from your doctor,to rule out anything else other than hormone problems.
One thing,I do know is the excessive thirst,and excessive urinating are symptoms of diabetes. I don't want to scare you, but make sure that you get a full physical examination.
I wish you the best of luck.Take care,Barbie