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[C.Draper]

I really just want to share my story because it’s been a battle and I finally feel like I am coming out the other side. I’m 47 and was around 41 when I started getting perimenopause symptoms although I didn’t think that’s what they were, I didn’t really know what was going on, couldn’t cope at work at all, every little thing was like another plate I couldn’t keep spinning, so much so I left as I thought it was the job (I’m now back in my original post after years away and coping with ease), anxiety about the silliest of things, drenching night sweats before my period, couldn’t park the car, sore mouth, insomnia despite absolute exhaustion, the symptoms are too many to list but I really thought there was something seriously wrong with me and had some illness the doctors couldn’t find and it was slowly killing me. When my periods became erratic I went to the GP and started HRT tablets, the progesterone I had for the second half of every month was worse than the perimenopause symptoms, tried several times, utrogestan was the worst, then went onto and estrogen gel and progesterone vaginally (off label) and that was slightly better but still woke every day thinking ‘do I have to do this life again’. I wasn’t going out as much. I was still running and getting lots of exercise, eating very healthy but NOTHING was lifting the dark cloud sat over me every day. I was struggling so much I just wanted my life to end (I didn’t want to commit suicide I just didn’t want this life). I can never explain the darkness to others. I had no reason to be this way as far as my life was. I have a wonderful life. Things came to a head this year. I wanted to quit everything and drive off and not have to deal with a single thing about everyday life. Went back to the GP and asked for HRT patches and they have been so much better. I take Everol Sequil that for half the month has progesterone and although I can tell I’ve started the progesterone patches (bloating/less tolerant/mild uterine pain) it’s more like normal PMS and manageable. However I still wasn’t 100%, there was still a dread every morning. So I eventually, with much doubt, started Fluxoetine (Prozac) and it’s been revolutionary for me, no night sweats, I sleep again, no anxiety. I am four months down the line and can say I feel like I did when I was thirty five. There are obviously side effects. The nausea and dizziness for the first few weeks was difficult, they say they take a couple of months to work but I noticed the difference after a week. Having an orgasm takes a little more effort and isn’t as intense but as I didn’t even want sex before this is an improvement. I wake up free. It’s the only was to describe it. Prozac (combined with the patches) really has saved my life. I hope this post helps at least one person. Any questions feel free to ask.

[Emmia49]

Thank you for posting your positive story!

Ad mirtazapine saved me too. I'm 2,5 months in and sleeping through the night, no sweats, feeling better...
 
Tried 2 types of hrt and had really really bad reaction, couldn't tolarate at all, made my situaton even worse. I was so dissapointed, believed in hrt and I guess my body is too sensitive for it.

I am peri and hope AD helps me cross the bridge to menopause, so I will be able to know I'm there when my periods stop as they are still 23 day apart.

Wish you all best on your journey! 

[CLKD]

Well done on working through the other side and tnx for sharing.  Did a GP/Nurse Practitioner suggest the Mirena Coil? 

I never wanted to die, simply to sleep until someone woke me to let me know that I would never again have a panic attack 


I really just want to share my story because it’s been a battle and I finally feel like I am coming out the other side. I’m 47 and was around 41 when I started getting perimenopause symptoms although I didn’t think that’s what they were, I didn’t really know what was going on, couldn’t cope at work at all, every little thing was like another plate I couldn’t keep spinning, so much so I left as I thought it was the job (I’m now back in my original post after years away and coping with ease), anxiety about the silliest of things, drenching night sweats before my period, couldn’t park the car, sore mouth, insomnia despite absolute exhaustion, the symptoms are too many to list but I really thought there was something seriously wrong with me and had some illness the doctors couldn’t find and it was slowly killing me.

When my periods became erratic I went to the GP and started HRT tablets, the progesterone I had for the second half of every month was worse than the perimenopause symptoms, tried several times, utrogestan was the worst, then went onto and estrogen gel and progesterone vaginally (off label) and that was slightly better but still woke every day thinking ‘do I have to do this life again’. I wasn’t going out as much. I was still running and getting lots of exercise, eating very healthy but NOTHING was lifting the dark cloud sat over me every day.

I was struggling so much I just wanted my life to end (I didn’t want to commit suicide I just didn’t want this life). I can never explain the darkness to others. I had no reason to be this way as far as my life was. I have a wonderful life. Things came to a head this year. I wanted to quit everything and drive off and not have to deal with a single thing about everyday life. Went back to the GP and asked for HRT patches and they have been so much better. I take Everol Sequil that for half the month has progesterone and although I can tell I’ve started the progesterone patches (bloating/less tolerant/mild uterine pain) it’s more like normal PMS and manageable. However I still wasn’t 100%, there was still a dread every morning. So I eventually, with much doubt, started Fluxoetine (Prozac) and it’s been revolutionary for me, no night sweats, I sleep again, no anxiety. I am four months down the line and can say I feel like I did when I was thirty five.

There are obviously side effects. The nausea and dizziness for the first few weeks was difficult, they say they take a couple of months to work but I noticed the difference after a week. Having an orgasm takes a little more effort and isn’t as intense but as I didn’t even want sex before this is an improvement. I wake up free. It’s the only was to describe it. Prozac (combined with the patches) really has saved my life. I hope this post helps at least one person. Any questions feel free to ask.

