HOw do i know where I am in the menapause I had bad periods stopped the marina coil and had a Baloon Abrasion in Jun 14. since then I have had about 8 periods in 3 years the last one being Nov last year but now im starting these panic attacks.
Ive tried a couple of HRT tablets and nothing stops the sweats and my last visit to the docs last month the doctor told me the HRT was not suitable and this was causing the anxiety and she put me on an antidepressant called Serpraline 50mg I know its only over a month in but when im due a period the panic attaches and anxiety are ruining my life my husband dos'nt know how to help when im so emotional then I think he will leave and things spiral out of control its ridiculous but I cant help the way im feeling.
Hi again Janey
You haven't said how old you are but if you've had an ablation then it is tricky to know about your cycle - so all the more reason why your doc should go on your age and symptoms in deciding what to prescribe. If you have been suffering flushes and sweats, as well as the mood changes and palpitations, then HRT is the first line of treatment
I agree that keeping a diary is a good idea so that you will know how your mood changes with whatever cycle you are still having.
I need to repeat that you were not given the choice ( between HRT and AD) but told that HRT was not suitable - and that your doctor was quite wrong in doing this.
Unless there is another reason for your sweats ( have you had other blood tests as a baseline, diabetes, thyroid function etc?) then if the HRT didn't eliminate them, the dose wasn't right. In your case the doc should have suggested you try a patch which women often find absorbs the oestrogen better than a tablet. Alternative as I suggested in my previous message, a different oral HRT like Femoston. Which other one did you try?
I would like to quote you the MM post from a couple of weeks ago on their Facebook page:
**Antidepressants are not recommended for first-line treatment of menopausal symptoms such as flushes and low mood, yet are often offered by some GPs. Some antidepressants can be used if HRT is unable to be taken for medical reasons, but only after full discussion and after ruling out the use of HRT.**Your doctor is doing you a disservice by not fully exploring other options with you and just taking you off the HRT. The right dose of the right HRT almost always works for fluishes and sweats and can lift mood and anxiety. It is sometimes more tricky with peri-menopause with the hormonal fluctuations but hopefully it would enable you to better cope with anxiety that might occur.
Since some ADs reduce flushes and sweats - it is much better to take HRT first at a dose that eliminates them - rather than ADs - because then you might not think you needed HRT and you would be denying yourself the health benefits. Also if you are likely to go through menopause at under the average age of menopause of 51/52 then you should take HRT to help protect heart and bones.
I also like one of the recent MM tweets from the recent conference of the British Menopause Society:
Kathy Abernethy: "We need the look at the #menopause more broadly, rather than simply as a cluster of symptoms to get through" #BMS2017
I appreciate your wanting to control the panic attacks but your doc hasn't given HRT a chance yet! The other alternative is the newer type of contraceptive pill which can help to control mood swings and is a bit like HRT - called Qlaira. By the way if it was the HRT that brought on the anxiety and panic attacks then surely you don't need an AD anyway?
I am wondering if the progestogen in the Elleste also could have been factor - the synthetic progestogens can have side effects in some women - what dose of Elleste was it?
I'm not sure why the others have suggested you might have been considering stopping the AD without talking to your doctor because you didn't say this and as far as I can see nor did anyone else. In your position I would think about the different hRT options, research one that you would like to try, and still go back to your doctor and ask for proper treatment and choice and ideally to swap the sertraline for a different HRT.
I hope this is helpful and do ask if there is anything else you need to ask.
Hurdity x
