Stopping Prostap & Hrt, Advice required, Scared but can't do another 3 months feeling so depressed and knackered 24/7 xxx

[Victoria101986]

I'm on my 4th month of Prostap injection and Hrt, I feel like I can't mentally take another 2/3 months, my appointment system is a joke at the hospital therefore I have to arrange my appointments myself and can't actually get through to anyone at the hospital, I really don't want the Prostap injection again but what I'm worried about is the hrt, do I just stop taking that when my injection had ended. Don't wanna crash and burn when I already feel so rubbish xxx

[Busy-Lizzie]

Hi Victoria

Sorry to hear you're having a rough time of it.

Are you on a 3 month Prostap injection or a monthly one?

The effects of the injection can take a while to wear off, but the length of time is usually related to the injection you're on.

For the monthly injection it could take up to 3 months for a period to come but it could be sooner.

You'd need to keep taking the HRT for at least a month after the last injection.

[Victoria101986 in reply to Busy-Lizzie]

Hi, I had a one month injection first then a 3 month one, the constant feeling of being depressed, anxious, absolutely drained, headaches, no energy and aching is outweighing the benefits for me, I'll definitely keep on with the hrt for a while afterwards, thankyou 😊 xxx

[Lucy_2023 in reply to Victoria101986]

So sorry you've been suffering. I am coming to end of 2 years on this combo. Just wanted to say that Tibolone can only be taken when there are no periods. so I think you will need to swap over to a different form. I found the 3 month one really hard and gone back to monthly, which is still hard but my 2 years is nearly up now. been trying to get a 'what next' appointment since last summer... 😬 Being Autistic/ND which adds its own tricky dimensions to the whole thing. Best of luck with your pathway.

[Victoria101986 in reply to Lucy_2023]

Awww bless not what you need, hopefully now your 2 years is ending fingers crossed you get the outcome you deserve ❤️ I've also got the Mirena coil which stops me bleeding anyway which is a bonus, I'm going to ease myself off the hrt once the injection has finished, no way I can mentally cope with another course xxx

[Endolemon]

I had Prostap for 3 months, finished in December and waiting for my app with surgeon now . Have no HRT.

I feel depressed now. Taking counselling sessions. Don’t know what else we can do 🤧

[Victoria101986 in reply to Endolemon]

It's a horrible feeling isn't it, I'm on antidepressants and hrt and still feel really bad so I can't even imagine what you feel, what annoys me is there's no support in between having this treatment and surely they know how horrible it is by now, I honestly feel like a totally different person, I hate it, it's like a loss of control of how you feel and you don't like the person you have become, so sorry to hear you feel like this, I really hope the counseling helps you, big hugs 🤗 xxx

[Shelldob]

sorry to but in on your post, I am awaiting my next gyny app which is in October and have been offered the Prostap in the meantime… I am so unsure of what to do, however reading your post doesn’t sound so great 😞 would you not recommend the injections over the pain?? Many thanks in advance

[Victoria101986 in reply to Shelldob]

Hi, your not butting in at all, honestly if you could manage the pain with hot water bottle, pain killers etc then I would advise doing that, mentally this injection has messed me up along with losing hair, aching all over, not sleeping properly, absolutely exhausted al the time, no energy, no sex drive (sorry lol) anxiety, depression, just feeling nothing like me, everyone is different and people react differently, might be worth trying the 1 month one to see how you feel personally but for me I literally cannot wait til it's out of my system 😩 please don't just take my word for it tho, do research and ask consultant any questions, I hope you get the treatment you need and deserve to get rid of the pain, big hugs 🤗 xxx

[Goiaba in reply to Victoria101986]

I think the injection will work different for each one of us and there’s no way to know if it’s going to be good for you or not. From my experience, since I started taking the 3-monthly injections, I’ve never been better, but it doesn’t mean it’s perfect. My pain was significantly reduced and I am able to function and live my life, keep active and not miss work. However I also have trouble sleeping because of the night sweats, absolutely no sex drive and significant anxiety episodes. With that said, I already had most of these symptoms prior to the injection, the difference is that I manage my pain better now. It is undeniably draining but still worth it for me! I understand being fed up with the system - my hospital is horrible too and sometimes I feel like I need to be the secretary’s secretary and keep reminding them of my appointments otherwise it will never going to happen. The fact that this is a temporary coping strategy (not a treatment) and the infinite wait for my surgery also doesn’t help with my anxiety and that can take a toll in your overall mental health. You will see in this forum that the girls’ experiences with Prostap are high highs and low lows and I’d say the only way to know is trying. Good luck with whatever you choose 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼

[Victoria101986 in reply to Goiaba]

Hi, your 100% correct, the pain is significantly better but the other symptoms I experience do take there toll, everyone is different and I hope for everyone that they get pain free and also symptom free from the side affects, it's such an unpleasant thing for us all to go through and I wish nothing but good health for everyone, its awful hearing so many others going through this and it not being recognised enough xxx

[Shelldob in reply to Victoria101986]

the problem is we have a lot of those symptoms anyway and the sex drive I know exactly how you feel and that’s just with the pain and pregablin so I think I will give them a try for a couple of months in hope xx I hope you get sorted it’s a nightmare to live with xx

[Victoria101986 in reply to Shelldob]

Definitely worth a try, fingers crossed for you 🤞🥰 xxx

[Endolemon in reply to Shelldob]

My pain was horrible and injections stopped it. I had my normal life back for 5 months .So it helped me a lot despite the side effects.

