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[Dandelion]

Hi

Although I have been on hrt since sept 2013, I have changed my hrt medication and i only started getting benefit from it once I went on to evorel 75mcgs in January of this year, now on evorel 100.

I also weaned off my antidepressant and have to admit I started drinking in october 2014.
I don't drink every day but I can put it away.
I also have depression and anxiety and my appetite goes down.

I was 13stone or a bit over in october, dunno when the weight loss started, but I am now just under 10 and a half stone.
I look better for it, but was wondering, would the hrt be responsible for this weight loss.

Before all this meno lark I used to be about 9st.

[CLKD]

Alcohol is a depressant and appetitie suppressant.  Why are you drinking?  What gap are you hoping to fill?

I was below 7st for years.  In 2001 I put on nearly 2 stones because I didn't walk as often.  It took me 14 months to get down to 8st 4.  Now I'm 7 and a half again.

That loss isn't outside the range of 'normal'.  When I was concerned I would go regularly to my GP Surgery and get my Nurse to weigh me so that it was recorded.  Now I go twice a year - Spring and Autumn.

Make a list of your main worries perhaps?  Negatives and plusses? 

[ancient runner]

Now you feel better are you doing more, eating better? If you can't say yes to those I would get it checked - unexplained weight loss is generally worth checking out as far as I know.
But you're probably just doing a lot more!

[Dandelion]

Alcohol is a depressant and appetitie suppressant.  Why are you drinking?  What gap are you hoping to fill?

I was below 7st for years.  In 2001 I put on nearly 2 stones because I didn't walk as often.  It took me 14 months to get down to 8st 4.  Now I'm 7 and a half again.

That loss isn't outside the range of 'normal'.  When I was concerned I would go regularly to my GP Surgery and get my Nurse to weigh me so that it was recorded.  Now I go twice a year - Spring and Autumn.

Make a list of your main worries perhaps?  Negatives and plusses?

Hi CKLD

Aww you are a tiny teeny little woman

I have got some problems are not solvable,I have sought expert advice on these problems (not health related or meno related)
I just have to live with them, and I am learning to accept my lot, but sometimes my mood is so low that I reach for the drink.
When I drink alcohol, I also drink loads of glasses of water alongside it, pub, glass of cider, glass of water, home-bottle of cider, bottle of water.
While the water makes me feel better, I drink more, cos if there is no water, I can only drink so much booze.
I also had a peak at the NHS site.

This is one issue that I am genuinely not paranoid about, I just was curious, I've been going to post it for a while I went on the NHS site which was enormously helpful, and I have five weight-loss factors which they listed on their site.
I have depression
I have anxiety
I have bowel problems
I have a bit of lung damage
I have alcohol issues.

I won't be going to the doctors just yet. I'm really grateful for you and ancient runner for the feedback.
I do feel better for losing weight, I can breathe a bit better.
I don't been to sound vain, but I looked good at a buxom 13st+ but I look healthier at my current weight just under 10.5st.

[CLKD]

Have the bowel problems altered with the weight loss?  If you read my other response, whilst away and walking a lot more, my pooh habits have been different.  Less of a problem.

My height is 5 foot 1".  So not really teeny  .  Have never smoked and don't like alcohol.  Will have a sip sometimes if DH opens a bottle however  and have given up chocolate as my taste buds have altered.

Do you drink alone often?

[Hurdity]

Hi Dandelion

If you have lost that much weight without trying and you haven't changed anything much then I would go to the doctor just to rule out any other problems - and put your mind at rest. No-one on here, nor the NHS website can tell you why you personally have lost weight (if you haven't been on a diet) so a check-up is in order, even though you can hazard a guess. However if you weaned yourself off the anti-depressant durding the same time that you lost the weight then this could be the reason. Some ADs are notorious for piling on the weight eg Fluoxetine, Seroxat and ones like that (so I understand).

Do get checked out - and is there any help you can get about the alcohol at all - you are doing so well generally - and really fantastic news (if the weight loss is healthy) that it is making you feel better and probably less hot, and more inclined to exercise too!

 Hurdity x 

[Suzi Q]

Alcohol is a depressant and appetitie suppressant.  Why are you drinking?  What gap are you hoping to fill?

I was below 7st for years.  In 2001 I put on nearly 2 stones because I didn't walk as often.  It took me 14 months to get down to 8st 4.  Now I'm 7 and a half again.

That loss isn't outside the range of 'normal'.  When I was concerned I would go regularly to my GP Surgery and get my Nurse to weigh me so that it was recorded.  Now I go twice a year - Spring and Autumn.

Make a list of your main worries perhaps?  Negatives and plusses?

