r/HormoneFreeMenopause

I started having uncontrollable anxiety, always smelling smoke, itchy skin, tinnitus, so I went on HRT for a year. I suddenly started having adrenaline rushes around 4am in April which then panicked me more and turned into all day attacks for the last 4 months. I stopped HRT and had full bloodwork done after being in the ER three times and told I’m fine it’s nocturnal panic attacks and panic disorder.
They say everything is fine but my body doesn’t feel fine. I can’t fall asleep then when I manage to I wake up every couple hours in a panic. I saw a functional doctor who had me do the Dutch test. High cortisol clearance, so my body is clearing crazy amounts of cortisol and not retaining it for any of the benefits , and messed up circadian rhythm. Also almost no progesterone and lower end estrogen, low testosterone.

I had to see a psychiatrist who gave me gabapentin as I don’t tolerate anything that affects serotonin. I hate it. It does help me sleep but it only lasts about 5 hours and then you can definitely feel that you need another dose.

I’m on collagen, taurine, magnesium glycinate, ltheanine. I also have glycine, passionflower, ashwaghanda, chamomile, and lemon balm, and probably some other things! I hate rotating through them all!

I’m tired of having cortisol jerk me from any sleep I’m getting into a full panic that lasts almost all day with the little jolts of adrenaline in my chest and internal vibrating.
I never felt completely ok on HRT either. I was sleeping good in the beginning but that stopped and I was having a lot of bloating and aches and then the anxiety started getting bad especially in physical sensations.

I’m only 43 and my bloodwork shows my fsh is still what it should be for someone who is ovulating and fertile.
I feel like stopping it all again and trying my baseline. I also don’t want to be stuck on gabapentin but I feel like what are my other options? How do you know when to stop HRT and just let our bodies do what they are going to do?

Other perimenopause and menopause subreddits are quite aggressive if I mention herbs. I had to leave the group. I can’t seem to find subreddits where natural approaches are discussed. If someone can help me, I would appreciate it!

So I have tried this multiple times and after I am on it for a while (4-5 weeks), my chest size increases, bra gets tight, I get headaches and my sleep starts to get terrible. This just happened to me a 3rd time as I've trialed it over the course of 2 years. The Estrace cream was even worse for me, Vagifem is a lower dose and I still have issues. Just frustrated as it does help with GSM and urinary frequency. About to throw in the towel and check out Revaree/hyularonic acid inserts, I think. Seems to be a common thing (sleeping worse) as I've researched it). Anyone else?

Hello everyone! This is the spot to rant/vent, ask a question, share something that's been helpful to you, or bring up off-topic things.

How are you feeling? How has your week been? What interesting things would you like to discuss?

Welcome to any new members! 👋 We are glad you're here. Feel free to introduce yourself.

Let's chat!

With the loss of estrogen comes many skin changes. I’ve dealt with the itching and thinness, but now I’m dealing with the crepey skin. It is all over. On my arms, legs, etc. What is everyone doing for this wonderful symptom?

From another menopause board here, thank you! I am here!!! We can hopefully speak freely about how HRT doesn’t work for everyone.

I had breast cancer so can’t use HRT.

I also have a weird condition that basically makes my sacral nerves oversensitive and creates a false sense of bladder urgency. (It’s not IC. It’s definitely related to nervous system issues.)

I went on Lynkuet a few months ago for terrible hot flashes after I stopped tamoxifen (because it was giving me chronic yeast infections).

It worked! Yay. But a few weeks later I went into a bad bladder flare—and it’s lasted two months at this point and I had a nerve block which has worked in the past and didn’t. It’s been years since I had a flare last this long & I even just started lexapro I’m so depressed. This takes over my life. It affects me more than the cancer.

I randomly realized yesterday that I had started the Lynkuet a few weeks before my flare started. I didn’t understand how it worked but it does seem to affect sacral nerves and was initially developed to try and combat OAB but it didn’t work.

I’ve decided to go off of it for a few weeks because I’m desperate. I just wondered if anyone else on Lynkuet or Vezoah had developed or had worsened bladder or pelvic pain/sensitivity issues?

Has anyone addressed low ferritin and felt a lot better?

I used the Gynatrof following the instructions and lately I feel burning and inside burning penetration, it feels very uncomfortable and very different, maybe dry, never had that feeling before.

Wondering if anyone else has had negative effects with Gynatrof. All the reviews on here are so positive.

