Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => All things menopause => Topic started by: CrispyChick on February 05, 2025, 05:40:41 PM
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Is there more of a daily medicine?
My GP said it's AD. But I just can't get on them without a massive 3 month battle.
Obviously I know about benzos and they can't be taken long term.
I'm just suspicious there's something else out there??? Something I could take on an as and when basis. Bug maybe there's not. Possibly not for the mood swings.
I should add, beta blockers are a no due to my asthma.
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Are you still struggling Crispy? I was going to suggest propanol, but that probably won’t help with mood swings. Diazepam? ( short term only I think).
The only other products I can think of, are natural remedies like rescue remedy and CBD oil.
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I find L-Theanine fairly effective for relaxing me. It's a green tea extract. I personally don't find Ashwagandha effective but many do. It may interact with HRT though so be careful. Some find CBD great. I find it a) very expensive b) too short term. It relaxes me for a very short time so I end up using too much which becomes way too expensive to maintain.
Of course exercise, breathing exercises, meditation if a regular thing is also great for anxiety.
Hope this helps.
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It will depend on what is causing the symptoms. When a drug causes unbearable side effects it really isn't worth trying to presevere.
I had to trial 5-ish in the 1980s B4 my GP found something that didn't make me feel worse. Since then I've done well on the various ADs as well as anti-anxiety medications. Valium did me well for several years.
Bach rescue remedy might be a gentle way to go.
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Hi Crispy!
I take mirtazapine 30mg.
It has been now 7 months and it helps with sleep, depression, anxiety and night sweats.
I'm in perimenopause, very light peroids every 20-24 days.
I still have tinnitus, fatigue, vertigo and sometimes sad feelings. I also feel like I'm not myself, feeling not ok but not all the time.
I feel my body is changing and my homones are up and down.
I used to be a long distance runner, but since peri started my life somehow ended for me.
It took me 3 loooong months to settle and I finally felt some relief.
Yes it's a long battle with ad, but I'm now ok.
I run again and I function. It' s not perfect, but I' m pushin forward.
I'm not trying to tell you to try ad, but just wanted to share my experience. I feel for you.
This forum and all lovely ladies here saved my life!
I respect you all and every night I pray for you all.
Crispy! Good luck on your journey!
Emma
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:thankyou: Emma for your update :foryou:
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:tulips: :tulips:
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Hello CrispyChick.
I think I have mentioned on another thread that I have been prescribed Pregabalin for my anxiety/moods etc. Another drug that is similar is Gabapentin.
I believe that these medications are primarily used to treat nerve pain by calming the central nervous system, they apparently have a similar effect to Diazepam but they are not benzos.
As I understand it , Pregabalin can be taken daily but can also be used as a 'top up' when needed.
I hope this is helpful.
Wishing you well and take care.
K.
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I was going to say Pregabalin and Kathleen beat me to it. I don't know how but it removes the bad feelings both mental and physically, depending on dose.
I was prescribed Gabapentin years ago and still have it on my repeat list so occassionally I order it and occassionally I take it. Gabapentin is the weaker medicine and tbh I find it too weak to do much, but it will stop me feeling down or grouchy and it might help with pains in my arms and legs but it's delayed if there is an effect at all.
I believe there are controls on the prescribing of it because they are both class C controlled substances, that's why I keep it on my prescription list, so I can show the police if necessary!!!
If you have nerve pain running down your arms or legs or in your back, then they can prescribe them and you won't have a hot flash or night sweat while taking Pregabalin, but these aren't things they can prescribe it for.
Like Kathleen says it can be prescribed for anxiety too, to me it would be preferable to a benzo for that, but they might try to fob you off about anxiety, I was told to try meditation for my menopause anxiety by my GP.
I think if you got prescribed either of those it would help, clonidine is another one that is supposed to help with hot flashes and sleep, it makes me too sleepy for daytime use. I got it prescribed specifically for menopause whereas the other two are for nerve pain.
If you have a chat with a good pharmacist, they know which medicines women keep coming back for and which ones get dropped after a month or two.
