Hi Qinz, I'm very happy for you! I was forced on HRT about 5 years ago, when I had a horrible vaginal bleed, and needed a D&C. The doc had me on lots of estrogen to keep from repeat bleeding. When I tried to come off it, my Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue got soooooo much worse, so back on I went. 2 years later I tried to come off my combi-patch, and the same thing happened. I gave it 2 months, and I kept getting sicker and sicker. I don't get hot flashes. I have, in the past few years, lost alot of faith in the medical community. Money is at the root of all the decisions made, and not the best thing for us......... So, now I'm rethinking this combipatch. But.....I'm not as lucky as you.........I appear to get sooooooo much sicker with the Fibromyalgia when I try to come off it. I truly believe that our bodies get "addicted" to extra hormones, and it becomes almost like going through detox to get off them. I will start to think about trying it again. Good luck to you!

I have been on oral HRT since my total hysterectomy and have done well. Several months ago I had a DVT in my leg and was advised to cease the oral HRT. I believe there were other factors that caused the clot but I did comply. I felt horrible. I talked to my gyn and compounding pharmacist and they decided on the bi-est progesterone cream as an alternative. I am on .5 mg. and 20 mg. progesterone. I just wonder if the .5 is strong enough because I was on 1.25 Triest oral medication. How can I be sure I am getting all the medicine when I have to rub it on my thigh????

Hi toobusy, I am just as confused as you are, and I'm feeling awful most of the time too......But I wanted to mention that, in my experience, it takes at least 2 months for a hormone adjustment to stabilize. I usually see some change (good or bad) at 2 weeks, then it takes me 2 months to really stabilize. I got into alot of trouble a few years ago because right after a hormone adjustment I would immediately get horrible headaches and other awful symptoms and then I would turn right around and make another change. At that time, I thought I was doing the right thing, but now I know I was just chasing my tail, and making life so much more difficult. So.....hang in there, and give each med at least 2 months, before making more changes. Good luck!

For everything you need to know, read Lane Lenard PhD. and Dr. Jonathan V. WrightÂs new book, Stay Young & Sexy with Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement; it slams Wyeth and the FDA for hypocrisy regarding stance on Premarin® and Provera®. Special attention should be given to the fact that the progestin component of the HRT, medroxyprogesterone acetate, which is branded under the name Provera, is NOT the same thing as bio-identical or natural progesterone, produced by a human body. The two are vastly different chemicals. Provera has an additional medroxy acetate chemical group added to the original progesterone molecule. This changed the activity of progesterone into something that is not natural and, as the WHI study showed, has caused numerous side effects. Prometrium, made by Solvay Pharmaceuticals, contains the hormone progesterone. It is structurally identical to the progesterone made naturally in the body. In fact, Prometrium is the only hormone replacement therapy medication with bio-identical progesterone that has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It is sold in caps. But the OTC hormone creams bypass the liver which is preferable