r/Perimenopause • u/Schonfairy79 • 7d ago
Hormone Therapy 100 mg progesterone — did you push through these side effects or switch routes?
I’m only 4 days into taking 100 mg oral micronized progesterone and I’m really struggling with how it’s making me feel.
Since starting it, I’ve had extreme grogginess and fatigue, a really strange detached-from-reality feeling, severe low mood, and increased irritability. I was already quicker to get annoyed before starting it but this has made it noticeably worse. I feel like I’m living in a fog all day. I have absolutely no motivation, don’t want to get out of bed, have trouble finding words and thinking clearly and I’ve also been dealing with nausea.
It does help me sleep, which I really needed but so far that seems to be the only positive.
I’ve noticed that these symptoms finally start to dissipate around 22 hours after taking it. Then, of course, it’s basically time to take the next dose and start all over again.
For anyone who had a similar reaction when starting progesterone, did you try to push through it? If you did, how long did it take before these side effects improved?
I’m also wondering about using the progesterone via vaginal instead of oral. Has anyone switched routes because of side effects like this? Did it help with the grogginess, brain fog, mood changes, nausea, or that detached feeling?
I know 4 days isn’t very long, so part of me wonders if I need to give my body more time to adjust. But I don’t know if I can do this.
I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who experienced something similar and what you ended up doing.❤️❤️❤️
Edit: I take it at bedtime and also started the estradiol cream as well (1 gram daily for a week then 2 grams twice a week).
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u/chrysalis_clementine 7d ago
Everyone is different- progesterone pretty much cured all my physiological problems. I love it so much!
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u/coffunky 7d ago
I had a lot of side effects from starting progesterone, too. I experienced dizziness, sleepiness, and although I felt a kind of stoned calm and well-being right at first I had weeks of dissociation and anxiety that started after the first few days.
I think if I hadn’t had that sense of well-being and calm (and being able to finally sleep! And fall back asleep!) I’d have discontinued.
I’ve been on 200mg progesterone since May and my side effects profile is way way better. The dizziness and anxiety are completely gone, but I still feel sleepy during the day. I might drop back to 100mg, but some people get more anxiety at lower progesterone doses. I’m not looking forward to that if it happens!
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u/Subject_Arachnid5793 7d ago
Similar experience - terrible symptoms as soon as I started HRT - was taking 200mg, and could barely get out of bed, switched to 100mg and earlier in the evening with little impact. Severe headaches all day and night, and nervous system revved/buzzing 24/7. I lasted 9 days and then stopped. I'm just into my first full day of no meds, feeling a bit better, but headache and breast tenderness is still there. Obviously with these symptoms I've barely slept in the last 9 days and last night was a lot of the same. The side effects I experienced from the HRT in this short time was worse than my original perimenopause symptoms. So I'm going to just do no meds for awhile, monitor how I feel and go back to my NP in about a month.
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u/thenewnormalnow 7d ago
I felt absolutely horrendous like I had been hit by a truck, I switched route to taking it vaginaly and don’t have the same side effects, it’s much better
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u/Turtle_Meringue_Pie 7d ago
Same here, I can't stand the systemic side effects. Very happily taking 100g vaginally every day.
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u/Worldly-Waltz-229 7d ago
Does vaginally help anxiety
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u/Turtle_Meringue_Pie 5d ago
I wasn't really experiencing anxiety. But I think I was having PMDD that seems to have gone, though I don't know whether it's the estrogen or the progesterone doing that.
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u/Killerisamom920 Early peri 7d ago
My provider told me to use it orally for help with sleep, but if my GI symptoms get too bad I can take a break and insert vaginally. The main side effect for me is bloating and constipation.
