Welcome newest members

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone,

My name is Debbie and I am 46 and have been living in hormone hell for the last

three years or so. I have no idea which way is up anymore. A few years ago I

was so depressed and had no control over any of my emotions (my youngest was

also leaving home), so went to doc, said I was depressed, put me on meds, got

worse, diagnosed bipolar, I didn't believe them but was so happy to finally have

someone say they could fix me that I grabbed onto that and started the heavy

meds. Fast forward now 2 years. Yes, emotions got better but symptoms seem to

be resurfacing. Periods are as erratic as ever, unusual weight gain, bad moods

again, emotions, etc. started reading about Menopause. Learned lots about the

birth control pill I have been taking for the last 21 years.

Decided to clean house. Stopped the pill about three months ago. Went to the

" normal " doctor about my hormones and she was no help at all, but I did convince

her to do some hormone testing. REsults: Her words exactly: Thyroid is a

little off, let's wait three months. Oh, and you are in menopause. Duh!

Hormone tests showed estrogen was <12 and FSH was 155.

Took myself to a naturopathetic dr here in town, loved her. She put me on

Wiley. I thought " Awesome, finally a path to follow " .

Fast forward 3 weeks. Um.....why am I taking estrogen? I've never had estrogen

issues before, not that know of. In fact, I've felt so much better since I

stopped taking the Pill. Three days before I started the progesterone I started

getting swollen, tender, tons of bloating, irritable, crying. Yuk. She told me

to add to the P and decrease the E by 2 lines each.

Anyway, now I'm doing research on Wiley and not feeling very comfortable and

have no clue what to do now. She wants me to stay on it. I like the idea of

the Progesterone, according to all my research, it feels like the way to go, but

keep taking Estrogen? I'm lost at this point, AGAIN, and just looking for

clues. On another note, I also discontinued my bipolar meds. Titrated off very

slowly and took the last one a few days ago. Seem to be okay on that front.

Thanks for listening.

Deb

[Guest guest]

Hi All,

I thought I would throw my 2 cents in to this conversation also.....if

no-one minds?!

I was not able to handle P (oral prometrium 100mg) for more than 6 days

without getting bloated/lethargic/brain fog. The 'doctors' at the time told me

it was all in my head (though MANY doctors afterwards stated that this

showed the dosage was either too much for my body, or that my liver could not

detox properly, etc).

I went on the WP....gained massive amounts of weight (almost overnight).

Sleep got worse, got acne, hair loss continued, etc.

This being said, I do want to point out that initially I felt better on the

P (joint pains went away and sleep was a bit improved).....then all hell

broke lose!

Have been off the WP for just over 2 yrs. Did multiple detox programs.

Still felt like crap.

Finally, went to see Dr Reiss (in LA). Got on his program of E (triest

formula). Felt better on that E than any E I have used (estrace--oral and

transbuccal, biest cream, vivelle patches, estrogel). On his E for a few

months now (highest serum level 3 hrs after application showed 318-or around

there).

He also prescribed his compounded P (vag suppos) and initially I was only

able to take a small (1/4 supp) for 7 days. The following month used 1/2

supp to full supp for the 2 wks on....and this past month used the whole supp

(100mg) for 2 wks.

I did not have any of the 'normal' side effects from the P that I have had

in the past.

I actually look forward to the time when I will be on the P because it

decreases my psoriasis, my red palms almost begin to appear the normal skin

color and I feel more calm inside (E tends to irritate my immune system i

think).

The other point is that I now lose weight while on the P phase (3-4lbs) vs

when only on the E phase of the cycle.

I don't know why I can now handle the P, because on the WP my serum levels

of E were the same. I feel like now the E and P are, at times, being used

more by my body vs just sitting in my blood stream.

So, my point is that some people, for whatever reason, do do better, or

feel better, on the P (as long as it is in balance with the E and their system

can get rid of it so it doesn't build up in the body).....We are all

different so we have to get to know/read our bodies and go with what makes the

bod

feel better---just because it doesn't work for one person, it may work for

another.

I am certainly not where I want to be at this time (still w/digestive

issues) but being able to take the E and P is a BIG positive in and of itself!

