Leg pain after starting HRT

[Carbon]

I've been on HRT one week and I've had this significant-but-bearable leg pain that comes and goes since I've started. I've noticed I've been dehydrated more easily and I don't know if that could be related.  The obvious reaction is "oh no the blood clots" but I don't have any of the symptoms of blood clots besides pain and the pain is not steady or increasing or even that extreme. Also, even though it's mainly one leg, sometimes the other leg hurts sometimes and I think it would be kind of weird if after starting I immediately got blood clots in both my legs at the same time.

I'm a little scared because I don't want to find out anything that could jeopardize my HRT but I also don't want to mess myself up and it's a little frustrating when I'm trying to focus on something and it's like "shut up leg." What do you all think I should do? And do you have any idea what this is about and if it's related to the HRT?

The doctor I get HRT from is in another town, I have an appointment for about three months from now. I still haven't come out to my primary care doctor- in fact I've only seen her once in my life and then missed my second appointment- so setting up an appointment and explaining stuff to her is something I'm working on. Hopefully she will be supportive and can give me advice if I need it. 

[sandrauk]

I doubt very much that it's HRT related. It'd be like expecting lung cancer a week after starting smoking.

I did suffer from some acute shooting pains in my leg 10 years ago which was not HRT related. The doc said it was my veins stretching and it stopped eventually but I was left with varicose veins, sadly. The doc said it wasn't worth treating as I was male 

See your doc anyway if it's worrying you

[Carbon]

I doubt very much that it's HRT related. It'd be like expecting lung cancer a week after starting smoking.

That's kind of what I thought but at the same time it's a relief to hear that. I really don't want something to go wrong. I know it could be something totally unrelated that just happened to happen at the same time though.

I'm not actually that worried about it in itself, so I don't mind waiting it out a few weeks to see if it goes away or gets worse or what.

[big kim]

Get a check up ASAP, I thought I was having a DVT but it was celulitis

[twit]

If you are on spiro, you need to drink plenty of water and you may have occasional cravings for salty food as well. Also, excessive potassium is something you would have to avoid as well.

[Carbon]

If you are on spiro, you need to drink plenty of water and you may have occasional cravings for salty food as well. Also, excessive potassium is something you would have to avoid as well.

I'm trying to but I feel like I need more than twice as much water before. :/  I guess I wasn't really drinking enough before this either though so this is just making it more obvious.

[luna nyan]

Your body will adapt to the spiro over time and you won't need as much water later.  In the meantime, it sucks, but you're going to be drinking a lot of water and going often.  I didn't get the leg cramping, but I certainly got thirsty for the first few weeks.

[Shantel]

I had horrendous charlie horses initially, occasional calf and groin cramps until my body got used to HRT. Some of it has to do with muscle atrophy caused by feminizing hormones. If you drink it's best to cut way down to almost nothing and keep coffee intake down. Both are diuretics as is Spironolactone, so you need to drink plenty of water during the day and cut out potassium heavy foods, banana's etc. Spironolactone builds up the potassium levels in your system and additional potassium intake can bring about potassium poisoning.

[Just Kate]

I did get a DVT while on estrogen and subsequently several Pulmonary Emboli and was hospitalized for a week.  I'd get it checked out just to be sure.  You don't necessarily need to tell them you are taking estrogen, just have them do a sonogram to check for sure.

BTW, the DVT barely hurt, but I had redness in the area and thought to get it checked.  Not a moment too soon either.

[big kim]

I'm on diuretics for my celulitis Been taking Premarin for 22 years now, the only problem is that I put a lot of weight on. I was sent to hospital by my Doctor as a precaution to have a scan for DVT a few weeks ago

[sandrauk]

I'm on diuretics for my celulitis Been taking Premarin for 22 years now, the only problem is that I put a lot of weight on. I was sent to hospital by my Doctor as a precaution to have a scan for DVT a few weeks ago

Have you asked about switching to another estrogen? Premarin seems to have a pretty bad press.

[Carbon]

Have you asked about switching to another estrogen? Premarin seems to have a pretty bad press.

Agreed, premarin is basically never prescribed as a first choice medication, estradiol is it for most people and then there are some other choices to try after that. Estradiol is basically the same thing that is present in the body already so you're just increasing the uantity while premarin... pregnant mare urine, made from the urine of the female horse.

[Carbon]

Thanks to everyone who posted. I feel better now that I know that there are a few different reasons that I could be having pain in my legs and most of them are not a big deal. THE interalia, the thing is I haven't had any symptoms like redness etc. Probably what I will do is keep trying to work out a doctor's appointment so I can come out to my doctor, explain about HRT, and make sure she isn't like an undercover bigot, and then if the leg pain is still causing me problems I can mention it to her and ask what she thinks.

In the mean time I will keep trying to drink a lot of water. I usually take a multivitamin: what do you all do about that? I sometimes go a while without eating any animal products (I'm a vegetarian who's not big on milk or eggs so if I don't buy cheese...) so it's kind of important for me to be taking something and I don't trust myself to keep track of all the vitamins and stuff anyway.