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[sandy]

Hi , my problems started last october, but previous to that i had not had a period for 10 months and having the usual hot flushes and some days not feeling quite well, but i just got on with my life, then in october on my way back from holiday i collapsed on the aeroplane, when i arrived home went to doctors and i had a urine infection, this is where it all went wrong, been on several antibiotics, which eventually cleared it up, but was still feeling very poorly, then i started having bad palpitations which i was admitted to hospital for, i have had my heart checked out and everything is fine, had a ultra scan and transvaginal scan, and that came back fine, had a 24 hour urine sample done blood tests done, every thing ok but blood tests confirmed i was in the menopause my FSH level was 113, so went on HRT Elleste Duet 1mg then went on to 2mg then changed to femoston 1mg but was not feeling well on HRT so doctor took me off it, went on Beta Blockers because palpitations were everyday, then startred with bad anxiety which i am not copeing very well with, went to doctors and she had put me on Lustarl  antidepressants 50mg i only started them on thursday, but woke up early this morning feeling shaky inside and restless and very anxious, dont know what to do for the best,  do i phone doctors and tell her how i am feeling or just carry on, so sorry for the long moan, but feel like i need a little help from you lovely ladies...

[nelliedee]

Hi Sandy
Sorry to read your feeling anxious. AD's do have side effects which usually get better after a few weeks and if you can ride it through then they may help you in the longterm. I would definately call your GP and have a chat with them as they will know whether or not this brand of AD'S is known to cause these side effects and they may be able to put your mind at rest. Betablockers were good for me, I took Propanolol as I had palpatations and severe anxiety. When I get shakey restless and anxious now I work it off by going for a long fast walk, that might sound easy but it really relieves things for me. I hope you are feeling better soon xx

[bella mama]

Hi sandy
Just reading your post...I am new on here too and sometimes AD can cause your symptoms to become worse before they ease off.  When I started on citalopram 10mg for palpitations and anxiety.. I felt like that after a few days and then it eased off. When I increased to 20mg (which is the recommended dose for peri menopause flushings apparantly)  ??'the same thing happened and felt like I was shaky, trembling and detached from things around me. This wore off after a few days and then the anxiety eased off... You may need to give it a few more days if you can. Hope you start to feel more relaxed. The peri menopause anxiety is one of the worst things I think about this whole journey..

[sandy]

Hi, everyones mum, thank you for your advice was not sure how long the antidepressants took to work, i am one of those people thinknig medication is going to work within a few days, but think i will have to ride it out a bit longer and be a bit more patient, i am going to feed my horse now and take your advice and go for a long walk with the dog, and as you say it may be best to phone doctor and just explain how i am feeling on them. Its nice to know there are people out there like youself, who can help advice you and support you, and somebody that understands the menopausee. Thank You.

[sandy]

Hi Bella Mamma, thanks for the advice, my anxiety is not quite as bad as this morning, but its still there, i have phoned the doctors surgery and i am waiting for doctor to phone me back, but as you said your anxiety got worse before getting better, i did not realise it takes about 2 weeks for it work, i hate all this anxiety all i want is to be back to normal, but sometimes i can see no end to it, but its nice to know people like yourself understand what i am going through, because you have been through the same thing. Do you know at what stage the anxiety goes away with the menopause,the more i read books about it the more confused i am. Thank You.

[bella mama]

Hi sandy, hope you get on ok with dr today and they have Put your mind at ease a bit. its positive that your anxiety does not seem to be any worse as the day has gone on today.  I found when I started the AD it took over a week for it to ease off....I thought I had made a mistake by going on them but I could not carry on with the horrible anxiety feelings as honestly thought i was going mad with it I am in peri menopause and am 42.  Been having problems since past 2 years and jUst started elleste duet 1 mg last week and on 5th day of it...so far so good. How did you find the hrt?  I am still on my AD for now as too scared to come off them in case my anxiety comes back the way it was. It has been worth taking the AD definitely.

[Hurdity]

Hi sandy

Firstly 
Sorry to hear about your anxiety and menopausal health problems.

I have no experience of anti-depressants but just to say that if you did not suffer anxiety in your life before then it is almost certainly hormone related and it is a pity that the HRT you tried did not work for you.

There are many women on here who have suffered the same symptoms ( it is a common condition of peri-menopause) which have been helped enormously on HRT without the need for ADs, although I understand these can help in the short term.

How long did you try the different HRTs for and what did it make you feel? Was it during the second half of the months ie when you changed tablets? It could have been the synthetic progestogen in them. Also you need to give HRT time to work - the physical symptoms are the first to go and the other symptoms - emotional etc take a bit longer.

Maybe taking them orally doesn;t work for you? If this is the case you could try a transdermal type (pacth or gel) and there are various ways of doing this which we can help you with if you want to go down this route.

The thing is, HRT replaces the oestrogen in your body which goes up and down in peri=-menopause and eventually on a downward path. The vaginal/bladder problems are usually due to decreasing oestrogen and can occur from peri-meno onwards and go on well into post-meno ie for the rest of your life. Vaginal oestrogen like vagifem etc can help with this

You haven't said how old you are but if you are under 51/52 ish then taking HRT is only topping up your oestrogen before the avergae age of meno-pause and can help protect your bones against osteoporosis.

