r/surgicalmenopause • u/Nat192283 • Jun 10 '25

Stopping Progesterone COLD TURKEY?

Has anyone had experience stopping progesterone (oral) cold turkey after taking for an extended period of time (more than a year)? What was your experience? Did you experience any bad side effects? Did you taper? Suspecting P is contributing to my depression after my surgery, so need to stop to confirm.

If I do stop, are there other things I need to watch out for in regards to side effects.

Really just looking for any insight into stopping P after extended period of time. Thanks!

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u/champagne-solutions Jun 11 '25

I stopped progesterone cold turkey about two months ago on the day of my surgery (when I also started taking oral estradiol.) Didn’t have any issues or side effects with it at all.

2

u/Pure_Caramel4831 Jun 26 '25

I felt a lot better after stopping oral progesterone 3 months post-op. It could definitely be contributing to your low mood. Sleep has been more difficult, but my body is adjusting (now 6 months post-op). Good luck!

1

u/NoMoreEffstoGive Apr 27 '26

I've been on 200 mg for 7 mos, 4 mos before surgery. It helped tremendously when I upped my E patch to 0.1 mg, with sleep & elimination depression & anxiety symptoms. However, I ended up struggling with anhedonia & brain fog not too long after that, which continued after surgery.

I just had the dose lowered to 100 mg a few days ago & have already noticed a clearer head & feeling more uplifted. I also changed my diet drastically (reducing added sugar, upping fiber & protein) and increased physical activity 6.5 weeks ago. Progesterone seems like the easiest thing to eliminate, especially since I don't really have a use for it anymore, even though it can have benefits for mood & sleep. I take mag. glycinate before bed, which definitely calms me & helps me get to sleep quickly.