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[debbyx]

Hi ladies

I went through peri and menopause with no issues at all thought i was so lucky , but when I got to 60 and post menopause
It has hit me with a bang,  so many symptoms that’s too long to list but the worst are the anxiety, aches and pains and acid reflux.   I am so depressed and spend most of the time crying , I have had to give up so many of the nice food I love to try to help with the acid reflux and keeping a diary to see what triggers it.
I have a couple of good days then weeks of all different issues. 

I have had a lot of doctors appointments but they just don’t seem to want to put it down to post menopause, saying you are to old to start HRT and should be past this by now  and its anxiety and has put me on anti depressants .   I know from reading this forum that many of you are past 60 and still getting symptoms.

My sister in law is same age and been given HRT but my sister is a year younger than me and was not offered HRT
We are all at different surgeries.

Does it just depend on the doctor.

On my last visit I have been given tablets for the acid reflux .   I haven’t taken them yet or started the anti depressants  I struggle through each day  I just want to feel good again. 

I just don’t really want to start on anti depressants.

[Ayesha]

Why not start the reflux tablets, its a horrible condition and best to get it under control. Do at least two months of it and then start to see if you can do without  with diet changes. Its the ageing process, we can no longer tolerate some of the foods we are used to eating and its all about learning to live with a changing body. Also nothing wrong with anti depressants, use them until you get your body and mind sorted and decide what you want to do going forwards.

If you want to go on HRT then do so, no GP should refuse unless there is good medical reason.

[CLKD]

It's The Change - does what it says on the tin.  So many still believe that the menopause is the cessation of bleeds and a few hot flushes!   

Anxiety is common for many. Whether or not it's caused by hormones, using appropriate medication for 8-12 months may help.  Aches and pains may be caused by loss of oestrogen, the elasticity of our bodies. U may also require testosterone, which many aren't aware can help.

As oestrogen levels drop muscles may become lax = aches and pains as well as hiatus hernia/acid reflux.  What have you been prescribed?  For years I used Milk of Magnesia with success, my GP later prescribed omeprazolo which I swallow at breakfast: for the irritating clearing of throat cough which I have found out in recent months is caused by hidden sugars - Coke, chocolate  , some fruits.

When does the reflux bother you the most?

How were your moods during your menstruating years?  I would cry the night B4 a bleed even if a period wasn't due. 

[Taz2]

I think you should try the reflux tablets prescribed by your doc to at least get it under control and then if they don't work you can at least be referred for any further tests. I delayed taking mine but then developed an ulcerated oesophagus which took stronger tablets and a long time to get sorted. I found tomatoes, raspberries, chocolate and alcohol were a problem for me but once I started taking omeprazole (a PPI) I was able to eat and drink normally again. Please give the medication a try.

It's easy to feel that once we are post menopausal then we should be fine but oestrogen levels continue to fall. As has been said on here already, nowadays, you can be prescribed hrt even though you are older. The guidelines have changed in recent years and you should be given the chance to try it. You can stop if you don't like it.

Taz x 

[CLKD]

Push the phrase 'quality of life'  and let us know how you get on and what you decide to do.

[Mary G]

Sorry to hear you are having a difficult time.  Quite a few women on here have had a similar experience and found their symptoms suddenly get worse post menopause.  At 60, I would imagine you are possibly 10 ish years post menopause and you would normally have expected your hormones to have bottomed out but I have been caught out on that myself recently. 

I'm 63, about 15 years post menopause and been using HRT for the entire time bar a few breaks to get baseline hormone blood tests.  I thought I was happily settled on my HRT dose but it suddenly stopped working and my migraines resurfaced so I have now increased the oestrogen dose.  I have noticed a massive improvement.  So it would seem that oestrogen continues to decrease or perhaps it becomes less effective many years post menopause and that is why you suddenly have symptoms.

I would definitely push for HRT.  I think it does vary depending on the surgery but I'm pretty sure you can insist on being prescribed HRT under the NICE guidelines.  You are definitely not too old to start and this is also stated in the guidelines.

[debbyx]

Thank you all for your replies. It does make me feel better just knowing that this is all part of life. 
I just don’t understand why the doctors can’t see that menopause does go beyond 60 .

I have checked my medication and I have been given lansoprazole for the acid reflux and sertraline for the anti depressant.


I have never taken medication in my life
That’s why I am worried about taking it now. 

I think the acid  reflux is causing me the most  problem at the moment, so maybe I need to start on the lansoprazole  and maybe if that works my anxiety  won’t be as bad as it is now and i won’t need the antidepressants.


Thank you for being there

[CLKD]

Morning.  These medications are designed to help.  Which symptom is bothering you the most?

[flo69]

I had nausea like pregnancy sickness for about three years after menopause, it went away eventually. Gastric disturbances are absolutely a menopause symptom, but also a symptom of other disorders (is menopause a disorder?), I think lansoprazole it an OTC medicine, so nothing too hefty.

