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[Ruby10]

Citalopram did it  help with the low mood and anxiety and irritability and other symptoms ? I am in peri stage and have a mirena coil and Everol 100 but still get symptoms . So am starting on citalopram .
What are your experiences on this for menopause symptoms.
Did you feel spaced out and drousy at first ?

[CLKD]

I never felt drowsy as I take ADs for depression.  Nauseous ......... which didn't last.

Do you keep a mood/food/symptom diary?

[Ladybt28]

All I can write is from my own experience Ruby10.  I was on AD's (of one kind or another) for 40 years and up until 4 years ago on Citalopram.  I am 58 and started my meno journey at 46 so I was on it a long time and a long time into my meno journed.  I have to tell you the AD's never ever worked for me, they just made me numb and when I got to meno they didn't help my symptoms, especially the anxiety and mood which went off the scale despite the Citalopram.  My hrt helped me give ADs up not the other way round.  This is not the case for others but it was the case for me.  My anxiety which was off the scale stopped, I do have dips for low mood occasionally linked to progesterone but now my hrt is right for me, all my symptoms are under control 90% of the time and have been for 18 months.

It would be my opinion that GP's give out AD's in meno when in fact it is a matter of putting ladies on hrt or getting hrt properly balanced.  Getting it balanced sounds simple but in some cases it's not.  Lots of ladies say they get on just fine with AD's together with their hrt.  It's your choice

[Ruby10]

The dr did warn me it can give me more hot flushes . It is for the anxiety , low mood . I am starting on a very low dose and building up slowly to the correct dose for me .

[Woodlands]

Hi Ruby 10
I started citralopram aged 48....for low mood, anxiety and panic attacks..... Peri menopause stages too.....
Never looked back, works ace for me and all symptoms under control.... I'm almost 57 now
Woodlands xx

[Samade]

I was given citalopram for those reasons before I was given hrt. I did find them good but took a few months to properly kick in. I took it for 3 years as every thing was under control along side patches. I weaned off last summer but kind of wish I hadn't as I feel myself dipping again.

[catlover68]

I've been on citalopram nearly a year and have found them very good for anxiety and low mood. I'm only taking 10mgs which is very low but seems to take keep me on an even keel. I took citalopram for 8 years previously but came off them for 2 years but I cannot take hrt unfortunately so decided to go back on them. I do still get hot flushes,insomnia and various other symptoms but I try to ride it out hoping it will get better in the future.

[Woodlands]

Hi Ruby.
I get on fine with Citraopam in so many ways. If you have read any of my previous posts.. My eldest DS took his life aged 23 five years ago and i have also had a divorce plus stuggle with my youngest a daughter and her substance addiction.
However i met a delightful chap in my life and try to live life to the full with him in all aspects.. We plan to live together longterm in the next year or so.... I love my own company too.
Big hugs
Woodlands xx

[Penelope]

LadyBt can you please tell me how long it took on HRT for you Anxiety to go please.Feeling desperate for good news at this point I am only 36 days on HRT everything else is great but the Anxiety.Feel I need some good news to hang onto and get me through this.
I too have been on antidepressants for 25 years that did nothing I have been off for two years.❤️

[Ladybt28]

I am not sure if it is good news or bad news for you Penelope but here we go...
The good news it did go.  No more waking up in panic and no more dread and no more psychotic worrying that the world and everyone I loved in it was going to end in the next minute! and so did the thick foggy head feeling, where I could only concentrate on stuff of 20 minutes!
The bad news is that by most peoples hrt standards it possibly took a "long time" but time is a subjective thing really.  It took 3 months for the psychotic worrying to die down to just anxiety but it took 5 months before the panic in the mornings started to subside and at that point it stopped being every day all day and my sleep got better but not to the point of good.  Months 5-6 were patchy - some days ok and others not, but at least it wasn't every day a right off! It took a whole 7 months before I realised I had gone a whole week without any of the symptoms and that I had felt vaguely normal and that I had done "normal" things in the week.  I started worrying a bit then, that it was a fluke and that it would come back but no it stayed pretty level most of the time.  No anxiety or panic attacks but I do suffer depressive thoughts mainly due to progesterone.  They come in my cycle and then they do which makes them easier to deal with.

It really depends where you start from Penelope and I would describe me as starting at minus 10 on the scale (every symptom you can think of except for vaginal atrophy and those symptoms were not mild or anything they were bad!) and I had been for a very long time.  By month 5 I had got to minus 4 or minus 3 by month 7 0.  I have now been on hrt for 19 months and I would say that I am at plus 4 nearly all of the time!  but you have to remember my hormonal issues go way back and became beyond ridiculous during meno. 

I'm not sure you want to hear that it took so long but I can't say otherwise in my case.  I really didn't think there was any hope for me but giving up wasn't an option either so I just kept going and going to where I am today which is better than I have been in 20 years!  I hope the same happens for you but quicker  xxx

[Penelope]

LadyBT28  that is the best post I have ever read.Thank you so much.Dont ever stop posting you have a gift and a story to tell.
I will hang in there it's only day 38 on HRT and depression has just kicked in with hormonal headaches but things seam to come and go and I'm hoping this pattern will continue.
I owe it to myself to try and regain a quality of life I have not had in over 25 years.🌷❤️💖