I have been on HRT in various forms for 10 years and I wish to know the next way to wean myself off of it. I started when I was 49 years old following a full hysterictomy and I am currently on patches. I was wondering if it is easier to use tablets to wean off rather than patches. My current patches are 50 strength but are not the type you can cut. With tablets you can be on lowest strength and then start missing days out. I would be interested to know your opinion.

It is very important to come off really slowly and I usually recommend taking about 6 months, slowly decreasing all the time.

Unfortunately, coming off HRT can trigger withdrawal symptoms that can mimic menopausal ones and it can be a miserable time until the body re-balances itself.

I would suggest taking a female multi-vitamin with high levels of B vitamins and a separate magnesium supplement to help with supporting your system generally. Sage tablets would work well for the flushes as well.

Acupuncture can be really effective for balancing whilst coming off HRT so it is worth looking into. Avoid foods that can stress the nervous system such as caffeine, high salt and sugar foods, processed foods and try to drink plenty of plain water each day.

Daily relaxation is really important for this as it helps to strengthen the nervous system and the stronger this is, the less likely you are to get symptoms

Eileen Durward