HRT and insomnia...help!

[Flo]

Hi all, good to "see" everyone again.

Was wondering if anyone experienced any insomnia going through HRT or if there is even any correlation between the two?

Been on estrogel for 13 months now and for the last 3 - 4 months have a terrible case of insomnia.  Getting one to three hours of sleep a night and it's driving me insane.

Read that menopausal women suffer from this on occassion, so thought maybe that was it?

Endo put me on Elavil, no help yet.

May be depression induced?
Thanks for any response or ideas!

Flo

[kimberrrly]

I have heard that too little estrogen can cause this...
You should try and talk to your endo about it... and see if something can be done about it.

[sylvie]

I can't comment on the sleeplessness.  I was like that before starting HRT.  But one word of caution for you.  DO NOT take ANY aspirin while on elavil.  My mother was on elavil when I was 11.  When she had any pain she would take aspirin.  The two mixed together will create a poison.  I lost my mother to it at that time.  Please be careful.

[girl_ashley]

No insomnia here, though I am only 7 weeks on HRT.  Could very well be depression related instead of the hormones.

[Dana Lane]

are you getting night sweats and/or cold flashes at night?

[shanetastic]

only time I have insomnia is when the brain is thinking too much at night :p

So dunno what is causing it for certain

[Naturally Blonde]

Hi all, good to "see" everyone again.

Was wondering if anyone experienced any insomnia going through HRT or if there is even any correlation between the two?

Been on estrogel for 13 months now and for the last 3 - 4 months have a terrible case of insomnia.  Getting one to three hours of sleep a night and it's driving me insane.

Read that menopausal women suffer from this on occassion, so thought maybe that was it?

Endo put me on Elavil, no help yet.

May be depression induced?
Thanks for any response or ideas!

Flo

I actually find the complete opposite! since being on HRT I always felt more tired at night and sleep better than I did pre-HRT.

[Flo]

Thanks for all the replies...and kind thoughts.

Think I'm going to plan a trip to Mayo or someplace as I continue to have medical problems here in Canada and can't tell symptoms from the cause I guess. 

Think my insomnia may be caused by depression as I have really been down lately, mainly due to my health conditions...

Catch 22 situation, but oh well...

Thanks Again,

Flo

[Nigella]

I have heard that too little estrogen can cause this...
You should try and talk to your endo about it... and see if something can be done about it.

I never had a good nights sleep for decades, really. It was only when I had been given oestrogen did I have a good night sleep. I sleep usually 7/8 hrs a night now. So I guess that's what my brain/body was missing. Makes kind of sense if we have female brains. I can't believe what a difference it has made. So going back to the question, yea, you may have to little. You need to be mid/high range in your oestrogen levels.

Stardust

[Naturally Blonde]

I never had a good nights sleep for decades, really. It was only when I had been given oestrogen did I have a good night sleep. I sleep usually 7/8 hrs a night now. So I guess that's what my brain/body was missing. Makes kind of sense if we have female brains. I can't believe what a difference it has made. So going back to the question, yea, you may have to little. You need to be mid/high range in your oestrogen levels.

Stardust

I'm the same as you Stardust. I sleep better these days than I ever did pre - HRT.

[kimberrrly]

I have suffered from insomnia a while, it was because my T was supressed too much...
I did have estrogen, but undetectable T levels...I still have undetectable T but when
I took half the dose of the T blocker, after a week I slept well again...

[Christy Edwards]

Not really prob's with sleeping..Of course I take a sleep aid too. But Dana u mentioned night sweats, I do get those once and a while.....

[Madison (kiara jamie)]

are you on a cycle of progesterone? i have heard that if you don't have a cyclic progesterone in your regimen that it can have an effect on your estrogen stability, maybe something to talk with your endo about, that is if they don't understand that progesterone is more for mental stability than actual physical affects on your body

[regan]

I can't comment on the sleeplessness.  I was like that before starting HRT.  But one word of caution for you.  DO NOT take ANY aspirin while on elavil.  My mother was on elavil when I was 11.  When she had any pain she would take aspirin.  The two mixed together will create a poison.  I lost my mother to it at that time.  Please be careful.

Elavil combined with Asprin will increase the risk of bleeding.  I'm not sure what else you mean by creating "a poison".  Asprin should be used with caution, in fact if you're taking low dose (<325 mg), you should probably continue due to the possible cardiac effects of Elavil.

http://www.webmd.com/drugs/drug-1807-Elavil+Oral.aspx?drugid=1807&drugname=Elavil+Oral

[cynthialee]

I have had the exact opposite reaction. I was insomniac for 20+ years. Then I started HRT and within a week I was sleeping nightly.

I hope that you can fix this.

(just thought I would bring it up cause obviously HRT can effect our sleeping paterns.)