Jump to content
  • Welcome to the TransPulse Forums!

    We offer a safe, inclusive community for transgender and gender non-conforming folks, as well as their loved ones, to find support and information.  Join today!

Stopping Hrt


Guest -Jamie-

Recommended Posts

Guest MonikaC

It has been a few days now since I've had to stop HRT, and I've been noticing some unusual things happen. It's nothing major. My feelings are even more random then when I was taking my hormones. When I was taking them, I could find a cause for why I started to feel over the top giddy, or started to break down and wanted to cry. Last night and today though, I have been getting random feelings of sadness. When I think about it, there is nothing really causing the sadness, I just get sad. On top of that I've been having very vivid scenes play out in my mind. They seem so life like and the subject matter has no basis in how I really feel, or would be anything I would actually do. But i can see every detail of it happening as if I were actually there witnessing it. This has happened a few times last night and today, and it is not like anything I've experienced before.

Has anyone experienced this when stopping HRT or any other time for that matter?

Monika

Link to comment
  • Forum Moderator

Monika,

Of course I've never been on HRT but do have lots of involuntary experience with estrogen fluctuations and it causes an emotional roller coaster. Estrogen is know to have a huge effect on emotions - think PMS, menopause & pregnancy-all of the infamous symptoms are effects of hormone fluctuations. And, other potentially fatal side effects aside, are one of the major reasons not to self medicate.

Of course these effects vary greatly from person to person but I would recommend making Dr. appointment and explaining the situation because hormones are very powerful and suddenly stopping can be a really rough ride from what I have heard.

Hugs

John

Link to comment
Guest Donna Jean

.

Monika......

Stopping and starting HRt can have some effects....

Once I got on, I've not stopped for anything...

Are you going to start back up again?

Huggs

Donna Jean

Link to comment
Guest MonikaC

Thanks John. I just feels weird because there doesn't seem to be a root cause for the emotion. I was raised with two older sisters and my mother, have lived with my wife for 11 years and watched all of them experience their natural hormone fluctuations. They all experience drastic mood swings, but there always seems to either be a catalyst for their mood changing such as they can't find the socks they wanted to wear, or after their mood changes they find some reason to be in yheir current mood, like they start to get grumpy and then remember the one thing you did wrong two months ago. I know those are both stereotypes and I mean no offense by them, I just wanted to illustrate that there was always something else there other than just the emotion. With me, its just been the emotion, with nothing else there. Like I would be feel sad, but not be sad. I don't know if that makes sense. And I have NEVER had anything happen like the "visions" that I have had.

Either way, I'm going to see my therapist today to pick up my HRT letter, so this should all be a distant memory before to long.

Link to comment
  • Forum Moderator

Since even once you have the letter it can take awhile with an endo. appointment and getting blood work done and all I would still recommend seeing your Dr. Your body doesn't produce estrogen naturally so stopping causes something much more drastic than a fluctuation and I have heard of some extreme symptoms in people who have hysterectomies for example and don't take their hormones. It's not permanent but it can be serious. Even with the fluctuations the feelings are there-the triggers just bring about a display but the emotions are already all stirred up.

I realize you may not want to come out to your Dr. yet so you may want to go to a different Dr. but if you are going on HRT anyway you will need to be monitored and everything so it might not be a bad time to come out to your Dr. if you haven't. They have to keep it confidential anyway.

Hugs

John

Link to comment
It has been a few days now since I've had to stop HRT, and I've been noticing some unusual things happen.

If its only a few days as you say, that hardly seems like enough time for the hormones you have taken to work out of your system.

In my experience, starting, stoping, change in dosage or mix of hormones tended unsettle my emotions. The effect was usually noted from a few days up to a couple weeks after the change.

The visions and stuff I don't know about. That would be something to ask your doctor about.

Link to comment
Guest Elizabeth K

Well - in the almost two years oh HRT I have not really missed a dose - I am on extremely low dosages, anyway - still getting great results.

BUT I was getting those 'sad-for-no-reason' blues for a while. My doctor upped my estrogen slightly and it went away.

We newly minted girls seem to be really sensitive when we get even the slightest variations. So it happens and we are not as accustomed to it as someone who has had natural variations most of their life.

So I think what you are having is probably a natural reaction - even those vivid illusions. I get those when on my progesterone (10 days a month). BUT mention it to your doctor, especially if it gets worse. Hang in there - get on a regular regimine - get balanced and see if it works better. It takes a bit of monitoring to get where things are correct for you - another reason to ONLY use HRT, esecially estrogen, under medical supervision.

My thoughts...

