Bioidentical progesterone cream causes withdrawal similar to benzo-

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Thanks. I saw you wrote that earlier and I am trying to eat more raw carrots. I think my liver is sluggish too.

Mm

 

your welcome! and they say if you shred the raw carrot and mix either coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil it helps for it to be more anti-bacterial. i haven't done that yet but i plan to. i hope i am not bugging people about the raw carrot idea. i put it on a few other threads. you know how when your excited about an idea you talk about it, probably too much.  anyway, i have seen a difference in my bowel movements, PMS and the benzo belly.

 

pretty

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Using Prog at 11 months off is why I reinstated !! I was flipping out so bad aftre using bio identical P cream. At first it seemed a miracle,, then all Hell broke loose and I had to reinstate    It acts the same as a benzo !!! Medical studies show this 

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Using Prog at 11 months off is why I reinstated !! I was flipping out so bad aftre using bio identical P cream. At first it seemed a miracle,, then all Hell broke loose and I had to reinstate    It acts the same as a benzo !!! Medical studies show this 

 

wow, that is scary. so you don't use any prog at all now? i am still using prometrium inserted vaginally. this was the first month i did it this way. i just got out of a doozy wave and feel somewhat normal right now alhtough still have many nerve, tightening, hard to walk type sypmtoms. it's a partial window for sure. tonight is my last dose of prometrium but i still haven't had a period since Feb 14th--5 months ago :'(

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I am in somewhat the same boat as Meljo.  I had to up dose my klonopin 2 days ago because of severe withdrawl from 100mg of sublingual progesterone. I had been on that average dose for 7 months. It was either go back on the P which was causing my problems to begin with or updose. At the guidance of a benzo friend I made this decision. I can't stress enough the risk with taking too much P. I went to askapatient.com and read all of the posts of women who rated it and there are so many who have gone through withdrawl after getting off. I quit the P back in May and thought I would through the worst but I continued to get worse. That explains the power of this hormone on the GABA receptors. I plan on stabilizing and starting a slow water titration. It is so frustrasting to have to take a step back. There is too much hype about how great P is and many women get into trouble especially taking high doses and not balancing it with estrogen. I just wonder how long it takes to heal from this? 

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Yep- I'm never ever touching progesterone again.  The few times I tried it it made me worse. I only used at the most for 3 days. Then it took a good week after stopping to stabilize.

 

Dana- FYI, klonopin is not soluble in water. It will just settle to the bottom.Use whole milk to dissolve your pills when doing the titration, then the solution will we homogenous or even throughout. Wouldn't want to see you get worse.

Mm

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Thanks for the info on water taper. I did the water titration for quite awhile and then had to hold due to an antibiotic that messed with my brain. I have read about the milk and will try that.  Maybe it will easier on the brain.  Yes, there are many women who just can't handle the progesterone. My Dr did tell me when he added it to my estradiol that some women do not like it. I had no idea. At first it seemed great. Then I got very sluggish, confused, memory loss and many other things. It was potentiating the action of the Klonopin! Of course I have learned this after the fact.  When you are P withdrawl it renders the benzo not as effective. I guess I am in double withdrawl?  I just can't believe this. When I did my research before starting this I found nothing bad because everyone is pushing it. Dr John Lee had his facts wrong. After going through and digging deep online I have found the big downside of this hormone. Like I said in another thread on this, when one is compromised by benzo withdrawl you have so careful as to what you take. I read where if one has been on this for several days or weeks whether it be for regulating a period or for menopause it should be tapered very gradually. Again, I have a learned a big lesson. I know this too will pass and there will better days ahead. Never give up hope!

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Yes it was AWFUL for me    I was basically tooting along doing about 75% recovered .... and yet I still would get anxious at dr appts and dizziness... so dr put me on P cream... I had a full hysterectomy for no god reason so was already on estrogen ..all my sx were benzo wd !!!  It hit so hard I literally thought I was dieing    For months.... so I reinstated    There are a few articles and studies on P withdrawal and how it hits gaba receptors 

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In the brain, GABA helps balance excitation with inhibition. Furthermore, withdrawal from endogenous progesterone supplementation after chronic administration increases anxiety via declining levels of its potent GABA-modulatory metabolites.

