Menopause

Are their any other lady's out their going though this horrendous thing and having as hard time as myself ??? And if so what do you do .. with mood swings the tears hot and cold flashes anxiety. I mean I suffer with depression normally and with everything else I've had to go though over especially this past year . And lovely old menopause, just the biscuit??

[71red]

Me! Depression seems to have taken over. Yes, the hot flashes and night sweats and weight gain are bothersome but the depression is the worst!

[Hidden in reply to 71red]

Its not just me then sorry but thats a relief. How do you find dealing with it all 71red ??

[Fearoffear]

I'm with you!! I started the where are you, oh there you are phase about a year and a half now. I notice new triggers for anxiety now and my vision is part of anxiety and it sucks. I wish Aunt Flo would just forget me. And the waiting for the next one I would like streamers or something to shoot out to signal the end. Hot flashes, dry mouth, eyes and everywhere else is real crappy. I'm down to a few days a month I feel like me and the rest is this old lady who's falling apart, aching places that make no sense. I'm with you lady's 💯!!! Gentle hugs 🤗🤗

[Hidden in reply to Fearoffear]

Love how you worded that . Its so true though, by body to achs in all sorts of places . The low mood and night sweats kill me . Hugs right back at you fearoffear x

[Tahiri in reply to Fearoffear]

I tried red clover - it was helpful , but unfortunately I was allergic ( itchy eyes etc.). HRT was the only thing which helped - and seemingly only 6 weeks of it gives you protection against dementia . You do have to watch out for increased appetite, but that can be controlled.

[Hidden in reply to Tahiri]

I've never heard of red clover and I'm not aloud HRT and I don't want antidepressants. I do drink lots of water and try not to eat loads of junk food the problem i have there is im a comfort eater . Oh and I do take vitamins for menopause. Thankyou though Tahiri .

[Tahiri in reply to Hidden]

You can get it on Amazon - it’s also called Promensil . It’s really worth a try. I also use a bedside revolving tower fan in case of hot flushes. Some people are lucky and seem to sail through the Menopabuse, and others find it really difficult. I found that I couldn’t even think straight. HRT gave me a new life . Good Luck.

[Tahiri in reply to Tahiri]

Menopause

[Fearoffear in reply to Hidden]

Yes I unfortunately am not an HRT candidate as my aunt died of breast cancer and my grandmother of uterine cancer. I take preservision AREDS 2 plus multi vitamin as last year was a treat to find out I have the start of macular degeneration. Old age can 🖕. I take Estrogen menopause relief + stress but I only take it days 14 to whenever Aunt Flo finds me. I'm also a comfort eater and right now I have an RA rash and a small flare, I think change in weather, we will see. Ladies I'd love to talk about this with ya and the site on here for it has far and few posts. However this all started with anxiety and depression and it keeps steady with that so that is why I stay here on ADAA and Male Health one. Gentle hugs ladies!! 🤗 🤗

[Jay2O]

Hi Grandmar. I have turned to supplements to help me through these changes. I am currently taking ginseng and various other vitamins. I wouldn`t sleep so well, would have night sweats and terrible anxiety attacks. I had to try and realsie that it was my hormones causing havoc. Thankfully I am sleeping much better but maybe this is because it has been cooler. During the warmer months I have a cooling mat to sleep on. I also managed to buy a cooling pillow. Great item. Last year I came across several cooling items on the internet such as a cooling hat, cooling jacket etcetera. All of these things have really helped. Look some up. They are well worth the purchase. Take care now x

[Nothing_but_books in reply to Jay2O]

What is a a cooling mat to sleep on? I searched it, but I have no idea how to find one that works. I'm in the US, so if you have a link to one you like that I can order, that'd be great!

[Jay2O in reply to Nothing_but_books]

Hi Nothing. I`ve been looking them up. I think they are currently selling in the US. I wrote down the address tvshop.com.au/products/chillmax-cooling-matI don`t know if this helps. They sell them on Amazon too. You can also buy cooling gel pillows or cooling pillow covers. The smaller mats are great for dogs who get hot in summer. Is just a matter of getting them to sit on them!

[Nothing_but_books in reply to Jay2O]

Thank you!

