Progesterone: How To Get Started, Side Effects

Peata

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I just got a bottle of Progest E in the mail today and thought I'd do 3 drops 5 x per day for 10 days. Well about 2 hours after my first dose of 3 drops, I had a subtle but strange feeling come over me. I didn't want to make it worse by worrying, so I assumed it was low blood sugar, but having sugar didn't help. It was a little like when you take a Benadryl and you get that "drugged" feeling - a little dizzy and sleepy. Only it wasn't all that strong. It was just worrying me because I didn't expect it or know if it would get worse or what would happen.

Bravely/stupidly, A few hours later I took the next dose of 3 drops. The drugged feeling became stronger. It didn't last but maybe 45 minutes in strength... Right now it's mostly gone, except for some sleepiness.

I am 100% sure this is the Progest E because I've done nothing different or taken anything different than I do on any other day other than the Progest E, and symptoms came on after taking it. I definitely recognize a "drug feeling" and not caused by food or activity.

I'm in the 2nd half of my cycle and taking it for estrogen dominance problems (acne, fibrocystic breasts, etc.)

So... what does this mean? Is it too much for my system and I should back off and just do a maintenance dose like I planned to do eventually?

Or do I need to stick with the initial high dose for 10 days and there will be some kind of "breakthrough" to the other side?
 
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Peata

Peata

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Going on 6 p.m. and I'm still feeling the sleepiness/drunk/drugged feeling. I can function - so no worries, but I still don't know whether to take the next dose.

Dr. Peat's formula is definitely active, lol, makes the progesterone cream I was using seem like a plain tube of moisturizer.
 

jaguar43

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Peata said:
I just got a bottle of Progest E in the mail today and thought I'd do 3 drops 5 x per day for 10 days. Well about 2 hours after my first dose of 3 drops, I had a subtle but strange feeling come over me. I didn't want to make it worse by worrying, so I assumed it was low blood sugar, but having sugar didn't help. It was a little like when you take a Benadryl and you get that "drugged" feeling - a little dizzy and sleepy. Only it wasn't all that strong. It was just worrying me because I didn't expect it or know if it would get worse or what would happen.

Bravely/stupidly, A few hours later I took the next dose of 3 drops. The drugged feeling became stronger. It didn't last but maybe 45 minutes in strength... Right now it's mostly gone, except for some sleepiness.

I am 100% sure this is the Progest E because I've done nothing different or taken anything different than I do on any other day other than the Progest E, and symptoms came on after taking it. I definitely recognize a "drug feeling" and not caused by food or activity.

I'm in the 2nd half of my cycle and taking it for estrogen dominance problems (acne, fibrocystic breasts, etc.)

So... what does this mean? Is it too much for my system and I should back off and just do a maintenance dose like I planned to do eventually?

Or do I need to stick with the initial high dose for 10 days and there will be some kind of "breakthrough" to the other side?

Progesterone, which is the most abundant hormone of pregnancy, has both anti-inflammatory and anesthetic actions, which would be of obvious benefit in arthritis.

http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/ti ... tion.shtml

the drugged effect is the progesterone, thats it. you want to start small and work your way up.
 
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Peata

Peata

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Thanks for the reply, jag. I was going to start low and work up, but I was trying to follow RP's directions on Progest E. He said take 3 drops 5 x day for the first 10 days.

I don't enjoy this "high" feeling Progest E gives me, so I was only able to take 3 drops 3 x day today.
 

4peatssake

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jag2594 said:
the drugged effect is the progesterone, thats it. you want to start small and work your way up.
This is not recommended when you have estrogen dominance.

It is also really important to have a good diet in place and have corrected thyroid deficiency before supplementing progesterone. I think this is exactly why I got into trouble and also why, having now corrected those two things, I am now doing well having just restarted Progest E, and taking a high dosage to start.

Simply put, I was not well enough informed nor had I corrected my thyroid deficiency and had only just begun a good Peat diet when I first supplemented with Progest E. It took some time for me to realize that I'd put the cart before horse. :oops:

This is from Ray Peat's article Progesterone Summaries and is a must read, although I do suggest reading all his articles on progesterone - it is that important.

PROGESTERONE SUPPLEMENTATION

SYMPTOMATIC: For tendonitis, bursitis, arthritis, sunburn, etc., progesterone in vitamin E can be applied locally after a little olive oil has been put on the skin to make it easier to spread the progesterone solution. For migraines, it has been taken orally just as the symptoms begin.

FOR PMS: The normal pattern of progesterone secretion during the month is for the ovaries to produce a large amount in the 2nd two weeks of the menstrual cycle, (i.e., day 14 through day 28) beginning at ovulation and ending around the beginning of menstruation, and then to produce little for the following two weeks. An average person produces about 30 milligrams daily during the 2nd two weeks. The solution I have used contains approximately 3 or 4 milligrams of progesterone per small drop. Three to four drops, or about 10 to 15 milligrams of progesterone, is often enough to bring the progesterone level up to normal. That amount can be taken days 14 through 28 of the menstrual cycle; this amount may be repeated once or twice during the day as needed to alleviate symptoms. Since an essential mechanism of progesterone's action involves its opposition to estrogen, smaller amounts are effective when estrogen production is low, and if estrogen is extremely high, even large supplements of progesterone will have no clear effect; in that case, it is essential to regulate estrogen metabolism, by improving the diet, correcting a thyroid deficiency, etc. (Unsaturated fat is antithyroid and synergizes with estrogen.)