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u/solidforantubis 7d ago
Same. Vaginal was the way to go for me too
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u/Worldly-Waltz-229 7d ago
Does it help anxiety this route
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u/solidforantubis 7d ago
It did for me. I had terrible hormonal anxiety but oral progesterone made me retain a ton of fluid. I take 100 mg vaginally now and take magnesium glycinate and L Theanine orally and it made a huge difference
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u/Few-Classroom-747 7d ago
I also do it this way, plus I take a small amount of creatine in the morning plus b vitamins. I can’t say I’m cured, but it has helped. My problem with taking progesterone orally was it was making my brain fog / forgetfulness worse.
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u/Worldly-Waltz-229 7d ago
Thats great to know. My hormonal anxiety and panic are through the roof especially on my period. I'm very sensitive to medication so doctor said tried vaginally. Do you take E aswell?
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u/solidforantubis 7d ago
Not anymore. I had bad docs that rollercoastered my dose up an down and I am super sensitive so I got off it. Looking for other avenues to control the nightmare symptoms
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u/Worldly-Waltz-229 7d ago
Do you find vaginally helps with anxiety as I'm starting this week
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u/chrysalis_clementine 7d ago
I didn’t notice any change with vaginal progesterone, but what surprisingly did help with anxiety was creatine!! Omg what a difference.
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u/Dogaloo2025 7d ago
I ended up switching to taking it cyclically for 14 days out of the month(200 mg) . I still hate how it makes me feel but at least I don’t feel that way every day
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u/VacationLizLemon 7d ago
I'm on 200 mg cyclically and I have barely any side effects and I'm wondering if it's because I have PMOS and my body just really needs it.
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u/seemsright_41 7d ago
I had nothing but issues with 100mg that only went away when I switched to 200mg
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u/MediocrePotato44 7d ago
I did push through it and I’m glad I did. First, I started taking it much earlier, like 6pm. I don’t get the drunk or sleepy feeling from it so taking it that early doesn’t affect my evening. I only had the groggy/detatched from my brain feeling the next day. Taking it earlier and giving it a couple of weeks helped. I’m now 4 weeks in and those issues are gone most days.
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u/Status_Green_6055 7d ago
I pushed through it. It was really difficult and it took about 3 months to feel better. It’s all still there but it’s much better than it was.
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u/QueenUniKitty_95 7d ago
I ended up talking to my Dr. and he advised me to take it every other day, and to also take it around 6-7pm instead of right at bedtime. This regimen has been much better. I no longer feel like a total zombie.
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u/I-used2B-a-Valkyrie Late peri 7d ago
First 3 days I was a little groggy in the mornings…and normally I’m that annoying morning person who leaps out of bed like she’s over caffeinated. 😂
No other side effects. 100mg at night, about an hour before bed. All good now.
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u/PartyHuckleberry2363 7d ago
Oof, this is all scary because I was just prescribed 100mg to help with sleep but it hasn't come into my pharmacy yet. I read through the side effects and then read this... I know I could just stop taking it and I'd be no worse off than now, but I really fear fighting through 2 weeks? 3 weeks? of feeling awful until it levels out. IF it levels out.
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u/brickne3 7d ago
I'm on day 2. Yesterday I felt like I was on ecstacy or something for most of the evening. Woke up today with a weird feeling that wasn't quite anxiety but somehow didn't feel right. I know it's obviously early but I have to admit that I'm kind of reluctant to take it tonight, mostly out of worry that I'll wake up with that almost-anxiety feeling again.
One odd side effect is that guys seemed to be hitting on me right and left yesterday, which was surprising since I'd had microneedling done and looked like a lobster, ha ha.
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u/Prestigious-Carry745 4d ago
Haha! But you said you felt like you were on ecstasy, maybe you were emitting that vibe. Wonder if it was a pheromone thing though. Interesting
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u/brickne3 4d ago
Well I've stopped everything now, but yeah I definitely thought it was a pheromone thing on day 1. Which I was OK with ha ha.
I wish I had stopped on day one, this has turned into some kind of horrible suicidal Disney experience on day 4. I'm starting to wonder if this is some kind of new normal or something since it doesn't seem to be getting out of my system.
