? About Taking Oral Progesterone

[JumpyTheFrog]

My progesterone levels are low so my doctor has me taking oral progesterone from day 21 until the end of my cycle. What side effects have people had? My period was a few days late (very unusual) and for the last five days, I have been feeling very irritable. I am normally very stable mood-wise. Pregnancy didn't make me weepy or irritable and I don't get moody from PMS. I have gone through years of severe insomnia that would make most people angry all the time. That's why I think me feeling like I want to rip people's heads off might be a side effect.

 

Has anyone had either of these side effects? If so, how long did things take to settle down?

[momto3innc]

I didn't have those effects, but basically...it makes me feel pregnant...major bloating, sore breasts, nausea, etc...  It has really messed with my head when I've been on it constantly questioning if I could be pregnant.  And honestly, my symptoms when actually pregnant were not that bad. 

[Loowit]

I take it for the last half of my cycle and it makes me feel dizzy and lightheaded.  I haven't noticed it making me more irritable.  It does make me feel more emotional in that I am more weepy though.  I did find that if I took it at night it helped with the symptoms.

[JumpyTheFrog]

I am taking it at night. 

 

Maybe I should contact my doctor and ask if irritability is a possible side effect. If it happens again next month, then I will probably stop taking it.

[ThisIsTheDay]

My progesterone levels are low so my doctor has me taking oral progesterone from day 21 until the end of my cycle. What side effects have people had? My period was a few days late (very unusual) and for the last five days, I have been feeling very irritable. I am normally very stable mood-wise. Pregnancy didn't make me weepy or irritable and I don't get moody from PMS. I have gone through years of severe insomnia that would make most people angry all the time. That's why I think me feeling like I want to rip people's heads off might be a side effect.

 

Has anyone had either of these side effects? If so, how long did things take to settle down?

 

I wouldn't take oral progesterone.  Despite my gyn's protestations to the contrary, oral progesterone is absorbed very poorly. (I don't remember the details; it's been ten years, thankfully.) 

 

My script was for 200mg oral progesterone, and I would sleep for hours during the day. On top of that, it was ineffective for stopping my out of control bleeding. I don't know if it made me irritable, as I had enough other things that I could have blamed that on. 

 

Topical progesterone (cream) was a much better solution for me, and I only needed 5-10 mg.

[JumpyTheFrog]

I am taking 100mg and my doctor said it would only have about 20% absoprtion rate. She gave me the choice between oral and topical. She said topical is cheaper but since it is OTC, there can be quality control issues. I chose oral because If topical didn't seem to work, I didn't want to have to wonder if the reason was that it wasn't going to help or if it was a quality control issue.

 

My primary symptom is severe insomnia right before my period, so I am trying it to help me sleep better.

[Momof3littles]

Are you taking provera ? I took progesterone while undergoing infertility treatment related to pcos.  Provera turned me into a total witch.  I had more of an issue with it than any of the actual fertility meds.  I switched to prometrium, which is peanut derived and more expensive.  Much better and well worth it.  I used it in one of my pregnancies from ovulation til testing, and opted to take it vaginally even though it was RXd as oral.  

It generally makes me a big sleepier before bed.  I don't need it to induce periods like I used to so it has been a while.  You may want to explore the option of prometrium vs provera if you aren't peanut allergic.  Frankly, provera made me feel practically homicidal.  I don't have that reaction to prometrium.