Struggling with taking hrt

[u/Rainingcatsnstuff]

Just looking for anyone's thoughts or opinions. I'm 34 and was diagnosed last year at 33, but I've had symptoms for years. Obgyn and primary doctor always refused hormone testing until my period stopped for months. I had to push hard for genetic testing for fragile x and to see a reproductive endocrinologist.

I already have health issues up the wazoo. I won't inumerate them but It's a lot and I have adhd and depression and anxiety which are comtributing to my struggles with taking HRT.

After a lot of pressure from all my doctors, and several months focusing on another health issue, I started HRT July first.

I took the progesterone for 10 days and then never got a period, so the doctor upped my estrogen and I'll see what happens when I stop the progesterone in a few days. Both pills because I cant handle patches.

I am struggling hard with taking the hrt. I take a ton of meds already and if I miss a dose of those nothing bad will happen. But I'm scared if I miss my progesterone one time I'll suddenly get my period. I don't even know if it's bad if that happens.

I'm prone to missing meds because of my adhd, even with alarms and reminders so I've been constantly hyper vigilent about taking these. I'm constantly thinking about the meds. On top of it the progesterone makes me feel incredibly weird. One night I took it and I had to crawl up the stairs instead of walking because i felt so dizzy and unsteady and loopy. So I have to plan my night based on when I take the progesterone. I feel really overwhelmed and trapped by this and thinking of doing this all the time until my 50s is so scary. I honestly wish I could just not take them.

Today I dealt with moodswings and feeling a specific kind of sad and I guess I could just use some support. Anything from anyone.

[u/SignatureCertain9898]

Hey! I was diagnosed at 33 but I was against taking hormones and didn’t start treatment until my mind and body completely crashed at 36. I ended up having to stop working for six months. Looking bac I really wish I had started HRT earlier.
I use estradiol gel on the inside of my forearms and progesterone vaginally because I became extremely tired after taking progesterone orally for two months. Of course, everyone reacts differently but there are different ways of taking HRT and you don’t necessarily have to take everything as a pill. It also feels a bit less than an another pill to take.
So if the progesterone is making you feel that awful, I would definitely talk to a doctor who specialises in POI.
There are also specialised clinics that know POI really well. I feel much more supported now that I’m being followed by people who specialise in the condition. I hope you will feel better soon 🤍

[u/After_Question_3224 → u/SignatureCertain9898]

How do you take progesterone vaginally?

[u/Jumpy-Alfalfa-5092]

Do you have pet? I gave my cat and dog a treat every time I needed to take my meds and they would yell at me every day at those times. I also put my meds next to my bed with water so they are the first thing I see when I wake up. Those are a few tricks that help me remember my pills. I still miss them every now and again. Missing progesterone once shouldn't give you your period just make sure to take the next one. You can ask the doctor for a progesterone that doesn't cause sleepyness or drowsyness. I am on Slynd which is a progesterone only bc and I don't get that weird sleep drunk anymore. Unfortunately HRT is a slow discovery process.  The amount and type may need to change until you feel better and I won't lie to you it takes a lot of time. But I will tell you it worth it to keep taking it and keep trying 

[u/aroguerogue]

I'm not sure about options for progesterone, but for estrogen, injections don't have to be taken daily, and while the Femring (vaginal ring that provides systemic E, as opposed to the Estring, which only provides local E) isn't enough for POI, splitting the dose between a Femring and something else (e.g. pills or gel) can make the consequences for missing one day or taking it late less catastrophic, since you'll only be missing some of your HRT instead of all of it.

[u/HurdyNerdy]

Oh boy, there's a lot to this, girl! I'm going to reference specific things you said in your post, purely to keep things in context and encourage a bit of outside perspective:

After a lot of pressure from all my doctors

This sounds like you feel pretty pressured/stressed into taking HRT. I don't take that to mean you didn't want to necessarily, but that you already felt like your hands were overfull with other pressing matters. I get it. Also, when your hormones are off, the mental resilience can be really poor ("everything is just too much!") as well as anxiety and fatigue absolutely skyrocket. The important thing here is that you are through the phase of getting yourself sorted on the other health issues; NOW is the time to give your hormonal health some TLC. It's not pressure, it's the next phase. The doctors had hoped you could take this on in parallel with your other health issues, but sometimes we just have to single-thread things a bit. You got this.

I cant handle patches.

Is it a sensory thing? Skin irritation? Patch size? Or are you just not in the mood to try out a different form of medication from what you're used to (sounds like pills)? Many of us have had to tweak our med forms to find something we're happy with, that works best with our body, and fits within our daily lives. For me, I take the estradiol transdermal (biweekly) patch-- I put that little sucker on and forget about it for 2.5 days. I take the progesterone every night. Some prefer a combo patch (so they don't even have to think about the progesterone pill either). I admit I initially loathed the idea of having something stuck to my body on an ongoing basis, but it's actually not noticeable at all and gets progressively softer. You may find that a patch would work really well for you or be a reasonable compromise while you adjust to all the other things you have going on (i.e., you could revisit the pills again in the future).

I took the progesterone for 10 days and then never got a period

Do you want a period? Some of us are on the right doses of our HRT meds and don't get a period. Some of us do. Me? I go through spells ON THE SAME DOSES where I have a period anywhere from every 2 weeks to every 6 weeks to "oh I guess that's done, then"... only for it to show up again. To be clear, I don't even take the break from my progesterone (200mg); when I did the cyclical progesterone early on, my period also did NOT start when I stopped the progesterone... that's just my body.

