For the record I have no moral or philosophical bias either for or against any coping mechanisms - if they work. Some have worked for me, others haven't. Each person has a different physical makeup so no one method can or will work for
everyone. Having said that I will confess to one personal bias : I deeply resent the way the multinational pharmaceuticals companies have made a fortune at the expense of women. Here, in Australia, we simply don't get the full range of hormone replacement treatments because we are too small a market to justify the expense of getting all those drugs approved. This has meant that Australian women are forced into even tighter medical stereotypes than women in other countries.
In terms of HRT we have two dosages : 4mg and 2mg. I guess that equates to "big women" and "little women". Or is it "women with very bad symptoms" and "women with milder symptoms" ? In either case we are expected to make do with 2 sizes fit all. Obviously, if HRT were a dress instead of a pill we'd all see how impossible that is...right?
As a "little woman" I was put on the 2mg dosage. It certainly stopped the hot flushes but it was only 6 months later that I worked out it was still way too much...for
me. By the way, HRT refers to an oestrogen/progesterone therapy. Oestrogen on its own is called ERT. So, having worked out that I was getting too much oestrogen and that this was making me incredibly tired [to the point of being almost incapable of getting through a day without a long sleep like a toddler and not having any energy to do more than the absolute necessities] I went searching for alternative brands. All of them had much the same effect. Finally in desperation I asked a female pharmacist how I could get a lower dose HRT. Her reply floored me.
She said "you could always cut them in half".
So simple, so obvious.............so hidden.
Since then I have gone through an interesting process of experimenting on myself - to see exactly how much HRT I really needed to control the worst of the symptoms without giving me other, equally debilitating ones.
My results? For a number of months I stayed on 1/2 a tablet per day [effectively 1mg]. I felt better generally. Then, when the results of the HRT trial highlighted the dangers I cut the dosage down to 1/4 tablet per day [effectively 1/2mg]. This dosage is the absolute minimum I can take
at the moment.
The point that needs to be made very strongly here is that I still haven't reached the end of menopause
so my dosage will have to go down still further as my body continues to adjust. I believe that I am not unique amongst women. I believe that we are all taking inappropriate dosages because it suits big business. That sounds like someone suffering from conspiracy theory syndrome. Maybe. But the proof is as close as a chopping board, a sharp knife and one of those little pill organizer boxes.
If you are on HRT and you feel great then don't worry. However, if you are on HRT, you don't feel great but are scared of feeling like you did before or, given what we now know, are worried about the long term effects on your health, then my advice is to try for yourself. If you do try lowering your dosage then there are two things you MUST do :
Reduce the dose GRADUALLY. For example, if you are on a 2mg dose try cutting down to 3/4 of a tablet first and see how that makes you feel.
Give each change of dose enough TIME. HRT is not like a headache pill. It doesn't wear off after 4 hours. Each dosage change should be given at least 3 months. Remember! HRT is supposed to even out your existing hormone swings not add to them. Swapping and changing doses all over the place will make you feel worse, not better.
Taking control of the dosage has worked for me. I feel better all round - not fabulous, just better - and I feel safer too.
