Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Community Conversation => Transitioning => Hormone replacement therapy => Topic started by: GigiSoma on January 15, 2018, 09:48:15 AM

Title: Restarting Hrt
Post by: GigiSoma on January 15, 2018, 09:48:15 AM
Restarting HRT after 1 month of not taking any meds.
What can I expect?
Have I restarted my journey?
Title: Re: Restarting Hrt
Post by: Paige on January 15, 2018, 10:03:59 AM
Congrats on the restart.  Why did you stop?

Paige :)
Title: Re: Restarting Hrt
Post by: KathyLauren on January 15, 2018, 11:27:09 AM
Quote from: GigiSoma on January 15, 2018, 09:48:15 AM
Restarting HRT after 1 month of not taking any meds.
What can I expect?
Have I restarted my journey?
Hi, Gigi!

Welcome to Susan's.

You should check with your endo or prescribing doctor for details.  My guess is that you will just start again from where you left off.

Please feel free to stop by the Introductions forum (https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/board,8.0.html) to tell the members about yourself.  Here is some information that we like to share with new members:

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Title: Re: Restarting Hrt
Post by: Denise on January 15, 2018, 12:55:24 PM
Quote from: GigiSoma on January 15, 2018, 09:48:15 AM
Restarting HRT after 1 month of not taking any meds.
What can I expect?
Have I restarted my journey?

When I restarted, I gained clarity on my dysphoria.  I didn't realize the effects the first time around until I stopped and restarted.  I felt at peace after restarting.

Physically the changes continued as they would have had I not stopped.

Paige asks a good question and I'll go one more:  Why did you stop?  Why are you restarting?

The answers for me were: Social pressures. I didn't want to kill myself because of how angry I became.
Title: Re: Restarting Hrt
Post by: Doreen on January 15, 2018, 01:32:57 PM
Well.. I went over a decade with no HRT.. though I 'cheated' a little by producing some in the first place.  The only side effects I noticed was more cramps, bigger boobs, and not feeling so... 'thin' I call it, my collagen I can feel being rebuilt between the skin layers.  Its hard to describe exactly what I mean.

I agree, do it with a doc.. Basically I just found a FNP that'd deal with post menopausal gals & told him I needed HRT, and what I needed.  He said ok, and wrote the scripts. 

HRT isn't some mystical force, but it does have some gradual effects.  Most notably is that without hrt your bones can start crumbling... that's bad.  So if you don't produce enough (IE if you're post op), I do recommend sticking with it unless you have specific reasons not to.  Basically I didn't have the cash or insurance for many years, that's my excuse.

In your case, not wanting to kill yourself is a great reason to stay on HRT :)    Also probably a good reason to have a quality therapist to talk things over with.