Trouble Sleeping with Other Symptoms

J.,

I don't tell you this to startle you or any other Mamasource women but, I just think women need to be more aware of HRT. I don't know about the hormone replacemnt that you're taking but I myself am very leary in taking any prescription hormone replacement. They have found that chemically produced hormone replacements in many, many cases are known to cause breast cancer. My mom was on HRT meds and was diagnosed 5 years after taking them with breast cancer.

In 2002, 1 in 10 women in her lifetime were affected by this dreadful disease personally or by someone she dearly loved or was aquainted with. My mom passed in 2006 after battling four years,and sadly since then they have now said that 1 in 8 women will be affected by breast cancer in her lifetime in some way or fashion.

I use Black Root Kohosh which is a natural HRT. And to help me with sleep I take Melatonin. I sleep like a baby. Both of these may be found in any phamacy OTC.

I wish you the best sweets.
God Bless,

Hi J.,
I have sleep apnea. Since my diagosis and with the use of my C-Pap machine, I sleep all night without difficulty. Perhaps asking your doctor about a sleep study would be a good idea.
D. B

Get back to the doctor ASAP, my first thoughts are you having syphtoms of a heartattack. Could be the hormones, but get yourself checked out! Sounds like something is raising your bloodpressure.

I too have trouble sleeping and am doing HRT. I'm 32 and had a hysterectomy last year but with mine, it started about 6 yrs. ago. I know hormones can cause sleep problems but lack of can do the same. Contact your DR. first and go from there. I have to take some med.s at night to get me through but it is normal.

Hi Jeannie,

I have had these problems in the past especially during perimenopausal years. Sometimes I still experience these episodes but not as often. I have found that when it happens I get up begin to pray and then get a glass of water to refresh me. If it continues I pick up a book and read. If this does not help please speak with you doctor. I am not taking HRT presently but have in the past. I have gone cold turkey with dealing with the symptoms. Hope this helps.

V.

It could be from the hormone replacements, but you should still be checked out by a doctor, particularly mention the possibility of congestive heart failure. Get him or her to rule that out before you do anything else.

Not to worry you, since it could just be the hormones, but my sister's congestive heart failure started out much the same way. 10 years or so later, she had to have a heart transplant, which, thankfully, was a success.

Good luck to you, and I hope that it is nothing more than the hormones.

Jeanine: I am so sorry to hear about your sleep/hormone problems! If you are anything like me, you don't function very well without at least a GOOD 8 hours of sleep during the night! I become an absolute BEAR without my sleep! I am an independent Herbalife distributor (you can check out all the info under Mom Owned Business) and I have the perfect solution for you!!!! As a matter of fact, I just returned from Denver, CO from a wonderful, insightful and learning seminar for Herbalife. I have been on the products myself since March 2008. ALL of the products are all natural, good for you, and let me tell you, speaking from experience, THEY WORK! I got on the products to lose weight--and within 2 months I lost 40 pounds and 55 inches. I am still working towards my goal weight (about 10 more pounds) but this product has me SO EXCITED!

For your problems that you are having, I would suggest the 3 following products:

1. Sleep Now--I take this every night about 30 minutes before I go to bed. I get good, quality sleep and wake up feeling refreshed..........this product is also NON-ADDICTIVE and everything in the tablets is good for you!

2. Women's Choice--This product is an alternative to hormones and helps women with menopausal symptoms. I, personally, have not used this product because I'm not there yet :), but I have customers on the product and they love it=-not only do they have great results, but they have been able to COMPLETELY STOP TAKING THE PRESCRIPTION MEDICATION!!!

3. Niteworks--This is also an awesome product for both insomnia and menopausal symptoms. It helps you body produce more nitrox oxide while you sleep--which would help you feeling of "shortness of breath and dizziness". This comes in powder form and you just mix 2 scoops into 6-8 oz of water before bed.

