Coming off progesterone

Kjoylace36

Hi my dr told me to stop progesterone at 14 weeks. I attempted cold turkey and got an extremely bad headache. My levels were so low when I was put on them by my RE that I was taking 400mg twice a day. Which is 800 total. I supposited 2 last night and the headache went away almost instantly. I'm really afraid to stop and my next appt isn't until 2/25. This is my first pregnancy and have been spotting off and on throughout the entire pregnancy. I was also dx with subchorionic hematoma. I afraid and don't want to lose my baby. I think I may either ween off slowly over a month period or continue until my next appt 2/25 and discuss it with the dr. Any suggestions or experience. ?

ThereBeDragons

The placenta has already kicked in. Most people are weaned off progesterone between 8 and 12 weeks without any harm done to the baby. At this point the progesterone isn't doing anything to prevent a miscarriage- it's all being taken care of by the placenta.

Stop the progesterone as per your docs orders and take a Tylenol (its safe!) for the headache.

angelsnight

I would stop taking it.  As PP said, the placenta has already taken over so the progesterone isn't really doing anything.  The headache could have just been a coincidence, I've never heard of needing to wean off from it.  If the headaches persist, call your doctor.  You don't have to wait until your next appt, you can always speak to a nurse (who will check with the doctor if the question is above her) when you need help between appts.

Kjoylace36

Ok. Thanks. I'm not going to take it tonight and see what happens. The dr never told me to wean myself off either. She said to just discontinue it at 14 weeks.

JuneBug317

I took progesterone until 15 weeks and stopped cold turkey with no side affects.  I was actually relieved bc I thought it was making me more bloated and giving me extreme gas (especially burps!) which all lessened after I stopped.  Hopefully your headaches are a coincidence but if you are concerned ask your OB or a nurse as progesterone supplements are more common than one might think and Im sure they get all kinds of questions from frightened moms to be

Issa6601

I would continue taking it. 

I tried stopping my suppositories around 14 weeks and like you I got horrible headaches. I talked to the OB and she told me that I should wean myself off. (The headaches don't happen to everyone but they do happen to some). The OB specifically said that there was no harm in continuing to take them. And as a side note, although it's true that the placenta has taken over hormone production for the baby, if your body doesn't produce enough progesterone you may run into other issues. For me it was the cervix that started to shorten during the time I was no longer on progesterone - between 18.5 and 23.5 wks - so the MFM has actually put me back on progesterone. 

Kjoylace36

Ok. Thanks. And I think the headaches come from the drop in progesterone when stopping abruptly for someone with extremely low levels. Just my opinion and experience. I tried to stop again and headache came back. Now that I'm weaning , it's tolerable. I did read on a site where a dr stated that the headache can be a sign of low progesterone and it shouldn't be discontinued abruptly if the patient is having headaches. Didn't hear it anywhere else but my body surely had a reaction. Now I'm taking 200mg 2x daily instead of 400. Then I will continue to taper until I'm completely off. Hopefully before or by the 25 th. My next appt.