I’m 80 days since my last period.(54yrs).I know im having a spike. Im getting migraines, my boobs are killing me, im having sex dreams. This is going on 3 weeks. It’s something new every day and I am sick of it!!

How long will this last? Am i going to get another period?

Good evening, I'm a husband of a breast cancer patient who is not a Reddit user. I have commented here and posted on the Wednesday open-format, this is my first ask for help/advice... Well, ours as we are VERY MUCH a team-lift in this journey.

She is off of AI meds (Cancer was ER/PR positive) as of last November, has used Hyaluronic acid/Vitamin E compounded in a cream until early this year when she switched to Revaree Plus twice (up to three times) a week. We are (carefully) sexually active. So that's the current treatment.

In June she got a UTI and we quickly got ahold of it with antibiotics. It seemingly came back but a urinalysis came back negative, while waiting on the results she was prescribed a different antibiotic which the doctor had her stop upon negative results. we are not 100% confident with those results for the record.

Two weeks ago she fell VERY ill and we headed for urgent care again, dip came back hot, the lab sample was a bad catch. She was placed on a rather strong antibiotic and given the kidney pain and overall malaise, fever, etc we are nearly certain that it reached the kidneys. Of course a regimen of antibiotics that strong caused nausea, gut issues, etc. She has also had some dizzy spells, the fever was gone at or just before the second dose of antibiotics which is now over after 10 days. Last dose was Friday night and she's certainly feeling better today. Even mowed the land and got in the pool for a bit. So, that's a good sign.

In retrospect, we should have gone to the ER where they may have done a blood culture also.

Needless to say we were/are both terrified, as in we both had go-bags on the ready.

So, we need to find a preventative plan here and our thoughts are as follows.

1. Start mild, cranberry supplements, perhaps D-Mannose, and actively increasing water intake.

2. Her PCP mentioned three things two of which are in this part. A long term antibiotic taken daily or a post-coital antibiotic taken after sexual activity. We are both leaning to the second option because, let's face it, we are not and never will be daily couple again (think 3-4 times a month.) In our eyes this reduces the chances of resistance due to long-term daily use and it seems to make the most sense to us. We have friends that did post-coital antibiotics with no ill-effects.

3. Vaginal estrogen, ugh. Cancer sucks and we are nearly 100% convinced that the HRT that she was on before diagnosis may not have CAUSED the cancer but it certainly fed it. Yes, there are studies that show that there is little correlation to topical estrogen and systemic estrogen and we both understand how this can solve a lot of problems with one fell-swoop. But we are both pretty scared of this, her PCP understands but made the suggestion. We see it as a last-ditch effort. But, we have discussed how it would make more sense to have a dissolveable insert over a cream, etc. We had a thyroid kitty and did the trans-dermal ear medicine and she got to hear over and over how much I hated it as we never knew how much was actually hitting her system. I see a cream the same, small dosing variances, how and where it is applied, etc. In our situation we kind-of feel a solid pre-measured "device"t hat is easy to consistently place may be the best option if that comes to being a need.

So, that's the story, and I understand that we may be overreacting but we have heard horror stories of urosepsis. (The go-bags are still packed, mine always is because my parents can be frequent flyers of the ER and never at a sane hour)

Does the above outlined plan seem like a good strategy? Should we skip to a more aggressive treatment like straight to point 2? Has anyone else had this scare and what has worked for you? We are all ears!

Thank you! You all are the best!

I'm recently off HRT after a cancer diagnosis, in surgical menopause, and severe hot flashes have returned. My menopause specialist prescribed me Lynkuet and I'm on day 2 of trying it. I'm taking half the dose, 1 pill, just to see if I tolerate it before dosing up. So far, even a half dose has been effective in shortening the duration of most hot flashes, but I'm not loving the side effects so I'm hesitant to try it full strength:

- In the morning I feel weak, shaky, groggy, a little dizzy, and foggy brained for a few hours

- All day I feel a little sleepy and lethargic

- It's increased my acid reflux

If side effects stay at this level it will be very difficult to return to work in a few weeks.

TL;DR: I'm wondering if anyone who has been on Lynkuet can tell me:

- If you had side effects like mine, how long until they went away?

- If they never went away, how long before you threw in the towel and tried something else?

- If Lynkuet didn't work for you, what did you try next?

(edited for typos: brain fog!)

Our community hit 5,000 weekly visits!

Thank you to everyone who shares their knowledge, asks questions, and supports fellow members every day. You have helped this community grow and become a vital resource for women seeking hormone-free options to manage their menopause.

