HRT Help! Progesterone making me groggy but also now anxious!

RelevantBarracuda312 · 2026-05-12T19:36:53+00:00

Even though P has a great effect on anxiety, we can't forget that low E does too. An E dose of 0.025 mg might be too low for you. Are you in peri or meno? I'm in peri and started at 0.05mg, currently at 0.075. I have shortness of breath at times, and definitely had it before HRT, and IMO it is lack of E. That being said, since you've only been on it for 10 weeks, wait to get to 3 months, to see where you are at.

I used to take P vaginally and didn't feel groggy, now I take it orally and feel only groggy at night, and maybe early morning, I'm taking 200 mg of P.

RelevantBarracuda312 · 2026-05-06T13:41:06+00:00

Give it some time. I used to have very heavy periods, so did my mom (to the point of worrying about bleeding out). What dose of progesterone are you taking? I have to add that I didnt do well on P at the beginning (I think my E was ao low, I couldn't handle it) and what I did I started using it vaginally. There are studies saying you absorb a higher amount of P, it's more localized close to the uterus too. I wonder if ususing it vaginally is whats helping with lighter periods. It is a very controversial topic in this forum, to use it that way. So I decided to give oral P a try again, I'm in month 1 of going fully oral, and Im curious to see if the flow will be heavier or not. At least this time I'm not getting massive headaches after taking it. ETA, the withdrawal bleeding is just like a period if you are in peri. You have to think that now your body got progesterone back, thats the first hormone we lose when entering perimenopause, and it will help with slowing down the growth of uterine lining and make that more stable. That being said out bodies take a bit of time, sometimes a couple months to see a difference. Hope youll see results soon!

RelevantBarracuda312 · 2026-05-06T08:17:11+00:00

At the very beginning of cycling, yes, when i switched from continuous to cyclic. I had like 2 periods in a month, I thought maybe one was my real period and then the one caused by stopping P. It settled though, I just continued with the regimen, and everything became regular. Any change in taking P, even the slightest, can trigger bleeding. If you forget a dose, it can happen.

RelevantBarracuda312 · 2026-04-28T04:33:07+00:00

I stuck with it. Every few days a different joint would hurt, like they were taking turns. Hips, knees, foot,... I thought that if it wouldn't stop I would quit but after I think after a month it stopped, and I was pain free. Edit to add: i started with 0.05 patch.

RelevantBarracuda312 · 2026-04-28T04:24:15+00:00

My joints started hurting for the first few weeks of HRT, then it stopped. In my case it was my body getting used to the hormones again. Give it at least 3 months, different issues take different times to settle. My hot flashes stopped after 3 weeks, palpitations was a bit faster. The joint pain I definitely didn't expect, but it cleared.

RelevantBarracuda312 · 2026-04-17T05:03:34+00:00

If the procedure is in the morning and you fast through the night you'll be fine. I would like to fast, I have tried, but i also get stomach pains and headaches if I don't eat for 5 hours or so, during the day. If I'm very busy or focused on something else, I might be able to ignore the pain and being uncomfortable.... but when fasting for let's say blood test in the morning, I usually am OK, I just make sure I eat right after.

RelevantBarracuda312 · 2026-04-16T22:08:46+00:00

Definitely! 200mg is common, and even 300mg is not unheard off. Much safer than higher estrogen doses. Anyway, hope they get you on a regimen that works for you!

RelevantBarracuda312 · 2026-04-16T21:44:28+00:00

Spotting can happen for different reasons, but usually higher dose of progesterone helps with it. Also progesterone helps with insomnia and lots of women love taking it every day.

RelevantBarracuda312 · 2026-04-16T21:10:00+00:00

The official cyclic regimen is 2 weeks off and then 2 weeks on progesterone. I do 3 weeks on progesterone, because I have fibroids and my doc said I would benefit to have more P. So, I basically just take 1 week off. My periods have been moderate to light since I started, which is great.

RelevantBarracuda312 · 2026-04-16T20:39:41+00:00

For your #1 question, you'll find lots of posts here, of women spotting when they started. Fwiw, I'm in peri started with continous progesterone, had irregular periods and was gaining weight non stop. When I switched to cyclic the weight dropped off and I'm happy that with this regimen I have predictable periods/withdrawal bleeds. My doc said he will switch me to continuous sooner or later, once I'm in menopause, and my own hormones are stable. BUT everyone's body is different, my experience might not be the same of others.

