While we wait for those experienced, just wanted to say That I hope you find something that will work for you.

I took premarin for years following Salpingo-oophorectomy surgery in my late 30s, and subsequently suffered from debilitating migraines, though did not connect the two. About 10 or more years abo, the hormone intake started to worry me, so I decided to stop them. Also, the words of my aunt’s physician to take her premarin pills and throw them as far as she could, as she was dying of pancreatic cancer, repeated in my head. My migraines completely stopped, I gained no weight (I had gained that after the surgery!), I occassionally wake in sweat, I gained energy and focus, and that is it.

I have taken Estratest for over 20 yrs. I had a hysterectomy when I was 46 and kept my ovaries. I went into menopause exactly 2 yrs later. That is not uncommon as the ovaries continue to work for an unspecified time. I tried a couple times to lower the dose that I take and have suffered insomnia and sweats and headaches as well. I can't tolerate any of that so I continue to take the same does I started at 48. I just turned 71. The risks are greater in elderly women from death due to other causes than from taking the Estratest. Others may have differing opinions and that is fine but my Dr and I have agreed that my stellar health and bones that are as strong as they were when I was 20, according to the DEXA scan I had recently , and my general feelings of wellbeing and strength are worth more than the worry and side effects if I stop. I have no family history and see my MD for check ups annually as well as getting any needed other exams. I am comfortable with my decision. I weigh within 5 # of what I weighed when I was married 50 yrs ago and I can lift free weights as heavy as I have ever lifted...30# dumbells for 20 reps chest press x 3 . Everyone has to make the decisions about all of this based on family history as well as their feelings about quality of life. My quality of life is extremely important to me.

@Sueb20 I hope you get a solution soon. There is nothing worse than not feeling up to par. Good Luck and feel free to message me if you want. c

I have taken estrogen for 15 years. I had a complete hysterectomy on November 12 & stopped the estrogen a few days later. It has now been 4,1/2 weeks & I am having no problems at all. Good Luck!

Trail, my situation is eerily similar to yours. i had a hysterectomy at age 42 but kept my ovaries, which continued to function for several years. At that point i started on estrogen and at age 65 I am still taking Estradiol with no ill effects. I did try to lower the dose about seven years ago for six months and the creakiness of my joints was unbelievable. My dose was restored and i feel good and have great bone health. I have an unrelated heart condition unaffected by hormones; otherwise I am healthy. I see no downside to continuing HRT.

As a side note, when I was off estrogen I experienced a decreased libido and that was a very big problem for me. My NP said the lack of estrogen should not have that much effect aside from the expected physical changes easily remedied (according to her) with OTC products. However, I experienced what I experienced and felt what i felt, and once I was back on HRT I felt physically like my old self again. Just saying….

I started taking "the pill" @ 9yo -50yo. The minute they took me off I went into menopause. After 7 months I ripped my knee jogging. 6 weeks I was better, then ripped it again. My skin sagged, it got thinner, the night sweats were horrible. I couldn't adjust temperature-wise from the car to going indoors for instance. My face would turn bright red, my husband would ask me to go sit in the car. ☺ I went back on "the pill" for a year....then stopped ...again. This time....I'd gained 30lbs....ripped both knees twice. Still have mild hot flashes, but manageable. It's 12 years later and I'm running again...losing the weight. I'm stiff when I get up in the mornings....aging took over....I look older than I am.

I hope you can learn what you need to from those who have gone before you Sue. I wish I could help more, but I'm in the same situation with GP and GYN saying at my age (55), the cancer risks are too high and I need to come off a rather low dose of estradiol. My body doesn't function well without it, so I'm at a loss. I'm curious how those upthread have been able to continue at the ages they are at now? My mil was on full dose HRT until age 70 with no ill effects. I wish could be offered something similar. I have no risk factors and only normal mamos. Already feeling poorly with a further lowered dose as I 'wean off'.

I just wrote a long post and poof, it disappeared. So I’m just going to say hormones s-ck and I hope these side effects are temporary! Like the headache, I’m figuring the achiness in my hips will be replaced with something else next week!?

Sea Sea, I have been surprised to not find much info online about this whole process (of weaning off HRT) when clearly people do suffer side effects.