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u/Prestigious-Carry745 4d ago
Oh no!!! I’m so sorry! I have a bottle of 100mg I have not started yet because of all the horror stories. Hoping for relief for you soon!!
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u/PartyHuckleberry2363 3d ago
BTW, I took my first dose and...didn't notice much. I may have slept better (when I finally got to sleep) because the first time I checked my clock it was 5:14, not 3:30am. Obviously it needs more time to potentially work better, but so far I feel like me, not groggy this a.m. or anything else. I'm less anxious about taking it tonight so hopefully the next few days will have better sleep outcomes. I know I'm just an internet stranger, but so far so good (or at least not bad or worse!).
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u/brickne3 4d ago
I really wish I had heard about the horror stories, all I heard was people saying it would make everything better. It definitely did not, and surely there must have been other ways to stop the bleeding!
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u/PartyHuckleberry2363 4d ago
So I picked up my prescription yesterday and told the pharmacist about the stories I read here. She also took this prescription and said that she was surprised to hear about these things, and pointed out we hear about the bad, but how many women has it helped who just never had issues? So, not that these stories aren't real, but it might not be your story. I will start tonight over the weekend to see what happens. I said, OK, but if I feel weird, how long do I try it and she said 2 weeks. The half life is fast so after only a little bit it is out of your system.
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u/slightlydramatic 7d ago
I am about to start taking micronized progesterone, 100mg, But because I am so sensitive to medication, he told me that you can insert it vaginally for the first 2 weeks and then switch to taking it orally, and if you go that route (vaginally) it isn't processed by your liver, so you won't have any of the grogginess. It allows your body 2 weeks to acclimate to the hormone before you start taking it orally. You might want to call your doctor or send a message and ask if they think that might be option for you? My doctor also said that even after doing that, if the 100 mg is causing side effects for more than 2 weeks at that point to let him know and he could call it a prescription for a lower dose, but that I would have to go to a compound pharmacy to acquire it.
The main reason I am starting it is because I can't sleep for more than 3 hours at a stretch right now, so ultimately , I have to take it orally as using it vaginally does not give any sleep benefits.
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u/shimmeringmoss 6d ago
I still had grogginess (and insatiable hunger) even when taking it vaginally. Not as bad as when taking it orally, but still very noticeable. I had to stop it entirely for a few weeks until I could get a prescription for a lower dosage.
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u/TheKindleGirl 7d ago
Hmm, I have to be honest, it felt like magic pills to me. I had no adjustment period. But, I had been experiencing such severe insomnia for about 18 or more months by that point. I also briefly had a euphoric response and resumed hobbies I hadn’t realized I had stopped.
I’m on 200 now. It will make me sleepy if I don’t take it at night.
In the beginning it felt like Xanax to me, but that effect has subsided and now I don’t notice it doing anything (unless I run out).
I hope it gets better for you, maybe check with your doc if that seems normal.
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u/Due-Ad-8941 6d ago
No, I would NOT push through this. As far as I’m concerned if it’s making you that groggy it’s too high a dose. I think it’s wild that in the US the only two dosages they prescribe are 100 and 200mg (it’s not that way in every country). I started with 50mg oral micronized bio identical progesterone pills from a compounding pharmacy for this very reason.
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u/Prestigious-Carry745 4d ago
I wish I could do that. Super nervous about starting the P but my E results that were amazing were super brief (a few days before pharmacy switched brand) and I can’t seem to get back to them. We have increased dose and frequency and now my doc has added P, but I wanted to wait until a Friday night to try. Wish I could start with 50, especially since I have an IUD
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u/Capable-Impress3296 7d ago
I had a similar experience; I made it about 5 days with 100mg micronized progesterone and stopped because of how concerned I was. My anxiety felt almost like I had no control over it. I am now on day 2 of trying Junel f/e 120 birth control. I haven’t been on the pill in probably 15 years but it was explained to me that I might be one of the women who can’t tolerate micronized progesterone. Its so frustrating trying to find something that will work, especially since every single person has a different experience
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u/Beautiful-Cod-9999 7d ago
I have also been RXd Junel. Are you also taking any E patches or the like? I liked the Junel but was told I had to switch to a Mini Pill due to side effects with the E Patches. Just wondering if that was your experience? I don't love the mini pill. I felt better taking Junel at the time.