SO, with all of that being said, if you want to check out the products you can go to www.herbalife.com and then email me at ____@____.com; let me know when a good time to rach you would be and we can discuss the products and get you started right away! I look forward to talking with you and getting these awesome products in your hands! You will sleep so good and wake up feeling so refreshed! These are also products that you can take to your doctor and discuss taking them, instead of the prescription medications. Before I started using the products, I was on all kinds of prescription medication because I had been diagnosed with Fybromailga. I only use Herbalife now and am off ALL OF MY PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS!

I look forward to hearing from you and hope I can be of assistance to you with your sleep/menopausal symptoms!

Thanks,

S.

I'm sorry I don't have much to contribute to solve your problems. My mom has dealt with severe menopausal symptoms & insomnia for years & has yet to overcome it. My biggest recommendation is to eat healthy, get plenty of exercise, and get out in the sunshine for atleast 30 minutes a day. Also, I would stay away from TV & computer (& caffeine) for atleast 2 hours before going to bed as these really get your brain very active & make it more difficult to shut down. As Americans, we are typically not very healthy & therefore suffer physically for it - especially us women since our hormones can be easily disrupted. I would recommend you really research melatonin before taking it. It is true that it is natural & will help you sleep; however, if a melatonin supplement is used continuously, our bodies stop making it naturally. This means you will be required to take it for the rest of your life if you ever want to sleep. I would also listen to some of the other women and do some very serious research on the pros & cons of hormone replacement therapy. I'm sorry that you're having to deal with all this. Hopefully, you'll find relief soon. God bless you.

Hi, I understand the symptoms of perimentapause and you didn't say what your symptoms where to put you on hormone therapy but, if they where night sweats and hot flashes there are other things you can do. The healthy woman soy replacement has the highest level of soy in it. or the antidepressant effexor is used in small doses to eleviate these symptoms in women who can't take synthetic or natural hormones. I myself am an ovarian cancer survivor. I was 39 years old at diagnosis. I went into perimenipause in my late 20's so I can feel your pain as far as symptoms go.

THese symptoms also sound possibly like sleep apnea. Do you snore? or make peculiar breathing noises in your sleep? waking short of breath is a sign of serious sleep apnea. Untreated it can lead to high blood pressure, heart attack, and even death.

DOn't mean to scare you but hormones scare me to death as does sleep apnea. ( no pun intended ). If my mom hadn't taught me to be deligent about my health and to trust myself over dr's that didn't know me. I wouldn't be here. I had very subtle symptoms for my cancer and all test and blood work where negative. BUt I had a dr that trusted me and I. I would rethink the hormone thing and check out the sleep issue as well. GOod luck

Please go see your doctors and make sure your aren't having some sort of heart issues. I would definitely get everything checked out. I wish people would quit trying to sell you Arbonne - please make sure nothing bad is happening to you since you are short of breath and dizzy - does HRT cause an increased chance of blood clots like birth control pills do? Hopefully its nothing bad but I would go to the dr. asap!

Hormone replacement can do that, but you should definitely let your doc know your having these side effects, he/she may want to start you on a lower dose.

It definitely sounds like all the symptoms are related to the HRT. Like others, I highly recommend you find someone who will saliva test you and see what your hormone levels are and then consider a transdermal (rub on the skin) natural bio-identical cream.
I use Arbonne's Prolief (natural Progesterone)...it's made a world of difference for me. But please get tested to see what your specific needs are. Make sure the product is not is a petroleum base or you will have trouble absorbing it.

Please let us know what you decide.
Praying for you.

Many blessings,
A.
annemarie.myarbonne.com

Tell your doctor. If he finds nothing wrong, take some melatonin in the evening.

If you haven't already, call your MD. It may simply be the hormones, but the addition of waking short of breath and dizzy is very concerning.

hi hun
i too had the same problem turnes out i was having small heart attacks don't get me wrong this doesn't mean it is what is wrong with u but plz take no chances n c a heart dr for a full check up to make sure it is not ur problem gl on everything n let me know what u find out J.