Kam

</HTML>

[Guest guest]

What bi-polar med were you on? WP has no scientific basis so be careful.

Val

-----Original Message-----

From: rhythmicliving [mailto:rhythmicliving ]

On Behalf Of deb3163

Hi everyone,

My name is Debbie and I am 46 and have been living in hormone hell for the

last three years or so. I have no idea which way is up anymore. A few

years ago I was so depressed and had no control over any of my emotions (my

youngest was also leaving home), so went to doc, said I was depressed, put

me on meds, got worse, diagnosed bipolar, I didn't believe them but was so

happy to finally have someone say they could fix me that I grabbed onto that

and started the heavy meds. Fast forward now 2 years. Yes, emotions got

better but symptoms seem to be resurfacing. Periods are as erratic as ever,

unusual weight gain, bad moods again, emotions, etc. started reading about

Menopause. Learned lots about the birth control pill I have been taking for

the last 21 years.

Decided to clean house. Stopped the pill about three months ago. Went to

the " normal " doctor about my hormones and she was no help at all, but I did

convince her to do some hormone testing. REsults: Her words exactly:

Thyroid is a little off, let's wait three months. Oh, and you are in

menopause. Duh! Hormone tests showed estrogen was <12 and FSH was 155.

Took myself to a naturopathetic dr here in town, loved her. She put me on

Wiley. I thought " Awesome, finally a path to follow " .

Fast forward 3 weeks. Um.....why am I taking estrogen? I've never had

estrogen issues before, not that know of. In fact, I've felt so much better

since I stopped taking the Pill. Three days before I started the

progesterone I started getting swollen, tender, tons of bloating, irritable,

crying. Yuk. She told me to add to the P and decrease the E by 2 lines

each.

Anyway, now I'm doing research on Wiley and not feeling very comfortable and

have no clue what to do now. She wants me to stay on it. I like the idea

of the Progesterone, according to all my research, it feels like the way to

go, but keep taking Estrogen? I'm lost at this point, AGAIN, and just

looking for clues. On another note, I also discontinued my bipolar meds.

Titrated off very slowly and took the last one a few days ago. Seem to be

okay on that front.

Thanks for listening.

Deb

[Guest guest]

I was on Welbutrin and Lamictal. No longer on either.

I'm not sure at this point I want to be on any kind of hormones. I just want

some of they symptoms to go away, especially the mood and the bloating. I

thought P was supposed to alleviate the bloating and bad periods and weight

gain.

Deb

[Guest guest]

P gnerally increases weight gain and insulin resistance. Dr. Gillespie

says the only reason to use any P is to protect the uterus. There is lots

of bad information on the Internet about the miracles of P. I think most of

it originated with Lee's writings.

Val

-----Original Message-----

From: rhythmicliving [mailto:rhythmicliving ]

On Behalf Of deb3163

I was on Welbutrin and Lamictal. No longer on either.

I'm not sure at this point I want to be on any kind of hormones. I just

want some of they symptoms to go away, especially the mood and the bloating.

I thought P was supposed to alleviate the bloating and bad periods and

weight gain.

Deb

[Guest guest]

,

Can you tell me about the supplements you take to improve your brain and Adrenal

function? Thanks.

Mar

>

> Welcome, new members. I hope you learn what you need to learn from

> other members who are so willing to share their experiences with

> hormones. The archives are rich with information.

>

> My path so far:

> In April 2009, at age 50, I went on Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome

> supplement protocol for zero energy, went on supplements to balance

> brain chemistry for depression and lack of motivation, and started

> slowly onto Wiley Protocol--all under the supervision of my

> gynecologist, for whom I have great respect. It was all a slow but

> steady improvement for about six months. Then some symptoms got

> worse: bladder inflammation, having to force to get complete bladder

> evacuation, pain and inflammation in the genital area in the

> evenings. Not fun.

