HRT question, how soon did you feel effects?

[Melinda]

I started 2 mg of estradiol yesterday evening and thought I felt much more calm and peaceful almost right away. My question, for those of you who have been/are on estrogen only, how soon did you notice emotional effects? I know I won't notice any significant physical changes for a while but am wondering if it takes a couple days for it to build up in your system to the point where you start to notice something reasonably dramatic on the mental/emotional side. Thanks for any help/advice.

Peace,

[Maggie Kay]

There is a sense of relief as soon as I apply my topical gel but I think it is because my body knows that in an hour or so, I'll be feeling pretty good. They don't call it the "feel good" hormone for nothing....

[MJ]

I started 2 mg of estradiol yesterday evening and thought I felt much more calm and peaceful almost right away. My question, for those of you who have been/are on estrogen only, how soon did you notice emotional effects? I know I won't notice any significant physical changes for a while but am wondering if it takes a couple days for it to build up in your system to the point where you start to notice something reasonably dramatic on the mental/emotional side. Thanks for any help/advice.

Peace,

the mental/emotional side did not hit me for like 6 weeks.. then omg you better make sure you have boxes of tissues around

[Scotty]

2 weeks or so until you start to feel it, but then it's like a month until it slams you.

Are you on a T-blocker? It's 10 times worse emotionally if so..

If not, it's tolerable...

[Melinda]

Thanks for the replies. Its such a huge step that it makes me more than a little nervous. :)

I'm not on a t-blocker. I'm taking baby steps and hoping for the sake of my family that I can find a happy medium between my need for feminine expression and full transition. I figure the best I can do is keep an open mind and do my best to take care of my health and the important people in my life and just see what happens.

[Sharon]

I don't really recall how long it took to feel any emotional change, other than the euphoria I felt at finally just taking the mones at all. I just remember wondering for at least a few weeks at when I would see or feel a real effect.

It was at about a month or so, if I was to hazard a guess that I finally felt some concrete change, and I have to tell you that the hot flashes alone almost wiped me out. It was when my body began to develop the changes I was longing for, that I really felt an emotional change and it seemed my mood swung to the high that I have yet seen diminish.

[Stephenie S]

My experience was quite similar to Karen's. It was a while ago, so I have trouble remembering the details. Any euphoria you may feel the first day will be pretty psychosomatic.

Stephie

[Vaerise]

Nope... no such experience from me... I'm somehow inclined to believe that our calmness may be self induced, that our biasness to believe that females are naturally calmer makes us think we will be calm on a subconscious basis.

OTOH,it could be possible that when we begin to start on hormones, we already mentally accept ourselves for what we are to a certain extent, and that struggle is no longer there or not as strong thus we may felt calmer.

The only real noticeable difference for me, was the way I handle stress. I become angry and slightly prone to violence, hitting things. Now I just become upset and cry.

[christine722]

Really noticed a change in about a month after starting on mones. Went to a movie and cried my eyes out. I had never done that before.

[Maggie Kay]

I'd like to add that I have noticed more emotional stability since I am finally getting the correct physiology. In crisis situations or shall I say family fudes, I am much less prone to getting angry. Just the other day, in one such event, I noticed that I was not going to my usual mental "bunker" in one of these events. I was also able to bounce back much faster. Things just don't bother me as much as they used to. The change happened a few weeks after the change to all E and no P.

[AmberTG]

I never felt any "profound" emotional changes, possibly due to the fact that I was taking an anti-depressant before I started to take estrogen. That really helped to even out the highs and lows. I can really relate to Tori-E's experience though. That's pretty much what happened to me. As I started to shed all that old baggage, all the hidden and pent up emotion started to leak out of the "cracks in the armor" and I found myself being much more emotional for a while, I would say, overemotional. That just kinda snuck up on me over time and then exploded. I couldn't say how long that took, maybe a couple months, maybe less.

[melissaK]

for those of you who have been/are on estrogen only, how soon did you notice emotional effects?

Hmm. E only. That would be me. Well, the emotinal effects were most profound when I told my wife. :heehee:

Otherwise, not sure I noticed an emotional change, but, after about 1 month I felt better than I have anytime in my life . . . .

hugs,
'lissa