Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => All things menopause => Topic started by: Dee46 on April 26, 2017, 03:34:10 PM
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I was putterly on Sertraline 18 months ago for the meno which gave me massive anxiety & depression so came off them 3 weeks later, I think there was an interaction as I was on pregrablin for nerve pain & think the 2 ADs didn't go well together, I was then put on citalopram which again gave me more anxiety which I have never suffered in my life, I would like to maybe try another AD that might help with the anxiety but a bit scared what to try? Any suggestions as I have not felt the same in 18 months I just want to curl up & not see anyone most days, GP suggested the old AD but surLeyton I would need to taper off these first?
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Are you on Hrt ?
If you haven't suffered anxiety before menopause you should try hrt before ADs
X
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Hi Annie071
I was on Femoston 1/10 then Femoston 2/10, still major anxiety & have been on estrogen & Utrogestan for 3 months now, upped my pumps to 4 a day 6 days ago, I seem to have a good day & then today I get really bad anxiety all day.I don't really want to be on the AD but have no choice until I see if hrt works
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I think that regardless of what is causing anxiety, if it is un-controllable then trying an anti-anxiety 'as necessary' medication might be the way to go. Some ADs do ease anxiety symptoms too. It's Trial and Error at a time when you want to feel well!
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I have Sent you pm😉
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CLKD I take 10mg of propranolol when it gets too much but it doesn't do much have tried 20mg too & it doesn't really get rid of the anxiety either, I know in some post you have said that some ADS make it worse so think this is the case for me
Dazned thanks will take a look at the pm :)
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Hi Dee just sending a hug - I'll pm after tea xx
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Hi Jo A big hug from me to you too, look forward to hearing from you :)x
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Hi Dee
When I first started suffering with peri anxiety it felt dreadful. We didn't realise it was hormonal, so my GP started me on Sertraline. Like you, it sent my anxiety through the roof. I stuck it out for nearly weeks, but I felt so distraught and ill. Was barely sleeping, too. I had to stop it.
This was very odd because I had successfully used Sertraline years ago when I had PND.
After another 18 months og juggling various HRT regimes, seeing 2 specialists, and visiting a Menopause clinic, I felt I was fast slipping into a deep well of despair, and the anxiety was awful. I would literally shake with nerves, and was terrified to be on my own.
In desperation, I tried Sertraline 50mg again. My GP also combined it with 100mg Quetiapine to amplify the Sertraline and to ensure I started sleeping again. Within 8 hours my brain felt noticeably clearer and calmer. Within 2 days I felt very chilled and relaxed. I stopped waking at 4am filled with panic. spent the next 2 weeks in my own little Zen bubble. It was lovely. I gradually increased to 100mg, and have been on that dose for 9 months now. I sleep like a baby, and I am in a far, far better than this time last year.
I also use 4 pumps of oestrogel every day + 100mg Utrogestan for 7 days a month. I still get blips where I feel anxious and distressed, but it only lasts for 3-4 days, then I feel absolutely fine and great again.
I see Prof Studd, and he explained that for some women (like you and me) the symptoms of hormonal depresson and anxiety are so severe that we need to use several different approaches. He isn't against his patients using ADs, and he acknowledges that sometimes just using hormone therapy isn't enough.
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Propranolol is for continual use so that the body builds up a coping mechanism. Surely :-\ - I also have an as-necessary drug for when the anxiety floors me.
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Thanks for all your advice
GRL after your reply to one of my previous posts regarding the AD & upping your dosage of gel I have since seen my private consultant, she is a gynecologist & specializes in the menopause so we agreed I stayed on 200mg of Utrogestan & go up to 4 pumps of Oestrogel a day, I have been on the 4 pumps for 7 nights now so guess my body is just getting used to the extra oestrogel, I upped my AD to 20mg of citalopram so maybe my body is also getting used to this, I wonder if I should hold off changing AD for a few weeks then so my body can get used to the new changes?
I have been sleeping approx 6hrs lately so that is better than this time last year, also had my period on Monday & finished yesterday so guess my body is still adjusting to all this?
Yesterday I had a really bad anxiety day & this morning so far I feel calmer
CLKD - so should I be taking propanalol all the time then? GP said to take as when which I only do when things get bad, so maybe I need something stronger?