Hi CKLD

Aww you are a tiny teeny little woman

I have got some problems are not solvable,I have sought expert advice on these problems (not health related or meno related)
I just have to live with them, and I am learning to accept my lot, but sometimes my mood is so low that I reach for the drink.
When I drink alcohol, I also drink loads of glasses of water alongside it, pub, glass of cider, glass of water, home-bottle of cider, bottle of water.
While the water makes me feel better, I drink more, cos if there is no water, I can only drink so much booze.
I also had a peak at the NHS site.

This is one issue that I am genuinely not paranoid about, I just was curious, I've been going to post it for a while I went on the NHS site which was enormously helpful, and I have five weight-loss factors which they listed on their site.
I have depression
I have anxiety
I have bowel problems
I have a bit of lung damage
I have alcohol issues.

I won't be going to the doctors just yet. I'm really grateful for you and ancient runner for the feedback.
I do feel better for losing weight, I can breathe a bit better.
I don't been to sound vain, but I looked good at a buxom 13st+ but I look healthier at my current weight just under 10.5st.

The weght loss could very well be due to all the things you listed I too loose weight when Im nervy
I dont eat much at the best of times when stress or depression hits food is a no go area
BUT the drink NOPE as u say if you reach for that drink when your stressed you have a problem
I lost my baby bro nearly 11 years ago from booze so I understand the drink temptation
My Mum was a white middle class prescrition drug addict its in the gens but by passed me
I smoke YES bad bad  but when u loose your MUM to drugs your bro to Booze whats a few ciggies
You can when your ready get help re all the above Hunny we all have a story most of us
have had things in our life that have knocked us I was a battered child with a drug addicted MUM
Who the world thought was fantastic and wasnt I a lucky girl to have a Mum like her AHHH NOOOO
Dad wouldnt protect me or help he pretended it wasnt happening my brotehr was 6 yrs younger
That scars you for life it NEVER goes away but with help I learnt to accept it and realise it wasnt my fault I wasnt a bad wicked evilchild then as a teenager still be batters I became a whore you name it
Took till I was 50 odd to get help@only cos my son diagnosed with Auto immune disease no cure as yet
You think what the XXXXX why me what did I do wrong u didnt its just that life can be sh.... xxxx

[CLKD]

Does the anger ever go away SuziQ?  I found that talking therapy helped me: discuss, decide, ditch.  That left me able to deal with the 'now' and put my childhood on the back burner.

Fortunately I don't like alcohol!  If someone is drinking alone that is not only sad but could lead to problems.

[Annie0710]

My dear mum turned to alcohol during her menopause, and I just didn't understand it at the time

I do understand why she did now , but I'm not going to. My mum was the sweetest , loving, caring lady ever and I adored her but during those horrible years I can't delve for many good memories,


As a result of that I don't drink at home, I made myself a promise that as long as I'm not out at a function , I will be sober and on call for my children

If you don't stop drinking for yourself, but have children, please try to stop it for them, alcohol isn't the answer.

Lots of hugs

Annie xx

[honeybun]

I am very aware that I have compulsive tendencies. There is also a history of alcoholism on my mothers side of the family......so I am very very careful.

I don't drink every night, and I never drink spirits or cider or beer just two glasses of wine and that's it and always with dinner and never alone.
I think it could be very easy during meno to get on that slippery slope with alcohol. Especially when anxiety is around it would be very tempting to try and feel better by whatever means.

Dandelion, if you really feel you drink too much there is lots of help out there that will non judgemental. The risk of both high levels of oestrogen from your patch plus alcohol is not the best idea for your general health.
As the others have also said...any unexplained weight loss should be investigated. Alcohol has a lot of calories so in theory if you are drinking a lot then you should be putting on weight and not taking it off.

Hope you feel better soon.


Honeybun
X

[Dandelion]

Thanks everyone for your contributions to this thread.
I know a lot of skinny alcholocs, but not many fat ones.
I was reassured by the NHS site, because I have five factors for weight loss, so I don't want to go to my doctor.
I know my patch is high 100mcg, but I was still getting some flushes on 75mcg, and I think 100mcg is what I need.
I hope my meno doesn't get any worse, ie, starting to flush on 100mcg, but at the moment I am happy with it.
As for the drinking, I drank less yesterday. I do drink socially, and I know me and my friends can act as drink-triggers for each other.
I am sure I don't have cancer, and I am not paranoid about it, but I don't want to go to the doctor in case they want me to try some time off hrt. That would be disaster for me, I couldn't go through that again.
My bowels are still not working properly. My poo is really smelly but they are working better, I am not pooing liquid any more, sorry for the tmi, but there is a marked improvement in that area.