 

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Hi everyone, I just got out of the Doctors office And I have a lower than normal progesterone and testosterone levels. My doctor would like to start me on synthetic progesterone and testosterone. I saw this thread but unfortunately I don't have time to read everyone's posts. So I was hoping that someone could get back with me on whether or not this would hinder my recovery.

I AM 29 days no benzo. I don't want to screw anything up but I also know that I want to have the right hormones in my body. The doctor did say once I started taking this that I would have to continue taking it. Just wanted to get everyone's thoughts I really appreciate it.

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Meijo, I was put on klonopin 8 months after a total hyst that I didnot need. My GP found a mass on Left ovary and an ultrasound was done but they could not conclude what it was. The radiologist was concerned and they called my gyn. The next morning I was the hospital where they did a transvaginal ultrasound and still could not figure it out but that it could be cancer. Scare tactic. I was 44 at the time and the Dr said having a hysterectomy would be the best option and I would feel better. There is a gyn oncology surgeon there who believes that every woman over 40 should have everything removed. I was an RN at this teaching hospital and remember how crazy she sounded. I look back and realized all of the other gyn's followed her lead. It turned out to be a corpus luteum cyst. My whole life changed within 24 hours. He put me on estradiol but not enough. I felt awful and had repeated utis etc. I was jittery, lost weight, yet still was told my estradiol level was ok. NOT! I realized now that I needed some progesterone at the time which they don't believe in doing or didnot. They increased my patch dose I had hypertension, rapid weight loss, estreme anxiety, arrythimia. I went to the ER 3 times and finally I was admittied under the medicine service. The Dr said I was having panic attacks. I told him it was the patch and took it off. In the mean time he called psych and they told me that I had separation anxiety because of losing my uterus 8 months prior. I told them they were insane!  I finally got an apology as more tests were done that conclude it was a medical physiological problem from the patch. Really from not being balanced and managed well by gyn. In the meantime they put me klonopin to get to sleep. I went home on it and after 2 weeks I was never the same. I had no clue because I thought it was a hormonal thing. I ended up on paxil. The story continues on with diagnosis of fibro, lupus. All because of a hysterectomy. It messes with the whole endocrine system.I had no idea about klonopin as I never gave to my patient. I never took medicines or even saw Drs. This was back in 1997. At the time I did not have a computer to research this. I got myself off of paxil and other meds. I could not get off of the klonopin and went into detox because I thought they could do it. I sat in cold turkey for 4 months and almost lost my life. I finally reinstated and still struggling to get off. Have been doing very well over the years. In the mean time I found a great gyn who has helped so much. It was my fault for even suggesting adding the progesterone. I can see why so many women end up on benzos and antidepressents because most Dr know nothing about the endocrine system and it has to be balanced. Did not mean to rant this long but I get so mad when I think about it. I never any medicines before all of that happened. This progesterone causes nasty side effects and a very nasty withdrawl. I was having muscle twitching, horrible spasms, anxiety, depression, gut problems, tinnitus, benzo sickness with the flu like symptoms, burning skin, insomnia and the list goes on. I am much better now that I updosed but I never expected to have to do this. I just have no clue when the progesterone withdrawl will subside so I can get on with my taper. 

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It looks like I will not be taking the progesterone like the doctor wanted me to.. ugg.. I wish I was able to so I could get my hormones up where they should be.

 

Could benzo tapering cause your progesterone to go down? and then once you are 1 year our go back up?

 

Is there anyone that has taken progesteron and it is or had worked? 

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I wouldn't do anything. Give your body time to rebalance itself first, then revisit your options later on. That's what I would do. I could not tolerate synthetic or natural progesterone. I'm using alternative medicine and nutrition. Would hate to see you go backwards.

