Well, my Endocrinologist is still working on justification to switch my medroxyprogesterone.  What a slow process!  They cut my estradiol in half and decided to move me to weekly injections.  How this is supposed to be a fix for my mood issues on Medroxyprogesterone is anyone's guess.  So far I have humored her for 2 weeks and still not seeing much of a difference.  I have another 3 weeks until my checkin.  Grrr....  Oh well.  I mean, I have been dealing with it for 10 weeks already, what's another 3.  At my last appointment they discussed trying to get me on antidepressantss for my issues with the Medroxyprogesterone.  I have been staving them off for a month, but seriously... How many more drugs do they want to put me on!?  It makes me wonder if I should just stop taking the medroxyprogesterone and just say to heck with it.

Thanks for the update, Harley. Funny, just yesterday I was wondering how you were faring with the addition. I think I'd be a little leery of antidepressants to combat the side effects of the medroxyprogesterone.

Have you seen any benefits at all from adding the progestin?

All the best,
--AshleyP

Prometrium FTW.
I kicked the medroxy to the curb a couple years ago and noticed an immediate change in my moods.

I have noticed a difference since beginning progestins, that is the only reason that I am still trying to muscle through the mood issues.  I am usually the first to stop taking pills... so I have been torn on just stopping.  They dont have the Prometrium on the formulary.  So they need special permission from the pharmasist to prescribe them.  My endocrinologist doesnt have the authority to change it, the only doctors that can are my primary care providers (OB/GYN).  So now I am caught in the catch 22, becuase Endo does my hormones.  My providers down the hall in the women's clinic dont have a say in my hormones... If my hormone care was with them, it would be quite possibly a different story.

Wow, bureaucracy.  Sorry Harley.  That sux.  That is a real catch 22 because I noticed changes from the progestins and am glad I took took/take them. 

I have yet to decide on the best course of action.  Stop taking them and not tell my doctor while still complaining like I was on them.  Stop taking them and just tell them I refuse to take them any longer.  Or continue to take them and complain about it every step of the way...  So far, they are going with the plecebo effect of just changing up all my other meds over and over again to see if I will stop complaining or that I just start coping with my moods.  Makes you want to scream!

Being moody is part of the HRT, but I remember the effect on my moods from medroxy and ..yeah...made me wanna scream at times, too.

Quote from: ainsley on February 14, 2017, 01:40:17 PM
Being moody is part of the HRT, but I remember the effect on my moods from medroxy and ..yeah...made me wanna scream at times, too.

What kind of benefits did you experience from the Prometrium?

All the best,
--AshleyP

My moods are not extreme.  I eat less voraciously.  No hot flashes.  Breast development.  As a matter of a fact, after I had been on the prometrium for a year I went in for my mammogram and the technician said "Ainsley, do you realize how much your breasts have grown?".  I, of course, had noticed the growth, but that was telling that she was looking at a comparison from the year before and that day.

Also, the prometium is a daily pill and the medroxy was an injection, so with the daily pill there is no drop off (which may account for less extremes in the mood swings, too)

Hi Harley,
Just curious what mood changes you had on the medroxyprogesterone and how long it took for the changes to show up.

My doctor just added a small daily dose of medroxyprogesterone at bedtime to my weekly estradiol injection.
She said one of the side effects could be mood changes. It's been two weeks now and I have not noticed any mood change. We added the medroxyprogesterone in an attempt to restart the breast growth and that does seem to be working. Breasts are tender and itchy again!
I decided to try this for 90 days and see how I feel, so I'm curious to know how long it took for the mood  changes to show up.

Quote from: Charley on February 14, 2017, 02:48:13 PM
My doctor just added a small daily dose of medroxyprogesterone at bedtime to my weekly estradiol injection.
She said one of the side effects could be mood changes. It's been two weeks now and I have not noticed any mood change. We added the medroxyprogesterone in an attempt to restart the breast growth and that does seem to be working. Breasts are tender and itchy again!
I decided to try this for 90 days and see how I feel, so I'm curious to know how long it took for the mood  changes to show up.

Charley Ann, I'm really interested in others' experiences with these two meds. I think my clinic favors medroxyprogesterone over progesterone. I say that because my initial script was rubber stamped with the cross sex hormones (including testosterone) with blank lines to fill in the dosage. Medroxyprogesterone was one of the lines. What I've gathered from others is that micronized progesterone seems to be favored over this progestin.

