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[joolz3]

Hello I'm new to this forum and  this menopause stuff has my head battered. I'm 47 and thw hot flushes ànd headaches and night sweatshave kicked in with a vengeance, along with my ever present depression and anxiety which i have syruggked with for years and has now multiplied to the point I'm so tired ans hate all these symptoms. Went to my docs and he suggested sertraline 100 mg...I'm not keen on the ideà of them...I felt a bit fobbed off tbh....any advice anyone??? 

[aspie65]

I would strongly recommend getting a second opinion and focusing on asking for HRT, preferably oestrogel and utrogestan.  This is more likely to help you than an anti depressant (although I take both).  Try the HRT and if things are still unbearable then consider an SSRI like sertraline or escitalopram.  Sorry you have joined the club of menopause hell!

[Mary G]

joolz3, I agree, you need HRT if you want to get rid of those symptoms.  If you find that HRT gets rid of the flushes and sweats but you still suffer from depression and anxiety then that is the time to add in ADs.  Many women on here take both and do very well.

As aspie65 has suggested, read up on the Oestrogel/Utrogestan regime and seek the advice of a menopause specialist.

[Hurdity]

Hi joolz3

 

You have definitely been fobbed off!!!Your doctor is quite wrong in prescribing ADs for menopausal symptoms! He is completely out of date and the NICE Guidelines on menopause specifically recommend HRT and not ADs if your age and cycle length combined with symptoms indicate you are peri-menopausal. What are your periods doing in terms of frequency and bleeding?

Have you had medication for your depressions and anxiety in the past or currently? Even so, you should still be offered HRT!

I agree with the others - go to a different GP or argue your case with this one so that he gets up to date by politely delcining the ADs and printing off info about the NICE Guidelines (home page of website has links to the info). If you need any help choosing a prtciluar type then do ask. Alternatively there are a couple of BCP types which have the same oestrogen as HRT and will control the menstrual cycle and help prevent mood swings - and one of them only has 2 tablet free days so avoiding the pill free week. They are QLAIRA and ZOELY.

Hope this helps

Hurdity x

[joolz3]

Thank you all very much for your replies,much appreciated..I haven't had a period for at least 7 months, and had always been regular as clockwork before....i was on anti depressants about 8 yrs ago after losing my baby at 23 weeks...taking the AD's just made things worse for me, i was on a very high dose, i took mysrlf off them, hence im not a fan of them .

I will make an appointnent with my lady doctor, see if i get bettrr advice...its a confusing time and a lot to deal with, just feeling a bit lost in the forest at the minute. X

[CLKD]

So sorry that your baby died, so late .......... sometimes there is no particular reason, they seem to give up in the womb.  Did you have support other than ADs?  Did the ADs help at the time?  When I found that 1 wasn't working as well, I was prescribed others which perked up the brain. 

Hormones can over-ride benefits of some medications.  Some ladies have HRT as well as ADs and anti-anxiety medications.

Maybe read the 'treatment' thread above.  Make notes!

[Hurdity]

Hi again joolz3

If you have not had a period for 7 months then your menopause is likely to be fairly advanced although periods sometimes resume for a while. However this will explain some of your symptoms - especially flushes and sweats, and  low mood is associated with lack of oestrogen in many women. Do go back and ask for HRT if you want to try this option, but before you do so have a look at the different HRT preparations available (pale Green banner - Treatments tab above, or the top/side menu if on a phone), or the BCP types I mentioned previously.

Sorry to hear about your baby and if you have unresolved issues relating to this you might like to seek additional help to talk things through - the last thing you want is for menopausal symptoms to make things worse. Do you have other children?

Let us know what you decide and how you get on....hoping you find something to make you feel better able to cope soon.

Hurdity x

[joolz3]

Thank you everyone for your kind comments....my baby had a tumour on her spine and probable heart problems and the prognosis was the worst ...she died at 23.5 weeks...i have had a lot of mental health issues due to not addrrssing my grief properly, wen i first lost her i was on very high dose of anti depressants, they just made me feel like a zombie, so im wary about them....I still struggle with bad depression, but wen I'm feeling bad, i try to work through it, but since the sweats and hot fkushes have got worse, along with the headaches , sore mouth and aching limbs, tiredness and insomnia, the depression is very severe....my doc also mentioned cutting out caffeine, processed and sugary foods and avoid stress, and exercise...but its hard to adapt that the way im ferling rght now..i feel disconnected and lost, like my body dosrnt belong to me

[Hurdity]

Hi again joolz3

Do go and ask to be referred to a counsellor perhaps to talk though these issues of grief. If you take HRT then at the right dose of the right product, it should at least help to reduce the physical symptoms of menopause and ideally make you better able to cope and deal with your past grief. Once you are setlled on this and if you still feel depressed then perhaps a different anti-depressant might help but I can understand your reluctance to take them in view of your previous experience.

Do continue to post on here and if necessary start a new thread in the Private Lives (members only) section if you feel you need additional support, as there will be other members who may have experienced what you have or have supported someone in a similar position.

Hurdity x