u/ColomarOlivia

My episodes are triggered with estrogen oscillations. I was put on a progestin-only pill that blocks ovulation and reduces your own natural estradiol production. That made my MCAS symptoms MUCH better however didn’t make them go 100% away which is expected because it still allows some oscillation (periods of higher or lower estrogen). But still, it gave me some relief.

However, I went on that pill for MCAS reasons AND weird symptoms that I first thought they were from PCOS (sudden increase in menstrual flow, menstrual irregularities that didn’t exist before, sudden worsening of preexisting aura and hemiplegic migraines). After 2 years those symptoms started getting worse and more obvious (hot flashes, no sex drive, forgetting words, sudden EXTREMELY high cholesterol with no weight, dietary or lifestyle changes, body shape/composition changes including shrinking breasts and loss of roundness on the hips, sudden high blood pressure episodes that would last for a few minutes and go away, sleep disturbances). I quit the pill thinking it was that however it wasn’t. The symptoms didn’t go away for months, they kept going on, actually got worse because of MCAS, I couldn’t deal with all that BS anymore and I went back on the pill.

I went to the a gynecologist who’s specialized in HRT and menopause 3 days ago and told her everything and she was like… “you’re probably entering perimenopause”. And prescribed me transdermal HRT with a very low dose of estradiol (0.10 mg) and estriol (0.25 mg). She kept me on the pill. Yesterday I was already having an MCAS flare because of a sudden estrogen surge (I know when they come because of my skin quality, cervical mucus etc) and I applied the cream and hours later I was feeling worse (?). Increased blood pressure, palpitations, sleepless, wired but tired, you know the drill.

Anyone has experience on HRT?

Thank you.

31F, on Slynd birth control, clonazepam (1.6 mg once at night, currently weaning off it with psychiatric support), HRT (0.10 mg estradiol + 0.25 mg estriol transdermal cream). Aura and hemiplegic migraines diagnosed by a neurologist, improved a lot after Slynd skipping the placebos.

I was kinda baffled at the doctor’s office and I didn’t have much to say from shock. I was still processing it. I didn’t ask her this and I have my next appointment in 40 days. I went home and started googling (yes, I know. It only makes things worse). I read that women who have early perimenopause are at higher risk of cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis. However it wasn’t clear if that’s for women who are on HRT or not. I have health anxiety and this is the news I was DEFINITELY not waiting to get even though everything was so weird in the last couple years I was suspicious perimenopause could be a cause.

Will I be fine on HRT? Is it good that I found out about it early and started HRT early? Does early perimenopause decrease the life expectancy of a woman or increase the risk of early complications?

I’m scared.

Thank you.

31F, on Slynd birth control, clonazepam (1.6 mg once at night, currently weaning off it with psychiatric support), HRT (0.10 mg estradiol + 0.25 mg estriol transdermal cream). Aura and hemiplegic migraines diagnosed by a neurologist, improved a lot after Slynd skipping the placebos.

I was kinda baffled at the doctor’s office and I didn’t have much to say from shock. I was still processing it. I didn’t ask her this and I have my next appointment in 40 days. I went home and started googling (yes, I know. It only makes things worse). I read that women who have early perimenopause are at higher risk of cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis. However it wasn’t clear if that’s for women who are on HRT or not. I have health anxiety and this is the news I was DEFINITELY not waiting to get even though everything was so weird in the last couple years I was suspicious perimenopause could be a cause.

Will I be fine on HRT? Is it good that I found out about it early and started HRT early? Does early perimenopause decrease the life expectancy of a woman or increase the risk of early complications?

I’m scared.

Thank you.

I was diagnosed with perimenopause 2 days ago and I’m only 31. Symptoms have been going on for 2 years now and they reached a point where they became unbearable.

I have aura migraines so I’m terrified of estrogen (BC pills with estrogen gave me awful aura migraines that felt like strokes and high blood pressure) and some of my perimenopause symptoms are cardiovascular (palpitations, chest pain, sudden high blood pressure that resolves after a few minutes, tachycardia, bradycardia — yes, both. Completely irregular heartbeats).

My doctor left me on my progestin-only pill (I have no problems from it as in serious side effects) and prescribed HRT on the smallest dose possible, transdermal lotion, with bioidentical hormones. That means: the safest it can get for a woman with aura migraines and/or cardiovascular risk.

Still, I can’t sleep. I applied the HRT cream for the first time today and I’m already on a doom loop, thinking I’ll have a stroke, high blood pressure peak and die. Or that my next days will be hell with unbearable aura migraines, bedridden.

Btw I went to the psychiatrist today and he tried to calm me down and even prescribed me some meds to help me relax and sleep (another peri issue) but it’s so hard!

Anyone ever been through this situation of health anxiety + going through perimenopause or menopause? This is extremely scary. I’m so glad I have my mom who went through the same to guide me through this and calm me down. It feels like the end of the world.

