Hi JacquelineL
I can't remember where you are in menopause and how regular your periods are/have been recently?
If your symtpoms are meno ralted then you would really be better off ditching the cohosh and definitley the anti-depressants - and replacing the oestrogen that is probably deficient - if you have never been depressed before then your symptoms are mostly likely to do with menopause.
Cohosh is not supposed to be taken long term due to possible safety concerns (and its effectivensss has not been proven yet) , but oestrogen needs replacing long term. Also Cohosh is a plant extract whereas if you choose the right type HRT will consist of bio-identical oestrogen.
Once you start down the route of anti-depressants it can become more difficult to decide to use HRT and to come off them so personally I would think again - as I said depending on where you are in meno.
Dr Currie herself doesn;t recommend their use as first line treatement for menopausal symptoms: extracted from the Menopause Matters Facebook page post on 13th May
https://www.facebook.com/menopausedoesmatter?fref=ts:
1. Antidepressants are not recommended for first-line treatment of menopausal symptoms such as flushes and low moods, yet are often offered by some GPs. Some antidepressants can be used if HRT is unable to be taken for medical reasons, but only after full discussion and after ruling out the use of HRT.Hope this helps
Hurdity x