Oh jeez and now I’m worried about my skin…

Yea, not much out there to gleen from, and the ladies in my family never once spoke about The Change. All are gone now so can't go ask further questions. It could have been so uneventful for them there was nothing to speak of or perhaps it was so terrible they never wanted to speak of it. All I know is that it's a miserable process and state for me. Dh and I have thought about trips to south of the border, but worry about border crossing and all that...not really up for that adventure. But I already look atrocious and feel pretty not up to par, to put it mildly. Arthritisis (and spelling) are worse too. Sigh.

SEA SEA, can't you find new doctors? Seriously, I do not see myself managing without some extra estrogen. Clearly there are more ways of looking at this problem than just cutting women off in their early 50s.

Sigh. They all seem to be of the same mindset. I've seen quite a few. It almost seems to be organized misogyny.

I'm sorry you are dealing with this Sue. I can understand with your family history of cancer that you need to come off the HRT. Perhaps your doctor could give you some idea of how long these side effects can last. I don't know of anyone who has gone through this, or I would ask LOL! It's so strange how different we are. I went through the change at 50ish with no problems at all. Honestly I had more problems in previous years as I had PCOD. I have never been on HRT. I have not had a need, thankfully. I have good bone density, good health overall actually and no hot flashes, night sweets or loss of libido. My mom and my MIL were both on HRT for years. My mom up until she passed away at 72. My MIL may or may not still be on them - she is 85. I hope you get it worked out soon!!

Took estradiol in my mid thirties to early 40’s after an abdominal hysterectomy for ovarian C.

Stopped taking it and the noticable changes were decreased libido, more facial hair, and less (scalp) hair.

Based on my female ancestors appearances, the hair loss and facial hair gain was coming down the pike anyway.

I have other medical issues contributing to inflammation so while I do get hot flashes, I finally made the correlation to lower carb / sugar intake and less hot flashes. Unless I have a diet cheat I don’t get them anymore.

Trail, have you considered a prescription retinol for your skin? Retin-A, Renova and their ilk increase collagen production. It takes six months to see great results, totally worth the wait. You can get an Rx online quite easily.

From Harvard Health:

Does Retinol cause collagen production?

Retinoids reduce fine lines and wrinkles by increasing the production of collagen. They also stimulate the production of new blood vessels in the skin, which improves skin color. Additional benefits include fading age spots and softening rough patches of skin.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/do-retinoids-really-reduce-wrinkles

I can't provide any insight or suggestions for the weaning off process-- but I can speak to going forward with no HRT.

I think I am about your age, Sue and I am unable to take HRT due to a genetic clotting disease. I suspect that the weaning process is way worse than going forward without HRT. I will say that I have more headaches than i did pre-menopause but I actually think they are more sinus related than hormone related. I do sleep hot-- but don't have too many hot flashes. When I do, i can always link it back to diet or overeating. It really hasn't been that bad. Insomnia has been a life-long challenge so I don't link that to the decreased estrogen-- but I have had much better and reliable sleep since I made changes in my routines. I do notice some decreased libido but nothing that is so marked that it affects my quality of life or enjoyment. My starting place was quite high so I guess I feel like I am at a normal level now ;)

I am really sorry that you are struggling in this transition phase but I hope it is short lived. Our bodies like steady states.. so hopefully once the weaning process is complete, your body will settle in a bit.

@Zalco/bring back Sophie! i have tried it in the past and at a low % but the redness and peeling and itching made it worse. Im afraid to try again. thanks though

Just wanted to add that my Mom was on HRT for over 25 years. And while she was extremely fit and active for her age, she did die at 81 of lung cancer which had spread to her brain. Her oncologist said it was not tobacco related.....she never smoked but lived with 2nd hand smoke much of her life. Then I read that there are lung cancers that have estrogen receptors on them and I suspect her taking estrogen so long had something to do with it. When she got her diagnosis, she quit the HRT, but it was too late by then. She'd had a total hysterectomy and thought she was clear of any cancer risk. But apparently not. And estrogen promotes growth. So I figure for her, it was a trade-off between quality and quantity of life. Her parents died at 98 and 99, and her mother suffered with hot flashes up to the end as did she. I started menopause over 10 years ago and still "enjoy" hot flashes. I have dabbled with pueraria mirifica but due to my fear of cancer, I've not stuck with it.