Mm

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Hi CoraAshley,

 

I don't how old you are but I would not take the progesterone right now even if you are low. You want to keep healing and I know for a fact it would set you back. The testosterone is alright as long as the dose is low. I take it have for years even before my benzo withdrawl. It does help with muscle mass and mood. The progesterone is just too risky. I debated on whether to reinstate on the P or up the K. I called my pharmacist who really does not know about the cross tolerance and withdrawl. I am going educate him. He told me to start with a low dose and do every other day. That did not feel right with me. I figrued why add it back only to aggravate what is already on in my brain. I would rather deal just with the K which I am very familiar with. No one really knows the equivalency of progesterone or its metoblites to the benzos. That is scary. I have been trying to research to no avail. Are you on any estrogen?  Progesterone is mainly produced for pregnancy and only about 10mg is produced in the last half of the menstrual cycle. 1-3mg are produced in the first half. Only when we get pregnant do we produce large amounts but also still produce large amounts of estradiol, estriol. Women are taking way too much and I was one of them. If you go to askapatient.com and look at progesterone it will give you some insight. There are ratings for progesterone, prometrium, provera etc. Just do your research and be very careful.

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CoraAshley,

 

You made a great decision not to take it. I agree with Meijo. Remember you are benzo free and you want to stay that way!

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I am 36 yrs young :-).. my progesterone one my 21 days from when I started my period was 3.2 and my doctor said it's ideal to have my levels at 10.

My estone was at 55

 

Also my T3 is lower than ideal it was at 2.8 and he wants it at 3.7. So he wants me to start a thyroid thing.

Also my testosterone was the highest it's been and that was 25 when I've seen it as low as 8.  So I am excited about the testosterone b/c I have lost some of my muscle mass and I'm not as lean as I usually am.. and the thyroid T3 being low could cause weight issues as well.

 

I don't want to screw anything up either.

My doctor says he's put people on progesteron and it helps tremendously with being who have come off of benzos, etc. 

He did say once you start hormone replacement you cannot stop it.

 

So no one ever can take progesterone without it causing problems.. it sounds soooo exciting though when you hear it can help.  But it sounds sooo scary when you read all your posts!

 

Thank you!!

 

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Progesterone does help and work for some people. Just didn't for me or others here on this post.

I sat on the fence a long time about it. Finally tried it and it wasn't for me. I'm 38. My progesterone was very low. I am getting regular periods now and the w/d isn't as bad as it was around my period.

Mm

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thanks mm74.

I am not sure what I am going to do.. I'll wait to hear if anyone else posts on this or not.

Thanks!

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i know many don't have time to re-read this thread but i posted a lot about my progesterone troubles not too far back on this thread. i can't believe what i am still reading about progesterone as i so want it to be the one hormone that works for me. after reading much of Ray Peat's articles and him saying over and over that progesterone is the "female hormone" and lists and lists of all the things progesterone can help with and brain injury being one of them.

 

of course when i asked Ray Peat all about this stuff he gave me answers that i still don't understand and i have saved everyone of his answers. as much as i do think he is brilliant i sometimes thing he doesn't really read the question and already has a stock response. for instance, i asked him if the orange juice i was drinking could possibly make me have canker sores in the mouth as part of his diet and protocol is to drink lots of OJ as he states it helps with the thyroid.

 

and his response was something to the affect that "the oils from the human skin that they put in commercial orange juice can make your body acidic" something like that. anyway, i just don't know about him sometimes and i do still have his progesterone called "progest+E" which is supposed to be the most natural bio identical because it's dissolved in vitamin E and made from a cholesterol and not a wild yam.

 

but i can't take it yet as it was making me sick and that could very well be because of my liver. but when i stopped the prometrium cold turkey i guess i was in a bad wave all though i couldn't tell because i was so early out from the cold turkey from klonopin. lately i am still taking the prometrium and i did start using is vaginally to see if i would get my period. i didn't yet. i haven't had my period since Feb 14th. i am 40. so i don't know if it's just because of the benzo withdrawal that my period is off. and also i am still only 87 lbs. i guess that could be a reason to not get a period, right?