>

> So we switched me off Wiley and onto Evamist and Prometrium. Whenever

> you switch, you are going to get symptoms. Fortunately, I got

> immediate improvement: no more bladder and genital symptoms! I still

> have symptoms (breast tenderness, long periods, waking up at night,

> hives, etc.), so we are trying different levels of dosages in order

> to get it dialed in. A few months ago my periods got really light, so

> I had an ultrasound to learn that my endometrium lining was 11 mm

> thick. I just had another ultrasound this week and it was down to 5.5

> mm. Our target is somewhere between 2 and 5 mm, so I'm almost there.

> I just switched back to using Wiley progesterone, but not on a

> rhythmic schedule, I'm trying static dosing.

>

> Summary: I'm very happy with the brain supplements from DBS Labs. I'm

> very happy with the supplements from Future Formulations for my

> adrenals. Both my brain chemistry and my adrenal function have

> improved, according to my lab results. More importantly, I feel much

> better mentally, physically, and emotionally with energy. Yay! I'm

> getting enough estrogen that I don't have short-term memory loss

> anymore--it used to be several times a day I would forget what we

> were talking about! So the estrogen benefits have been wonderful. I'm

> nearly ready to go off the brain chemistry supplements, maybe another

> 6 - 12 months on the adrenal protocol. I'm still working on self-

> motivation, and I'm still in a good place. I'm waking up at night,

> but I'm getting more sleep.

>

> My latest change is that I finally found a really skilled naturopath

> in my area. She is a NAET practitioner and she has helped me release

> some old energy patterns that kept me from being able to process

> hormones properly. We are modifying my hormone dosing and will soon

> see results--one way or the other! ;-)

>

> I recommend going to a recommended NAET practitioner (chiropractor,

> naturopath, dentist, etc.) and make sure your body can deal with the

> hormones you are using. That will save you time and money and

> comfort. Good luck on your path to wellness!

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Mar,The supplements I take to improve my brain and adrenal function are the following:CHK Nutrition for Brain Chemistryhttp://www.chknutrition.com/After taking a pee test and mailing it off to DBS Labs, my doctor had numbers along with my symptoms to determine how supplements could help balance my brain chemistry. I currently take NeuroReplete, CysReplete, D5 Mucuna, TyrosineReplete. You can read their ingredients online. I get tested every few months, as directed by my doctor, who then adjusts the protocol. I am currently on the lowest level and expect to go off of them in the next few months, as my body has started making my own neurotransmitters. Yay! I have to say that having a bright doctor really makes all the difference in the world. Mine really listens to me and is able to determine so much of my chemistry from my reporting on my behavior/cravings/sleep etc. Then the pee tests confirm it with numbers.Future Formulations for Adrenal Fatiguehttp://www.futureformulations.com/This is the website for Dr. , author of Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome. My doctor recommends which supplements for me to take, based on symptoms. I am currently taking Adrenal Rebuilder, Adrenal C Formula, Super Adrenal Stress Formula. I also use his Squeaky Clean. This protocol made a big difference for me, but after six months, I finally tried going on Cortef, 5 mg. four times a day. This is a tiny dose of hydrocortisone, as my adrenals weren't making enough of their own, which causes a ton of issues. I immediately had more energy and was able to start working more than a few hours a week! I expect to go off all the adrenal support supplements and Cortef within a year.After starting 's protocol for adrenal fatigue, I noticed my skin got much softer, my hair got shinier, and my nails got stronger. My husband is also on the adrenal fatigue protocol, but is on different dosing. Both protocols add up to a lot of money each month, but I have faith that it is a temporary expenditure--that I won't have to take it for much longer. I am thankful for the big improvements I have gained in energy and attitude.In addition to the supplements, I got almost as much good from going on a stress diet. For me, that meant not watching the news or reading a paper; going to bed by 9 PM; NO light of any kind in the bedroom; no electronics in the bedroom; NO action or thriller movies--only happy movies; no food additives or food coloring; no caffeine. Making these simple changes helped me tremendously in speeding up how fast my adrenal glands can heal. They heal faster when you take some of the load off!Hope this is helpful!

[Guest guest]

,

It looks like I really need a Dr. who is very knowledgeable to monitor the use

of those supplements. You lucky to have a good Dr., those are hard to find. I

try to live stress free, but i haven't been very succesful. My husband doesn't

quite get the need for a stress diet making it harder to follow it.

