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[Badgerandbean]

Hi all. Thank you for letting me join the group. Just started HRT last week following a few more symptoms and my first missed period. I am on Citalopram for anxiety and have had periods of depression in the past. Life has been challenging on a few fronts in the last year or more but I noticed my mood slipping more since I missed my period. I am really struggling at the moment to figure it all out. I have started using the Evorel Sequi patches the Dr prescribed for me but not sure how long to give them to work or if I should up my anti depressants as well? Trying to get through to the Drs is a nightmare let alone to speak to someone! I need a bit of hand holding as I am so scared with my mood slipping and level of anxiety about everything. I was wondering if I should seek more specialist help, particularly if I might need Testosterone too? Any help greatly appreciated   

[CLKD]

Morning.      there is usually someone here to hold hands and give 

Hormones rise and fall 24/7.  My periods waxed and waned for several years: regular, then missed a few months, then nowt again.  Peri-menopause is the years where we begin to notice changes leading up the final bleed = menopause.  It is suggested that we wait for 12 months to see if we are really 'there' as Nature can throw in the curved ball which means that we have to begin counting from month 1.

Some find that keeping a mood/food/symptom diary of use.  Anxiety can be bothersome during The Change.  How much Citalopram are you taking?  mayB a betablocka as well to ease any anxiety surges, is there a particular worse time of day?  I was bothered in the early hours  and Propranolol helped a lot.

It may take a while for any HRT to kick in.  How were your moods during your regular menstruating years?

browse round. Join in.

[Badgerandbean]

Hi! Thank you for your message. I'm on 20mg Citalopram. Have been for a fair while. I'm very scared about being as depressed as I have been before, that's the problem. And mornings are a killer at the moment! I think with everyone's perimenopause journey being different I can't identify how long I have been struggling for. I cope better when I have a plan so I think I need to sit down and make a few decisions about what will help me. The latest campaign has really opened my eyes to menopause - and the amount of information out there now is incredible but also a little overwhelming  but its such a relief to know there is support out there 

[discogirl]

hi badger and bean

 

first of all you will get lots of support on here never be frightened to ask.

you need to give hrt 3 months, for me it did help my anxiety but it took a good 3 months for me.

i wouldnt go loading your system with testosterone just yet give your body time
to adjust to the hrt first.

regarding the antidepressants personally i wouldnt go increasing just yet as i feel too much all at once may be too much for your body however this is an area you should really discuss with your gp.

i hope this has helped there are lots of really experienced ladies on here to give good advice.

take care xxx

[Badgerandbean]

Hi discogirl (great name)
Thank you for that. I think my anxiety is making me question whether my doctor has put me on the right stuff etc. I need to understand what my patch offers vs other options. I should have faith in what my Dr has given me but I'm a bit overwhelmed with all the info and don't know who to listen to 🤦🏻‍♀️!! The brain can be a right nuisance at times. I think I may have read too much and confused myself even more 

[CLKD]

I adjust my AD when necessary, I'm on 10 at night and 5 in the morning: when I wake with low mood for more than 3 days I add 5mg in the morning for 3-5 days.  Helps a lot.

Whilst many want an instant 'cure', HReplacementT doesn't work that fast.  It takes the body a while to adjust.  U may not require testosterone. 

[Badgerandbean]

I am expecting it to take a while. I have been given Evorel Sequi. How do I know if this the right option for me? It says Norethisterone on the pack for the progesterone. Is this body identical? This was all the Dr offered. Thanks again.

[Flossieteacake]

Hello and welcome to the forum. That is an interesting user name. It reminds me of Boder and Badger. 

Having depression myself, I understand the fear of it returning. Starting HRT and menopause can be so overwhelming. I find it helpful to take things one step at a time and try not to look too much into the future.

I think giving the HRT time to work will then help you to see if you need to increase the Citalopram. If you do need to then that will be no problem so try not to panic about that.

You will know if Evorel Sequi is right for you by giving it time and then looking at how you feel and if meno symptoms have eased. If not then you can try another one. It can take a few times of trying out HRT to find the right one but you will get there. It is a bit like finding out which antidepressant suits.

[sheila99]

I started on evorel sequi too, main symptoms were anxiety and insomnia. They both took  3 months, very  little progress the first month then very much up and down. Your oestrogen levels have to be optimal before you start on testosterone. I know the waiting is tough but there's really no way round it.

