Joint pains after stopping hrt

This thread is from 2014. I expect the OP has sorted herself out now. Many women are now on HRT for life.

I would have stayed on HRT as long as possible but had to come off it because of concerns at the time which I believe have been discredited now. I had breast cancer three years ago and was put on an oestrogen blocking medication after a lumpectomy. I had unpleasant side effects including joint pains and after talking with my GP and the consultant I came off it. It was my decision but the joint pains and other side effects have gone now and I also believe the medication affected my bones adversely. If I had the chance to go back on HRT I would without hesitation.

I have arthritis and I’m on HRT at 69. It makes so much improvement.,

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annodomini.i have just gone 75, and was prescribed mine again last year might be worth asking your GP

I might add that my knees are now making life very difficult for me!

I had an easy menopause (at 43) and therefore was never offered HRT. However, since my late 50s - I'm now 77 - I've had a lot of joint trouble resulting in a hip replacement, a partial shoulder replacement and surgery on one hand. So it has occurred to me that if I'd been prescribed HRT thirty years ago, I might have been a lot fitter now. Could I be right?

I came off HRT quite a long time ago, cant remember exactly when, i still suffered hot flushes and sleeplessness, i was told by someone that NICE guidelines said it was ok to stay on for life
I saw my GP and he has put me back on Livial, feeling much better and more energy

I came off hrt after 3years as I got scared as my mum got breast cancer due to them estrogen dominance of the hrt. It was for a year but was a year from hell. Panic and anxiety attack’s were horrendous, not sleeping, and then told i had developed fibromyalgia, the joint pains were terrible,because I was having no quality of life at 54 doc advised me to go back on. All I can say is they give me my life back. Actually worth taking the risk. In that year I tried just about every different remedy, alternative treatments which I believe in but nothing would work. Only hrt. Dont really want to be on synthetic hormones but cannot are away out of it.

Each to their own, paddyann - I can only say, doing research into HRT in my job, I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole..

Well I'll take the word of my very experienced Gynae consultant and I'll be staying on HRT ,My sister came off it when her GP said 10 years was too long and then she went to the gynae clinic and was put back on it at 66 ...she is also on it for life .Makes no sense to me to believe the scare stories which change regularly,the risk of heart disease and cancers is very small ,in my mind its a risk worth taking

After reading the above research am now reviewing my own HRT because I have had arthritis of knee and hip for years which I believed was actually improving with HRT. I am not quite at stage of needing hip/knee replacement yet and assumed it was genetic as my mother is crippled with it. Oh dear!

Thanks very much, lazigirl

Have looked at the bmj link you provided and it it not what I previously accessed so I have to apologise particularly as I said that you should go back to the source to check evidence! Indeed it concludes that hormonal and reproductive factors may play a part, but reason unknown.

Sorry devongirl. I looked on NHS site and from what I can remember. it said that it was taken from Million Women Study and that it was not proved that HRT was the cause of the osteoarthritis but there could be other variables, and that it was a review of other research. Sorry if that isn't correct. Didn't reply before as visiting mum in hospital. I am part of Million Women Study by the way.

lazigirl, could you please answer my post? - thanks

lazigirl, could you please answer my post? - thanks

ard.bmj.com/content/68/7/1165

I am an author on this paper lazigirl, perhaps you would like to clarify what you mean by "study" in quotes and observational, and has many flaws

This "study" is observational, and has many flaws. I would urge anyone interested to go back to source and not necessarily rely on medical journalist reporting alone.

I do urge you to read this, ladies, before you decide to continue with HRT because of joint pain:

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/3268764/HRT-can-increase-the-risk-of-needing-a-joint-replacement.html

I'm staying on HRT for life.My consultant agrees with me says theres no reason why I should have to come off it.I had multiple gynae issues and HRT sorted them all so why woud I ever risk getting them all back .The benefits far outweighe the risks

I am on low dose HRT which my GP wanted to discontinue. I researched all current medical evidence, went armed with that plus taking into account medical and family history to GP. She had to agree that I could continue. Yes there are risks taking HRT long term, but in my case I felt that quality of life was more important. I think we should be able to make informed decisions on our own health and well being based on good medical evidence, not tabloid scare stories. GPs are understandably concerned about being sued when things go wrong so are usually very cautious.

Well I'm on this thread earlier saying I was staying on HRT but I had to come off it in December after having a bleed and subsequent investigations which thankfully apart from an ovarian cyst were OK. However I feel older, slower- pain is about the same as I have arthritis and a connective tissue disorder anyway. I don't take any supplements just try to eat healthily (mostly) and take plenty of regular exercise.

I took HRT (Prempro) for 20 years, and developed blood clots in my lungs a year ago. I weaned from the HRT quickly after that, and was on Xeralto and Xanax for a few months. Fortunately, my blood clots were provoked by the HRT, so I only had to be on the blood thinner a few months. Since being off HRT, I am experiencing painful joints and nerves. Has anyone experienced this, too? I'd like to know what you are doing to relieve the pain, other than medication? I am not a big fan of drugs. I am taking Lexapro which helps a lot with anxiety. I also take Magnesium, Chondroitin, Veggie Glucosamine, D3, and a blood pressure med (Norvasc). I might add that my meds are only 5 mg. per day! I have a sensitive system and can't tolerate many meds, and especially large doses!

Joint and muscle pain is listed as a "symptom of the menopause" on NHSChoices.
I hate that phrase "symptom of the menopause". Partly because it makes it sound like a disease.
But also there is endemic confusion between:
the menopause = the periods stopping
the perimenopause = time around the periods stopping
post menopause = after the periods have stopped.

But given that HRT tops up your oestrogen level, no reason to expect that some of the things that are caused by low oestrogen will fail to appear when medication is stopped.