As our community increases in size, we want to ensure our space remains safe, helpful, supportive, and protected for the long term. To keep us aligned with platform-wide guidelines, we are making some small updates regarding discussions and references to outside spaces:

New Rule Added!

Sharing your experience of being dismissed or unheard in other spaces is allowed, however, moving forward we ask everyone to keep posts and comments focused on personal experiences and information without naming or indirectly pointing to other subreddits, groups, or individual moderators.

New Post Flair Added!

We know that navigating this stage of life can be emotionally exhausting. We’ve added a "Support / Venting" post flair so members have a clear, safe space to express frustrations and share their emotional experiences, whether it's from medical gaslighting or feeling unsupported in other online spaces.

We know how difficult it can be to find solutions, support, and understanding. We are committed to ensuring this remains a safe space for everyone who wants or needs a hormone free community. Again, thank you all for helping this much-needed resource grow!

I’m in an extremely stressful time of my life - I normally can manage my stress, but it’s affecting my sleep and my normal sleep routine isn’t cutting it. Any recommendations for pharmaceutical sleeping pills or something to help with my stress? I don’t have the funds to go to many doctors. I am an (amateur) herbalist, so I’m familiar with all the herbal remedies. I’m needing to bring in the big guns for this season, until it starts to lighten up. I don’t like melatonin - no matter the dose, it makes me groggy. I already take l-theanine at night and it helps somewhat.

EDIT: Thank you all for the suggestions!

I've been going to pelvic floor therapy for 8 weeks now, with no noticeable improvement in constipation or bladder leakage. At my appointment today my physical therapist told me there really isn't anything else she can do for me.

I've been on vaginal estrogen for three months now, but that hasn't helped, either. I'm just feeling really discouraged and disappointed.

I’m sure I’m not alone when saying that our health seems to go downhill after we hit 40. I am 43 now but not long after turning 40 everything seemed to hit all at once . Last fall I broke out in shingles for the first time ever . Starting to google my symptoms and got myself to the ER to be treated . When the doc in ER told me Shingles I was like what? Why ? How ?
We as women can get it super quick too , root cause stress ! And let me tell ya , I’m under a lot of stress on the daily and it’s not easy to control . If not stress it can be an underlying medical condition or old age . So which one is it going to be right ?

Fast forward a week to have my follow up with my family doc . Bam high blood pressure and chronic nerve pain as a result of the shingles . Suggested bloodwork and a physical .

Bloodwork comes back with signs of high cholesterol and high sodium levels and he suspected diabetes but too soon to tell. No problem here’s some meds till we can get the repeat bloodwork in 3 months .

Goes for pap , and results come back that I needed to have a polyp removed from my cervix . Great , cause there’s gonna be a long wait just to get in to see a gyno doc. What if it’s cancerous ? So many thoughts going through my head at that point . Two weeks later I got the phone call with an appointment to have it removed . More thoughts going through my head now , why did they get me in so quickly ? Is there something g wrong ? Am I dying ? Polyp removed , results come back , normal , no cancer . So what else could it be ?

Fast forward to January of this year , the 3 month bloodwork again , this time the doctor was concerned cause it came back all out of sorts . He calls me in to the doctors office to discuss the results . Diabetes type 2 out of nowhere . I can’t handle much more of this .

Daily brain fog , mood swings , hot flashes , irregular heavy periods out of nowhere . I questioned perimenopause and he looked at me and said nope you are not old enough for that ! High blood pressure , cholesterol , diabetes and postherpetic neuralgia just didn’t seem to be enough for me .

I’m going back to see him next week because something just ain’t right . I need some sort of relief from the periods , the pain , the hot flashes , mood swings . I can’t handle it . I feel sorry for my husband , and my young adult sons . My job on the other hand , they can kiss my ass because it’s a fact of life .

Do I ask for birth control to regulate ? Do I ask for HRT? Do I request another exam to prove the thinning of the skin and constant itchiness and dryness ? Do I just get some vaginal moisturizer to help with the pain ? At this point I’m willing to try anything and everything .

Thanks for listening

Ok. So I use a vibrator that I really like. But there is a new one by a manufacturer that claims vibration can damage “already thin tissue” and other sex toys for menopausal women based on suction rather than vibration are better for us. Does anyone know if there’s any truth to this? At the risk of sounding like an ad or bot I am not naming the brand/product because I figure it’s easy enough to look up anyway. I’m leery of products being endorsed for menopause as a gimmick like a gluten free label on a tomato when everyone went gluten free. TIA.