Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => All things menopause => Topic started by: Beaker on February 09, 2020, 03:27:57 PM
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Hi all,
I am feeling anxious about the risk of Alzheimers with use of HRT. From what I can work out, getting older is an independent risk factor for Alzheimers. But the risk also seems to increase for older women who stay on HRT or who start HRT aged over 60. It's hard to find any clear answers to this question. I tried reducing my HRT dose but was hit with such an overwhelming wall of insomnia and hot flushes that I went straight back to the higher dose again. What does anybody think?
https://www.bmj.com/content/364/bmj.l665/rr-4
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Stick with what you know and ignore what 'might be'? You may step under a bus tomorrow ;) so why not opt for quality of Life?
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Beaker there was a piece (available online) in The Telegraph last month about menopause and dementia that was quite interesting and Dr Louise Newson commented in, it settled my mind as my dad has recently been diagnosed and I take hrt x
Dotty has kindly linked it on her post below x
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https://www.newsonhealth.co.uk/news/the-truth-about-the-link-between-alzheimers-and-the-menopause
I think this may be the article that Countrygirl mentions x
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I read that poor quality of sleep increased your risk of alzheimers, so as i now sleep really well with the HRT calming my palpitations i shall continue taking it and not worry. If you believe what you read it seems that almost everything in life is a risk factor for dementia.
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Years ago it was due to using aluminium saucepans ::)
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Wow thanks everyone. Very reassuring. I think my anxiety has gone through the roof since not being able to get my usual patches. The pharmacist shrugged and said the only HRT he could get was 1mg Progynova which is a bit of a drop from my usual Evorel 75. GP couldn't help so seeing consultant as not coping. So feeling better already from reading your replies! Thank you.
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CLKD...and red licorice and, oh no, CHOCOLATE. Well guess what...I eat a ton of red licorice and my main staple is chocolate...who am I talking to again? Is it 2017 yet? All balderdash.
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;D
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My mother in law had alzheimers and my mother has mixed dementia and neither took HRT. As Stellajane said people live longer, both my grandmothers died in their sixties, although a great aunt lived to a very old age.
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I've known SO many people both male and female who've had dementia of some kind. I really don't imagine more than one or two would ever have taken HRT and then probably only for a short time as was the norm back in the day.
People are living longer and living longer alone, so dementia is more apparent - that's my main thought anyway.
I really wouldn't be anxious about taking HRT.
My mother is 88 and we had a discussion about dementia recently as both my MIL and FIL have alzheimers. Mum, on the other hand, is still as sharp as a tack. There does seem to be some family history when it comes to dementia. On my MIL's side, her mother and one of her sisters have it. My FIL got it from being a lifelong alcoholic. Mum told me that it was usually written off in the past as someone just going a bit potty with old age. In her opinion, the numbers of people being diagnosed is probably in line with the amount of elderly she remembers "going potty" when she was a younger woman. I think like most things now, the ability to diagnose and give a name to things is a lot better.
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I too read that sleep was important in mending the brain.
Apparently, the blood drains from the brain and is replaced with cerebrospinal fluid which allows the cells to repair. This happens in waves. I imagine this happening this lying in bed - it is quite relaxing :)
Both my grandmothers had dementia, and my mother died before she was old enough so I am probably doomed either way.
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Yes, i sometimes feel i am doomed, but my 85 year old father is still very with it, hoping i take after him!
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I had a great aunt who made it to 90 and was totally with it, so I hope - fingers crossed. Other than that, little hope.
Both grandfathers had heart/stroke problems and died before 80 but both smoked a lot. I have never smoked.
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I really just need to get my galloping anxiety under control ::)
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Health anxiety is common at The Change. Women are juggling so many balls in the air!
I have never smoked: except when angry when steam comes out of my ears ;-)
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Hello ladies
I've read that clogged arteries have been seen in the brains of Alzheimer sufferers at autopsy. Perhaps keeping a good blood flow to the brain is preventative especially for vascular dementia.
Take care all.
K.
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Those I know who have gone for 'natural' do a lot of 'couch to 5k', mindfulness, yoga and diet stuff.
This sort of thing did help me when I was younger and depressed and needed to sort out my life (although, looking back, I had some peri symptoms then ??? but I don't think they were the cause - maybe they were a catalyst that made me realise something was wrong?).
Since then, I have made sure I do exercise, sing, and eat good, healthy food.
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I agree with the other ladies' comments about adequate sleep & regular exercise. Though HRT is still a work in progress for me, I'm able to both sleep & exercise better on it than without, so my feeling is HRT helps protect both my brain and body. My mood is also better on HRT & that means I find it easier to commit to eating healthily, as we all know thought protective against all manner of degenerative processes.
Mum's mum was, in old age, what they used to call back in the 1970s "a bit confused" but dad's mum was still baking & icing Christmas cakes for each of her 7 kids & their families into her late 80s & lived into her 90s without any hint of mental decline. Unlikely either of them took HRT, but they died decades ago so I don't know for sure.
I think all each of us can do is read up for ourselves as much as we find helpful, bearing in mind there's a lot of questionable & ever-changing info out there that can be hard to interpret & importantly, go with our gut instinct about what's right for us as individuals. Chronic stress is known to be damaging to physical & mental health so anything we can do that helps with relaxation, especially if sleep is problematical, must also be a good thing. With that in mind I try not to worry too much about needing HRT, though I think it's sensible also to try to keep up with reliable sources of published research for any particular areas of concern we have, turning to those when media reports suggest something new's come to light that needs consideration. We can always review what's best for us in the light of changing expert opinion & our own changing circumstances & see how we are without HRT if that feels the right course of action.
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Good advice here. I am definitely finding increased exercise levels helps with anxiety and sleep. Am trying to winnow out the reliable evidence about HRT and ignore the rest.
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I would be happy to have Alzheimer's right now! Then I would be able to forget how bad HRT made me feel yesterday 😂