Overdosed On Progesterone
by Dixie
(Grand Rapids, MI)
I did not take time to read all of the posts on this site, because there are many. But ... I did take the time to read through a lot.
I would just like to tell you a bit about my experience with progesterone. I am the type of person that searches out the most "holistic" type of treatments for myself, whenever I might have a health issue. Thus I went to a holistic M.D. that was approximately three hours away. He was pretty well-known ... actually nation wide.
This doctor was very busy though, and I believe he "threw at me" what he probably "threw" at all of his peri-menopausal women patients. He put me on 200 mgs of progesterone cream daily. I followed his exact orders for four years, not realizing that I was losing years my life because of his cookie cutter approach to what he indicated my health issues were. At the time, he indicated that I was estrogen dominant and after I was on progesterone for a while, that would straighten out.
Well .. it never did. I felt worse and worse, but kept thinking that it was something that I was doing wrong. I would keep going back to this doc. He would run more tests and would prescribe more supplements. The brain fog, depression, weight gain, lethargy and on and on with the issues I had while on his protocol ... all of it was almost unbearable. But, because I was constantly in such a fog, I was not able to put two and two together.
One day while emailing back and forth with another women who had similar issues, she mentioned to me that it sounded like I was getting way too much progesterone. And .. "did you know", she said ... "that some women just can't tolerate progesterone?" I did not know that! She said to me that it is touted ... that because progesterone levels are highest when a women is pregnant (supposedly feeling their best during that time?) that progesterone is the "it all" for most women.
Well ... I discovered that myself (and many other women) did not feel good during our pregnancies. Come to find out ... after talking to my doctors that I went to during my "reproductive years" ... my estrogen levels ran very high and progesterone typically pretty low. That is just how my body operated and it worked well for me. I lived a very full and healthy life ... UNTIL I added in 200mgs of progesterone cream daily to my protocol. :(
When you address something "holistically" you typically are trying to recreate what would be considered normal for your natural body processes ... right? Looking back on those very traumatic 4 or so years, I am wondering why anyone would think shooting for "higher than normal" progesterone levels would be considered "normal" or "therapeutic"??
After my email conversation with that women, and after doing tons of my own research and finding many other women that had endured many of my same issues, I went totally off of the progesterone cream that I had been on for so long. I think it took a full year, but I do believe, for the most part, that it is finally out of my system (after applying that cream topically .. it was stored in all my fat areas and took a very long time to lose!)
I am 53 and have been on estrogen and testosterone pellets and I cycle (vaginally) my 100 mg Prometrium capsules (meant to take orally) 12 days a month. I am feeling .. Once again, human again.
I just feel like all women need to know that they are not necessarily the ideal candidate for progesterone therapy. If you begin it and are on progesterone for a couple of months .. and feel worse and worse, you better rethink what you are doing. It is NOT the answer for all.
I typed this quickly and hope that all that I have said here makes sense.
Best,
Dixie Lou