[Jetdan52]

Hi 2Grandmar,I feel for you ...I suffer with depression after loss of son 11 years ago also a type 2 gestational diabetic, it puts a different perspective on menopause has to which symptoms come from which ....so Dr says what do I say it is ....your the Dr anyway 5 are so years fighting to get on Hrt ....I'm on it and the change is dramatic I'm never going to be 100% but 90% will do me

Big hugs and I hope you get sorted Xx

[caroash]

Hi I sympathize with you it's such a difficult time for a woman.I came off HRT as was making me gain weight and then the sweats and hot flushes can in abundance.I take Sage, Evening Primrose Oil ,a good Vitamin B complex , Magnesium at night, and 80%better with mood,sweats and flushes.Sleeo really well now and starting to lose weight.Uf I forget the Sage or EPO the sweats come back,so these two really help so much. Getting regular exercise helps too , getting outside in daylight hours .Done some Van Hof breathing too,check him out on you tube ,his breathing techniques are amazing, oxygenate and energise you.His presence is so calming too I've found the more time I can spend on me the better I feel.That self care is as important for ourselves as it is for others.You have to look after you as noone can do it for you.Its taken me a long time to realise this.x

[Janesarah]

Me!!! Absolutely horrific emotional rollercoaster!! Im 40 in September but have all the symptoms apart from night sweats

[Bluesky6]

Yup I’m right there with you 2Grandmar and all you ladies. It’s horrendous to say the least. I was on hrt for 3 years and was doing pretty well. Then just recently i came off of them because my dr scared me with telling me how bad they are. . I was miserable after coming off of them. I couldn’t sleep and my anxiety was through the roof. I saw a naturopath recently and she prescribed bio identical hormones. I’m sleeping much better and my anxiety is reduced. But I’m uncomfortably bloated all week and woke up with a headache. I’m hoping these will be temporary symptoms of the hormones. But honestly.. who knew menopause would be such a nightmare. It’s good to know I’m not the only one going through this misery. I wish there was more support groups out there for this. It’s like taboo if you bring the subject up to many people 🙄it is what it is and we have to go through it. I wish more drs were knowledgeable. Thanks for sharing and vent anytime. Looks like many of us here are going through the same thing. I hope you feel better. Hugs to you.

[ShareYourLove]

Omg yaasss! Mine came on a few years earlier than “usual,” and it was an abrupt change (have had “psycho” ovaries my whole life)! But - omg - I was shocked how intensely it affected my body!

I’d turn into a human furnace and just start roasting/sweating - even when doing nothing! I literally had sweat beads rolling down my neck from my hairline! I could feel them on my torso, etc... then, like 2-3 mins later, it would stop.

But - it happened like every damn 1/2 hour! Day and night! The night was the WORST! I’d literally have to keep getting up and putting dry linens and blankies on the bed because they’d get soaked from sweat and then I’d freeze! Lol!

While I know the risks of HRT, I went on them and it’s a life saver. We have breast cancer in my family too (sheesh, who doesn’t anymore, right?) and I get my yearly mammograms like clockwork.

My doc said as long as my boobs cooperate, I can stay on them for years! I just wonder, tho, when I come off of them - will all that stuff start all over again, or will my body have aged enough to just “be over it”? Lol.

It’s odd cuz I heard that your meno experience is usually like your mother’s - and my mom didn’t have ANYTHING notable happen! Just left Flo behind and kept on moving! Sheesh!!

So yeah, it’s is awful (in my experience, too), and I’m so sorry you’re not a safe candidate for the HRT. But, these sound like some solid suggestions provided by the other ladies! I wish you luck and hope your body chills out and gets used to it soon! 🙂

[Anxout]

I hear you! Yes, menopauses can be really challenging but please hang in there because it does get better. You will start to see that certain foods trigger hot flashes and will avoid those. I have found drinking ice water, having access to it all the time helps. I also started recognizing that anxiety/panic feeling that precedes a hot flash for what it was and tried not to react to it but let the flash it and then go away. Hang in there! We are here for you . 😀

[Juliew19673]

You are NOT alone! Hot flashes have leveled off the last 6 months, I do not take anything other than zoloft and B12 for menopause. Since beginning Kesimpta it seems better (less cogfog). Hang in there!!

[MMoth in reply to Juliew19673]

I take Zoloft, B12, and magnesium. What is Kesimpta, and how does it effect your body?