I see many people asking if IC can cause bleeding and that happened to me a few time these last days where I had the worst flare of my life triggered by unknown causes (I have the hEDS + MCAS + POTS trifecta so who knows…).

My urine was occasionally coming out with only a slight tint of blood, acquiring a light peach color, almost light pink. Not crazy like red, dark like wine or Coca Cola, just light peach/pink color. Then the next urine would come out with a normal color again and so on. I had this slight blood tint in my urine a few times on and off and no, I wasn’t eating any food coloring or foods that were naturally red.

I also had a normal kidney and bladder ultrasound and a urine test that showed mildly elevated levels of leukocytes, blood and very elevated levels of epithelial cells (so… inflammation and tissue damage going on) however no bacteria at all.

It was super scary.

Just my personal experience for anyone going through this and also getting very worried like I did. I thought I had a kidney infection or kidney stone but it was “just” IC. First time ever I have blood in my urine because of it.

I was taking the placebos and experiencing the following: breakthrough bleedings (they didn’t annoy me a lot because they were super mild but I really wanted to have no bleedings at all), violent mood swings (I have PMDD), on and off aura migraines episodes (already had them and that’s why Slynd was prescribed to me).

I was afraid skipping the placebos would trigger crazy bleedings but I did it anyway. Guys, it changed the whole game. I’ve been on amenorrhea (complete absence of bleedings), no crazy mood swings or migraines anymore. I wish they’d make a version with 28 active pills like Cerazette (desogestrel) and other mini pills for us who take it continuously. It was much better for me.

Anyone else? I have health anxiety and I’m spiraling 🫠

I’m taking simethicone for the trapped gas, took a laxative (I don’t have diarrhea when I get glutened, I get constipated for a whole week) and Pepcid for the heartburn, reflux and stomachache. My belly is extremely swollen, hard and painful, I can’t even touch it. I can’t eat from how painful this is, I lost my appetite. What could soothe this? 😢 thank you.

PS: it’s even worse imagining what’s waiting for me on the next days — migraines, joint pain, rashes, itching, fatigue, crazy autonomic symptoms. Cool 🥴

Currently weaning off Klonopin correctly as my doctor instructed and my symptoms are: sudden adrenaline rushes, palpitations that I can feel like skipped beats, sudden tachycardia, panic/impending doom feelings, weird feelings on my skin (like shivers or like someone is rubbing ice on it), feeling so nervous or stressed out, triggered or like my blood pressure is high (however it’s never high when I measure it. It’s just higher than usual like 117/75 but never truly, clinically high), chest pain.

Those episodes happen intermittently during the day, last a couple minutes and vanish.

Told my psychiatrist and he said that’s normal and can keep happening for some months even after weaning off Klonopin.

Anyone ever been through this? This is hell. Everyday I feel like I’m literally dying, like I’ll have a heart attack or something (already got a cardiac checkup done, everything is fine).

I forgot I had already taken it and took 2 pills on the same day on Monday. Today (Tuesday) I woke up feeling extremely weird, ill. Low blood pressure, tachycardia, frequent urination, shakiness, extreme need of eating constantly and eating salt. Then I went checking my blister, saw the mistake and correctly took 1 pill today.

What should I expect for the next days? Bleedings? Migraines (I’m already prone to them)? But it won’t decrease the ovulation suppression effect, right? I have university exams soon, I can’t believe I’ll get sick because of this. 🤡

My main issues with this pill are cyclical symptoms; PMDD-like and aura or hemiplegic migraines (my migraines were always menstrual/hormonal; off the pill, around 1 to 2 episodes per month before, during or after my period. On Slynd, multiple random unpredictable episodes per month).

Thank you!

I was talking to her about how my friends think it's funny and nice l've been experimenting, doing so many random and different things throughout my life (I'm 31) and that you can never guess my next step and she said "for me that's mental illness".

I replied: "the people who built your iPhone, the computer you use, the music you listen to... many of them also suffered from this same 'mental illness' and what they did was only possible because of that". She stayed quiet.

I always had a horrible relationship with my mother, I don't think she would have ONE good thing to say about me not even over my corpse in a casket.

Idk if I should keep taking it or get back to my doctor, this is worrying me a lot. I’ve been on Aldactone (spironolactone) before for acne. I had a MILD shift in my sodium (it was slightly under normal ranges, so slightly the ER doctor actually only prescribed Pedialyte for a few days, eating savory foods and quitting the med) that made me feel like I was dying or having a heart attack. For real. The ER doctor said my body is just highly sensitive to mild electrolyte shifts (well, I have dysautonomia. You don’t say). Now I’m traumatized about anything that could mess with my electrolytes. Getting adapted to drospirenone was hard enough (I spent days in bed with a low blood pressure that thankfully went back to normal) and I already have to worry about it (eat frequently, eat more salt etc) I’m scared to death of taking Prozac and having another scary episode like the Aldactone one (spoiler: it took WEEKS for my body to get back to normal. The whole body muscle spasms, palpitations, unstable blood pressure etc). Anyone with a borderline low sodium and on Prozac?