Thanks for all the sharing and feedback. I am happy to report that my hip/back pain has subsided and hasn't been replaced with any other unpleasantness so far. Fingers crossed.

I came across your blog while researching for myself how to wean off my estradiol/progestin daily pill for the treatment of my osteoporosis. I am a seasoned RN of 36 years and a recovering victim-of--traditional-medicine (long story). Estrogen is a hormone that causes 6 different types of cancers, clot-formation which may lodge in the heart, brain, or lungs (heart attack, stroke, PE), Alzheimer's, fibroids, endometriosis, fibrocystic disease, asthma, migraines, gall bladder disease, and a number of auto-immune disorders and does NOT prevent or treat osteoporosis. Progestin and Provera are synthetic progesterone that are not related to natural progesterone but have the same side effects as estrogen. Once these foreign substances become established in our bodies after years of use, they are difficult to wean out, causing severe withdrawal headaches, day sweats, night sweats, nausea, etc. Natural progesterone can take away these symptoms and even prevent the above adverse list.

I'm just beginning to understand functional medicine, which combines both traditional and alternative approaches. I highly recommend the book "The Miracle of Bio-Identical Hormones by Michael Platt, MD, who discusses hormones in depth and has a protocol for weaning off Premarin and Provera other synthetic hormones.

Annie, did your mother’s doctor actually tell you that her lung cancer was related to taking estrogen? The second most common cause of lung cancer is radon exposure, and it is the most common cause in cases of lung cancer among non smokers.

from the EPA’s website:

Radon is the number one cause of lung cancer among non-smokers, according to EPA estimates. Overall, radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer. Radon is responsible for about 21,000 lung cancer deaths every year. About 2,900 of these deaths occur among people who have never smoked. On January 13, 2005, Dr. Richard H. Carmona, the U.S. Surgeon General, issued a national health advisory on radon

I weaned off of estrogen slowly by taking more bioidentical progesterone . i doubled progesterone (must be natural micronized kind) then kept loweting my estrogen dose until i was off of it completely. no hot flashes that way (slow wean with progesterone) best thing i ever did ! no more belly bloat!

I hesitate to write this? I used patches, the very lowest dose. I was fed up with hot flashes, insomisa, etc, My practioner assured me that these were safe, and I did my own research. I had no problem with them and great results- zero hots flashes, insomia, etc. My bone density testing was good,, very good. Then, I got a bad batch of patches? They wouldn't stick, etc, etc, . So, I decided to come off them. What a mistake! I'm ready to go back on them. YMMV

Due to a blood disease and stroke history estrogen is not an option for me. Initially during perimenopause two years ago my headaches, heart palpitations and hot flashes were constant. After some research I found studies supporting improved vascular health and lower anxiety levels helped women to avoid at least the hot flashes.

Many studies also support meditation for hot flash control and yoga for joint relieve. I am not considered menopausal yet for i seem to still get a period every 8 months but my estrogen is very low and i no longer have hot flashes ever and the joint and other symptoms are also back to normal by improving my fiber and practicing yoga and meditating daily.

Good luck!

edited to add my doctor did mention alternatives such as low dose SSRI and low dose amytripaline. Also statins might help some women as well.

I'm not there yet, but my doctor told me that there are a few non-hormone related treatments for menopause, such as low dose anti-anxiety meds (I didn't know they could also treat hot flashes!). So it sounds to me like you need a new doctor who's more understanding of women's issues.

Well, this is an old thread, but I am mostly OK off the estrogen. My body temp still swings up and down randomly, although it is much better when I am eating healthier (no sugar, etc). Wine causes hot flashes. I still don’t sleep well but am working on it.

I am already on a low dose of anti anxiety meds because perimenopause gave me the gift of panic attacks. I have always been extremely affected by hormones. Terrible PMS, lousy perimenopause (v heavy periods to the point of severe anemia and finally ablation surgery, plus the delightful panic attacks), and now menopause. Better now than it was right after my surgery, though.

I take a black cohosh supplement, too. I’m not sure how much it helps.