[Spooky99]

Yep!!! It’s absolutely awful!!! I finally got on a low dose of hormones. I think it’s helped with anxiety and depression. I use to be a cold person at night, now I’m hot lol. Depression is the worse feeling. I have nothing to be depressed or anxious about!! I get in a mood that the good days are done!!!!! Getting older is a privilege if you don’t get some horrible disease or cancer or dementia. Lol. It’s all I hear!!! I guess I am cranky.. I just wait for the other shoe to drop

[caroash]

Also there is a site Vogel does Menapause Mondays,loads of good tips.Ivwasbon bioidentical hormones,but put on 2bstone.IWhem you stop HRT it can be hard for a few months,but your body does adjust and with herbal and nutritional support you can feel well.I am 54 and feel I am over the worst if it.I went on HRT at 50 ,but my body told me I was readyt to come off it. I was also intolerant to progesterone,so had bloating second half of the month when I took it and felt like I had bad PMS for 2 weeks.Now my mood is more stable Stress can make Menapause worse as Stress hormones play havoc with your female hormones.Meditate.breath,drink lots of water Things do get better.😊

[Hidden]

Barbara Taylor, MD is a retired menopause specialist from the United States. I turned to her series about menopause, which dispels many untruths (that even doctors still believe, sadly) about HRT and menopause. She has a long series of videos on YouTube that are free, and also a book. I know that she offered evaluations online, but this was as of 2016, and I knew I couldn't afford that so I never looked into it.

(I personally am on HRT (because my breast cancer was estrogen receptor negative so my doctor knew estradiol would be safe for me, i have a history of heart disease in my family, and had concerns about osteoporosis - so for me it's better to be on HRT than not.) ***If you want more info about this parenthetical statement Barbara Taylor, MD has a good explanation about all of it; again, in her videos or the book, if you can afford her book.*** I'm not on this site very often.

I found that the progesterone caused me to feel suicidal so my doctor arranged for me to have a total hysterectomy (because if a woman in menopause takes estrogen without progesterone the uterine lining can become dangerously thick). I believe it's worth noting that sometimes in trauma survivors the amygdala is overactive (me) and some studies have surfaced that show that progesterone/progestins (this is not conclusive, and I am not a scientist) can hyperactivate the amygdala and thus cause some women to be suicidal.

youtube.com/watch?v=SLkhB7W...(Not working as expected?)

[MMoth]

2Grandmar, thank you for posting this question.

Everyone who responded, thank you as well. So much great information. I’ll be researching your recommendations. Keep ‘em coming for all of us living through this stage of life, and God bless you!

[Hidden]

I highly recommend consulting a North American Menopause Society-certified gyn. I did and she was wonderful. You can find one here: menopause.org/

Another site I found useful is healthywomen.org/tag/menopause .

[Hidden]

I don't get hot flashes but what I hate is right now my time of the month is irregular and I never know when my period is coming. I get PMS and I tend to get really angry and irritable right before my period, and then once I get it I'm sad and depressed and crying for the next few days. I have bipolar disorder and I really think going through menopause is making it worse. I'm 50 and I just wish I would be done getting periods. I never had children and I feel sad that it looks like I'm never going to be a mother.

[caroash in reply to Hidden]

Sorry to hear that you are suffering like this. I've found herbal medicine so good for balancing hormone levels.Agnus Castus acts as an adaptogen and helps balance hormones naturally as does evening primrose oil .my daughter had terrible periods and PMS ,but since taking these she's been so much better.I once saw a medical herbalist and she mixed me a tincture of various herbs and advised me to take omega 3 fish oils and a tablespoon of crushed linseed.I buy a brand called Pharmepa high inEPA . They can really help with mood too.

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[Hidden in reply to caroash]

I will look into that!!! I have heard of evening primrose oil. Sometimes I do take fish oil supplements but I don't feel any different on them.

[caroash in reply to Hidden]

With fish oils they need to be high in EPA to be effective and need to be taken daily,often for differences to show can be anything from2-6 weeks in line with cellular renewal body cycle.x

[Hidden]

avogel.co.uk/health/menopau...

Take a look this lady gives you all the info you need and you can buy vitamins and herbal supplements