Lizzy

Link to comment
Guest MonikaC

Thank you all for the advice and help. When I first started going to my doctor, I let him know that I was trans. I'm not sure if he remembered it as I haven't said anything about it since. I just called him and talked a little about what was going on. He said it was most likely due to another medication I am taking to help me loose weight. Apparently suicidal thought and/or tendencies are one possible side effect. That explains a lot. I wish I would have known that before so I didn't think I was loosing my mind a bit. He did say that what I described was outside of normal for that side effect though as I wasn't suicidal, I just saw it happen in my mind in very vivid detail as if I were there watching it happen. If it continues, he wants me to go in for some tests and to switch medicine, but for now he doesn't think there is much to worry about. He also said that once I start HRT again we may want to switch anyway to make sure this doesn't continue. He also said that my feeling sad is probably also related to the medicine as it has been known to affect your mood. That is probably why I felt sad, but wasn't sad at the same time.

Thanks again for all your advice! I probably wouldn't have called my doc without all of you!

Monika

Link to comment
  • 4 weeks later...
Guest JoanneL

You should come off the hormones gradually

Thanks John. I just feels weird because there doesn't seem to be a root cause for the emotion. I was raised with two older sisters and my mother, have lived with my wife for 11 years and watched all of them experience their natural hormone fluctuations. They all experience drastic mood swings, but there always seems to either be a catalyst for their mood changing such as they can't find the socks they wanted to wear, or after their mood changes they find some reason to be in yheir current mood, like they start to get grumpy and then remember the one thing you did wrong two months ago. I know those are both stereotypes and I mean no offense by them, I just wanted to illustrate that there was always something else there other than just the emotion. With me, its just been the emotion, with nothing else there. Like I would be feel sad, but not be sad. I don't know if that makes sense. And I have NEVER had anything happen like the "visions" that I have had.

Either way, I'm going to see my therapist today to pick up my HRT letter, so this should all be a distant memory before to long.

Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Who's Online   5 Members, 0 Anonymous, 249 Guests (See full list)

    • JessicaMW
    • Desert Fox
    • JacobLevado
    • mattie22
    • Ashley0616
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      80.8k
    • Total Posts
      769.9k
  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      12,085
    • Most Online
      8,356

    blakethetiredracc00n
    Newest Member
    blakethetiredracc00n
    Joined
  • Today's Birthdays

    1. FullyHart
      FullyHart
    2. MariPosa
      MariPosa
      (65 years old)
    3. pechenezhka
      pechenezhka
      (17 years old)
    4. Rubycd
      Rubycd
      (59 years old)
    5. Yana
      Yana
      (31 years old)
  • Posts

