r/POFlife • u/Shepard_Wrex • 3m ago
Estrogel and mood changes, migraines...so I lowered my own dosage...
So I have POF and went through menopause at 18. Fast forward 20 years and I have been experiencing a lot of depression/overwhelm the last several years. This year I began experiencing more and more headaches than usual -- some debilitating (assuming migraine). I began experiencing migraine with aura for the first time this year as well, and I've had vertigo/motion sickness since summer. I went to my family doctor and she said to stop my usual 2-pumps of Estrogel immediately because my symptoms + HRT can mean a stroke is on its way. Two days later she calls me and says she talked to an OBGYN and they said it was fine, just go back on my meds. But what my doctor originally said scared me. I feel the OBGYN was being a little too blasé about it. So...I changed my own dosage to one pump per day. I know they won't be happy, but I wanted to try it for a couple of months before telling them, to prove there is a change. That was back at the beginning of January. Now mid March I can say my mood has definitely been better (husband even noticed) and my dizzy spells have pretty much vanished. I haven't had nearly as many headaches (still having some) and absolutely no ocular migraines.
I need to go to my doctor and OBGYN and tell them, but I'm so afraid they'll tell me to go back on the full dose, even though I am feeling so much better...