Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => Personal Experiences => Topic started by: Baby on August 06, 2020, 05:48:33 PM
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Just wanted to know if there are any ladies on here that didn't benefit from HRT. I just dont know if I am clinically depressed or it's my hormones. My gp rang today and said I was taking a good amount of HRT 2mg tablet form but I feel no benefit. The trouble is many symptons of meno are the same as depression. He has prescribed me a different anxiety med. I just seem to have tried so many HRT over the last eighteen months. :'( :'( :'(
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Sounds like you need a different type of HRT or a higher dose. I’m the same not found the right one yet.
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Sadly no, it doesn't work to control depression and anxiety symptoms in everyone, but that doesn't mean they're 'just depression' and not hormonal in origin. It just means that the endocrine system is so bloody complicated, with so many variables and sensitivities and weird feedback loops that no-one really understands it well enough to get to the bottom of the more complicated cases. I'm still trying after 3 years of misery - don't give up, at least you can console yourself that all the time you're trying, time is passing and a natural rebalancing may occur.
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HRT didn't help me in the slightest. I was taking it hoping for a bit more energy, and a reduction in brain fog and depression. I have ME, which causes severe fatigue and brain fog. Depression is very common when you have it, as quality of life is much reduced, plus it affects the brain as much as the rest of the body. Menopause exacerbated my symptoms. 🙁 Unfortunately HRT just caused me to put on a lot of weight - 10 pounds in as many weeks, and had no beneficial effects.
I seem to have found an answer to the depression. 🙂 I'm taking 2000iu vitamin d, and 10,000mg turmeric. Turmeric is a strong anti inflammatory, and inflammation is strongly implicated in depression. Within about 6 weeks of taking these I felt so much better, and had a bit more energy too. I must have been quite deficient in vitamin d, as although I love the outdoors I can't cope with very hot weather, so don't go out much during the day in the height of summer. These supplements are very beneficial for health generally, too. The pain I had in my knee and shoulder completely went as well. 🙂 Turmeric is fantastic for joint pain. I'm so pleased that I found something that helped, the depression has been awful at times. I've also found that eating sugar affects my mood a lot, if I eat very little of it I notice a big difference.
I buy my supplements from Nature's Best, who guarantee the potency and purity of their products and that they're made in the UK. I've been using their products for 25/30 years. Cheap supplements often contain a lot less of the active ingredients than stated on the label, and can contain contaminants, so they're cheap for a reason.
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DH uses turmeric in Indian cookery - it stains :o ;D. Apart from sciatica [me] and neck pains [both] in our mid 60s we have no aches or pains.
It is Trial and Error with regards finding an HRT that might work. I may have asked previously, did you suffer anxiety previously? Because hormonal upheaval is subtle so can anxiety be if linked.
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Hello ladies.
For many of us standard HRT does not live up to expectations although bespoke arrangements like a long cycle can have a different outcome. In my case I think being post meno by three years before trying HRT was a missed opportunity and then the doses were too low to control my symptoms. The one time I significantly raised Oestrogen levels I had problematic bleeding and had to reduce again.
My GP thinks that if HRT doesn't help then an Ad certainly will but when they are prescribed together you'd think the AD would help by working alongside the HRT. Plus I've never known a hot flush to be a symptom of depression.
In the last year I have stopped my HRT with the hope that my hormones will find their balance. So far I feel very similar to the way I felt when I was taking it and certainly no worse.
As is often said on this forum, we are all different so naturally experiences vary. Hopefully we will all find the solution that is right for us and this menopause madness will become a distant memory!
Wishing you all well ladies.
K.
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Yes I have always had anxiety but nothing on the scale I have now. I used to get anxious in certain situations but most days I am anxious all day. This never happened before. I am anxious about EVERYTHING now. It's like my head keeps telling me nothing is worth doing anymore. Every day is a struggle for me. The only time I ever felt close to these feelings is when I had PND 26 years ago and I never thought I would go back to that dark place again. I live half a day at a time. Doc has just changed my AD to pregabalin 75 mg twice a day. They are making me feel drunk but not helping with the anxiety. I only work two days a week now and i am full of panic before i go. Thank God i can afford to do this. As i type this i am full of anxiety.. Have started a really high dose of cbd oil. I have absolutely no confidence in myself anymore. Its like I have no endorphins in my body.