[Victoria101986 in reply to Endolemon]

I can't deny it's helping massively with pain but mentally I'm just really struggling 😢 xxx

[Endolemon in reply to Victoria101986]

Sound insane but I prefer depression to a torture with pain 🤪

[Victoria101986 in reply to Endolemon]

My pain is under control but sadly I'm really struggling, I have depression and anxiety bad on a good day so this is next level for me 😢 xxx

[Busy-Lizzie]

When I was on Zoladex injections previously (similar to Prostap) and had problems with low mood and fatigue, I came across DLPA, which is a supplement you can buy in health food stores.Well worth looking into, as it makes a vast difference to mood and pain levels.

[Victoria101986 in reply to Busy-Lizzie]

Ohhhh brill thanks I'll definitely look into this 😊 xxx

[Shelldob in reply to Victoria101986]

me too!! Thankyou xxx

[Shelldob]

am so scared to start them to be honest as it’s hard enough coping with the constant pain and working full time and long hours without feeling extra low xx

[K2023 in reply to Shelldob]

Hi, I don’t want to add to your confusion or make it worse for you to decide.I was offered Prostap monthly last year and refused as I have never coped well on hormone treatments but last month my pain was at its worst couldn’t walk down stairs ,sit or stand for any length of time ,sleeping that didn’t exist to much pain laying down .I had an emergency appointment with my consultant and he got my operation moved to June and said I now have to have prostap in order to have the operation.As the mass I have is around kidney pipe and all the other mess in there.He decided I was to have a complete hysterectomy.So I was injected there and then I come home dazed reading through the side affects crying my eyes out.My husband took me to lakes to take my mind of it.I am not exaggerating 4 days in I felt like a new person,no pain I even climbed up a small fell ,done loads of walking.My kids are like mams back ,I’m so chilled and relaxed,normally I’m stressed anything goes wrong it’s the end of the world ,this has been a game changer for me.I have bought caffeine shampoo to counteract any hair thinning and taking supplements to help thinning if it comes .Ultimately it’ needs to be your decision and I hope my experience shows there is a gamble but can pay of .good luck best wishes xx

[Victoria101986 in reply to K2023]

Hi, I was exactly the same on my first injection, maybe it's the 3 month one that's taking its toll, I am nearly pain free but the symptoms from the injection and hrt are really draining me to be someone I'm not, others have seen the decline in my personality and social anxiety xxx

[Mamamarmite18]

I’m sorry you’re feeling so rubbish, to add another opinion into the mix, I’m on my 3rd monthly injection and my pain is still there and I’m still having periods so confusing

[Victoria101986 in reply to Mamamarmite18]

Awww no 😩 that's rubbish, I'm nearly pain free along with pain killers but the down side is the mental side and feeling exhausted so I'm stuck in a hard place, have you questioned why your still like this, I certainly would if I was you xxx

[ForABabyPanda]

ugh this scares me as it sounds like a lot of people have been given prostap for their downregulation for ivf while the nasal spray is unavailable. I also did not do well on the pill. Nasal spray was a breeze for me and I haven’t heard great things about prostap.

[Victoria101986 in reply to ForABabyPanda]

Ohhh Im not sure about for IVF only know it being used for endometriosis, it may work well for you I'm just going off my experience, currently sat here having a hot sweat 🥵 xxx

[ForABabyPanda in reply to Victoria101986]

[Noonehelps]

I know that feeling. I’ve been on prostap for 2 years now and every 2 months I start by calling gynaecologist office to check wether I am going for the next one and can she prescribe it. Then I have to ring clinic and make appointment and double check prescription has been sorted. There just don’t seem to be any communication.

Was going to have surgery but because my BMI is too high they won’t do it. I’m sure if I was rushed in because this cyst bursts they will operate no matter my BMI. It’s just so depressing.

[Victoria101986 in reply to Noonehelps]

Awww it's horrendous isn't it, no communication yet it's an official prescription and appointment to be administered the medication, it's not good practice at all, I'm not having the next one, I mentally cannot cope any longer, I'm petrified now tho with not know how I'm going to manage the hrt and when to stop, there's literally no support available and the GP doesn't have a clue, what's more frustrating is I can't actually speak to my consultant because the number no longer works and there's no record of the Prostap on the gynaecologist system 🤦🏻‍♀️ I feel for you having to go through this aswell ❤️ xxx