Until I was diagnosed with fibro in 2021, I believed I was suffering with PMT, Peri-menopause symtoms. However, I am now menopausal and finding that my fibromyalgia, when in flare mode or hormone lacking mode, I am suffering double bubble symptoms!!!
Do others suffer in this way?
Is there a link between Fibro & hormones?
I'd be really interested in others thoughts in this please 🙏., a d if we know gor shez
This is copied:
Hormonal replacement therapy.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) involves boosting decreasing levels of the female reproductive hormones. Medical evidence suggests replenishing oestrogen and progesterone hormones in fibromyalgia patients may help relieve symptoms.
Thanking & thinking of you in advance.
Peace ✌️
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Uellow22
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Thank you Hazel for your reply, especially in the early hours 😴.
Did you / do you find that hormonal symptoms amplify your fibromyalgia? I really do notice this is the case for me. I am struggling with a nasty flare and third month on hrt but I've ended up with heavy periods (having not had any for over a year), extrele breast tenderness, bloating which all effect my tiredness and pain.
Oh well, perhaps it may settle & help uf not I will just have to keep being at war with myself.
I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in 2021 I was already on HRT patches. The only trouble I have is knowing if my brain fog is caused by my menopause or the fibromyalgia.
I am on an HRT equivalent medication.I wouldn't say it improves existing daily Fibro symptoms but it does reduce the flares of pain that can come when other menopause type symptoms happen.
Fibro can make your menopause symptoms feel more intense so if you can manage how often the hormone based issues happen or keep them at a mild level with hormone support it can make both health issues easier to cope with.
HRT isn't a cure , it just makes the symptoms milder and it can take a while to have an effect , some people don't feel significant improvement for 6-12 months .
I have tried several in the past before the menopause that never helped my symtoms but of course things change. I live in Brittany, France and its a gynaecologist that needs to be seen. Very hard to find a good gyni here let alone one that's heard of fibro.
It's been my gp who has prescribed hrt patches and just reduced by half due my heavy periods starting up and sore breasts but wants me to see a gynaecologist, which I must source.
It's another question in the long list of 'maybe if' that lots of us juggle. 🤔
I think the problem is that I have fibro symptoms and menopause symptoms - and there's quite a bit of overlap. I do use HRT and it definitely addresses my mood, hot flushes some of the joint aches etc. Testosterone helps with memory and brain fog. BUT, I don't think it helps with the symptoms caused by fibro. So, it's a complete guess as to whether if I tweaked my HRT I could have fewer memory problems (because they're actually hormone related) or no amount of hormones will help, because it's the fibro.
My GP is very good and considers both. The rheumatologist said getting the menopause symptoms under control was important. Good luck finding what helps for you.
Unfortunately HRT hasn't really helped my fibro either. It does help my anxiety. Testosterone has helped my fatigue, brain fog and libido. I couldn't tolerate the progesterone so had a mirena fitted which has worked brilliantly including stopped any bleeding which often goes wild when you go on HRT. I didn't absorb from the patches so that wasted months for me and annoyingly it does take a few months for the HRT to work. I'm not convinced HRT is the saviour for us women but surely can't hurt 🤷. Even if the promised helps with dementia and heart disease is true it's worth it for those🤞x
Thankyou Loobielu,Honestly I feel the same, having tried heaps of different hrt in my fourties for my troublesome hormones to no avail, I question why I am trying again in my mid-fifties.
Perhaps I just need to accept they are not for me and try to manage it another way! Yay!!! I remember why I am trying again....it was mainly due to the hot sweats 😓 😩 but now I'm also thinking it could be a side effect of Venlafaxine my anti depressants.
I wonder if other people have sweats on Venlafaxine....?????