I've got the initial three month check up coming in just a few days, and I'm really wondering whether to ask about it, whether the timing is right, or not. Whether to give it a trial or to suggest progesterone instead.

How long have you been on estradiol before the doctor suggested the progestin? Any further input from others would also be appreciated.

All the best,
--AshleyP

Quote from: AshleyP on February 14, 2017, 06:01:59 PM
Charley Ann, I'm really interested in others' experiences with these two meds. I think my clinic favors medroxyprogesterone over progesterone. I say that because my initial script was rubber stamped with the cross sex hormones (including testosterone) with blank lines to fill in the dosage. Medroxyprogesterone was one of the lines. What I've gathered from others is that micronized progesterone seems to be favored over this progestin.

I've got the initial three month check up coming in just a few days, and I'm really wondering whether to ask about it, whether the timing is right, or not. Whether to give it a trial or to suggest progesterone instead.

How long have you been on estradiol before the doctor suggested the progestin? Any further input from others would also be appreciated.

All the best,
--AshleyP

I started my estradiol injections back up after SRS and the tenderness in my breasts never returned. I didn't feel like I was getting any more development so I asked if we could increase my dosage or add progesterone. The medroxyprogesterone is what she prescribed. I will talk with her about the micronized progesterone after the 90 day trial.

I was on estrogen pills for about a year and then injections for almost a year. The estradiol and medroxyprogesterone are the only things I'm on.

You'll know if you aren't going to do well on your moods in a couple weeks. Not everyone has the issue, but week and a half to 2 weeks.

Quote from: Harley Quinn on February 14, 2017, 12:50:38 PM
I have noticed a difference since beginning progestins, that is the only reason that I am still trying to muscle through the mood issues.  I am usually the first to stop taking pills... so I have been torn on just stopping.

Could you please elaborate on the upsides, if any?

All the best,
--AshleyP

Boobs, and skin texture. And living estrogen dominant for years will cause brittle bones... thus without testosterone you are in menopause. If women need estrogen and progesterone to maintain health what would make anyone else believe that we are different?

Quote from: Harley Quinn on February 15, 2017, 09:24:11 AM
Boobs, and skin texture. And living estrogen dominant for years will cause brittle bones... thus without testosterone you are in menopause. If women need estrogen and progesterone to maintain health what would make anyone else believe that we are different?

If you've seen improvement in those two areas in 10 weeks, I can understand trying to battle through it. Plus the long term benefit for the bones is important, too. As a fourth alternative, maybe finding out who the decision maker is and try approaching them directly. Maybe with a bat.

Again, thanks for your input.

All the best,
--AshleyP

Medroxyprogesterone acetate has been known to cause mood disturbances in some, sometimes quite severe, to the point of being very depressed and suicidal. It is also mildly androgenic (binds to androgenic receptors) but whether that effect is cancelled out by its reduction of testosterone may depend on the individual. Several studies have noted this progestin's negative effects on the vascular system and its tendency to reverse estrogen's positive effects on lipids (i.e. HDL). Some studies, among them, the very famous WHI (Women's Health Initiative, 2003), found an increase in breast cancer risk, in cardiovascular complications and even clotting incidences in those women taking medroxyprogesterone acetate versus those who weren't. For all these reasons, I wouldn't personally ever take it. I take Prometrium (bio-identical progesterone) instead. It can actually have a mood enhancing effect in some due to allopregnanolone, has not been associated with cardiovascular complications (can actually decrease blood pressure) nor with an increase in breast cancer risk. It is also not androgenic and has been shown NOT to elevate androgen levels. Of course, certain side-effects may still occur with it although the most common ones are quite mild like drowsiness, nausea, headaches, etc and severe side-effects seem quite rare. Progesterone has helped some transwomen with dry skin/hair and brittle nails. Also, with libido.

Bio-identical progesterone is quickly metabolized in the body (because it's bio-identical) compared to medroxyprogesterone acetate. Studies have shown levels of progesterone to fluctuate quite a bit within hours so that taking it twice or even thrice daily may sometimes help some get steadier levels.

Estrogen alone has shown in ciswomen and transwomen, in sufficiently high doses, not only to prevent bone loss but promote/increase bone mineral density, hence preventing brittle bones or osteoporosis.

I'm not an expert and I share this information just as knowledge that may be useful to you, for discussion with your health professionals.