Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Bevey]

I want to begin with a bit of background info...

I am turning 52 this year, and I started noticing perimenopause symptoms around five years ago, but they were mild. The last three years have been horrendous. My periods now range from 17 to 101 days.

I started out taking a med for sleep, on the advice of my gp, which has been helpful.  When things worsened, I saw a psychiatrist who said that I had "garden variety depression", but I knew that he was wrong because I have periods of feeling completely well, and then I am blindsided by the most horrible feelings imaginable.

I feel completely bipolar, even though I know that I am not. I can go from feeling peaceful, optimistic, energetic, and motivated to a state that I never knew I could experience: rage through the roof, agitation so bad that I literally have to scream to let it out, and the emotional distress is so bad, that I just don't know what to do with myself. Then, I can have numbing depression, where I feel basically catatonic. I am a strong person, so I will myself to continue, when I find myself in this state, but the toll that it takes on me is immense.

I am on an antidepressant, but I don't think that it is doing anything.

Luckily, with the help of my partner, I found a gp who specializes in menopause. She was so empathetic and explained that what I am going through is more common than the medical community lets on. She has recently put me on Duavive (a congugated estrogen with a SERM, as I can't take progesterone, for it makes me deeply depressed). For the first eight days, I felt amazing, and I thought that I found the magic bullet, but then the agitation came back again, and I was screaming and crying over the weekend, and I just felt so defeated. Then, last night, it lifted again, and I was even laughing.

I have a specialist appointment with a gyn tomorrow, but I just wanted to get women's thoughts on this. My sense is that it is going to take some time for the HRT to work.

Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated:)

[sheila99]

You're right, it takes some time. It took 3 months for my anxiety and insomnia to go though some symptoms such as flushes go more quickly. They say you should try any new regime for 3 months to give it time to work. All your symptoms sound meno related to me, I'm not convinced sleeping pills and anti depressants are appropriate treatment.

[Baby]

But Sheila what choice do you have when you feel so depressed and can't sleep. You don't know whether you are going round the bend or its hormonal especially when you have mental health family history.x

[sheila99]

Sorry, I wasn't trying to say you shouldn't take them. Some people need ADs alongside hrt for a time and maybe sleeping pills make you feel better the next day (they didn't help me, I felt really groggy the next day). If the psychological problems pre date peri then hrt may not help. The NICE guidelines say hrt should be used first not ADs but far too many gps dish out ADs when they should prescribe hrt. They tried to give me ADs when I was menopausal and all my symptoms went after 3 months on HRT.

[Kathleen]

Hello Bevey and welcome to the forum.

My trusty meno book described the emotional turmoil that you are experiencing and noted that it is a common problem during the menopause.  This book was written by an MD in the late eighties so you would think the psychiatric community would be aware of it by now. Lots of us have the mood swings that you describe and they are often accompanied by other meno symptoms such as a hot flush.

 HRT for me has been a bit hit and miss but it is well known that any regime takes three to six months to settle down.

I'm sure you will be reassured at your appointment tomorrow and do please let us know how you get on. Many ladies are in a similar position to you so you are not alone.

Take care.

K.

[CLKD]

We've had this discussion so often.  If a lady presents in Surgery complaining of depression and/or anxiety, what's a GP to do?  First prescription should be appropriate treatment.  Unless the patient suggests that her periods etc. are different, which opens up discussion as to what is influencing symptoms   .............   if after 3-4 months this hasn't helped, then the lady needs to think about hormonal input.  The Change does what it says on the tin but throws up plenty of 'what ifs'!  Things that we are never told or could imagine.

If already on the above, then menopause should be considered as an input into feelings of unease, waking earlier, not sleeping etc., trouble is, many medics think that unless one is having hot flushes, one isn't approaching menopause  .

Maybe keep a mood/symptom/food diary and decide which symptom you would like to ease first?  Eating regularly can help, gentle exercising, 'me' time, keeping hydrated, avoiding alcohol ..........

[sheila99]

It would help if they could recognise a few more symptoms and realise that you can still be menopausal even if you don't have flushes... Given that half their patients will go through it there really is no excuse 

[Bevey]

My gyn appointment went really badly. She basically told me that since I wasn't experiencing hot flashes and night sweats that I had a mental health issue. Even when I explained to her in detail about my symptoms and stated that I read about my same symptoms on the menopause forums all of the time, she basically told me that you can always find what you are looking for on the internet. I was shocked that a doctor who specializes in women's health is failing to acknowledge the breadth of symptoms that come with perimenopause. She thought that all of my symptoms just happened to occur at a time when perimenopause happens, but that it was only coincidental!! It is so sad to me that there is a complete failure on the part of the medical community to acknowledge women's painful and real suffering.

How did we all suddenly become crazy?! It doesn't make any sense.

[CLKD]

Morning.  I wonder often why people go into medicine if they are't prepared to learn as they go along as well as listening to their patients?  Is there a Practice Nurse who may have knowledge?  Also look to see if there is a menopause clinic in your area, ring them and make an appt..  Keep a diary to chart symptoms to take along to discuss. 

[sheila99]

You need a referral to a menopause clinic not a gynae. As you have found many gynaes are just as ignorant about meno as GPs. I had the same treatment from a gp - no flushes so couldn't be menopausal, I was 57 at the time which really should have been a clue. Bad temper was one of my symptoms so I'm afraid I told her what I thought.
You say you're progesterone intolerant. Which progestins have you tried? It might be that you can't tolerate one type can cope with another. It might be worth at the options under treatments tab.
I thought duo I've was for post menopausal women but you're peri?

[flightdeck]

Hello Bevey, I know this is an old post but I was wondering how you had got on? If you have found a solution. Your situation sounded so awful and your medical support ...  crap.

[DS68]

Hi Bevey
I'm late commenting on this just wanted to add that i had similar to you. I think I was peri around 47 but put what were symptoms down to work stress. At 49-50 I went through something I can't even put into words just a complete feeling of loss of control, constant rumination, failure feeling, negativity,mood swings and deep deep sadness - about nothing. Life was ok there was absolutely no reason for it. It dragged on and on so much so that I declared to my I thought I was having some sort of breakdown.  Im blessed to have a calm natured family who reasured me I was not having a break down and it was ok to not be ok. Long story cut short - I struggled for a year feeling that way - absolutely no interest in anything - went through the motions day after day wife, mum, daughter employee etc until one day I went to the doctor about some minor thing and out it came. Declaring to her I thought I was actually out of control emotionally. The best step I ever took into the surgery that day.  Next 12 months trying various hrt - now back to normal --- ish. Whatever that is or was. Gosh though, that period in my life scared the heck out of me, don't really know where I went or who i was. No idea why it happened but thank God that doctor was the right sort of doctor as hearing her say  'you are normal' meant the world to me was like a hand reaching out and heaving me back.
So sorry rattled on and on... Just wanted to say 😊 Bevey, your normal 💛

[cityrat]

Hi DS68, I'm in the midst, still, of my HRT journey (which includes the hopefully - temporarily unavailable Duavee and now long-cycle regimen of Premarin .90 and vaginal micronised progestin) but your story is similar to mine. Do you mind terribly if I ask what the solution that got things back to normal-ish for you? Many thanks!!