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[vintagefiend]

Hi there!
I have tried many, many things to alleviate low mood and anxiety which seem to be worsening over time- i'm perimenopausal but still have regularish periods: sometimes 30 days, sometimes 23, so a bit erratic- and lately very heavy, many clots (sorry!!)
I am on ssris- the only thing to have some impact- but the effect is minimal and for 2 weeks of each month i'm super-anxious (pre-menstrual) or depressed (during period) and not great the rest of the time, but able to function..sort of (can't work)
i'm fed up and wonder whether tibolone might help- i cant seem to tolerate bcp or hrt and figured tibolone has a different way of working??
or...could i have testosterone treatment on its own?
i dont know...just wish i was through all this- any help appreciated- thank you 

[dazned]

Hi as far as I understand tibolone is for post Meno ladies only not peri. Testosterone is used in conjunction with oestrogen in some form .
What types of Hrt have you tried ? It really works well for physical symptoms but the control of anxiety etc is a harder balancing act to achieve unfortunately.

[Taz2]

Hi vintagefiend - Tibolone is only for post  meno ladies I'm afraid. As dazned says which HRT's have you tried? Also, when I was on an SSRI for a short time my periods became much heavier and more painful. The GP said that this was an uncommon but known side effect.

Taz x

[vintagefiend]

thank you both for replying. what a shame!- i didnt realise livial only available post think i've tried most things!! suspect its hard because my hormones are so variable and hope that things will get easier when they become consistently low- then i'll know what to add in terms of hrt.
interesting that ssris can make periods heavier- didnt know that!
and, yes- emotional symptoms seem to be much harder to sort out than physical ah well, back to the drawing board!!
thanks ladies xx

[dazned]

Have you explored different type of Ads ? What symptoms are you particularly trying to alleviate ? HRT alone isn't the panacea (sic ) for all .

[Katia]

Have you tried different bcp?  Qlaira is similar to a HRT. I've been on HRT 3 months. First the gel with lots of side effects and now'premarin with less side effects, but I finding the same. Two weeks are ok, now spots and irritable and feeling low. Im giving Premarin a bit longer but am considering the bcp again for a while. It's more even.  My consultant put me on a continuous to keep it more even so maybe tibolone would be ok, I'm not sure.  Speak to your GP.  The problem I think with the HRT is it still goes up and down with your cycle. I'm not sure if tibolone does that too 

[vintagefiend]

Hi dazned and thanks for replying. i have tried a variety of anti-deps and the venlafaxine that i'm on at quite high dose is def the best- just doesn't cut through the particularly vulnerable times of the month! but i have been much worse- so it's def worth me keeping on with it...i would love some consistency in my emotions tho- but thats peri isnt it: up and down!!
hi katia- i have tried qlaira and i dont know why but after a month i felt awful and had to stop! i know prog doesnt agree with me but i sometimes wonder if the synthetic oestrogen doesnt work for me either!! i havent tried premarin but agree that i still have the ups and downs of my cycle alongside any hrt- kind of feel i tried hrt too early? maybe need it further down the line when things have plateaued (funny spelling!!) im keeping tibolone on my radar as its just so different from the other stuff, tho i did wonder what, if anything, would happen to my cycle while on it. tho it seems its only used post meno anyway. sorry you're also getting the lows- guess that atleast bcp would suppress your cycle giving some consistency- you've just gotta find the "right" one! good luck x

[Katia]

Vintagefiend, I wonder if I moved to HRT too soon as well. I got some cystic spots and have had horrible iOS and downs, but there are so many ladies who are peri who are on HRT and I heard it was superior to bcp. I was on Femodene pill and did great on it. The best HRT I've tried so far is Premarin

[vintagefiend]

thank you, katia...it might be that the older formulations work better for some- i really lost it on qlaira!!
i put a smidge of oestrogel on last night cos couldnt sleep and try anything!- dont know if it helped-feel quite anxious today- and i know its not there to be used as and when but 3am rationality out of window!!
i'm actually on day 35 and no sign of period which is v unusual- really hoping i reach some sort of level.
gonna look into premarin x

[Katia]

Qlaira didn't work for me either. I was fine with the 2mg/2mg, but when it went up to 3mg progestegen I had to stop it

[Joesmum]

I'm afraid Tibolone was a disaster for me. I was fine for a few weeks and then the desperate depression and fatigue set in. It made me feel awful.

[vintagefiend]

Thanks Joesmum- sorry to hear that tibolone was no good for you- i guess the problem is that it doesnt separate out the hormones so u cant, say, try for a period of time without progestins to see if that is the issue. i'm very very wary of progs! cant handle synthetic and cant handle my own!!
somethings happening since i started this thread- or rather, not happening: I havent had a period and its day 37 and i really dont feel like it's imminent!! i've always been so regular and rarely above day 26 (with the exception of last month when it was day 35). i'm really bloody pleased to have some consistency- no pms/pmdd- this could be it!! i'm 45 so quite young for meno but my mum was, too. i feel quite flat but pretty sure i have a bug so will assess how i feel when over that! i realise i may have the odd bleed until fully menopausal but i really hope the worst is over- it's been fecking awful!! bit of stream of consciousness- sorry- i'm just really pleased- end in sight