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Headaches when off Progesterone

by Christine
(Utah)

Hello,

I am the mother of 13 children (11 of my own)- and I am having a hard time feeling well. My youngest natural child is 8 years old- and I actually felt quite well after her birth, but couldn't lose all of the baby fat. I went from 174 pounds to 150 through exercise and eating whole foods, but then progress stopped.

I then got out of my abusive marriage over the course of two years, and went on a raw foods diet. I was 'raw' for five years- and I lost 30 pounds in 2-3 months going raw (probably because I got off of all grains, esp. wheat.) I got down to 114 pounds, close to where I should be (I am small boned and 5'4") but I am hypoglycemic, so the high fruit diet made things worse, even though I ate plenty of nuts and fats. I got on a sub-lingual progesterone from a compounding pharmacy, but it did no good for weight loss- my levels were at 3- extremely low. ( My digestion, skin,and other hormone levels and vitamin levels are all healthy/normal- like a 25 year old. I am 43.)

Last summer (2012) I go really sick, and ended up doing metabolic type testing- I am a protein type... and adding meats and eggs into my diet really helped me, and I quit all sugars (honey, molasses, maple syrup were the only sugars I consumed at that point.) My blood sugar ups and downs were gone, but I think I was so low carb I think I made myself sick from being in ketosis for too long. I added more veggies to my diet, and some popcorn, wheat-belly breads, etc.

I had to withdraw from life basically last fall when I got so sick with exhaustion, nausea, dizziness, mental fog- no clarity- etc. I thought that I was pregnant, but not the case. I gained 12 pounds last fall, and then probably ten more in the past few months. My doctors tested me for menopause in the fall- not the problem. Last month I asked my doctor to test my thyroid with four different tests- all levels were normal, but I tested slightly high for antibodies- so he said that I have an inflamed thyroid. I have been waiting for a referral to an endocrinologist- but I am still waiting.

I tried progesta-care a few months ago- and it really helped, but when I went off it after three weeks, I got a horrible headache that would not go away. It was like a migraine on each side of my head- I was bedridden and useless for three days, and ended up taking maxalt more than once to try and get relief.

I know that the progesterone helped me, I am just afraid of that headache coming back when I stop taking it for the week of my period. I was taking one dose (one pump) per day as directed- was the dose too small? I do not want to give myself headaches- I am usually headache free except under great duress. Any suggestions you may have would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you!

Comments for Headaches when off Progesterone

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May 07, 2013
 Headaches when off Progesterone
by: Wray

Hi Christine A raw food diet is good, but as a protein type you should have avoided the fruit. It doesn't normally feature very highly on the diet, mostly veggies are eaten. But maybe you followed one which did incorporate more than those I've looked at. Interestingly I'm also a protein type, and feel much better when eating it. Normally being in ketosis doesn't make one ill, ketogenic diets are used for people with epilepsy who have to stay on it to be seizure free. It seems they didn't test you for progesterone, or the ratio of that to oestrogen. This is far more important than the amount of each hormone. You might like to see the results of Saliva Tests we run. You'll notice how the ratio increases up to 600:1 and over. Progesterone should be used a minimum of twice a day as levels begin dropping after about 13 hours. Although the amount you used was too low to my mind, if it helped you then stick to it. I generally recommend 100-200mg/day but it does depend on symptoms, some women find they need more to achieve lasting affects. I feel it's far more important to get rid of symptoms than to bother with following a cycle. In fact I often recommend using progesterone daily for 2-3 months, or until stable, before following a cycle. I suggest you try this if you decide to use progesterone. Although you are too young for Menopause, the average age is 51, you sound as if you are in the beginning stages of Peri-menopause. A most difficult time. Progesterone is excellent for Migraines. Please have a vitamin D test done, a low level leads to many adverse symptoms, plus it affects the benefits of progesterone. For more info on vitamin D levels, test kits etc see the Vitamin D Council, GrassrootsHealth and Birmingham Hospital. Blood levels should be 70-100ng/ml (175-250nmol/L) and not the 30ng/ml (75nmol/L) most labs and doctors regard as adequate. The minimum daily dose should be 5000iu's per day, although recent research indicates it should be 10,000iu's per day, see here. Take care Wray
Jan 31, 2015
 I too have severe headaches on my "off" days
by: Anonymous

I've been on progestacare for almost a year. I began going to a kinesiologist in my area for treatment of migraines about a year and a half ago. His wife happens to be a nutritionist. They both do a lot of energy and meridian work. Since I have seen them, my migraines are rare. I have tracked them down to the same time each month which happens to occur on my "off" days from the progestacare. I usually only take a 3 day off period but today is day #3 (I can use the cream again tomorrow morning) and my head is hurting very bad with accompanied nausea. I am tempted to go ahead and use the cream tonight to try to keep the headache from getting worse. I read in the original reply that you keep people on it for a few months before adding in the off days. I am interested in knôwing if I am doing what I need to by only being off for 3 days, and also if a off period truly is needed. I had a hysterectomy at 32, but kept both ovaries, and I'm am 40 now. I feel great otherwise. My diet is good and I have no gluten whatsoever in my diet because it seems to be a true migraine trigger. When I did have periods I always had menstrual migraines since the birth of my 2nd daughter in 1998. I know this post is a little old but I still hope to get a response. Thanks

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