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This is all very interesting. Thank you ladies.
I maybe should've been clearer. I've been on tiny dose of escitalopram for years. 5mg. Doing nothing. I increased to 10mg 8.5 weeks ago. As usual for me, it's been absolute hell.
Whilst this is normal for me on an increase, it's not abating. Plus I've now developed terrible clenching and agonising tooth pain.
I am highly sensitive to all medications. Now confirmed by neurologist as part of my functional neurological disorder. :(. He has suggested mirtazapine. But, due to my severe sensitivities, I'm not sure I'm strong enough for yet another trial.
But, as well as my FND symptoms, I'm getting awful peri mood swings and aggitation. I hate it.
Hence me looking for something else. I'm interested in the pregabalin. I might need to phsych appointment to move forward. But truthfully, I think I need that anyway.
Thanks ladies. I've been at my rock bottom this last 12 months. Still off work. Never seem to catch a break. X
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You could try trazodone. It's originally anti-anxiety. I take it when I need it for sleep. Allegedly non-addictive and doesn't increase risk of dementia unlike most sleep aids.
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I would query that joziel - in the last 50 years various items have been said to cause dementia, without any research behind the statements.
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Thanks ladies.
I don't need help with sleep.
I'm very interested in this Pregabalin. How do you find it when you take it? Helps quickly??? I'm assuming it doesn't make things worse before better like this awful ssri does to me??.
X
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We R all different so some won't find medications helpful but they may suit others. I had BBs without problems, my neighbour goes hyper on Propranolol! I knew within 48 hours if a medication could be tolerated.
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Trazodone isn't about sleep, crispy. That is not what it was originally designed for or licensed for - it is an anti-anxiety med. You'll see that if you google it and read up.
It can sometimes have a sedative effect, which is why it is often taken before bed. But that is a side effect and not what it is for. (On licence.)
Pregabalin is related to gabapentin. I wouldn't go anywhere near it if you paid me. A previous GP prescribed me some a year ago when my low E symptoms were at their worst at night with a lot of neurological jerks and issues. I joined Facebook groups about it and discovered it can be really difficult to get off from (withdrawal). It can also lead to a lot of weight gain. Again, all info available as known side effects...
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Interesting. Thanks joziel.
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Hi, i have been taking a low dose of pregabalin for over a year for anxiety...it got me out of a tight spot and although I'm steady on it...it can be as Joziel mentioned very hard to come off and they do cause weight gain which for me isn't a problem and also contribute to brain fog..I was prescribed this privately, my gp says they spending alot of time trying to get people of it ...due to it's addictiveness..I also am on 30 mg of citalopram which has helped the most, I am also sensative to meds and found this one the easiest to endure ..it did take a good 9 months to work for me. :) I unfortunately could not find anything non medical thay worked for me. :)
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GPs are fixed on withdrawal ! If something works why is there a need to stop taking it? Would a GP suggest that a diabetic stop medication because there 'might' be problems?
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Hello again ladies.
When I was prescribed Pregabalin I was given a very low dose of 25 mg twice daily. I was told this would be for two weeks to see if I tolerated it. I felt okay so the dose was increased to 50 mg twice daily and I have been on this regime for a few weeks. I was also told that if needed I could take an extra 50 mg if necessary but I shouldn't increase beyond this without seeing my Dr. Apparently all these doses are very low and many people are taking much more. I think the Dr said that I can stop taking them if I want to and addiction etc wasn't mentioned but that may be because I have only just started and my dose is still low.
Btw I read somewhere that 300mg capsules have a street value and that they are called 'Buds' because the capsules have a red stripe similar to a can of Budweiser. I have now idea if all that is true or just rumour.
So far I feel okay taking Pregabalin. I haven't noticed any adverse effects, though it is early days.