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There's your connection - Post Natal Depression and hormone peri-menopausal upheaval. Did you have treatment at that time, you may have said already :-\ ?
Half a day at a time is fine! Why look any further I certainly try not to otherwise anxiety begins to niggle :-\ >:(. I found keeping a list of chores and ticking them off showed me each evening what I had actually achieved ;)
'just changed' - when exactly, some ADs can take 5-7 days for one to feel benefit. I still feel hung over some mornings but it's better than the depression and anxiety.
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Been on new antidepressants for nine days. My husband was off work last week. He finally believes that I have no control over how I am because of seeing me 24 7 and we cried together. No I had no treatment for my PND. I would say it lasted for about 18 months. We decided not to have any more children because of it and when I fell pregnant again we seriously thought about termination but I just couldn't. All my close family were so scared for me but the second time was so different. I had a brilliant pregnancy and worked up to 37 weeks. Had him at 38 weeks and the bond was there right away. Didn't even have the baby blues. Nothing but joy and happiness. I don't understand how I could have such a different experience.
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I do my list CLKD and I have notes stuck around on things saying things like Be proud of what You achieved today, not what you didn't.
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I have an appointment with my GP this afternoon and want to talk about exactly this - does HRT work for everyone. I've been going through the menopause for about 2 years now and tried so many things before relenting to HRT - mainly because i was having about 30 sweats a day and they were ruling my life. The sweats have stopped but other than that I feel terrible - I feel like I've been taken over by another being. The mood swings/anger/anxiety are the absolute worse thing and at times I will start throwing things around. I feel embarrassed about the way I behave at times but I feel I have no control at all.
Does anyone know what could help? I'm desperate for real advice
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Ditto to your question @Pje67
I am on my second trial HRT and so far my initial feedback is, 5 days of happiness at the start and then anxiety heaven. I have never suffered with this symptom before hormones kicked off. I will stick with it (so long as it doesn’t get any worse to what it is now) for 3 months as been told so many times that these HRT regimes takes time and have only heard good stuff when it works! Apparently it’s finding the right one so not sure there is a right or wrong answer to your question apart from if you choose the HRT routine you have to have a lot of patience and willpower - it’s a needle in a haystack!
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I have an appointment with my GP this afternoon and want to talk about exactly this - does HRT work for everyone. I've been going through the menopause for about 2 years now and tried so many things before relenting to HRT - mainly because i was having about 30 sweats a day and they were ruling my life. The sweats have stopped but other than that I feel terrible - I feel like I've been taken over by another being. The mood swings/anger/anxiety are the absolute worse thing and at times I will start throwing things around. I feel embarrassed about the way I behave at times but I feel I have no control at all.
Does anyone know what could help? I'm desperate for real advice
Which HRT are you on? Some progesterones, especially Norethisterone, can cause the mood swings you describe. I hope you got some help from your appointment today.
Taz x
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I'm on estroderm 50 - had a hysterectomy about 15 years ago so on oestrogen only patches. GP suggested increasing to 75 and switching to estrodot so will try that. We talked about coming off HRT and trying antidepressants but they won't help with sweats. When I say sweats thats just what they were - not flushes. Was tempted to come off HRT but decided in the end to try the increased dose. Hate this trial and error thing. :-\
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It's so difficult and takes so long trying each new thing!
Anti-depressants are prescribed for the relief of hot flushes if this is your main symptom and you don't want to try HRT. The dose is small and doesn't act like an anti depressant. Some women have had good results from them. There is info here https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/menopause/treatment/. I think that often the term flushes is used to also mean sweats.
Taz x
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Hi Harmony, vitD and turmeric sound interesting. I know vit D increased serotonin in the brain, but didn’t know about turmeric and inflamation! Interesting!
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Hello again ladies.
There is a theory that depression is an inflammatory disease so perhaps taking supplements that reduce inflammation would help and it's certainly worth a try.
I have been told by several GPs that HRT usually works well at reducing the vasomotor symptoms such as hot flushes and night sweats but is less successful at managing the emotional symptoms. Unfortunately many of us experience both and perhaps that is why HRT is of limited help.
The last time I discussed my mood swings etc with a doctor I was assured that even this aspect of the menopause resolves eventually and I know of three older women who say the same thing. We live in hope.
Take care ladies.
K.