Gender Dysphoria, HRT and health concerns

[emmicd]

I have been dealing with my gender dysphoria for a lifetime.
I have been planning to go on HRT by end of June to help treat my gender dysphoria. My doctor I see at Callen Lorde has been monitoring my blood pressure and she plans to put me on a regimen of estrogen hormones and testosterone blockers. This plan may be detoured because of my current health concerns. She also advised me to go to my regular doctor for additional blood pressure and blood tests. He also read my blood pressure as high and prescribed me on medication for it. He also put me on a medicine for depression. My primary doctor also supports me in my need to transition so I have both doctors helping me now.

I need to be careful and I trust my doctors will help guide me with all these medications and the process of HRT.

I am just concerned how all this will play out. I am looking forward to going on HRT but am concerned with my health issues. My doctors will obviously take the safe route and probabaly not put me on HRT now until my blood pressure readings improve.

I will raise this with my doctors to see how to deal both with high blood pressure, depression and gender dysphoria.

I was making breakthroughs and now feel my health may do me in from realizing my lifelong need of becoming female.

Have others had tough choices they had to make and they had to derail their plans in coping with their gender dysphoria brought upon by these health concerns?

emmi

[Kathryn Martin]

Very often hormone regimens have a positive impact on high blood pressure. For instance Spironolactone is a diuretic which will lower your blood pressure. I had to stop taking my other blood pressure medication because it got too low.

This should not prevent you from realizing your need.


I have been dealing with my gender dysphoria for a lifetime.
I have been planning to go on HRT by end of June to help treat my gender dysphoria. My doctor I see at Callen Lorde has been monitoring my blood pressure and she plans to put me on a regimen of estrogen hormones and testosterone blockers. This plan may be detoured because of my current health concerns. She also advised me to go to my regular doctor for additional blood pressure and blood tests. He also read my blood pressure as high and prescribed me on medication for it. He also put me on a medicine for depression. My primary doctor also supports me in my need to transition so I have both doctors helping me now.

I need to be careful and I trust my doctors will help guide me with all these medications and the process of HRT.

I am just concerned how all this will play out. I am looking forward to going on HRT but am concerned with my health issues. My doctors will obviously take the safe route and probabaly not put me on HRT now until my blood pressure readings improve.

I will raise this with my doctors to see how to deal both with high blood pressure, depression and gender dysphoria.

I was making breakthroughs and now feel my health may do me in from realizing my lifelong need of becoming female.

Have others had tough choices they had to make and they had to derail their plans in coping with their gender dysphoria brought upon by these health concerns?

emmi

[Debb]

I ignored some health issues for a long time (around two years), and finally around nine months ago it got so bad that I went to a doctor .. who sent me to a neurologist, who sent me to a second neurologist. I was diagnosed with MS.

The doctors and I have been working on getting some meds that help; many of them have bad possible side-effects, and they scare me. I've been wanting to transition, but recently decided that if I "want" to transition versus "need" to transition, it's not urgent enough to worry about... at least, not as urgent as getting stabilized as far as helping with my symptoms.

[Bree-asaurus]

Find out what you are willing to do and what you can do. HRT has risks regardless. If you have other health issues... you need to weigh those for yourself. But not being able to undergo HRT should not be a determining factor on your ability to transition. You do what you gotta do with what you've got.

[Rianna Humble]

I've been wanting to transition, but recently decided that if I "want" to transition versus "need" to transition, it's not urgent enough to worry about... at least, not as urgent as getting stabilized as far as helping with my symptoms.

This is an invaluable statement. Transition is not something to undertake lightly or with unrealistic expectations.

Deb, I wish you all the best in getting your health under control :hugs:

[Julia_in_Pa]

Emmi,

Like what Kathryn said, Spironolactone has a very positive impact upon blood pressure as it is one of the most widely prescribed medications for blood pressure control.
Speak with you doctor and learn all you can on your own in order to know what the negatives and in this case what the positives are concerning what additional effects HRT can have upon you.


Julia

[kimdl93]

Have you made any lifestyle changes that could help address your blood pressure? I don't know your physical condition, but please be aware that weight loss and exercise have been proven to be very effective in cutting blood pressure.

I will make one observation. There's abundant evidence of over prescribing of anti-depressants, particularly among primary care providers. There's also strong statistically evidence that anti-depressants are no more effective than placebos with mild to moderate depression. And it is clear that for long term relief of depressive conditions, cognitive therapy is far more effective.

[StaceyJane]

I have always had high blood pressure. When I went for my first HRT appointment my doctor had me take spiro for a month then rechecked my heart rate and BP to make sure I had things under control. Since then my BP has been great.
By the way I feel great with the HRT.

[Stephenie S]

If your doctor is refusing you hormone therapy (not HRT - you are not "replacing" anything) due to your high blood pressure then you might want to consider at least talking to another doc. Hormone therapy most often has a POSITIVE effect on high blood pressure.

Hormone therapy will NEVER be "safe". ANY doctor who has your long term health in mind will warn you away from changing your natural hormone balance. Taking female hormones and testosterone blockers is dangerous!!! You can DIE from this. Those who actually do this do it not because they WANT to, they do it because they HAVE to. This is a HUGE difference.

Why are you raising these concerns here instead of with your doctor? Is this just another self erected roadblock?

Please consider the following quote from an earlier post in this thread:

I've been wanting to transition, but recently decided that if I "want" to transition versus "need" to transition, it's not urgent enough to worry about... at least, not as urgent as getting stabilized as far as helping with my symptoms.

Sweetie, I know your angst. I have my own angst to deal with. Personally, I can't imagine why anyone would want to go through life as a male. Doesn't everyone want to be female? Being a woman is amazingly satisfying and incredibly rewarding. But "wanting" to be female and "being" female are different. The goal of gender therapy should be to help you understand this difference.

Your friend,
Stephenie