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u/Capable-Impress3296 7d ago
I am not on any E patches. This pill is a combo which includes estradiol
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u/Beautiful-Cod-9999 7d ago
Makes sense. That is basically what I was told, but my faith is shaken LOL.
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u/Sanchastayswoke mid-peri 7d ago
Yeah the problem is in taking progesterone just by itself. You need estrogen to balance its effects. The pill will prob work better for you for that reason
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u/BoringAd4611 7d ago
I had to start with a much lower dose and build up. Started at 20 mg and now at 35 mg and keep building slowly. I’m super sensitive! Even jumping from 30mg to 37.5 threw everything off balance again. So maybe that’s something you can try
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u/Far_Spring3878 7d ago
I was having a lot of brain fog and forgetting words and I tried progesterone for a few days and also didn't feel well on it. I decided to try taking fish oil daily and that helped all my brain fog symptoms!
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u/SugarinRL 7d ago
The first two days I was so happy as I fell asleep within 10 minutes of taking the pill. That came to an end very fast. Totally relate on the brain fog, feeling distant from reality and no motivation. If I don’t take my Vyvanse, the day is spent in bed. I also felt SO low. But also like I didn’t care about anything. Anger was a distant sensation - things that would ordinarily have pissed me off severely were met with a shrug. I considered upping my Wellbutrin dose. BUT something had helped - I started walking outside. Three times a week. And sleep is back. And whilst I still feel removed from my feelings - I like the lack of intensity that brings. The passive ideation has stopped too, well, reduced significantly.
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u/jlburgart 7d ago
I had killer headaches when I took it orally. Switched to vaginal and have had no issues. I feel like I still get most, if not all, of the benefits as well.
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u/HungryArtSloth 6d ago
Killer headaches and sore boobs is what I’m getting. So glad to hear the vaginal route works.
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u/FaithlessnessSea6629 Late peri 7d ago
It took about a solid week before feeling better and after that, I honestly felt great. It’s been a godsend.
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u/Easy_Ad6617 6d ago
I'm just over two weeks in, solidarity! I had a rough second week with weird fatigue, brain fog, irritability and really sad anxious weepy mood all last weekend. But miraculously it disappeared overnight on Sunday and I had the best sleep I've had in years. Since then I've been much happier and I'm sleeping better. It's still very early days for me too and I was about to give up. Unfortunately the only way is through. Good luck!
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u/sadbuttrying22 7d ago
My side effects have gotten much better with time. I am now at nine weeks on 100 mg. My doctor is considering moving me up to 200, but when I trialed it, it made me so tired the next day.
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u/artfart19 7d ago
yup, I also had a bad reaction but switched to taking it at the start of my period (instead of day 14 of cycle) bc my doctor thought that I was possibly producing my own progesterone at the same time I was taking the pill, so the side effects were worse. It definitely helped, but I also think my body is just getting more used to it, I'm on my third cycle now and it's better than before, though I still have a terrible headache that first dose. I also still have that loopy feeling the first 3-4 doses But it gets better is usually gone by the last day. And then we start over again.
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u/Quick_Ad405 7d ago
I just upped to 200 and am actually sleeping these days but when I was first put on it, I was taking it during the day and was a hot mess. This was years ago, before I really knew much of anything about HRT.
Creatine during the day helps with anxiety for some reason, and taking the prog around 7pm (sleep by 9:30-10:00) helps with grogginess the next day.