Because I have depression and some unsolvable problems, I sometimes wish for cancer. I met an old friend the other day who I hadn't seen for about 8yrs and he told me he had terminal cancer. He doesn't want to die, he said, before he got diagnosed, that he had got into keep fit and mountain biking and was enjoying it, he used to like his drugs but not any more, excercise is his interest now.
He was being really brave about it. I was a bit jealous, but that is only the depression.
I don't want another five years of Torys victimising people like me.
I used to work and have a £500 per month pension, but it is not enough to live on.
I get penalised cos I have this pension and if they cut my benefits it will be disasterous.
I bought a flat when I was working, so I am a homeowner, like the tories love, but their cuts could o make me homeless, if I cannot pay my mortgage and bills.
I will have to dip into my savings and when they run out, god help me, if I don't have enough money.
I am too vulnerable to be homeless, but the council wont be obliged to house me, as I may very well end up with a housing related debt, because this flat has a shortish lease and it has been breached, so if i do manage to make a profit from the auction, if this flat is reposessed, the money will go to the freeholder to make the lease right.
I have sought professional advice from this, CAB directed me to the legal adivsors in the lease people, they were lovely but confirmed my problems.
So, thank you Dave Cameron, if I am made homeless, I was a hard-working member of society before illness struck and my employer had to retire me.
I will look for work if I am stuck, but because I am ill, no employer would want to employ me.
I can't interact with people too long and this came up in my work, I was vulnerable to abuse from work colleagues, and at the time I was working, I was drinking way more than I am now. It was a bigger problem back then.
I am getting an ADHD assessment, and a diagnosis will be a positive thing for me, because I will the right help then. Maybe the right meds, to stop me drinking and doing drugs.
Now, I will monitor my weight and if I lose more I may go to the doctor, but I will NOT worry about cancer, because I know a lot of women don't want cancer and feel themselves for lumps etc, and get paranoid about it, (can't blame them if meno  is making them over anxious)
I am more worried about my flat, and things going wrong in the flat, as I have to pay for it myself, but a very kind charity organised funding for a new heating system and two upvc windows, which I am eternally grateful for.
Once this ADHD diagnosis come in, and I get the right help and am put on the right meds, I know things will improve for me.
I had to wean off my AD, but I feel better for it, I am more able to feel and be aware, which is invaluable.

[CLKD]

What support do you get from the various agencies, i.e. Alcoholics Anoymous as well as various drug assistance Groups?  Being with people who really understand can be useful, it can also lead to assistance with sourcing the various money assistances that you may be entitled to.

It can be hard work, becoming a round and round situation  .  Let us know how you get on!

As for smelly pooh, it is due to what we eat!  I find a small helping of granola for breakfast with milk keeps me less hungry than toast, stops me grabbing 'junk'-type food  . 

[Dandelion]

What support do you get from the various agencies, i.e. Alcoholics Anoymous as well as various drug assistance Groups?  Being with people who really understand can be useful, it can also lead to assistance with sourcing the various money assistances that you may be entitled to.

It can be hard work, becoming a round and round situation  .  Let us know how you get on!

As for smelly pooh, it is due to what we eat!  I find a small helping of granola for breakfast with milk keeps me less hungry than toast, stops me grabbing 'junk'-type food  .

AA is like a cult, but there is a group near me, formed by ex alcoholics.
They just say don't drink, do what I am doing and try not to drink.
I haven't been to the group for a while, because I just do what they would advise, as I used to go. We sit round a table and each person gets a chance to talk. You don't have to talk if you don't want.
It didn't really help me, because I know not to drink anyway.

As for the money, I have already sourced the entitlements I should get with the right agencies, but these benefits may be cut.
The tories don't like the disabled, end of. Some people dont, but many won't admit it. I think anti-disabled people are just scared in case they become disabled and disabled people remind them of their fears.
As for the gut problem, I have been diagnosed with wheat intolerance, not coeliac, so the doctor said I am not eligible for an NHS diet but to go wheat free, which I tried, but it is way too expensive for me and it's not so simple as buying wheat free foods instead of alcohol, like many would think. I used to think the same, but now that I have met fellow people with addiction problems, I know that addiction is a compulsion, a disease, so I am thankful for having met them to facilitate this understanding.
I need my savings for my home, every sensible homeowner should have savings, these are not meant to buy drink and they are not meant for me to dip into to pay bills.
My DLA pays for a private telephone counsellor, who I love, and talk to monthly, if this is cut, no more counselling, thanks again Dave Cameron and your crew.

[Greenfields]

Dandelion I'm so sorry to hear of the problems you are facing with housing - I'm renting in a precarious situation and hoping to be better by August so I can move back to Canada otherwise I might be at risk of homelessness too if my landlord isn't willing to renew my tenancy in Sept (am not able to work and don't qualify for many benefits because I have too much saved - so that has to go down before I qualify for more help).

