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[toffeecushion]

I've had enough of feeling like I do and have decided to go to my doctor for help.  I'm not sure that all my symptoms are menopause related but some of them must be.  I wondered if anyone can tell me what I should be asking for.  I hate taking any kind of medication but admit I need help as my quality of life is not very good at the moment.  I still have periods, although they are irregular.  The last 3 have been a couple of weeks late and I have bled for 2 -3 weeks and now I am 2 weeks late again.  I would rather take something natural or vitamins etc to help but don't really know where to start, can a doctor advise on this or are they purely prescription drugs only?

I really would appreciate your input, what has helped for you?

[toffeecushion]

Thanks Sparkle,  I was wondering if Menopace or something similar would help.  Have you tried that?

[toffeecushion]

At the moment my worse symptom is that I have woken up feeling giddy, but that, thankfully, is passing.  I think waking up like this has been the final straw.  I have so many little symptoms and health anxiety.  The health anxiety is taking away my life as I constantly think I am ill.  Not sure if I just have health anxiety or if it is menopause related.  My ankles and knees are very painful, I get palpitations and sometimes SVT, I am anxious most of the time,  I sometimes get headaches, I get nauseous, I cry a lot, I have warm moments, can't sleep through the night, I think I have lost interest in sex but not sure if that is because of the way I feel generally, very dry down below at times and to add to all that, apparently I have mood swings. 

[jedigirl]

Sounds like a plan toffeecushion. Would it help to make a list of what you want to say before you go. If you're like me I either forget half of my points or get emotional and can't get them over clearly without sounding like a loony  Good luck xxx

[toffeecushion]

I will write a list, I just feel a bit of a fraud as I don't want to take any medication.  I'm just going for advice and for her to point me in the direction of something more natural.   Thanks both of you, it's good to know it isn't just me

[pepperminty]

Hi Toffeecushion,

No it isn't just you , I have had all those symptoms in varying degrees for a long time now. The doctor probably won't advise on alternative medicine, but if you do not fancy taking HRT etc , why not try menopace - it's basically vitamins etc and some people find it seems to help, even if it is the placebo effect , as long as you feel better who cares?
Your doctor may do blood tests to rule out anything, or you could ask him to do some. It is scary and I got to the point where I would try anything to feel better. Do not be afraid of HRT, watch doctor Annie Evans video on U Tube, that should help you make sense of it all.
You are not alone.

Peppermintyxx

[een]

Hi Toffeecushion, I have a friend who has been taking Menopause for about the last month. She says she feels the benefits of it . So please go to your doc and get some advice and help
Love een

[toffeecushion]

Hi Toffeecushion,
why not try menopace - it's basically vitamins etc and some people find it seems to help, even if it is the placebo effect , as long as you feel better who cares?

You're right, if it works, who cares?  Will get some today

[honeybun]

I have a friend who swears by sage drops.Her hot flushes improved a lot.

There are lots of things you can try......Not all at once of course 

Get your doctor to do a thyroid check. It's not unusual for it to play up a bit in middle age and can mimic some meno symptoms.

Let us know how you get on.


Honeyb
x

[GypsyRoseLee]

I completely sympathise with feeling like you're wrestling with lots of little symptoms all of the time.

My list included:

Regular diarrhoea
Insomnia
Increased headaches
Extreme mood swings (going from happiness to thoughts of despair in the time it takes to drink a coffee)
Painful ankle joints
Painful knuckles
Overwhelming anxiety which was completely random.
Dry, fly away hair

I tried the natural route. Tried lots of quality supplements. Cut out sugar and caffeine. Paid a fortune to see a private naturopath (causing conflict with my husband who is a scientist).

Sadly nothing made any difference. In fact I was getting worse.

Basically my body NEEDED hormones and simply nothing else would do. My consultant explained it to me, that if you're suffering with these peri symptoms then refusing hormones is like trying to run your car by putting water in the petrol tank.

Your body is designed to run on hormones, there's no getting away from that.

For me it came down to quality of life. I felt so completely wretched that I was prepared to do anything to feel better. I had wasted over a year trying to do things naturally, and in that time I had been a ghost, to myself and my poor family who deserved much better.

HRT 'is' natural and bio identical to the exact same chemicals created by your own body. They're certainly just as 'natural' as the alternative products you can buy. Many of which are full of synthetic junk and haven't been subject to the exacting testing that HRT has.

Herbal/homeopathic remedies haven't been created by some well meaning therapist gathering herbs from the hedgerows at dawn. These alternative products are created in labs and factories and packaged in warehouses. And always with a view to making a healthy profit.

[toffeecushion]

I think my main battle within my self is that I am not really sure that I am suffering these symptoms due to the menopause so would rather try something other than medication in case I don't need the extra hormones, if that makes sense.  I have so many different symptoms that make me think it could be something else.  I have also suffered on and off with anxiety for the past 20 years and a part of me thinks it could just be that, although I am 49 in a couple of weeks so I guess I am heading that way.

[honeybun]

You have to be comfortable with your choices and if it's not HRT then so be it.
Obviously a lot of women on the forum use it but it's not the be all and end all, so if it's not for you at this point then fine.

Have you thought about St John's Wort for your anxiety.

I have found it really helpful in the past. Might be worth considering. You need to check though as it can interfere with other medications.

We are here to support you whatever choice you make.

Honeyb
x

[Briony]

Toffee cushion, I too can tick each of your symptoms (plus a few more for good measure) and recall months of being convinced against all logic which screamed 'hormones' and instead determined I had some hidden disease or deficiency. I refused HRT initially and tried vitamins, Menopace etc. In fact, I ended up having too much of some vitamins which I discovered when I finally had my blood tested!
I eventually started Evorel 50 and was so scared of doing so. Took a while to work, but after a few months I felt so much better that I realised I did 'need' estrogen. I had a deficiency, as my doc put it, and it needed to be treated like any other deficiency (as I was at an age when my body still expected a high supply of it).
Since then, I've had ups and downs and have  needed to up the dose, but have never experienced the hideous despair, exhaustion, dizziness and fear I had originally.

I know HRT isn't for everyone, and fully respect those who choose not to take it,  but if you are suffering this much,  it could be worth considering? After a few months, if things improve, at least you would be reassured it is your hormones causing problems, even if you decide not to take it long term?  I felt that by going down the bio identical route, I was doing it in a more natural way which calmed me down.

Hope you feel better soon xx

[GypsyRoseLee]

I do understand your hesitation toffeecushion. I know how shocked I was to even consider my symptoms could be caused by peri menopause. I'd never even heard the word before.

I suppose one way to look at it is, why not trial HRT? Give it 3-4 months, and see if the symptoms. Improve or even disappear. You have nothing to lose. And taking them for such a short time won't be a cause for any worries.

At your age there are no risks attached to HRT anyway.

If you trial HRT and you feel better, then you will know that is what you needed.

[GypsyRoseLee]

Another thing my consultant told me was that if you have suffered with PMS  then going through peri is going to make these symptoms much worse.

I bet the same can be said of anxiety. Oestrogen is closely linked to your production and regulation of serotonin, which is your 'happy' chemical. If your oestrogen starts to mess about, it makes sense that your serotonin will be compromised and your anxiety affected.

I identified that my sudden anxiety was hormone related because it didn't feel like 'normal' anxiety. It felt irrational and overwhelming, which is exactly how it felt when I had PND.