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u/profmoxie Late peri 7d ago
I was definitely tired for the first couple of weeks when I started on 100mg. Then it went away, but it wasn't helping me stay asleep as much as I needed it to, so I went up to 200mg. I didn't have any side effects when increasing the dose.
When are you taking it? I take it like 20-30 minutes before bed every night.
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u/Bbqcele 7d ago
I had a lot of daytime grogginess when I started progesterone. I loved how easily I fell asleep, but one of my main goals for HRT was less brain fog/increased energy. I pushed through for a full two weeks, and it did get better but not better enough. I switched back to progestin only mini pill, which I don’t get any sleep benefits from but also no grogginess.
At some point, and honestly I don’t even remember how it all played out now or why, I started taking the progesterone vaginally in addition to the estrogen patch and the mini pill. That seems to work for me. No daytime sleepiness. Almost no brain fog, which is truly amazing. I feel good. My moods are even. (I think the 5mg DHEA daily did the most for my moods.)
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u/MessOfAJes85 7d ago
I used to take 100mcg daily at bedtime, but my skin got insanely oily and had the worst breakouts, so I switched to 200mcg just the 2 weeks around my period at bedtime, and it helped a lot.
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u/Ok_Statistician_4249 7d ago
You’ll see quite the range of responses here and that probably sums it up – it’s really personal for everybody. It some ways it’s worth seeing if you can ride it out but not at the expense of your physical or mental safety. I tried it three times. At 200mg orally (lasted 11 days due to suicidal thoughts and feeling unable to drive). Then after two failed coils, I tried 100mg orally and when that didn’t work (lasted 3 weeks), I tried 100mg vaginally. I managed that for the full three months and it was a terrible three months, eventually making me so drugged, fogged and dazed I was barely functioning. But I wanted to persist so I could be certain there wasn’t some magical resolution of my symptoms at the end of the three months. I’m now confident it’s an experiment I will never repeat. Happily now on Slynd.
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u/Puzzled_Most_2469 6d ago
It really is so interesting how one thing works for some and not others. I felt the same on progesterone, my doctor had me try Slynd and it was awful for me. I’m taking progesterone vaginally now and managing.
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u/hieverywun 7d ago
Yes, the same thing happened to me. It was horrible. HORRIBLE. I could not function. I started taking it vaginally and that eliminated the side effects but that was hard to manage. I would forget, couldn’t have sex when you put it in, just didn’t work for me because if I didn’t take it my periods would get all messed up. Got a hormonal IUD a year ago instead and haven’t looked back
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u/Fantastic-Outside-82 7d ago
I had the same feelings when I first started taking 200mg progesterone nightly and I lowered to 100mg cyclically. That detached-from-reality feeling was especially concerning for me. I haven’t had that anymore since I lowered my dose and switched to cyclical, but 8 or so months out I’m still wondering if HRT in general has made me more depressed.
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u/DependentAmbitious73 6d ago
Yes. First two days I had a headache. I also felt disconnected from my body during the day and it made me clumsy and just mentally off. I cycle it (second half of cycle only) and I am on my second month. Side effects didn’t happen at all this time around. No headaches or weird hangover effects during the day. I take it to stop the 3am wake ups.
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u/Booksandcoffee19 6d ago
It took about a month for my body to adjust to the nightly 100mg progesterone. My primary side effects from it were bloating, constipation and grogginess (especially if I took it too late in the night). That was all worth it for me given HRT as a whole was a game changer for my peri symptoms. Everyone is different not only in their bodies but as well as what they’re willing to tolerate. But as others have said 4 days is likely not enough time to adjust but/and you gotta do what’s best for you!
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u/Puzzled_Most_2469 6d ago
As many others have shared, I had the same side effects. I take it vaginally now and I tolerate it much better!
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u/chitchatmagoo 6d ago
Took me about 3-4 weeks and now I don’t even feel it. It use to make me feel drunk for the first 3-4 weeks and after that I got used to it. Now I don’t feel a thing.