Thanks for the reply :-). awww the million dollar question.... what is causing which annoying symptom 😡. It's so blooming hard to tell isn't it! I actually drive myself mad sometimes trying to work this out. If you put your faith in Dr Google then Venlafaxine does indeed cause hot flushes (it's no. 2 in the list so perhaps common). I got the sweats when I was on Duloxetine. I developed a fungal infection on my torso because of the excess sweating. Believe it or not, an expensive anti dandruff shampoo cleared it up in a few days - I was amazed. I eventually came off the Duloxetine. The side affects doing that were scarily tough (what are in those tablets 😲!). Funny you should mention your forties. I'm 50 this year and my forties have definitely been when I've felt my worst. Will we ever know for sure why this is??!! - probably not :-/. It's a bit like a grizzly/unhappy baby - it can't always be blamed on teething surely!! I never knew this for sure when my kids were babies either but I kept the shareholders of Calpol rich 🤦♀️! Keep smiling hun x
Thanks 😊 a LOT Loobielu,You made me chuckle about the teething thing....so true.....maybe I should start trying Calpol instead.
I too came off Duloxotine, degusting feelings for around a month. I did know that Venlafaxine causes sweats 😓 but wanted to try hrt in case blh, blah. I'm on two tabs 1 x 150mg and a second 37.5mg.....doc and I have spoken about stopping the smaller dose so maybe that will help the need for a wet suit in the summer!!
Perhaps another anti depressant but I have so much on my plate....my Mum has stage 4 lung cancer & think my Dad is being assessed for dementia, my husband's health is poor. My son is the only healthy one & the cat of course!
Ummmm ......the beat goes on......
Thank you for your support today....this group forum is wonderful 😊 .
Take good care of yourself and yes keep smiling in-between ALL the symptoms you have.
Lol maybe we should all try Calpol! 🤣. Wow, sounds like you have a lot on your plate hun 🙄, so sorry to hear that. Both my parents have had cancer, breast cancer took my mum and my dad beat bowel cancer so I know how awful it can be. If ever you need to vent, don't hesitate to drop me a message. This group forum is indeed amazing. It's been a life line for me too. I lent over to pick up a pair of socks off my bed Monday and my back went twang so I'm currently hobbling around like an old woman. Stupid isn't it 🤦.
Take it easy and have a good day. At least the sun is shining even ifs it 🥶 x
Morning!Oh no I am truly sorry for your loss Loobielu 😔 life is so cruel. Amazing however that your Dad has conquered the dreaded C!! These shocking traumas change us for life.
I think you are wonderful to have such a caring, cheery outlook that shines from yiur messages.....well done et BRAVO.
I certainly will message you again to rant etc & vice versa, ok 👌.
Have a great weekend and I hope your bad back improves very soon.
Morning 👋 awww thank you, that's so kind. I'm touched ☺️. My dad's cancer was picked up via the early detection kits they post out when you get to a certain age, I'm convinced that's how he survived. He had absolutely no symptoms and was in perfect health having got to 70, still working. We were all stunned at the diagnosis. He is 83 next month and still in perfect health (better than me lol!).
Have a great weekend too. Another beautiful sunny and frosty day here in Suffolk 😎 x
My fibro started when my peri-menopause kicked in when I was 43. Tried HRT but my body is very sensitive to medication/herbs so that made things worse. About 3 years ago my acupuncturist who I have used for many years finally found the the correct herbs/dosage - it has helped with my daily life immensely. I still have menopausal symptoms and fibro but they are far lessened than before. Not a miracle cure but I can cope with life now. My hormones are the bane of my life and increased the fibro/menopause symptoms tenfold. Take care
I have an identical twin sister who does not have fibromyalgia nor CFS/ME. I was 41 when went through menopause my doctor wrote “I’m surprised” on my lab report that said I was post menopausal. My twin sister was 51 years old when she was post menopausal. She started her period a month before I did but I remember we were 12 and she remember that we were 13. I married and moved out west while she stayed in the Carolinas of the US. Anyway the doctors measured me at 5’6 3/4” and she was told she was 5’ 6 1/2” so when I came back to South Carolina and this topic came up she said “well I am 5’ 6 3/4” too”. I always had a longer reach when getting something off a high shelf. Anyway I went off topic I was on HRT for a while but didn’t notice that it really did anything. I now at 62 am having hairs growing long on my face more so it than what my twin sister is experiencing. I was 37 when I discovered the first long hair which wash a light blonde hair about an inch long growing between my eyebrows. I plucked it out and after several times it stopped but had moved to my right side of my jaw line. I do not miss the monthly periods though because when it started we both suffered from heavy flows and bad pain. When I was 18 the doctor told me I had endometriosis and having babies will make it better. Which it did but after my first child was when I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and CFS/ME. My sister never had any children because she was afraid of getting fibromyalgia too. Sorry for rambling on but I thought I had a unique perspective on this.