If you feel depressed a lot then it could certainly be menopause causing it. If that is the case then sertraline would probably help, it helps my husband put up with me 

However you don't want to take antidepressants and the GP was unable to persuade you that it would be better than HRT.
I wonder if your GP noticed you didn't agree?
It sounds like they weren't listening and you need more evidence that will make them listen.

I found this; If HRT is to be used in women over 60 years of age, lower doses should be started, preferably with a transdermal route of estradiol administration.
Here; https://thebms.org.uk/publications/consensus-statements/bms-whcs-2020-recommendations-on-hormone-replacement-therapy-in-menopausal-women/
Your GP can't ignore the the bms, they have compulsory membership in the UK. That's a recommendation your GP might feel encouraged to try.

Also this; There is very little evidence regarding starting HRT for older women because this research has not been undertaken. However, most women who are otherwise fit and well do still gain benefits from taking HRT even if it has been more than 10 years since their menopause.
Here; https://www.themenopausecharity.org/2022/04/19/starting-or-continuing-hrt-many-years-after-your-menopause/
They are American, but I'm sure women here are the same and there are many more similar references you could print off and take to your GP to reassure them it's ok. For many GPs that's all they need.

[Ayesha]

I have never taken medication in my life
That’s why I am worried about taking it now. 

I was exactly like you, wouldn't even take a paracetamol. Once you accept this new way of life you will feel much better in mind and body and taking meds are now part of this new phase.

I didn't find this phase easy to accept, it can be very depressing, but I did in the end and feel so much better for it now.

[flo69]

I have never taken medication in my life
That’s why I am worried about taking it now. 

I was exactly like you, wouldn't even take a paracetamol. Once you accept this new way of life you will feel much better in mind and body and taking meds are now part of this new phase.

I didn't find this phase easy to accept, it can be very depressing, but I did in the end and feel so much better for it now.

That is such an excellent point, it's worth repeating.
From my first pregnancy onwards I hated taking any medicine and only had good food and herbal remedies, I wouldn't have touched a paracetamol.
This post-50 phase is different and I'm on three pills a day now, one is tibolone for my bones, one is prozac for anxiety, one is ramipril for high blood pressure.
I'm not one kg heavier than I was at twenty or thirty, why is my BP raised? Menopause, that's why. It temporarily came down when I tried oestrogen, but I couldn't tolerate any progestin, so it went back up without them. Anxiety was similar.

[Mary G]

I see the menopause as a fault in the female design.  What should happen is hormones should drop to a level whereby women are no longer fertile but they should still be able to produce enough vital hormones for the body to function properly ie like men.   Obviously this is not what happens and a lot of women find it hard to face but the solution is there - HRT.  It's similar to taking thyroid medication which people seem to readily accept.

I once had an argument with a doctor about HRT so I decided to draw him a diagram.  I wrote HRT in the middle of the page, drew a circle around it and then drew several prongs from the circle listing out the numerous conditions caused by oestrogen deprivation.  He shook his head but I said I thought it was ridiculous to give women numerous forms of medication for osteoporosis, high blood pressure, anti depressants etc when HRT is the obvious answer.

I think it's better to tackle the root cause first ie oestrogen deficiency and then add in extra medication if needed.

[CLKD]

Agreed MaryG.  The number of people who are prescribed X medication then B and O to counteract side effects! 

Neither of the drugs that you have been prescribed debbyx need to be taken long term if they don't ease symptoms after 4-6 months.  When I was prescribed ADs in the 1980s I wanted to know the cause of my depression but there is no research that first my illness.  It was a few months after I reluctantly began the medications that I suddenly realised how much better I was feeling 

[bombsh3ll]

I would absolutely take the PPI.

I LOVE omeprazole and have been on it since my 20s.

It is one of the medications with the most favourable efficacy:harm ratio that I can think of (up there with hormone therapy), and it is a rare person who doesn't get relief from acid reflux at the appropriate dose for them.

However what it will not do is address any symptoms that are resulting from loss of gonadal hormones, so in your position I would absolutely continue to pursue hormone therapy.

There is no good medical reason or even any current guideline indicating it shouldn't be used over 60, in fact arbitrary age based cut offs are discouraged.

Whilst it is true that a lot of the benefits eg cardiovascular health are less significant if it is started a long time after menopause, there is no age at which it ceases to be effective for either quality of life or bone health, which are the primary indications for its use anyway.

I would recommend seeing a menopause specialist - once started on treatment the NHS will often (but not always) continue the prescription or at least some components of it.

Certainly it is worth exploring this before antidepressants.

[Wania]

I absolutely feel for you and know well how you feel. I suffer with so many symptoms and so many seem to get better while others develop out of the blue (it makes my blood boil at times).

May I ask whether you have been actually tested whether those symptoms are not caused by something else? There are solutions out there that actually don't require taking medicines to make you feel better. If you feel open enough there is a new book by Nicole Sachs "mind your body" that has just been released 5 days ago and talks a lot about pain and other chronic symptoms, while also giving simple solutions to bettering greatly the quality of life.

I am doing the work of NS for about 3 weeks now and can attest to massive improvement it made along different parts of my body!