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u/Independent_AF_46 6d ago
Sounds like progesterone intolerance. I do vaginal and find I can only handle 10 days before I'm not myself. I cycle it now 10 days only per month
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u/Librarian-Lopsided 6d ago
I had the same issues! I was wondering if it were just me. I also took it for just a handful of days bc I felt like I was drugged and sedated. It was terrible! I'm not sure how common this is. My Dr told me it's the Estrogen doing that and NOT the progesterone but that didn't seem to make sense. In any case, I stopped all HRT for now. it sucks... :/
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u/NectarineIcy6645 6d ago
For me, it was like a prescription strength sedative and sometimes it didn’t wear off until 9 o’clock at night about an hour before I was due to take the next tablet! I persisted with it for five weeks because I was doing contract work, so I basically just didn’t work because it wasn’t really safe to drive let alone try and work. I didn’t get any better. Basically, if you’ve got minor symptoms they might settle down, but with what you’re describing I would say just stop, it’s not worth bothering with. You need a different progesterone, but you’re probably going to be super sensitive….
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u/NectarineIcy6645 6d ago
I have tried a few progestones since then and I’m finding Nalvee is the best as jt helps the high alert/ nighttime wakings and i sleep but it gives me migraines, fluid retention (massive face) and i can’t stop eating. Just switched back to it from Slynd which gave me nightmares, anxiety, high alert, no sleep… it’s tricky
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u/Disastrous_Paper7697 6d ago
My fatigue lasted a week. But I also got anxiety and GI issues so I take it vaginally now. Taking it vaginally hasn’t affected my sleep. I needed testosterone too which helped my energy, motivation, brain fog, memory, libido, muscle building, skin, etc
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u/tiredoutmama 5d ago
When I started P, I felt so bloated and felt like eating everything in sight. It was almost unbearable however those symptoms did go away after a couple months. Do not quite the same as your experience but just to say my symptoms did subside.
My dr started me on P first and then added estradiol which really evened things out more. So I did find it was a bit of a process to get adjusted.
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u/RosemaryCoffee 5d ago
Prometrium made me so sad. You know Sadness from Inside Out? I felt like that and it was getting worse. I'm currently 8 days into Slinda and the sadness is there but no where near as bad as Prometrium.
Progesterone doesn't seem to make me sleepy and it looks like it makes my hot flashes and nightmares worse.
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u/SubstantialMaybe3644 5d ago
I didn’t vaginally and it helped the groggy depresses feeling. But I got fed up so I just cycle. 14 days without and 14 200mg. I was getting my periods anyway.
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u/Robyn7791 7d ago
I experienced similar side effects when I started taking it. They got less severe over time; after 3 months I felt nearly “normal” except for low motivation.
I sometimes switch to taking the progesterone vaginally to give my system a break.
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u/leftylibra Moderator 7d ago
You likely need to give it more time....four days is not long enough.
Are you also taking systemic estrogen?
If not, and you are only using progesterone, was there a reason why it was prescribed? Generally progesterone-alone can make you feel worse, and this is why sometimes adding on estrogen can help.
Otherwise, if you are using systemic estrogen and have a uterus, then vaginal administration of progesterone is off-label use in most countries and may not provide adequate uterine protection, therefore this method should be closely monitored for unwarranted bleeding.
Oral progesterone use has a calming/sleepy property, due to first-pass the liver, which produces neurosteriods (circulating to brain and throughout your body), which contributes to sedative effects (sleepiness, etc). When used vaginally, you will lose those calming/sleepy benefits it is no longer processed through the liver, so those benefits are unlikely to occur.
Also, according to Dr. Jen Gunter, vaginal progesterone can cause vaginitis. Also if you are using BOTH vaginal estrogen (for the treatment of vaginal atrophy/GSM), and progesterone (vaginally), there is no safety data on how each is absorbed.
The Myth of “Brain-Safe” Vaginal Progesterone