Hi J.
First tell your Dr make sure it is not something else...
I don't turst the prescription hormones I have had too many friends that have had problems with them ... I use Arbonne's Natural Balancing Cream it works for me and others I know ... it cost $34 dollars will last about 45 days (depends on how much you use it) and with Arbonne you can sign up for $29 and save 35% for a year and have it shipped right to your door!! This cream added 10 years to my life and gave me a new journey! I am now a Independent Consultant with Arbonne... check out my Member Perks add ... and let me know if I can help ... B. G

J.,

I am on HRT also. I had similar problems when I first started on it but the symptoms subsided. It was as if I was going through menopause all over again. However, my recommendation is for you to see your doctor...you might be on too strong of a dose.

For the trouble sleeping you might consider taking melatonin. It's a natural supplement that can be found at WalMart. I use 3 mg myself when I have problems sleeping. Your body produces melatonin naturally with higher levels as it get dark...the supplement will add to what is naturally occuring in your system and aid in you getting a good nights sleep. My PCP recommended it for me and my 15 year old son.

As far as the shortness of breath and feeling dizzy when waking up...have you ever been checked for sleep apnea? I have it due to my weight. The solution for me is to sleep in a recliner or propped up while I'm on a weight loss program. Again, I'd recommend a doctor's visit for this.

BTW...isn't it great being a grandma? I have two grandkids myself.

Good luck on finding the right dosage on your HRT.

W. Q

Hi J.,

It sounds like the HRT. They are horrible for you from all I have read and potentially deadly. I would personally look into natural HRT options such as natural progesterone creams you can get from a health food center - just be sure the brand you choose contain no parabans. Most woman are estrogen dominant.

have you considered having a sleep apnea test, and maybe for any other medical problems, associated with these symptoms.

You don't mention how old you are or if your physician has tested you for menapause. If he/she has you on hormones, then I am assuming you may be .... go back to the doctor, explain the symptoms, see if the hormones are too strong -- I was always under the understanding the hormones would be prescribed in different strengths due to the side effects. Or, you may not have given your body enough time to adjust to the new meds or there may be an underlying cause. Did you read the enclosed package insert that came with the meds?

Menapause has a whole array of symptoms -- I was the only person walking around New York in the winter without a coat or hat and warm, warm, warm!

The insomnia is probably not related to the current symptoms since you've always had that.

HRT is some nasty stuff. I would absolutely make sure you need it. Get saliva hormone testing done to see where your levels are. Chances are you are being given estrogen when you don't actually need it - a lot of docs make this mistake.

I don't know what you know about HRT but I would do some reading up on it if I were you. It is dangerous stuff and there are alternate methods to balance your hormones.

All of those symptoms are hormone related, especially the insomnia. Make sure you are getting some good sunlight in the daytime- about 20 minutes worth. This will trigger your hormones, especailly melatonin and that will help you sleep. During sleep your body makes many of the hormone precursors so sleep is extremely important.

I would try a melatonin supplement for about 2 weeks. Take it about an hour before bedtime. It is very safe and can help jump start your good sleep habits. They advise not taking it any longer than you need it but it is so safe, I think you should give it a fair try.

After my hystorectomy I was on some strong hormone replacements and it screwed my sleep habit's up. So, I talked to Dr. and she suggested I lower the dose. It took 3 times of lowering until I was able to get back to what was normal for me. It worked great for a while. So, finally I stopped taking prescripted replacements and started over the counter stuff.
Maybe your system isn't handling the strong dosage. Mine didn't.

J.,
Please see your family physician or preferrably a pulmonologist (lung specialist). You may have a disorder called sleep apnea. This is a dangerous disorder that is easily treated. You do not mention your age, any history of respiratory problems like asthma or chronic bronchitis, smoking or exposure to "second-hand" smoke all of which are risk factors for sleep apnea.
Testing for sleep apnea simply involves the placing of electrodes on your head and body and sleeping. A technician monitors your sleep and how often your breathing alters.
Please see your doctor at any rate.
God bless,
A.

Hi J. I just wanted to leave you a message. I have been having the same problem you have hun. I just was told I have sleep apnea. I would get to my doctor and have them to do a test on you and see if you have it hun. I know how it feels to wake up at all hours of the night. I am going for my sleep study sunday and I will let you know how it comes out ok hun. Please get to your doctor as soon as possible.

Thanks
Your Friend R.