Anyhow, thanks for the info.,

Mar

>

> Hi Mar,

>

> The supplements I take to improve my brain and adrenal function are

> the following:

> CHK Nutrition for Brain Chemistry

> http://www.chknutrition.com/

> After taking a pee test and mailing it off to DBS Labs, my doctor had

> numbers along with my symptoms to determine how supplements could

> help balance my brain chemistry. I currently take NeuroReplete,

> CysReplete, D5 Mucuna, TyrosineReplete. You can read their

> ingredients online. I get tested every few months, as directed by my

> doctor, who then adjusts the protocol. I am currently on the lowest

> level and expect to go off of them in the next few months, as my body

> has started making my own neurotransmitters. Yay!

>

> I have to say that having a bright doctor really makes all the

> difference in the world. Mine really listens to me and is able to

> determine so much of my chemistry from my reporting on my behavior/

> cravings/sleep etc. Then the pee tests confirm it with numbers.

>

> Future Formulations for Adrenal Fatigue

> http://www.futureformulations.com/

> This is the website for Dr. , author of Adrenal Fatigue

> Syndrome. My doctor recommends which supplements for me to take,

> based on symptoms. I am currently taking Adrenal Rebuilder, Adrenal C

> Formula, Super Adrenal Stress Formula. I also use his Squeaky Clean.

> This protocol made a big difference for me, but after six months, I

> finally tried going on Cortef, 5 mg. four times a day. This is a tiny

> dose of hydrocortisone, as my adrenals weren't making enough of their

> own, which causes a ton of issues. I immediately had more energy and

> was able to start working more than a few hours a week! I expect to

> go off all the adrenal support supplements and Cortef within a year.

>

> After starting 's protocol for adrenal fatigue, I noticed my

> skin got much softer, my hair got shinier, and my nails got stronger.

> My husband is also on the adrenal fatigue protocol, but is on

> different dosing. Both protocols add up to a lot of money each month,

> but I have faith that it is a temporary expenditure--that I won't

> have to take it for much longer. I am thankful for the big

> improvements I have gained in energy and attitude.

>

> In addition to the supplements, I got almost as much good from going

> on a stress diet. For me, that meant not watching the news or reading

> a paper; going to bed by 9 PM; NO light of any kind in the bedroom;

> no electronics in the bedroom; NO action or thriller movies--only

> happy movies; no food additives or food coloring; no caffeine. Making

> these simple changes helped me tremendously in speeding up how fast

> my adrenal glands can heal. They heal faster when you take some of

> the load off!

>

> Hope this is helpful!

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Everyone, The following anon intros are for our newest members. It appears they are both on the WP. The archives are a rich source for finding what the largest group of women did to get off the protocol. The largest bunch start back in the spring of '05. LaurelThe intros are below Would like to discuss side effects and discontinuing.I am a registered nurse on the Wiley protocol since November. I want to do what is best for me Im open to looking at both sides of this issue.

[Guest guest]

Hello to the new member!

I have a question for you. Why would your dr put you on a P patch if you already have high P? I’ve actually never heard of a P patch. I’m going to go look now!

Kindly,

Liz

Hi Everyone,

Welcome to our newest members. The anon intros are below. I want to remind everyone we are a real name group so sign your posts with your name, first name, not last name. The emails will never be open to the open internet.

As well, everyone please be very careful about making claims and do qualify your statements as things you've noticed or please provide a reliable source. Science has established that the placebo effect is strong and our minds are bias. I believe I qualified that statement on other posts, heh.

To our newest members, please introduce yourselves when you feel comfortable. FYI, this is not a WP support group.

Laurel

Just wanting to educate myself. I am 38 with low E, high P and low T. Doctor prescribed T (compounded) and E & P patch.

I have heard about the WP protocol and was considering it as a protocol to follow. I was interested in gathering more information as to what others have experienced.

On WP and would like information

http://liz-vernand.artistwebsites.com

http://fineartamerica.com/shop/liz-vernand.html