PERIMENOPAUSAL: The symptoms and body changes leading up to menopause are associated with decreasing production of progesterone, at a time when estrogen may be at a lifetime high. The cyclic use of progesterone, two weeks on, two weeks off, will often keep the normal menstrual cycle going. Three to our drops, providing ten or twelve milligrams of progesterone, is typical for a day, but some women prefer to repeat that amount. Progesterone is always more effective when the diet contains adequate protein, and when thee isn't an excessive amount of unsaturated fat in the diet..

POSTMENOPAUSAL: Some women continue the cyclic use of progesterone ater menopause, because the pituitary gland and brain may continue to cycle long after menstruation has stopped, and progesterone is an important regulator of pituitary and brain function. The cycling pituitary affects the adrenal glands and other organs, and progesterone tends to protect against the unopposed actions of prolactin, cortisol, and adrenal androgenic hormones. Progesterone's effects on the pituitary apparently contribute to its protective effect against osteoporosis, hypertension, hirsutism, etc. But some women prefer to use progesterone without interruption after the menopause, for its protective antistress effects. Slender people usually find that two or three drops are enough, but this amount may be repeated once or twice as needed to relieve symptoms. Adequate protein in the diet and good thyroid function help the body to produce its own progesterone; even if the ovaries have been removed, the adrenal glands and brain continue to produce progesterone.

Also, if you do a search of both Peatarian and Rayser's posts on progesterone, there is a wealth of really good information there.

This was a recent post by Rayser.

Rayser said:
Many women get the best results when they start on a high dosage of progest-e to disrupt the estrogen dominance. But I think you will have to increase thyroid function and protein intake as well and use niacinamid and aspirin to keep PUFA out of your blood stream.

Progesterone is a very potent natural anti-depressant. Feeling depressed is typical for high estrogen and serotonin.

I recommend you read Ray Peat's articles on progesterone. They are listed on his homepage and at several places on this forum.

Recently, from honeybee.
honeybee said:
Progest e really works. You have to experiment with dose, though just like everything else. I made the mistake of under dosing ( only used 1-2 drops once per day) it made all of my estrogen symptoms much worse so I stopped using it. I started again last month, at 3 drops2-3 times a day and it really HELPED everything at the higher dose. Edit I only used progest e during the second half of cycle after ovulation, per RP recommendation. Some women have to use it through entire cycle for severe issues.
 
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Peata

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Thank you for the good info on dosing, 4PS.

I decided to hold off on Progest E, at least for a while. It took nearly 24 hours from my last dose for me to feel right again. I thought the effects would wear off while I slept, but I woke up and spent most of the day feeling kinda hungover - still "drunk" really. Nothing near as bad as yesterday evening, but enough to know I wasn't right.

I am going to just work on nutritional things even more and possible come back to using the Progest E orally again sometime.

It's definitely potent when rubbed on the gums, is all I can say.

I might continue using a small drop on areas of skin to see if it helps the skin condition in that area and whether I can tell any sort of systemic effect from using it on my skin.
 
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Peata

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I started back yesterday taking Progest E - 2 drop on my gums 4 x day. By night I was feeling some of that "drunk" feeling and was unsteady on my feet. I felt OK at bedtime and used some more, but when I got up this morning, I felt nausea and some dizziness. Thankfully it wore off pretty fast.

I need to know some educated guesses on what's happening:

1) Overdose? Is the Peat-recommended high amount to start with too much for me and these are signs from my body to back off and just use amounts that don't cause the side effects?

2) Is Progest E turning into estrogen in my body? I'm just not sure these side effects are the same as too much estrogen, because I've experienced too much estrogen years ago when I was on the pill. I had extreme nausea for a long time on some days (usually when starting new pack of bcp) and I never had the "high" or dizzy feeling with unsteady gait. So does that mean it's staying progesterone in my system and not turning into estrogen?

Any other thoughts? Thanks!
 
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Peata

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Jenn, I saw on another thread about progesterone side effects some posts that indicate if liver can't handle the progesterone supplements it could cause the side effects. Do you think this is mostly a liver issue?
 

Jenn

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The liver is certainly a factor. I did not add progestE to my repertoire until I had been doing this for about 3-4 years. I still am conservative with it. This is not a comment on progestE but on my body's needs and ability to use it.
 