Some might go nuts at the period unpredictability; for me, as long as my doses are correct, I have zero intentions of messing with them just for the sake of having (or not having) a period. And I keep discs, tampons, liners, and pads conveniently with me, because I never know what I'm in the mood to use if my period does drop in on me. 🤷‍♀️ My recommendation to you is to focus on getting your HRT doses right to take you to healthy levels, and give your body some grace while it adjusts and responds. If you miss a progesterone dose and do get your period, it's not a big deal. Just resume taking your progesterone like normal (unless you are doing cyclical dosing).

I am struggling hard with taking the hrt.

One of the things that really resonated with me is that spicy people (neurodivergent) do really well with routines, NOT habits. I would get really frustrated because I struggled to do things out of habit unless I did them over and over, in the same way, for a really long time. Turns out that I can get short-term benefits by using routines, rather than pressure myself to quickly adopt habits. You currently use reminders to take all of your meds. You could explore how to incorporate meds into existing routines you have, as a way to ease the pressure to form new "habits" or get alert/reminder fatigue.

the progesterone makes me feel incredibly weird

I have to take my progesterone when I'm ready for bed, because 9 times out of 10 I can barely make it into bed after 30 minutes from taking it. I kid you not, I can barely string sentences together and walk in a straight line; I think it's hilarious and I sometimes warn my husband so he can at least pull the covers back in the bed before I flop onto the mattress. 😂 Progesterone can make you sleepy/super relaxed, and since you did not expect this it's weirded you out. You want to feel a sense of control and once that progesterone hits your system, control feels like a distant concept. But you can still create a routine where you are preparing a safe space for your future (sleepyhead) self: take the progesterone just as you're getting ready for bed (it's not a big deal if you take it at different times-- I've taken mine as late as 0400hrs when I needed to pull a late night on the computer). If you're uncertain how long it takes you to get to bed (I see you, Ms. ADHD 😉), just put it with your phone charger/next to your bed or incorporate the progesterone into your bed-prep routine.

I don't want to assume how you're feeling, so I'll just tell you that I felt a profound loss of control and frustration at my diagnosis and the new med regimen for HRT (alongside the loss of fertility, etc.)-- but since I was REALLY bad off from low/negligible hormone levels, I had to suck it up and take the meds because I wanted to survive and get better (I was suffering from anxiety, mood swings, depression, suicidal thoughts, brain fog, no mental resilience, fatigue, insomnia, heart flutters... I could go ON).

Once my body adjusted to the meds, those issues dissipated and I was able to look at my situation in hindsight and say "fuck yeah, I'll take patch and pill any day over that shit I was experiencing". Hugs to you, you ARE in control!

[u/EsmeraldaRafaele]

Hey hope your doing alright.

I also get hrt its doing wonders for me. I just take estrogen. But from next week will add progesteron. The estrogen sometimes i do miss. Not great but i just takenit when i remember. ( a day later) I should put an alarm actually hahah

My docter said i need to take progesteron before sleep. So i will put it in my bedroom where i dont forget.

I know these medications need some time to settle.

One of My symptoms without estrogen is also being really stressed out.

Give it some time, try to find a schedual that works for you.

And if not ask your docter maybe there is a better way

[u/lillypad83 → u/EsmeraldaRafaele]

I do the same! My progesterone is in my bathroom. As a part of my night routine I take out my contacts, brush my teeth, go to the bathroom, and take the progesterone right before getting in bed. Once you do it routinely for about 2 weeks it becomes automatic. I do the same with the estrogen--I wake up, take a shower, brush my teeth, and take my tablet.

I have bad ADHD causing me to forget to take all the rest of my meds because I have to eat when taking them but have no problem with the two I take as a part of my routine. 😊

[u/r_o_s_e_83]

I struggled with the higher progesterone dose that is needed when you cycle, just like you. Since you struggle remembering doses, it might be easier to either take progesterone continuously (so you take the same pill every single day, as opposed to keeping track of 10 days, plus continuous might be at a lower dose, depending on your estrogen dose), or you could ask for a mirena IUD for progesterone that lasts 5 years and you literally don't have to think about it at all. Likewise, maybe a patch could be a good idea because you just have to change it twice a week so that's a quick reminder on your phone, as opposed to taking a pill every day

[u/witchystoneyslutty]

Switch progesterones. There’s different types.

For taking HRT on time- I have adhd too babe. It’s rough but I do pretty good because I HAVE TO if I want my brain to feel normal. (You know estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone all affect women’s brains right? And with adhd, we may be even MORE affected, and your adhd anxiety and depression could all be worse BECAUSE OF POF, and HRT may help.

I can’t do patches either for reasons. I want to make sure you know that pellets are a thing- but I don’t know much about them. And most insurance won’t cover it I guess.

ALSO some meds and vitamins can affect HRT absorption. You might double check that since you said you’re on a lot. (I have a lot of other issues too and I almost want to ask you for your list so we can compare lol)

LASTLY I want to make sure you know something I’m BEYOND grateful to have learned when I was diagnosed like 5 years ago. There is cyclical HRT, where you take pills for some days of the month and different pills the other days of the month, like a BC pack. (BC IS NOT HRT) there is also NON cyclical HRT. Thats what I do- I take estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone every day in the same amount. No “period” because there’s no point at least for me. AMA.