[Badgerandbean]

They're my dogs nicknames  bless their hearts!

Thank you both. I really do appreciate the help. I will stick (pardon the pun) with the patch for the time being. I wasn't expecting a miracle - although if one was offered I wouldn't say no! I think with my muddled anxious brain I have overthought and over read 

It's so nice to be able to speak with people that know how you're feeling. I just woke up and sobbed this morning.
Fear of the depression and anxiety worsening is overwhelming but I am starting therapy again this week and am trying to keep in a sort of routine. So the day by day thing I will work on...not my strongest attribute - hence the therapy 

[Flossieteacake]

They're my dogs nicknames  bless their hearts!

Thank you both. I really do appreciate the help. I will stick (pardon the pun) with the patch for the time being. I wasn't expecting a miracle - although if one was offered I wouldn't say no! I think with my muddled anxious brain I have overthought and over read 

It's so nice to be able to speak with people that know how you're feeling. I just woke up and sobbed this morning.
Fear of the depression and anxiety worsening is overwhelming but I am starting therapy again this week and am trying to keep in a sort of routine. So the day by day thing I will work on...not my strongest attribute - hence the therapy 

Aww I love those nicknames! How cute.

You will always find support on here so please never feel you cannot post.

Good luck with the therapy. I know how hard it is but it will be worth it for you.

[CLKD]

I too fear that anxiety will take over.  However, my medication works for me.

Let us know how you get on.  Rome wasn't built in a day ;-)

[Badgerandbean]

Thank you all ❤️ nice to know you're not alone...in the nicest possible way! I will see what happens. Wishing you all the very best 

[discogirl]

Hi discogirl (great name)
Thank you for that. I think my anxiety is making me question whether my doctor has put me on the right stuff etc. I need to understand what my patch offers vs other options. I should have faith in what my Dr has given me but I'm a bit overwhelmed with all the info and don't know who to listen to 🤦🏻‍♀️!! The brain can be a right nuisance at times. I think I may have read too much and confused myself even more 

hi badger and bean

i can totally understand that.

i learned an awful from this site just by asking questions and you're definately not alone in all this.

take care xxx

[MrsHormoans]

Hi all. Thank you for letting me join the group. Just started HRT last week following a few more symptoms and my first missed period. I am on Citalopram for anxiety and have had periods of depression in the past. Life has been challenging on a few fronts in the last year or more but I noticed my mood slipping more since I missed my period. I am really struggling at the moment to figure it all out. I have started using the Evorel Sequi patches the Dr prescribed for me but not sure how long to give them to work or if I should up my anti depressants as well? Trying to get through to the Drs is a nightmare let alone to speak to someone! I need a bit of hand holding as I am so scared with my mood slipping and level of anxiety about everything. I was wondering if I should seek more specialist help, particularly if I might need Testosterone too? Any help greatly appreciated   

Hi Bandgerandbean 👋
I'm a newbie here too & only applied my first HRT patch today, so no help with the HRT side of things, but I do suffer with depression & anxiety & have done for the past 16years following pnd. My depression worsened and anxiety went through the roof these past few months either before period was due whether I had them or not and I too felt overwhelmed at the prospect of beginning HRT or possibly changing my meds for my mental health. I'm sorry to hear that you're struggling at the min & hope that the HRT you've been given has a positive impact, but if you don't feel like you can wait for the effect to kick in then maybe a mental health specialist may be able to help. I only discovered today that my GP practice has a mental health nurse based there who you can make appointments with it attend a weekly mh clinic, so maybe enquire at your surgery if your practice also has this. I was very lucky that my husband made the many phonecalls to the drs surgery & made an appointment on my behalf as I felt so overwhelmed and stressed about trying to do it myself but an alternative maybe to phone the surgery later on in the day to avoid the 8am phone dash madness and speak to the receptionist about your anxiety & feeling overwhelmed by trying to arrange an appointment and they may be able to offer a solution/alternative, also enquire if have a mental health practice nurse or run a mental health clinic, or could send an email. I also used to take Citalopram and 20mg is a fairly low dose that can definitely be increased if needed & could be a temporary increase to tide you over until you feel less anxious & benefitting from hrt. Hope this helps & good luck 🤞🏻💞