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Thank you Stellajane :)
I still keep getting some nasty dips, but I am confident that they will pass in a few days, and they always do. But much of the time I really do feel very well indeed. Infact, better than I have felt in many years. Looking back I think I have felt quite flat and despondent for a long time. On his website, Prof Studd talks about women in their 30s,who suffer with hormonal depression/anxiety, very often haven't felt mentally well for many years between the birth of their children and then menopause. And, I think that was me. I would only feel optimistic and happy for about 10 days a month, and the rest of the time I would feel just rather flat and grey.Not sure why, but I assume that progesterone was the culprit?
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Dee, Prof Studd told me that 3-4 pumps of gel are necessary to alleviate the hormonal anxiety/low mood. Being on 3 pumps did nothing for me. Do you take 200mg Utrogestan for 12 days a month? I only take 100mg Utrogestan for 7 days a month, on Prof Studd's advice.
I would let your body adjust to the higher dose of gel, before deciding whether to increase your AD. Also, it can take weeks before you feel the full benefit of either.
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GRL I told my consultant all about you & Prof Studd saying 3 to 4 pumps to help with the anxiety, she agreed &;said to go up to 4 pumps which I have been on for 7 nights now, I take 200mg for 14 days a month, got my period exactly the same time this month as last & lasted the sane 3 days, consultant was a little concerned for me to take 100mg for 7 days as she didn't think it would givery me a decent bleed &:didn't want the lining to build up, she said I would need scans if I took less.
I am not going to change my AD just yet & just let the HRT do its magic, put it this way I feel better than I did a year ago it is when the anxiety kicks in it all seems too much!
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I think that 200mg Utro for 14 days a month is quite a lot, especially as it's very likely you are intolerant to progesterone (even your own). So, the benefits of higher oestrogen might well be cancelled out by the effects of the Utro.
If you are still having your own periods then you still have your own progesterone working away, so taking so much Utrogestan really isn't necessary. You might well find (as I think has happened to me) that upping to 4 pumps + dropping to 100mg of Utro for 7 days will pretty much surpress your own cycle to the point where you won't really have a period anymore, just a light brownish withdrawl bleed after stopping the Utro. Prof Studd talks about this on his website. The whole point of taking high dose oestrogen is to surpress the severe ups & downs of your own hormones (which are what are causing all this misery).
I intend booking a scan at my local Mothercare in the next 6 weeks, just to check that everything looks okay. I think it's about £70?
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I did say is it too much but she seemed to think it was normal, I know some ladies take it for 12cdays, I must admit last month's period was awful &;this one waanti toof bad just really red blood. I was on the POP when all this anxiety kicked off, some women get periods on the pill & some don't, I was one of the women who got periods & they were getting more brown than red. What days do you take you 7 100mg then? I will see how the next month goes & then change if consultant thinks this will help.
Can you book it at any Mothercare? Sounding thick here but is the lining supposed to be thick or thinner? I thought it was supposed to be thinner is that right?
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Oh dear Dee, if you're on 200mg of Utro a day, every day, then that is just utter nonsense. No one needs to take that much all the time! I'm not remotely surprised that your anxiety first started when you were on the POP. It's a strong synthetic progesterone which is notorious for causing low mood/anxiety in progesterone intolerant women.
Honestly, sometimes I feel like screaming when these so called 'experts' STILL don't get the bigger picture, and don't seem to KNOW how poisonous progesterone is for some women :'(
It's entirely your decison Dee, but I would seek a second opinion on this.
Yes, you can book on-line for a Mothercare scan at any store which offers it. Ideally, your womb lining should be staying pretty thin.
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I would go back and ask my GP for a beta-blocka which works! I had no problems with Propranolol, however a friend goes 'hyper' on it ::) ...... I don't understand why something that should be calming would be on an 'as necessary' basis :-\
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GRL I don't take 200mg Utro everyday just days 14 to 28
I had taken the POP for years so you think this could have been what caused the anxiety?
I will get in touch with my consultant next week & get her opinion on the progesterone part
My consultant did say that the progestogen amount I am taking is to keep the womb lining thin
I am feeling rubbish today with anxiety & - on the oestrogen only part do you think my body is still getting used to the extrange oestrogen?
CLKD I had never heard of a beta blocker until I was givenue propanalol so don't have a clue of the types, another question as you have used several ADs if I was to try another one do you think I would be best to taper off Citalopram? I know you are not a doctor but my GP have no idea how they have made me feel so I want to feel confident about switching without being scared :'(