 

to hear that progesterone is just like the benzo's on the GABA receptor's and causes that much distress really bother's me. and yes, mostly because of all the articles i have read about all the good that progesterone does. but i don't think he's talking about just any prog cream that comes from wild yam and before anyone knocks Peat please google his name and progesterone and please do some reading for yourself because i really can't stand when someone knocks him and all that he says on here as that means you are only just knocking me because i am reading his works. but also see for yourself all that he says about how good progesterone is and that it's the female hormone and all the good things it does--that will confuse you even more, just like me.

 

but if worse comes to worse--i will taper slowly from the prometrium and become progesterone free if it really hinders the healing process and puts me into really bad waves but i need more concrete evidence. although hearing all your stories and especially Dana's is enough. but i do think that when we are healed from the benzo withdrawal and we don't use any bio identicals we can still up our own hormones through diet/

sorry for the long post.

pretty

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It looks like I will not be taking the progesterone like the doctor wanted me to.. ugg.. I wish I was able to so I could get my hormones up where they should be.

 

Could benzo tapering cause your progesterone to go down? and then once you are 1 year our go back up?

 

Is there anyone that has taken progesteron and it is or had worked?

 

I'm not a doctor so can't give you medical advice, but my personal advice would be to wait a year, see how  your hormones are then.  Don't go on them.  They are hell to get off.

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Hi everyone I was looking on my blood test and here is my level of progesterone:

3.2 my dr says the optimal level is 10.

The test says that normal is anywhere between: 3.0-31.4

He says progesterone is calming and it will help with sleep. He saisy the reason u r more anxious is b/c these levels r low.

But he does say once u r on u won't want to stop.

The pharmacist says that the reason its hard to stop is b/c ur body starts to make even less b/c u r getting it some other way now. He also says u cannot make more of this hormone on ur own, this is the only way to get it.

 

Could I have low progesterone b/c of benzo withdrawal?

 

Thanks, c

 

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I have read that benzos cause progesterone levels to be lowered. I heard of the hormones coming back to normal once you are benzo free. Have been reading about kefir to help naturally balance hormones. It's a natural probiotic. Some people claimed they finally got their periods again after drinking kefir. i think its best if you make it yourself. I have been eating a raw carrot everyday and that seems to help too.

Mm

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Thank u for ur response mm74, r u referring to the hormones like progesterone and testosterone?

Also my t3 thyroid is lower than optimal, but that does run in My family, do u think that might be fixed after a few more months?

Thanks!

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I don't know about the thyroid hormones but I heard progesterone usually returns to what it was before benzos.

Mm

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Thank u for ur response mm74, r u referring to the hormones like progesterone and testosterone?

Also my t3 thyroid is lower than optimal, but that does run in My family, do u think that might be fixed after a few more months?

Thanks!

Coral, i tested hypo T during tapering wdwl & was rxd meds because my mother went severely hypo around my age, (no bz history for her). I did take the meds briefly but started to feel too hyper & stopped. My readings have been normal since around 6 months off & I dont need any meds.

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i think once one is healed from a benzo withdrawal which can take time for some people the HPA axix has to somehow come back into a normal functioning, doesn't that make sense? and then all hormones should be a little bit better? i sure hope so!

 

i am definitely going to go on some kind of thyroid like cytomel, cynomel or armour a little later when i am better and stronger if my thyroid levels are low and in need of something.

 

the daily raw carrot is a good place to start as it pulls out those endotoxins which then can help the progesterone come up at bit, i hope! and eating an egg every day can help the prog levels as it has the cholesterol. also eating liver a few times a week is supposed to help the prog levels.

 

but doesn't make sense that a women's hormones should start balancing if one is off all prescription meds, a great diet and doing everything else right? i wonder if working with the limbic system in some way can help a person's own hormones to come back into balance? otherwise--helpa!