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[Bring me Sunshine]

Baby I sent you a great long message and it didtn send I think I must have done it at the same time as sage.

if you are early post meno or post then oestrogen tests are more reliable then at the peri stage when fluctuations are still happening.  I just ask for a blood test go up to the hospital and have the results about 3/4 days later.  Never a problem asking for them with this gp I think she just wants to see the back of me.  Im doing her a disservice she is kind to me but hasnt really a clue about menopause I just tell her really.

My levels were only helped this time by adding in testosterone (tostran) every other day thats what got me up to 800 p/mol and ping... back to me again.  Sadly though it kept increasing both the oestrogen levels and testosterone till they were crazily high and had to come off both and now back trying to get the right level again and I think I am almost there again.  It is bloody hard work BUT you musnt give up.  Honestly to God at my worst through his hormonal hell if I knew my boys and husbband would survive and be fine and I could exit the hell via pushing a button I would have pushed it.  But thank God I didnt because YOU CAN get well and I am proof but you just have to get to the right level and you will know what that is when you wake up and want to get up and get on with the day and then you get a blood test to see what the leVel is so you have an indicator of what oestrogen level you are when well.  There that bit of advice from a private menopause lady cost me £250 but its all yours for free.

KEEP GOING AND DONT GIVE UP!!

[Kathleen]

Hello ladies

Sage - my GP seems to thought  my low moods and crying were meno related and I should continue with  Venlafaxine though I wonder if I would be doing better without it.

Baby and Bring me Sunshine - your stories show how complicated and frustrating this whole business can be. It shouldn't be this hard to just feel normal.

Take care ladies.

K.

[Kathleen]

Hello again ladies.

Sage - I've just been thinking about your post. Do you mean that your low moods and crying became less intense  over time during perimenopause and post menopause and you were not taking either Venlafaxine or HRT at the time? As I have said my doctor says this does happen and all these emotional symptoms resolve eventually on their  own.  Perhaps he is right in your case?

Wishing you well.

K.

[Sage 🍃]

Hi Kathleen, exactly. I didn't take anything during
perimenopause, I was too scared of side effects and adding fuel to the fire (literally). Fortunately, things have improved a lot two years after my last period. I'm not the emotional wreck I used to be although I still have irritability and rage, but they're short-lived. I think hormonal fluctuations are the pits, I feel much more stable now. It was a horrific time but I don't regret persevering without medication, because now I know my body and mind can cope with it. I could take HRT if my bone density starts to decrease, but I'm not looking forward to it. I love being medication free!

[Bring me Sunshine]

Kathleen

It is a bloody minefield this menopause journey.  When I got well back early Jan 2018 I was on 4 pumps of gel and venlaflaxine 300mg I didnt really know what was helping the hrt the anti depressant or both together.  The only thing that niggled was when I got migraines with the hrt tablerts and came off them and onto 2 pumps of gel Oct 2017 I plunged into depression again despite the venlaflaxine and continued feeling low until the hrt reached the right level.  With this in mind in 2018 me and my then dr decided around June 2018 to withdraw me from  venlaflaxine (took about 6 weeks as I was on a shed load of the stuff) but not once did the depression return until dec 2019 when my hormone levels dipped.

If you read everything on the menopause sometimes post menopause it says  an anti depressant and hrt at the same time can be beneficial.  As I am feeling totally well now (almost a week so I shouldnt get too excited) I am not going to rock the boat by withdrawing from escitalopram at the moment .  I am going to ask for a blood test this week to see what all my levels are.  I have no intention whatsoever of coming off hrt ever if I dont have to .  I would like to withdraw from the anti depressant at some stage but do you know what if this mix keeps me well then I will stay on the lot.

Dont be unhappy or sad its not right to be like that life is too short . Keep asking questionsxx

[Sage 🍃]

Hi Kathleen, how are you doing? 

[Alua197]

Hi Kathleen

So sorry you are having a rough time of it.

Have you considered the antidepressant might actually be the cause of some of what you are dealing with?

Effexor can be a very bad drug for some people, that is why there are forums all over the internet dedicated to its side effects and its notoriously difficult withdrawal.

Antidepressants made me very depressed as you know, even suicidal. The internet and a site called surviving antidepressants actually saved my life.

I hope you feel better soon.

Xxx

[Sage 🍃]

Hi Kathleen, you haven't been around lately, hope you're feeling better.

I've read something about crying spells and MAO enzyme and I thought about you. I don't know exactly what's the connection, but I'm going to read more about it.

This is the article https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4942269/

[Uptick]

Thanks, Sage. This is the link to the full article https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/1878920
Off to read it!

[Sage 🍃]

Oh thank you, Uptick. Maybe you can help me understand it