Is it normal to feel this way after starting DHEA 5mg and Progesterone cream?

[Tricia5231]

Hello,
I am 44.  I had a complete hysterectomy ...ovaries, uterus, and cervix is all gone on Dec 1st 2015.  I had a terrible case of endometriosis since I was 16. I had 7 large functional cysts which caused major problems.  Since then I started Vivelle dot patch and had terrible migraines, then they switched me to estrodial patch and I thought I was having a heart attack.  Then the Dr wanted to put me on premarin but I decided to not to that because that is estrogen and I didn't want any more problems with my Endomet. that is left on my colon and small intestines.  So I researched for hours and hours and there is no clear answer.  A friend recommended Bio-identical hormones.  I did the saliva test, and results came back that I am estrogen dominant and dhea and prog. and test very low.  So they pharmacist started me on 5 mg of dhea and also a progest. cream.  I was good for 4 days and thought I found the cure.  Until just last Wed all the way until today...that is 6 days....I started with severe cramps, pain in lower back, almost as if I was getting my menstrual cycle.  Then came the Diarrhea and I am not talking one time....it last from 8:00am-12:00 and then again after dinner and then from 2:00-7:00  in the morning.  It keeps me up and I am almost in tears.  I researched again and some say Progesterone cream changed their life for the best and others say stay away!  I also called the Compounding Pharmacy and I was informed that I probably have a bug.  How is that possible when I feel find though the day, have no fever, am able to eat (brat diet due to the Diar) They insisted that I have some other infection.  I feel that this is from the DHEA Or Prog cream.  any thoughts on this.  And if it is ....where do I go from here? When I was not on hormones I was moody, tired, and lots of joint pain.  Also tons of memory fog and just not myself.  Please someone tell me where to go from here.  I want to feel normal again as I am a vivacious girl with three little kids and a wonderful husband.  Thanks so much .  If I stay on the Prog cream will my body adjust.  I am so tired and feel frustrated especially since there is No solid answer.  

[Dee1956]

Amoira, thank you for your information. I am looking for help. I had urinary problem so my doctor gave me Vagifem samples.  It worked well so I went to get prescription. Well I could not afford $100 a month so instead just used the lowest dose patch of Estrodial I could.

I just saw a new doctor, she was horrified I was on any kind of estrogen.  She said it was dangerous and told me I needed something else.

So, back to something else, I searched for Vagifem and found that there is now a generic.  I am thrilled.

Oh, I forgot OP, I meant to say that I was having very bad hot flashes and was found to be deficient in Vitamin D.
Once I started the D replacement the hot flashes went away.
I then found that a symptom of Vitamin D deficiency is a very hot and sweaty head.

[Amoira73]

I had to have a full radical hysterectomy at age 24 due to severe endometerosis and pre-cancerous cells (now age 43) and at first i was put on all the same HRT u were as well. None of it worked and I did a lot of research of my own being the health professional I was.
I ended up going off all HRT for a long period of time and the menopausal symptoms got so bad I couldn't take it anymore and they were also affecting me in other ways.
One day I was at my chiropractors and explained what I was going through and she had one of her specialist (cant remember her specialty was) do some testing on me and found where i was deficient in. I needed b12, a magnesium, zinc, calcium supplement and progesterone cream but she did not want me on a RX cream she wanted me to go to Vitamin shoppe and get this specific all natural one and all i had to do was put just a tiny dab on my wrists every morning and it was amazing how much my menopause symptoms went away.
So my point here is, make sure you check to make sure you are not deficient in anything either. I have seen it in many other people who have had full hysterectomies esp at young ages. best wishes to you all. I feel for you all and I understand totally.

[old_before_my_time]

I am sorry you are suffering! I totally understand as I was in your shoes except that I didn't have endo. It sounds like your doctor didn't have much of a discussion with you about HRT before your surgery. Unfortunately, that isn't unusual. The patches you were on as well as Premarin are all estrogen. The patches are bio-identical but Premarin is not. And yes, estrogen can stimulate any remaining endo. Some doctors say that going without estrogen for a certain period of time post-op to allow the lesions to die off reduces this risk. Others say that taking progesterone with the estrogen reduces this "endo flare" risk. Regardless of the endo issue, going without hormones can be a very miserable existence. Plus estrogen deficiency after ovary removal increases risk for a number of health problems such as heart disease, osteoporosis, dementia, memory loss, Parkinson's, lung cancer, mood disorders, sleep problems.

I have read that saliva testing is not as accurate as blood / serum testing. It is best to start with one hormone (typically estrogen) and get settled on it before adding other hormones, one at a time. That way you will know what hormone is having what effect. Of course, with the complication of existing endo, you may want to start with a combined (estrogen plus progesterone or progestin) product instead of estrogen alone. Your doctor should explain all this to you.

Unfortunately, HRT is very individual and can take a bit of trial and error to find what works for you. I hope you can get it figured out sooner than later because I know how miserable it is until you find what works. Good luck! Keep us posted.