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[snakebite495]

Hi just wondering if anyone taking citolapram or anything similar for anxiety related to the menopause/perimenopause?
Ive been taking it for 8 weeks and even though the anxiety is less than it was , my motivation and mood is very low. I ache everywhere especially my neck and shoulders. any suggestions? I am going docs tomorrow for a review. Im just not sure if anti depressants are the answer any thoughts would be welcome.
Thanks in advance.

[CLKD]

I take an AD 5mg night and morning. 

You may need to increase the dosage? something to discuss with the GP.  Also, as oestrogen levels drop off so muscles can become lax ……. = aches and pains all over    .  Being anxious can cause aches and pains too  .  Is it bad enough to take occasional pain relief?

8 weeks is early days, it can take 3 months B4 a sufferer notices a real difference.

[Dancinggirl]

Hi snakebite - some women need both HRt and an SRRI.  How old are you? Are you peri or post meno?
A colleague at work takes Citalopram and HRT and is doing well.
I think it does take quite a few weeks for this SRRI to really work.  The aching shoulders etc may simply need a good massage and some relaxation!!
I hop someone will be along soon with more advice.  Dg x

[Mojo61]

Hi, yes I am also 8 weeks in on citalopram  but only a low dose of 10mg. I'm finding things easier but still have awful days (having one today) early morning anxiety, low mood and disturbed sleep. I want to give them 12 weeks before considering an increase (the therapeutic dose for anxiety is 20mg) I'm also on HRT.

[babyjane]

Yes, I felt some benefits by 8 weeks and the side effects were going but I did not get full benefit from mine until over three months had passed and I only really settled down after I had been taking it for 4 months. Now I am quite happy with it, most of the time.

[elainewin]

Hello Snakebite 495...I was prescribed fluoxetine 20mg as i didnt get on well with HRT, I have taken it for 4ths and found the results brilliant completely taken the night sweats away,i also suffer with night time anxiety ,this has not completely taken  it away but has certainly reduced it to a level were i can cope .only draw back i found with them was constant yawning, but my mood swings really changed.I also had been tested for vitD and was found to be deficient so that might be worth having a simple blood test for .i have been on vit d3 6mths now and dont have the neck shoulder and hip pain i used to have. Menopause can be a cruel thing for a lot of people and all these things are worth a try for quality of life,,I wish you well in your journey and can only say things will get better its just a lonely journey sometimes xx   

[babyjane]

my vit D was also low back in Feb and I take a small supplement.  The main thing I have noticed from that so far is that my naturally curly hair has sprung back up, it had gone very flat and sad.  Oh and I can do my cryptic crosswords again 

[elainewin]

hi babyjane I also have natural curly hair and yes mine is proper bouncy at the moment to the fact its driving me crazy over bouncy ,perhaps that is down to the vitD supplement  p.s every one says i have lovely hair but it drives me mad lol .to scared to cut it short .
The main benefit i did find which did take a few mths was i didnt ache so much still a bit stiff now and again but not so bad .
Madness how so many people i know are now deficient even people i know that are sun lovers are deficient.X

[Milamam]

Hi Snakebite, I am on Citalopram 10mg daily and HRT. Until I started HRT, which was after I was already on the AD, I didn't see any significant improvement in anxiety and low mood. Which was the reason for me too seek a specialist dealing with hormones and menopause.

BUT, we are all so different and I know many women who do very well on low dose ADs. Also, there are many women who need only HRT. For me this combo works for now. Good luck!


Milamam

[Justjules]

Snakebite, another Citalopram user here.....been on and off it for many years and find it really good. I've upped to therapeutic dose if 20mg for the last few weeks, nearly at week 11 so hoping to see some proper results shortly. I've never taken HRT and am post meno.

[saffy123]

Hi, I was given Amitriptyline when I first started getting anxiety, I was in a pretty bad way at the time and I had no idea that I was starting peri (I actually thought I was having a mental breakdown - I just couldn't figure out why), the AD had very little effect. With the introduction of other peri symptoms over the next year or so I was given some HRT (estrogel) to try and within a few weeks the anxiety had lifted. So for me the HRT was far more effective than AD's.
Hope you find a solution that works for you xx

[snakebite495]

Thanks for all the helpful replies. i am now 14 week at 20mg and still not right, infact some days i feel worse.. i am at docs next week so going to ask about hrt or mini pill or something.x

[CLKD]

Make a list of symptoms to take to your appt..
Make a list of your diet to see if there are hidden sugars that can cause us to feel 'worse'.
Gentle exercise?

ADs aren't a cure but mine does enable me.

[Hurdity]

Hi snakebite495

If you are menopausal and your cycle has started to go wonky, and you had other symptom such as flushes and sweats as well as anxiety - then you should not have been prescribed anti-depressants in the first instance. The recent NICE guidelines recommend that in women 45 or over with such symptpms - HRT should be the first line of treatment - so yes please do think of this rather than the ADs and hopefully try to wean off them once you have started on the HRT as this may well be all you need.

Can you remind us how old you are, what other symptoms you had/have and what your cycle is doing?

Good luck with the docs - if you have started skipping periods then you don't want the mini pill which only contains progesterone. If you wanted to go for a pill and you are under 50 then a new pill Qlaira is like HRT because it contains the same type of oestrogen and will regulate your cycle and hopefully help lessen mood swings associated with peri-menopause. There are also only 2 tablet free days which is a bonus.

Here is some information about it:

http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/contra2.php

HRT type estrogen containing pill

A new combined pill, Qlaira is now available which contains natural estradiol valerate as the estrogen component, rather than the synthetic estrogen ethinylestradiol. Ethinylestradiol is the usual component of the combined pill whereas estradiol valerate is an HRT type estrogen. This is a useful option for women in the perimenopause when it should control menopausal symptoms while providing contraception and good control of bleeding.

Hope this helps and let us know how you get on

Hurdity x