I have just stopped my HRT and feel much better after a week. But I have fybro and lupus. I believe that the HRT made my lupus and fybro worse. This is the best week in year. So I will keep you updated on this. It may be so personal to each circumstance. I have always believed in Candida albicans and so the hormones can make this worse. I know a couple of weeks into taking HRT I felt someone pulling my curtains and that was over five years ago. Since then I have been so ill and thought that I needed the HRT due to hysterectomy but so far this week of being HRT free is the best week in a long time. The dr’s said I was fine to keep taking it but the more research I read there was an increase in people symptoms with lupus…..but as it was such a small percentage it didn’t count as making flares work….any increase in symptoms however small can be life changing.
So my advise is, did the pill agree with you, if so you will probably be ok on HRT. I never got on with the pill either. It’s down to trial and error and keeping a diary of your symptoms. X
it’s an interesting question. I’d also like to know if there is a link. I’ve been on HRT for about 2 years now and I have not noticed any improvements in my main fibro symptoms. Pain, stiffness, fatigue, IBS all as active as ever. But the HRT does obviously relieve menopause symptoms so it is helpful in that way (eg night sweats, heavy bleeding, mood, libido) xx
hi, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia about 3 years ago after I got Covid and started the menopause. I had to finish work as was unable to do my job physically or mentally.
I have tried many medications such as painkillers and also tried 150mg of menopause patch.
Nothing has worked and I’m still the same as I was three years ago.
I was on zapain then the gp put me on gabapentin as it wasn’t effective. I took the gabapentin for the required time but I was worse than ever.
I decided that I couldn’t feel any worse if I took nothing so decided to stop taking the gabapentin and the patch I changed to 50 mg.
I’m currently on 2 zapain a day. One morning and 1 at night and still take 2 amitriptyline as I don’t sleep without them.
Don’t get me wrong I’m still in pain everyday but I feel and look so much better for not taking high doses of pain medication.
I have a life now, where before I didn’t go out, I stoped meeting with friends and not being in work I became very isolated and lonely.
The moral of my story is that sometimes painkillers do not help. Mentally or physically. I’m not in any less pain now than I was when I when taking a load of tablets and high dosage of hrt.
I struggle a lot but mentally I push myself to do a more things than I used to. Don’t get me wrong not everybody is the same and I hope you do find something that works for you, but for me it just made me worse.
Thank you so much for sharing this, very insightful this topic.....I am just about to send an email to my Doctor asking her if i stop suddenly is it an issue, i dont think it is but my side effects since taking it are just aggravating my fibro which I do NOT need.
HRT hasn't helped me, but im now questioning if I am menopausal. Everything started Jan 2020, I'd been ill just before Xmas, and was diagnosed with "pneumonia from an unknown organism" and from then on its got worse and worse, I'm still having the oestrogel, but? Hmm its been do good readingyhe comments and so many threads on here I'm relating to
The only way we can know if we are menopausal is we have a year without periods....so I was told....but how does one know that if on hrt which can mimic a cycle and produce periods etc!!!
This is why I came off hrt before but I had been fibro diagnosed though.....there is so much confusion for us ladies around the two....very tough.
Good luck with your journey Ayla69 and I hope it's not too bumpy.
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