    • KayC
      I'm hoping this election cycle might finally cause 'that' party to pay a price for such nonsense.
    • Desert Fox
      So nice to hear things are going well for you. Support is huge and that is especially great when it comes from your SO as well as your family and son. I think being happy with one’s own life’s direction can set the stage for not only other successes but attract others who are in alignment with one’s own ideals. it sounds like you are definitely on a positive trajectory!
    • Desert Fox
      There is some progress being made, some positive awakening from those who understand the difference between biology and the societal roles and rules that have been created by humans to separate, restrict and control other humans. Unfortunately so many people are still set in one way of thinking about gender, whether it benefits them directly to do so or they just fail to think about things for themselves for whatever reason, and they often cite religious or other historical sources to try to back up their argument, sources which typically could be open to various interpretations.   Pushing boundaries is what makes progress and it’s what we are meant to do…but most everyone that has pushed a boundary also gets pushback. Most everyone who has disagreed with conventional thought is called a fool or worse; those who invent something get ridiculed and laughed out, then their ideas are stolen for someone else’s profit. We suffer tremendously to push boundaries but ultimately it’s what society needs to evolve.
    • Ashley0616
      Goodness! You sure have been busy! That's really crappy of what your oldest pulled. That part about the talking about getting asked if it's an enhancement was funny. I guess your boss is going to miss you and just has a funny way of showing it? 
    • Desert Fox
      I read this thread with great interest…thank you, Sally for sharing your life in this detail. As I too identify as bigender, I suppose I am also looking for validation of my experience because I don’t know many transgender individuals that stay in a long-term part-time situation. For most, bigender seems to be a temporary step to fill-time transition or it is more of something someone puts on, as in cross dressing or drag. I have always struggled to explain how someone could legitimately have two identities sharing one body, yet that’s basically how it has been for me for my whole life, all the way back to early childhood.    You and I are roughly in the same era, and growing up with gender variance was different than it is nowadays. Some of our experiences were similar, but generally your life went quite differently than mine.   Back in the day, a part-time person was called a transvestite and a full-timer was called a transsexual (often committing to bottom surgery as well), but I’ve really come to dislike the cross dresser/transvestite label because it tends to be associated with those who are fine with being cis, but like to dress in drag for fun or fetish. And that doesn’t describe all part-timers. I would say that I’m actually a transsexual who chose never to transition, and presenting female part-time is how I have coped with lifelong gender dysphoria. I don’t like myself being male, and never did, I simply accept that I am and have lived most of my life that way and just don’t care to put in the effort and money to transition.  I’m naturally a pretty girly male but I have to add hair, makeup and clothing to present female and I also try to “tone down” my girliness in male form. True androgyny never worked for me; I always switched between male and female looks, but at least that allowed me to use public bathrooms without issue.     I’m very curious - did you have a set of people, ie friends, family, coworkers, who only knew you as “male” and another set who knew you as Sally, with only a few (like your wife) knowing both sides? Such was more or less the case with me. 
    • MaeBe
      I bet you looked every pennies worth of that million! I'm sure, even beyond the courtier's interactions it was a very fun evening.
    • MaeBe
      I haven't been posting much, it's been a bit of a whirlwind: My wife took a job in WA State, meaning we're moving halfway across the country by the end of the Summer. I was told "it would be good if you had a new job by the end of the month", meaning I'm getting laid off at the same time. My eldest snuck booze while we were at our friends' house, had a bad interaction with his anti-depressants, and then had the huevos to lie that he wasn't drunk while accusing us of not trusting him. There's been a lot to process lately.   That said, I got called ma'am for the first time today while out. Twice! I can't stop thinking about it. Later, my dad showed up without plan to watch the Liverpool match and I was way more girled up (see ma'am) than he's ever seen me; hair, makeup, tight top, skinny jeans, and brand new sandals. At one point he pointed at my boob and asked, "is that 'enhancement'?". If you call a t-shirt bra enhancement, I guess? "Nope, that's just me!". Later, my boss came at me all passive-aggressive via chat after hours, too. I'm kind of tired with his -crap-. I won't have a job in two weeks, so it's cool to just assume I'm sabotaging things? K. /eyeroll   It's been an interesting day.
    • Sally Stone
      Post 12   “First Kiss”   It was October 29th, 2003.  My dear friend Willa had purchased tickets for the two of us to attend “Red Hot Halloween,” a public Halloween party held at the Sanctuary in downtown Pittsburgh.  The event was a fund raiser benefitting the Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force.  It was a great cause but it was also the perfect opportunity to let the adventurous side of my feminine persona have a little fun.    My first question to Willa was: “What should I wear?”    “Are you kidding?” She responded.  “This is your opportunity to be the Sally of your dreams.  I suggest you dress to impress.”   My first thought was to dress naughty.  It was Halloween, so it could be the perfect venue for something with an erotic edge to it.  I thought about going as a dominatrix or a naughty French maid.  After we talked about it, and weighed the pros and cons, Willa and I decided against naughty, and instead, chose to wear the fanciest evening gowns we could find.  Willa bought an expensive, silver sequined gown, and matching high-heels just for the event.  Me, on the other hand, I couldn’t justify spending big bucks on an evening gown for a single event, so I took a less expensive route.  It is amazing what you can find on the sale racks at big department stores when you look hard enough.  For a mere 30-dollars, I found a black, sleeveless column gown with matching bolero jacket.  The dress had a slit up the right leg, and it went all the way to my upper thigh, very sexy.  