Idk if I should keep taking it or get back to my doctor, this is worrying me a lot. I’ve been on Aldactone (spironolactone) before for acne. I had a MILD shift in my sodium (it was slightly under normal ranges, so slightly the ER doctor actually only prescribed Pedialyte for a few days, eating savory foods and quitting the med) that made me feel like I was dying or having a heart attack. For real. The ER doctor said my body is just highly sensitive to mild electrolyte shifts (well, I have dysautonomia. You don’t say). Now I’m traumatized about anything that could mess with my electrolytes. Getting adapted to drospirenone was hard enough (I spent days in bed with a low blood pressure that thankfully went back to normal) and I already have to worry about it (eat frequently, eat more salt etc) I’m scared to death of taking Prozac and having another scary episode like the Aldactone one (spoiler: it took WEEKS for my body to get back to normal. The whole body muscle spasms, palpitations, unstable blood pressure etc). Anyone with a borderline low sodium and on Prozac?

31 years old. My thyroid results over 2 years:

T3 and T4 always normal, thyroid ultrasound is normal, autoimmune antibodies related to Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is negative. I was tested for Hashimoto’s (ultrasound and blood tests) one year apart because it’s known it can give false negatives early on.

Symptoms: hair loss, extreme fatigue, hypersomnia (I can sleep up to 20 hours a day or fall asleep anywhere), severe depression (💀 attempts), loss of appetite, puffy face, brittle/crumbly nails, dry and peeling skin.

TSH on 09/19/2024: 5.9 (doctor diagnosed it as subclinical and suggested observing and waiting without medication)

TSH on 12/29/2024: 3.3

TSH on 02/09/2026: 5.4 (doctor refused to medicate, said it could trigger hyperthyroidism, and doubted my symptoms were related to the thyroid. Told me to see a psychiatrist and dismissed me)

TSH on 04/29/2026: 2.50 (I haven’t gone back yet; appointment is scheduled for 05/04)

Now the question is: what the hell is going on? Why is my thyroid function fluctuating like this while I have symptoms consistent with hypothyroidism? Depression doesn’t explain a puffy face, crumbly nails, patchy hair loss, dry and peeling skin. I’ve already done every vitamin/nutrient test you can imagine and they all came back normal. I’m sure that if I go back to the doctor with this result, they’ll just dismiss me again.

Detail: all of this started after a bacterial pneumonia. Has anyone gone through something like this?

76F, unknown weight and height, Brazil

My grandmother started having recurrent episodes of pneumonia besides other symptoms: weakness, fevers (she doesn’t have a thermometer but says she feels hot and has to take meds for fever), she was extremely active (walking, going to events, places etc) and suddenly stopped going outside (not depression, she says she feels weak), she’s losing weight, constantly complaining of a flu-like illness. Every time I call her she says her throat is sore and that she feels sick. My mom said she will be taking her the hospital tomorrow and I asked her to get doctors test her for STIs including HIV. My mom thinks that’s a ridiculous idea but I was once promiscuous and I regularly went to a sex health clinic for rapid tests + PEP when needed and I listened to nurses and doctors stories: “you have no idea how many elderly people have it because they think it’s already gone or it’s a young people’s thing. Many of them are also embarrassed to tell how they caught it so they make up crazy stories like toilet seats”. Also, my grandmother is sane, capable of reading and in Brazil you can’t test someone for HIV if they don’t give written consent (their signature). So she may reject it. She’s also very Catholic and a moralist even though she had a very… loose… youth. I’m worried. What’s the best way we can talk to her? Actually, first of all, am I exaggerating?

76F, unknown weight and height, Brazil

My grandmother started having recurrent episodes of pneumonia besides other symptoms: weakness, fevers (she doesn’t have a thermometer but says she feels hot and has to take meds for fever), she was extremely active (walking, going to events, places etc) and suddenly stopped going outside (not depression, she says she feels weak), she’s losing weight, constantly complaining of a flu-like illness. Every time I call her she says her throat is sore and that she feels sick. My mom said she will be taking her the hospital tomorrow and I asked her to get doctors test her for STIs including HIV. My mom thinks that’s a ridiculous idea but I was once promiscuous and I regularly went to a sex health clinic for rapid tests + PEP when needed and I listened to nurses and doctors stories: “you have no idea how many elderly people have it because they think it’s already gone or it’s a young people’s thing. Many of them are also embarrassed to tell how they caught it so they make up crazy stories like toilet seats”. Also, my grandmother is sane, capable of reading and in Brazil you can’t test someone for HIV if they don’t give written consent (their signature). So she may reject it. She’s also very Catholic and a moralist even though she had a very… loose… youth. I’m worried. What’s the best way we can talk to her? Actually, first of all, am I exaggerating?

I live in a developing country and I trust no one. I don’t trust hygiene/sterilization protocols, I trust no nurse, no doctor, no dentist even though our own government affirms those aren’t HIV exposures.