I also take 150 mg of Venlafaxine which was given to me years ago when I first asked for HRT. As I recall the initial dose was 37. 5 mg twice daily but as I moved through the menopause my Dr occasionally increased the amount and I didn't really query it until I reached my present dose and I refused to go any higher. Bizarrely it seems that for Venlafaxine, 150 mg is also considered a low dose! I wish now that I had tried HRT on its own rather than taking both at the same time. I think it would have been easier to identify the effects of the AD and HRT had I done this.
I am aware that coming off Venlafaxine can be difficult and I really didn't want to add more drugs into the mix but I promised myself that I would be open minded and try everything.
I will update the forum regarding my Pregabalin experience.
I hope this is helpful ladies and I wish you all well.
K.
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I'm no medic Crispychick, but I'd say if you have a functional neurological disorder and an appointment with a psych doctor then you've a good chance of getting pregabalin.
It's one of those drugs that is a cure all, seems to do everything to cure me anyway, but it has a bad reputation now among medics because of one particular property, it completely takes away the agony of opioid withdrawal, therefore is popular with heroin users.
I believe that is why it was made a controlled substance, the authorities didn't want to inadvertently help people they despise.
(BTW that's at the higher doses of 300mg "buds", in my outreach work I know a guy who was taking 50 to 60 of the 300mg a day, that's an addiction, and his kidney function was at 25% when he landed in hospital)
So long as they don't think you are a secret junkie, you should be fine.
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Thanks. But I don't share your optimism flo.
For 'functional' neurological stuff - unfortunately it's advised against:
More recently the UK body recommending treatment for chronic primary pain specifically advised against prescribing these for new patients with chronic pain syndromes which cant be diagnosed on scans or tests like fibromyalgia :(
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Ah interesting..that's probably why I was only offered it privately then...
Gp before didn't use it as an option...
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I was offered it by a doctor who specialised in sleep issues and who thought my sleep issues were due to iron deficiency. As well as referring me for an iron infusion (didn't help), he then wanted to prescribe this.
My symptoms were heart beating hard and fast at night, hypnic jerks every time I started to fall asleep, and inner tremors which felt like the bed was moving. I actually picked up the prescription and still have it, but never took a dose after doing research online. Glad I didn't either, as I am so much better with optimal estrogen now.
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Ok joziel, talk to me about trazodone. I just re read my neurologist's letter and it's one he suggests - although mirtropazine is his first suggestion.
How, you need to bare in mind that I was comotosed after only 4 days on 100mg utrogestan. I am so so sensitive.
I also hate the drowsy feeling.
Why Trazodone???
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And Emmia - the mirtropazine. I know we've chatted before, and it took you a while to get on it.
But - did it make your anxiety and depression worse to start with???
This escitalopram has been hell. I'm nearly 9 weeks in on an increased dose and I'm more depressed and aggitated than I started. I don't mind waiting for things to work, but going through extreme increase in symptoms is too much. >:(
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Pregabalin (Lyrica) is not recommended for use within NHS Scotland for generalised anxiety disorder in adults.
Gutted.
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I take 50mg trazodone at night, if I can't sleep. After about 30mins to 1hr, I will usually be able to sleep but it's hard to tell if that's because of a sedative effect or a 'calming' effect which then enables me to relax and sleep. (See symptoms above which are very cortisol-y.) I was told I could increase to 100mg if needed, but I didn't notice that to be any better/worse for sleep.
I don't take it regularly, I just take it when I need it. It's not on my repeats, I have to request it. (Confession - my dogs actually take it before a vet visit, to calm them - and I MIGHT POSSIBLY have raided their supply ;D ;D ;D )
As for side effects, the only thing I've noticed is a dry mouth whilst I'm sleeping. Which I think is common with a lot of anti-depressants. Some people say they feel a bit brain-fog-gy the next day, but I haven't noticed that.
You can always give it a go and see, since it's non-addictive and doesn't need to be taken every day it should be easy enough to stop if it's not doing anything or sedating you. (It might need several consecutive days to build up before the anti-anxiety effects kick in properly - so give it a week, I'd say.) And if you're not told when to take it, take it at night, just in case it relaxes you...