I mention this because I know how damn stressful it is to be living with a sense that one could be homeless at some point - it's very difficult to live with a stress like that constantly in the background.

You mentioned seeing the CAB.  One thing that has helped me has been the decision I made to register as a client of a local mental health agency (I had a nervous breakdown in combination with my menopausal imbalance in March).  In some ways it feels really weird to be a client as part of me feels quite competent but the housing issue was overwhelming.  Now I'm a client of this agency, I have a support worker and she will step in and support me if my landlord is not helpful with respect to renewing my tenancy in September.  It's taken a tiny amount of the pressure off me as I now know that, if things do go pear shaped, I won't be dealing with it entirely on my own.  I still worry but at least I'm not completely on my own in terms of trying to sort things out now.

So I'm just wondering whether there's a local mental health agency you could register as a client with for some support with housing issues?  Just a thought.  Maybe the CAB would have some information on agencies you could approach?  I've also found my local MIND group really helpful.  And someone also told me about the NHS 3 month and annual prescription certificates which is helping me save some money on prescriptions (too bad I didn't find this out in March as it would have saved me some money from the beginning!).

My support worker has also told me that although I have savings, I can apply for a benefit called PIP which you're eligible for even if you have savings.  So she's going to help me fill in the forms.  It might only be 25 pounds a month but every little bit helps for me at the moment.

Sending hugs xx 

[Dandelion]

Dandelion I'm so sorry to hear of the problems you are facing with housing - I'm renting in a precarious situation and hoping to be better by August so I can move back to Canada otherwise I might be at risk of homelessness too if my landlord isn't willing to renew my tenancy in Sept (am not able to work and don't qualify for many benefits because I have too much saved - so that has to go down before I qualify for more help).

I mention this because I know how damn stressful it is to be living with a sense that one could be homeless at some point - it's very difficult to live with a stress like that constantly in the background.

You mentioned seeing the CAB.  One thing that has helped me has been the decision I made to register as a client of a local mental health agency (I had a nervous breakdown in combination with my menopausal imbalance in March).  In some ways it feels really weird to be a client as part of me feels quite competent but the housing issue was overwhelming.  Now I'm a client of this agency, I have a support worker and she will step in and support me if my landlord is not helpful with respect to renewing my tenancy in September.  It's taken a tiny amount of the pressure off me as I now know that, if things do go pear shaped, I won't be dealing with it entirely on my own.  I still worry but at least I'm not completely on my own in terms of trying to sort things out now.

So I'm just wondering whether there's a local mental health agency you could register as a client with for some support with housing issues?  Just a thought.  Maybe the CAB would have some information on agencies you could approach?  I've also found my local MIND group really helpful.  And someone also told me about the NHS 3 month and annual prescription certificates which is helping me save some money on prescriptions (too bad I didn't find this out in March as it would have saved me some money from the beginning!).

My support worker has also told me that although I have savings, I can apply for a benefit called PIP which you're eligible for even if you have savings.  So she's going to help me fill in the forms.  It might only be 25 pounds a month but every little bit helps for me at the moment.

Sending hugs xx

Aww Greenfields thanks for the hugs and I am sorry you are experiencing housing problems. Wish I could buy a property somewhere else abroad, but I might have debt if the worst comes to the worst.
I am trying not to dwell on the worst case scenario.
I will be writing to my MP if they try to cut my benefits, dunno what response I will get though, as she is a tory.
I hope you don't end up homeless.

It's terrible that you had a breakdown due to meno based mental illness.
I do sometimes attend groups, but I am usually not up early enough, or I just don't want to face people sometimes. There was a group today, but I motivated myself to do some hoovering instead and to have a shower.

As I am a homeowner, none of the support workers can help.
Sometimes, I wish I was a tenant, because although I adore living here, where I can look out at foxes, deer, badgers, birds, squirrels etc, from my window and hear the gorgeous sounds, I feel like i bought a lemon with this flat, and I cannot imagine what the previous owners mind was on when he was doing these badly built alterations, none of them are done properly and he must have been overjoyed to get rid of this flat.

I'm lucky enough to hold a hc2 certificate, which I get annually to pay for meds.
If my benefits get cut, my bank will change my account due to lack of income and I will lose my overdraft facility, which comes in handy at bad times.
If we are given benefit cards, I will have to change my fuel to key meters, and they are more expensive, had one before, constantly feeding it, so in the winter I will probs put my heating on 10mins a day, and go in bed with my electric blanket, to save fuel bills.

I'm on DLA, which is gradually changing to PIP. i love my DLA it helps me pay for things like counselling etc etc