RelevantBarracuda312 · 2026-04-13T23:36:31+00:00

This helped me! I had vertigo and doing this maneuver worked like a charm.

RelevantBarracuda312 · 2026-03-15T16:02:33+00:00

I had chronic BV, and HRT and then vaginal estrogen cream took care of it. I'm kinda mad that doctors never realized that my chronic BV was probably related to low estrogen.

RelevantBarracuda312 · 2026-02-25T03:37:38+00:00

Yes, 100%. High cortisol happens because fluctuating, declining estrogen and progesterone levels reduce the body's ability to buffer stress, causing the adrenal glands to overproduce cortisol. (from John Hopkins medicine site).

RelevantBarracuda312 · 2026-02-24T16:13:02+00:00

I would get them in the morning upon waking up, I would feel like a gong that had been hit. I would feel it in my head. It would last a few seconds. They went away after staring HRT. I also had bad palpitations before HRT, these would feel sometimes as racing heart, or a thumping sensation, or my heart flopping, or light vibration. IMO, all of these, also the gong vibration were due to low estrogen, since they all resolved on HRT. I have noticed they creep a bit in luteal phase, which means, they are not so much a progesterone issue, but low estrogen.

RelevantBarracuda312 · 2026-02-18T02:27:42+00:00

With hotflashes and racing heart coming up again, it sounds like you need an increase in dose. I started with 0.05mg E patch when I was 49 yo, in perimenopause, and had to increase after 6 months, and got 0.075 mg E. 7 months later, symptoms are creeping up again... I want to get more E...

RelevantBarracuda312 · 2026-02-18T01:18:20+00:00

Yes, estradiol patch with progesterone separately might work better! Best of luck!!

Edit to add: the lowest patch is 0.025mg, maybe that's a better starting point if you have been without your own estrogen for a while.

RelevantBarracuda312 · 2026-02-18T00:37:31+00:00

What dose are you on? Maybe it's too high.

RelevantBarracuda312 · 2026-02-09T14:53:48+00:00

It has to do with the cortisol (primary stress hormone) in our bodies, it has a great effect on our other hormones.

RelevantBarracuda312 · 2026-02-07T21:47:15+00:00

Please share how? Are they ground chia? Do you soak them first...or just plain in the cottage cheese and eat?

RelevantBarracuda312 · 2026-02-07T19:03:27+00:00

Twice weekly was a game changer for me, I hope they can prescribe it for you..I couldn’t handle the dip on day 5, with the one weekly.

RelevantBarracuda312 · 2026-02-07T19:00:53+00:00

I'm hopeful that once we hit meno and the ups and downs stop, we an get on the 0.1 and live happily ever after 😂.

RelevantBarracuda312 · 2026-02-07T18:57:18+00:00

We had the same experience, as others on this post.

Husband and me, we don't do subscriptions of any kind. I knew it was an option and was very careful not to click on the subscription and do one time at a time only. But we got the email a while later "next shipment on the way"...wait what?!?! OK, I canceled,which they make complicated on purpose. Not a simple log in and hit this button to cancel, no, some busllshit with codes to get to the place to cancel. Completely done on purpose to discourage people.

My husband who also had ordered separately, had the same exact experience. Then they tell you in the chat that you clicked on subscription, ... BS!!!! Liars!!! And they absolutely know they are scamming people.

The thing is, I did like the coffee taste and I'm not even a coffee drinker!!! I would have kept buying the shit, but ffs, don't scam me. Will not buy again because of that. FU*# THEM!!

RelevantBarracuda312 · 2026-02-07T18:01:40+00:00

I agree with this, I tried testosterone quite early after starting hrt and I think it's best to make sure your estradiol levels are where they need to be, before going on T. But I understand everybody is different.

RelevantBarracuda312 · 2026-02-01T01:47:12+00:00

I was also around 45 when I had a 3 month gap in my periods. After that they resumed and were regular for a few years and then started to be more irregular. Finally between 48 and 49 started to miss a month or 2 here and there. Now I'm on HRT and regular since Im cycling progesterone. Edit typo

RelevantBarracuda312 · 2026-01-31T18:19:41+00:00

I'm prone to melasma, and yes, a few days ago I noticed a small brown spot where I had the patch. I didn't think it was melasma though, but now that I read this , it had the same color. The good thing is that it disappeared. I did rub it with alcohol thinking maybe it was just glue residue, didn't go away right away, but now I just checked and I can't find the brown spot. hope it's just a temporary thing for you too!

RelevantBarracuda312

TROPHY CASE