Swandattur

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Just wanted to say I had got panicky feeling at night after taking three drops during the day at once. For several days after that it seemed like my inflammation was high. On an earlier occasion I took only one drop and just felt subdued. Yesterday I was feeling irritable and agitated,so I decided to try a small drop. It made me feel very relaaaxed, and a bit drugged. Even today, I feel calmer than usual, and a little sleepy. I mostly put it on a few places on my face and only the residue on the inside of my lip. I was thinking it might be helpful when I'm having Princess and the Pea syndrome or it's variation, Goldilocks syndrome, when trying to go to sleep. I am past menopause. After the way I reacted to three drops, I would be afraid to try that much again at once let alone taking that much every few hours. It wasn't as if there was an initial particularly good feeling with that dose, either. I think, really, I usually do better with less on things like this.
 
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Peata

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I started back taking the full-on dose of 3 drops, 5x per day around ovulation, and had no ill effect this time. No matter how much I took, I never got the uncomfortable "drunk" feeling, except one time.... when I'd had some alcohol.
 

Swandattur

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From reading Peat's articles on progesterone, I see that it is supposed to be calming. He mentions a very high dose can cause anesthesia. I was thinking this out, and it suddenly occurred to me that I probably have high cortisol all the time what with my age (just turned, urgh, sixty), and long time stressful life circumstances. (They're a little better now.) So, at first there would be a situation of both high cortisol and higher than my normal progesterone level, which would logically be extra sedating. If I keep taking small amounts of Progest E at reasonable intervals, maybe the cortisol will drop and then it will be obvious when I need to take more to maintain a calmer state. If you hit your body with a higher dose while cortisol is very high, could it cause a stress response? Like, your body says we don't want to become comatose here.
 

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On second thought, I think I will not try the small dose idea or take any for a while, because the sedated feeling has gone on too long. I don't think sedated is good for me. I don't know why it does that, but I think I'll wait while before trying any more.
 

Jenn

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Just a thought....sometime women are so used to the excited state produced by excess estrogen, they don't know what to do with not being overstimulated stimulated.

However, progest E does need to be processed my the liver, so it can give it more work to do. Maybe focus on the daily carrot or bamboo shoot and aspirin for a while, instead.
 

Swandattur

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Yes, that could be a possibility. I liked that it made me nice and relaxed when I had been rather agitated, but I didn't so much like the residual hung over feeling. Actually, I've never had a hang over, but I felt like that is described. On the day after or maybe it was the day after that I was extra hungry, I couldn't seem to get enough calories. Could that mean, it actually had revved my metabolism, and my body needed more of everything? Just speculating.
 

LUH 3417

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I'm a bit confused about the dosage. I've been following the directions that came in the mail with progest-e. I followed them pretty closely.

I began menatruating this month 28 days after the start of my last menstruation. Am I supposed to take progest e through my cycle?

I've always had a "regular" cycle but have been experiencing joint pain and symptoms of what I believe to be estrogen dominance. Just trying to gauge if it would be sensible to take progest e throughout the entire month. Since my menstrual cycle did return normally even while taking progest e, does anyone have any idea about what this could signal in terms of my hormonal situation?

Also is it okay to carry it around with me during the day? It's hard to have access to a fridge throughout the entire day and I'm wondering if it would be okay to keep it with me and avoid missing doses. I live in a pretty cold climate.
 
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I'm a bit confused about the dosage. I've been following the directions that came in the mail with progest-e. I followed them pretty closely.

I began menatruating this month 28 days after the start of my last menstruation. Am I supposed to take progest e through my cycle?

I've always had a "regular" cycle but have been experiencing joint pain and symptoms of what I believe to be estrogen dominance. Just trying to gauge if it would be sensible to take progest e throughout the entire month. Since my menstrual cycle did return normally even while taking progest e, does anyone have any idea about what this could signal in terms of my hormonal situation?

Also is it okay to carry it around with me during the day? It's hard to have access to a fridge throughout the entire day and I'm wondering if it would be okay to keep it with me and avoid missing doses. I live in a pretty cold climate.
Hi @seraphim, I am no expert but Peat has said to cycle on and off according to menstration: cycle off during first 14-15 days of cycle and use Progest-e during last half. I carry my current use around in my purse :): I put my spare bottles in the fridge until I begin using. Hope this helps!
 

LUH 3417

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Hi @seraphim, I am no expert but Peat has said to cycle on and off according to menstration: cycle off during first 14-15 days of cycle and use Progest-e during last half. I carry my current use around in my purse :) I put my spare bottles in the fridge until I begin using. Hope this helps!
Hi Lisa
Thanks so much for your reply. Please excuse my ignorance, but would that mean I stop using progesterone the day I begin menstruating, and then start up again 2 weeks after thefirst day of my menstruation, continuing until menstruation begins again the next cycle?

I'm a bit confused because some women on the forum have posted about using high doses and temporarily halting menstruation with progesterone.

In my case, I began menstruating on March 4, so I would start using progesterone again on March 18, continue using it until April 1, and stop using it on April 2 when my next menstruation begins (potentially)?
 

johnwester130

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strange - i have a progesterone cream that is 1ml=100mg

and I casually use, 2 or 3 ml, and just get mild calming, barely notice it anymore
 

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