Hope this helps
Hurdity x

[sandy]

Hi Bella Mama, the doctor phoned me back, she says to carry on with the AD, and as you said they need to get in my system, may take 2 weeks, i was the same as you i did not want to go on AD but the anxiety is horrendous, i have never suffered from it before, i will be glad when i have gone through the menopause i am 51 this year so dont know how long it will go on for. The HRT did not help with my anxiety, i was getting a lot of headaches and stomach pains and feeling sick, people kept telling me i would feel great on it, but i didant , some people say the patches are good as its in your system 24 hours a day, maybe i should have tried the patches, but my doctor said when you go on HRT you have to give it 3 months for the full effect, i am fed up with the anxiety thats why i went down the AD route, i hope the HRT works for you, see how you get on with it, if everything is ok on it i would gradually weane your self off the AD you can always go back on them if the HRT does not help with your anxiety.

[sandy]

Hi Hurdity, I was on HRT for 4 months, i had bad headache, stomach pains and was feeling sick, i also was having bad palpitations, and the dreadfull anxiety, it did not seem to help in any way, it didant matter if i was on the green tablet or the white one  i   still felt poorly on it, maybe i should have tried the patches, my doctor said HRT does not agree with everyone, but if i wanted to give it another go she would be willing to put me back on it, i have never suffered from anxiety before, i will be 51 in may, before i went on HRT i had not had a period for 10 months and was suffering from the hot flushes, which i could cope with, then it all went down hill when i collapsed on the aeroplane, i just cant cope with the anxiety, thats why i have gone down the AD route, i am just waiting for it to work as i have only been on it a couple of days.

[Delilah]

Hi sandy

Sorry to hear ryou are feeling so bad. I can sympathise completely with anxiety as it was the one symptom i couldn't cope with and sent me running to my gp in desperation. I was prescribed mirtazapine which helped calm medown instantly and helped me get much needed sleep. At the same time i started hrt which i have continued with as this takes some time to have any effect. I have changed to a different hrt from my original one as i panicked thinking it wasn't working well enough. I'm now on femoston 2/10 which has helped a lot but hasn't completely got rid of depression and some other emotional symptoms. I think if you're still having periods you can expect some degree of hormonal fluctuations until they stop.

I'm afraid it all takes time to work which is hard when you feel so bad. I have to say the mirtazapine definitely helped to calm me down initially whrn i felt so bad. Hope this helps you a little.

Take care.
Delilah x

[sandy]

Hi Delilah,
               before i went on HRT i had not had a period for 10 months, then when i went on HRT I had periods , but now i have come off HRT i have not had a period , so dont know if i will have one . Started on AD last week because i am not copeing with the anxiety, the AD seem to make my anxiety a little worse, but from what i understand they take about 2 weeks before they satrt to work, i am feeling anxious today and a little spaced out, i dont like takeing AD but what can you do when all you want to do is get rid of the anxiety, i have got to go back to my doctors next week because she only gave me 2 weeks supply of AD just to see how i am getting on with them, i am just trying to keep busy best i can.

Thanks.

[Hurdity]

Hi sandy

Just to say I would definitely try another type of HRT if you were not anxious before the menopause, and sounds like you won't have to persuade your doc. Just best to know what you want to try before your appt if that's what you decide to do.

Why not try a patch such as Femseven which is changed once a week and will give you a withdrawal bleed when you stop the combi part of the patches? At least you would not feel sick nor have stomach pains as the hormones are absorbed straight into the system.

The other alternative is to go for separate oestrogen ( patch or gel) and progesterone but if taking medication orally makes you feel sick maybe the progesterone that would best go with this (Utrogestan) would not suit you? Depends on how you are with oral meds?

If you look at the greeen menu to the left all the HRT types are listed under HRT preparations but if you want any more help please ask.

Hurdity x

[nelliedee]

Hi Sandy

I watched a fair few friends start to use AD'S last year and they all felt terrible for the 1st 2 weeks and then slowly improved. Now they swear by them. You are doing the right thing by keeping busy and also come on here and get it all off your chest as this site has a wealth of info. I went to hell and back with anxiety last year and so I really feel for you right now but please hang on to the fact that it will lift. xx 

[sandy]

Hi everyones mum,
                           Thank you for putting my mind at ease, i think i thought the AD were going to work instant, but now realise they may take a coulple of weeks, i have to go back to doctors next week as she only gave me 2 weeks supply just to see how i was doing on them, i did not realise that when you first go on AD  that they could make you feel awful and that it could increase your anxiety. Can i ask you how long your anxiety lasted, and what medication did you take to get rid of it, i am so happy that you have got through the anxiety. Its nice to know that you can come on this forum and discuss your problems with people that have gone through the same thing as you , and that they can give you good advice and reassurance.

Thank You.

[sandy]

Hi Hurdity,
                Thank you for the advice its much appreciated ,if i decide to give HRT another go, i will ask if i can go on the patches, they sound much better,  wish i had found this site much earlier, with the information you have given me i would have been able to ask the doctor from the beginning to put me on the patches you suggested, and maybe i would have not had all the problems that i have had with the tablet from. Thanks again for the advice.



Sandy.x