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[Wanderer]

Galadriel is right, in the USA, Venlafaxine (Effexor), is used to treat primarily menopause, particularly hot flushes, and the other main physical symptoms. I actually found that because my anxiety all but disappeared, it helped my digestion incredibly, stopped the constipation etc., and allowed me to realise that there is one main symptom left, that seems to be triggering my pelvic pain, and that is urogenital atrophy, that I need to deal with separately.

I know it is a big decision, given your past experience, but just wanted to give you a different take on the effect it has on menopause.


WANDERER XXXX

[tabbycat3838]

hey dandilion.really feel for you,i suffer with that similar demotivation/depression/anxiety sometimes..i liken it to feeling like a rabbit caught in the headlights..just cant function ..i guess its all or mostly hormone related :-( miserable..
how about swimming for exersising with hot flushes??you can take it gentle and i find it quite medative aswell..i know its hard to do anything though when your feeling that crap.feel better soon x

[Dandelion]

Hi Ladies

Sorry I haven't been back on this thread.
I've still been depressed but the anxiety has been a bit easier to cope with this last few days, let's hope it keeps up

Yeah, I did some CBT courses a couple of years ago, and I didn't think it was working, but, I was actually using the techniques a lot, automatically without knowing I was doing it until after, for instance, in queues, the breathing technique.
Same with other techniques, using then and not knowing I was till afterwards, so, yeah, CBT is useful.
Sorry @babyjane you had problems with approval. I find that if I stay away from judgemental people, when I am feeling bad about myself, I just look around me and see that everyone else is no different in this respect.

Thanks @dancinggirl, this thread is a good thread, hopefully future surfers suffering meno anxiety will also find them helpful when they come across them.

As for getting out, somedays I am too anxious or depressed to even get up, but, other days, I find I have to get out of the flat, otherwise I will be too anxious to stay in here. Thursday was like that, I had to get a train and bus to hospital for a follow up appointment from an operation I had last month. The appointment was 9am so I was back here early but could not face going home so I stayed out and had a lunch at the lovely drop-in centre we have here for homeless or vulnerable people.

I am still wary of antidepressants because at the end of the day, I don't like the idea of putting more drugs in my system, but I am one one, which does help in a druggy sort of way, and a few years ago, a psychiatrist recommended a substance called tryptophan, a precursor to serotonin, which, if I was going to change AD, I would probably go on that. I used 5-htp a few years ago, which was great, but expensive, but I am sure tryptophan is as good and free.
I have had venlafaxine in the past, and it made me feel horrible. The trazodone I am on works better and helps me get off to sleep on a night. I had to halve the dose as it zombied me, I did it gradually, and I feel better on this dose, as in it does what it did at the higher dose without the zombiness.
I'm also prescribed promethazine for anxiety which helps, it's an antihistamine but it does as good a job as valium did, in a different way of course.

As for swimming, I also find it meditative and you get a workout while relaxing.

[nelliedee]

I am pleased to read your anxiety has improved. I am not on HRT or anything else and have been doing well for the last 2 years up until recently and hit a blip, a bad one and dug out 2mg of diazepam as I got myself into an agitated state. I only took the one tablet and managed some sleep, since then I have exercised (walking) and am wading thru. I have friends on HRT and other friends on AD'S who also have blips, BAD ONES, where they feel they can no longer cope and they increase or change their drugs. So I suppose what I am trying to say is that we all seem to have these melt downs no matter what medication we take and learning other coping methods is valuable for us all. My coping method is walking but was very hard to put into practice at midnight and so I succumbed to my trusted diazepam which I hadn't taken is over 2 years. I hope your even better today xx

[Dandelion]

I am pleased to read your anxiety has improved. I am not on HRT or anything else and have been doing well for the last 2 years up until recently and hit a blip, a bad one and dug out 2mg of diazepam as I got myself into an agitated state. I only took the one tablet and managed some sleep, since then I have exercised (walking) and am wading thru. I have friends on HRT and other friends on AD'S who also have blips, BAD ONES, where they feel they can no longer cope and they increase or change their drugs. So I suppose what I am trying to say is that we all seem to have these melt downs no matter what medication we take and learning other coping methods is valuable for us all. My coping method is walking but was very hard to put into practice at midnight and so I succumbed to my trusted diazepam which I hadn't taken is over 2 years. I hope your even better today xx

Hi everyone's mum

Thanks for your post. Glad you dont need to takek diazepam often.