Emotional / psychological effects of hormones

[Michaella]

Hello,

I started taking estradiol two weeks ago, and I am expecting some emotional / psychological effects to begin sooner than any physical effects. I gather they begin pretty quickly, but so far nothing really. I was wondering what the experience of others has been.

Thank you.

Michaella

[Kaitlyn Michele]

Why are you taking it and what are your goals?
Are you taking testosterone blockers?
Are you working with a therapist? What did you discuss with them about your expectations??

[whowhatwhen]

It took quite a while for me to notice any emotional changes, certainly nothing like the stories I've read but it just goes to show how YMMV HRT is.
I'm way more open with my emotions and generally more expressive but that may have just happened organically anyway, unlike physical changes emotional ones are harder to pinpoint.

[Michaella]

My goal is, if all goes well, to transition fully. Initially I want to assess my reaction to the hormones, as the result of so much I have read about that. From Anne Vitale's paper:

"It is well documented that the administration of cross sex hormones have a mitigating effect on patents suffering from severe gender dysphoria. The effect is so marked that the treatment is used to confirm or reject the GID diagnosis. Fortunately. psychological outcomes precede permanent physiological secondary sex characteristic changes, making it an ideal diagnostic confirmation/contraindicating tool."

So, one step at a time for me. Yes, I've been on spironolactone for several months. I have been working with a therapist for some time, and of course got very good information from the health care professional who prescribed the hormones. What I have been told, consistent with everything else I have read, is not to expect any physical effects for some months, but that emotional and psychological effects can happen very quickly. Of course, individuals vary in their reactions. I am interested in seeing what sort of time span has been the experience of others.

Michaella

[Angela Campbell]

There may or may not be much in the way of emotional changes right away, but very possible over a long period of years. Using it for diagnosis seems quite hit and miss to me. I have known many who did have quite a boost right away, most likely a placebo effect, but personally it took me quite a while before I really felt my emotions come alive.

[LeaP]

Same with me, Angela. My emotions can flood unexpectedly these days. It took a while for that to start happening. At the same time, I'm more stable. Go figure.

[Angela Campbell]

stable is a relative term I guess.....

sometimes pretty good other times I have no clue lol

thing is it has begun to feel natural now.

[LeaP]

Natural describes it better, I think.

[DebbieL]

You've already been taking spiro, which would have a calming effect. Estrodiol may take a few months to build up, but if you find yourself watching Disney movies and crying, and it feels good, that may be the estrodiol. You should keep a journal or note your emotions and discuss them with your therapist, especially if you are struggling with them.

How your body reacts varies from person to person. In my own experience, the spiro made me much calmer, and the estro made me more emotional, but not in a bad way. I was more in touch with my feelings, be it happy, sad, or inspired. Some of this was probably the who process of transition, and some elation and relief that I was finally dealing with the medical condition that should have been corrected decades ago.

If your mood swings are too severe, you should absolutely discuss this with your therapist. Hopefully you are also clean and sober so you won't be dealing with chemically induced emotions or detox induced emotions. It's a roller coaster ride at times, but if you stay in communication with your therapist and your support network, you should be enjoying most of the ride. Hopefully your support network includes family, friends, and structured support groups of some sort. It will really help if you stay in contact with others who have been through what you are going through, and stick around to share your experience with those who follow.

[PaulaQ]

@Michaella - Within 1-2 months of starting HRT, (estrogen, progesterone, and spiro), I went from having severe depression, anxiety, panic attacks, and a fairly suicidal ideation to feeling pretty normal, albeit a kind of a new normal for me. My GD was really bad though. The anti-depressants / anti-anxiety meds I'd been taking for many months prior basically did *nothing* to these symptoms, except insure that I was incapable of having an orgasm. (Not that I wanted any, anyway.)

[Megan Thomas]

Michaela, it also took around 1-2 months for emotional changes in me to become apparent too. However, everyone is different and YMMV applies. Within that time span I also noticed a major change in the condition of my skin and suffered a couple of weeks of facial zits as the skin cleansed itself and softened.

[Cheryl123]

Hi Michealle! As others have mentioned there is no one answer to your question. It all depends on the amount of estrogen you are taking, the amount of testosterone your body is producing and the amount of androgen blockers (if any) you are taking. In my case I felt very positive emotional changes within 2-3 days,but then again I started with a large amount of estrogen (about 3/4 max safe level). (The focus of my clinic is to reduce the GD symptoms as quickly as possible.) Within two months I began to feel a personality change also. If you are still feeling GD symptoms this is something you might consider talking to your doctor about. The most important purpose of taking estrogen is to get rid of them. You are quite correct in mentioning that estrogen can be used to diagnose GD. This is well accepted now, although not so much in years past. Good luck on your transition.