Nothing works for me

I have been using natural progesterone cream for a year now for perimenopause help.

Even though I have used higher doses and used the cream every day of the month, I still have hot flashes and am thinking about using Tribulus Terrestris to try and normalize my oestrogen levels.

I am one of those people who hates hot weather and cannot stand being hot anyway, maybe this is why the hot flashes bother me so much?

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Nothing works for me

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Nov 02, 2009
 Nothing works for me
by: Wray

Hot weather and hot flushes are not a good combo, having been through it myself. But you don't say how high a dose of progesterone you've been using, so I can't comment. But I have found that 200-300mg/day is needed to help. You could consider taking tryptophan, the amino acid precursor to serotonin. There is some evidence that a drop in serotonin causes hot flushes. I do know it's helped many women. Start with 250mg/day about half an hour before bed and away from food. Tryptophan needs an insulin spike to push it into the brain, so take with about 1/4 glass of fruit juice or water and a biscuit. It also needs vitamin B6 and folic acid to convert it into serotonin, so if the tryptophan doesn?t come mixed with B6 and folic acid, take 25mg B6 and 300mcg folic acid with it. Increase the dose slowly in 250mg increments until you find the optimum dose, no need to increase the vitamins.

I can find no evidence that Tribulus terrestris will reduce oestrogen levels:

"Orally, puncture vine is used for enhancing athletic performance, male impotence, spermatorrhea, gonorrhea, kidney stones, and painful urination. It is also used for angina pectoris, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, treating anemia, Bright's disease, cancer, stomatitis, hepatitis, inflammation, nasal tumors, atopic dermatitis (eczema), psoriasis, rheumatism, leprosy, and scabies. Other uses include improving digestion, treating flatulence, colic, coughs, sore throat, headache, vertigo, and chronic fatigue syndrome. It is also used as a laxative, for stimulating appetite and milk flow, childbirth, as an abortifacient, aphrodisiac, astringent, diuretic, tonic, mood enhancer, and vermifuge." Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database: PUNCTURE VINE Monograph

You could consider taking DIM (diindolylmethane) which has oestrogen lowering properties, as well as anti-cancer properties. The amino acid methionine helps the liver excrete oestrogen. Take care, Wray

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