Being a column dress, it was form-fitting, and hugged my curves like a glove.  To complement my dress, I wore black patent high-heel pumps, a long blonde wig, and a set of long red fingernails.  As I recall, it took me three-hours just to do my makeup.  The end result, though, was worth the effort, because I felt like a million bucks.  It’s so obvious, why girls love dressing up – it’s an unbelievable high!   Inside the club it was a sea of bodies and the costumes were amazing.  At one point, I was standing on a balcony that overlooked the dance floor.  I was nursing a cocktail and watching the crowd.  Suddenly, there was a gentleman standing next to me; I didn’t notice his approach.  He told me I looked fabulous and he offered to buy me another drink.  I declined his drink offer, but we struck up a conversation.  Being a little slow, it took me a while to realize he was hitting on me. I never imagined anyone would ever actually be attracted to Sally, which I think contributed to my cluelessness.  So, I was shocked, and initially, a little creeped out as well.  After all, I wasn't into guys, and this was new to me.  As we continued talking, and he kept throwing accolades my way, I went from being uncomfortable to actually being flattered.    The event, being an AIDS fund raiser, had me assuming this guy was hitting on me because he was gay, and he thought I was, as well.  I wanted to set the record straight, so I casually mentioned that I wasn’t gay.  To my amazement, he responded by saying: “neither am I.”  Okay, now what was I supposed to do?  I didn’t want to be rude, but I didn’t want to send the wrong message either.  While I was trying to decide how to tell him I wasn’t interested, he asked if he could kiss me.  Not sure what I was thinking at that moment, I said “okay.”  He kissed me, and as strange as it was, I gave into it, not pulling away or disengaging.  It wasn’t a super passionate kiss, but it was more than a friendly peck on the lips, and I actually enjoyed it.  When we separated; however, I got the sense his passion had cooled.  I could only assume that my response to his kiss sent some kind of message that I wasn’t interested.    Whatever it was he picked up on, it let me off the hook, and I didn’t have to rebuff any further advances.  For this I was grateful, but at the same time, I was actually a little disappointed.  Clearly, I wasn’t going to lead him on, but it was so gratifying to know I had sparked his interest.  Despite his diminished passion, and his obvious realization I wasn’t going to be his girl, he remained the perfect gentleman.  We chatted for a few minutes more, then he gave me the nicest smile.  Again, he commented on how terrific I looked.  Then he added, “maybe I’ll see you later.”    It was hard for me to reconcile how I could have garnered the attention of a man.  In my mind’s eye, I knew my feminine presentation didn’t completely mask my birth sex, so why would a self-proclaimed straight guy actually be interested in me?  Had it been the only time something like this would happen, I would have chalked it up to random chance.  But it wouldn’t be the last time a man would hit on me.  It doesn’t happen often, but it still occurs more than I would have guessed, and I'm always surprised.    I have never asked, but I have always been curious to know my would-be suitor’s motivations.  Were they hitting on me simply because they happened to be fond of trans women, or was their attraction triggered by connecting with my inner woman?  And, however unlikely, did they mistake me for a cis woman?  I guess it really doesn’t matter much one way or the other, because ultimately, I’m not looking for any kind of a relationship.  However, I’d be fibbing if I said I wasn’t at least a little interested in another opportunity to get kissed.   Hugs,   Sally
    • Ivy
    • Betty K
      Thanks Davie! And don’t worry, I didn’t take it that way. It’s just such a big topic I can only hope to tackle it one bit at a time.
    • KathyLauren
      This is not uncommon.  I started out going to the therapist in androgynous clothing: from the women's department, but plausibly masculine.  What made it easier was when I started going to a trans peer support group.  Most of the people there were presenting fully feminine, so I looked out of place in my androgynous clothing.  The peer pressure made it easier to dress in skirts.   I started out changing in a gender-neutral bathroom near the meeting room.  But I soon started wearing skirts in the car to and from the meetings.   Yes, it was nerve-wracking at first, but I soon realized that no one was looking and no one cared.    You can do this.
    • ClaireBloom
      In my last session my therapist is starting to suggest that I need to start exploring my gender identity in a more tangible way through wearing feminine clothing at least during sessions.  I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around her seeing me actually en femme.   I love and trust her, but the thought of being visibly feminine is scaring (and thrilling) me.  Is this a common thing in gender therapy?  How do I get past the fear?  More importantly, what should I wear? 
    • Davie
      USA doctors denounce Cass Report, support trans folks.  The Endocrine Society And American Academy Of Pediatrics Respond To Cass, Reject Bans. In recent weeks, the Cass Review out of the United Kingdom has been used to argue for bans on care. The Endocrine Society and American Academy of Pediatrics respond, rejecting such arguments. —Erin Reed https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/endocrine-society-and-american-academy?publication_id=994764&post_id=144592467&isFreemail=true&r=rebf4&triedRedirect=true
    • Vidanjali
      Congratulations on your new family member!
    • Ashley0616
      I felt the urge to date and felt just like a teenager again. I have recorded my journal titled Ashley's Life From Start to Present. I was very moody and agitated and happy. I think it was my body's way of being in shock. After about two months it got better. Remember that you aren't the only one transitioning because your wife is too. Consider yourself lucky because I lost mine because of it and so have many others. Just enjoy the ride. 
  • Upcoming Events

Contact TransPulse

TransPulse can be contacted in the following ways:

Email: Click Here.

To report an error on this page.

Legal

Your use of this site is subject to the following rules and policies, whether you have read them or not.

Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
DMCA Policy
Community Rules

Hosting

Upstream hosting for TransPulse provided by QnEZ.

Sponsorship

Special consideration for TransPulse is kindly provided by The Breast Form Store.
×
×
  • Create New...