[CrispyChick]

This is really interesting. Thank you for sharing your story.

I'm having a similarly hideous peri to you. Although for me hrt first help. I'm actually still relatively high on estrogen. But the fluctuations are killing me.

Whilst I recognise antidepressants cannot cure all my peri symptoms - sometimes I feel quite ill with estrogen spikes, for example, I do think k they definitely have a place and I am considering going on them too.

Apart from the physical ill feelings and vertigo I get, the rest of my symptoms I think could be controlled by antidepressants as I often feel extremely aggitated and overwhelmed.

Thank you for sharing because all too often I see posts berating GPs for giving them out instead of hrt. And, possibly that is a problem. But they do have their place. We should be open to using them. Xxx

[AngelaH]

I tried Prozac last summer, was prescribed it for hot flashes, but could not really take it more than 3 days, had to stop due to side effects. I worked full time and couldn’t afford to take 3 months off sick just to wait until it would start working for me without any side effects.

[C.Draper]

This is really interesting. Thank you for sharing your story.

I'm having a similarly hideous peri to you. Although for me hrt first help. I'm actually still relatively high on estrogen. But the fluctuations are killing me.



Whilst I recognise antidepressants cannot cure all my peri symptoms - sometimes I feel quite ill with estrogen spikes, for example, I do think k they definitely have a place and I am considering going on them too.

Apart from the physical ill feelings and vertigo I get, the rest of my symptoms I think could be controlled by antidepressants as I often feel extremely aggitated and overwhelmed.

Thank you for sharing because all too often I see posts berating GPs for giving them out instead of hrt. And, possibly that is a problem. But they do have their place. We should be open to using them. Xxx

That overwhelmed feeling is awful, I fully understand as that’s exactly what was happening to me. But although the HRT helped it wasn’t cutting it, the doctor did suggest Venlaflaxine but apparently coming off that is awful.

I hope you find some solution to the anxiety. It would be good to hear if you do. Xx

[bombsh3ll]

Thank you for sharing your experience, I am glad it has been positive.

The problem is that far too many people, particularly women, are prescribed antidepressants inappropriately.

Women's health issues are often erroneously attributed to psychological causes without appropriate investigation or treatment, due to a deep rooted culture of misogyny within medicine that harks back to the hysteria paradigm. Understandably there has been a backlash against this by those advocating for better health care for women.

The minority of cases where there is a legitimate indication for antidepressants, and within this group the minority who are helped by them, can go unnoticed among all the noise.

[CLKD]

Prozac made me wild  .  Escitalopram works for me.

[Kathleen]

Hello C  Draper and welcome to the forum.

Thank you for your post, I am sure it will be of help to many ladies.

I think you are fortunate that you used HRT and your AD at different times so that you could easily distinguish their separate effects.
I was prescribed HRT and Venlafaxine at the same time so I could never identify the particular benefits of this AD.

You are fortunate to have found a regime that works for you.

Take care.

K.

[Snowball]

Hi,
This is my first time posting. On hrt patches 3 years, now age 52, but my main symptom was always anxiety. I would be a very strong willed person, and did everything I possibly could to beat that anxiety, but over time just got worse. Slowly over time it also led to low mood and depressive black moods each day around lunch. From June this year, I was withdrawing from friends and activities. I am a highly sociable person, no history of anxiety or depression, no issues in personal life.
I see a menopause specialist who has just started me on Trintellix AD a week ago. So encouraged by this post, as really in a bad place past few months. I need some encouragement as feel such a failure I couldn't overcome this. But life just became smaller and smaller, to the point I was anxious driving, anxious in the shops, even anxious walking the dog.
I live in hope reading this!! For me HRT 100 patch helped a lot in the early days, but didn't sort the anxiety.

[CLKD]

Snowball - for several years I believed that I would never leave the house; go on holidays; work in my garden ......... couldn't go shopping, theatre; visiting family was difficult with valium the night B4.

Now if I pace myself and don't book too far ahead, most days I am fine.

[Snowball]

Thanks for that. All of this can be so isolating as people don't really share their experience in person, and I always feel its only me suffers like this. My doctor always assures me she sees this every day though. Menopause can be so horribly tough!

[CLKD]

I suffered long B4 peri ........... the 1990s were awful 

Medication, a loving husband and supportive GP helped.

[joziel]

Snowball, I wonder if you needed more than 100mcg patch? Did you have bloods done (more than once) on that dose, especially post-meno?

100 is the max licensed dose and there are so many women out there being told 'computer says no' by GPs because they are on the max licensed dose. When in reality they are not absorbing it well. It can be very hard in peri to be able to tell if women ARE absorbing it because their own ovaries contributing estrogen make blood tests unreliable. (Yet their own estrogen can cut out randomly which is what causes the symptoms.)

It might be worth exploring a higher estrogen dose, alongside what you're doing at the moment...

[Amers78]

This is EXACTLY how I'm feeling at the minute.

I just wanted my life to end (I didn’t want to commit suicide I just didn’t want this life). This sentence has been like a light bulb moment for me as it is just how I'm feeling, my irrational thoughts n anxiety is taking every ounce of joy out of my life atm n I'm just sad. I am definitely going to ring my gp first thing on Monday morning.

Thank you for such an honest and positive post.

Im sending you love and luck on the rest of your journey xx