Print

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

[Sammas]

For the last 3 months I have felt much better after taking magnesium citrate and vit D alongside my ev primrose and B6 and 12 .However over the last 2 weeks I have felt worse.  I feel tired, irritable, sick, light headed, anxious amongst other symptoms that come and go My hol that I was looking forward to I am dreading.  Any advise?

Thanks xx

[Dancinggirl]

Sammas - are you on HRT? Supplements can only do so much and they are just that, ‘SUPPLEMENTS' - they are no replacement for a good diet and exercise regime.  If anxiety and fatigue are your main meno symptoms then these are difficult to control - a whole range of measures are needed including relaxation techniques practised daily.
If you aren't on HRT, is this an option for you? You haven't actually mentioned where you are in your menopause journey? Have you discussed your symptoms with the GP - if you are on HRT then a change in the type of HRT may be necessary or possibly some ADs/SRRIs alongside to really help the anxiety.   DG x

[CLKD]

Some find that 'alternatives' help until their own hormone levels alter.

Also any anxiety caused by holidays can make me feel absolutely awful 

[Sammas]

Thanks for your replies I am peri All blood tests have come back clear I do weekly exercise and have been on ADs for years x

[CLKD]

How is your diet generally?  I find if I don't eat regularly then I get the symptoms you describe.  Maybe try bananas and dried fruits to nibble?  Also breakfast is important, I have been eating a good quality muesli mix [Lizis] rather than toast which didn't go far enough 

[Hurdity]

Hi Sammas - when you say your blood tests come back clear - what do you mean? What are your periods doing - as this is a more reliable indicator of menopause?

The difficulty with taking ADs is that some preparations also reduce flushes and sweats so women may get other more vague symptoms not so readily associated with menopause. It is the increased and variable cycle length coupled with flushes and sweats and age that are the most reliable indicators of menopause.

As Dancinggirl says supplements will only do so much - great you are taking exercise but perhaps look at your diet and maybe ditch the supplements apart from one or two well chosen ones taken occasionally. Depending on what your periods are doing and how old you are - do have a think about HRT which may help at some point.

Like CLKD I always worry coming up to going on holiday - usually only when flying abroad - so I understand this! I always love it once I am away and in a different environment and I am sure you will too Think positive! I agree with CLKD re the eating - a diet high in carbs an sugar can lead to some of the symptoms you describe due to low blood sugar and increasing insulin resistance - especially in peri-menopause when fluctuating hormones are added to the mix.

Hope this helps

Hurdity x

[Sammas]

Thanks for the advice I generally eat well Have whole meal toast for bfast a banana st break and a sandwich with salad raisins and seeds Im 48 and periods vary in intensity and length The best way to describe how I feel is pmt more often than not

[CLKD]

I suffered badly with PMT.  That's when NAPS advised eating every 3 hours, 24/7, 52/12 ………. grazing helped those awful feelings 

[dangermouse]

Also don't underestimate the power of vitamins and minerals. The supplements you mention boost oestrogen and lower progesterone. For me they make me feel awful, as I'm perimenopausal and have times of very low progesterone.

You may have filled up your receptors and are now over dosing so you could try a few days without them to see if your anxiety improves.

I now and again take magnesium to get my bowels moving but if I take for more than 2 days I get anxiety, intense carb cravings, swollen eyes and, if I take for longer, depression can set in. B vitamins cause me immediate anxiety and Vit D causes me to swell up all over.

[wombat62]

That's interesting Dangermouse as magnesium is supposed to be calming and vit b eases anxiety. I'm taking a magnesium with lemon balm and Indian Gingseng plus a B complex, D because it's winter and haven't seen the sun in a few days plus CQ10 as the naturopath I saw is trying thinks I may have been low in GABA, leading to the anxiety.

If those are oestrogen boosters then what would it be for progesterone as isn't that the relaxing hormone?

I do think that it is good to take a break from supplements every now and again. 

[dangermouse]

Yes when your hormones are balanced mag's relaxing properties are felt and some Bs energise and some relax. However, they seem to have such a direct effect on my hormones that those properties are lost on me.

I also used to find that the more nutritious my food was, the worse I'd feel. However, that all stopped when I went on the pill so I realise that just subtle boosts to one hormone over another (at some points of my cycle it's oestrogen over prog and others days the opposite), could make me feel very bad.

Prior to perimenopause I could take any supps and eat any foods and not feel it. I can also now have fluoride in my toothpaste as that used to immediately give me a racing heart and sweating prior to the pill, due to its CNS stimulatory properties. (Would have stayed off it, as know it's not good for our bodies, but my wisdom tooth crumbled recently and had to have it removed.)

So only supps affect me now - strong oestrogen boosters like Rhodiola and MACA throws my body into food poisoning mode from both ends within about 10 mins of ingesting! Not sure which supps boost prog but I have to take a higher prog pill days 12-25 and a higher oestrogen for the others, but wouldn't attempt to try to temper the extremes with supplements as they have a more dramatic affect on me compared to synthetic hormones.

[wombat62]

Wow, you must be super sensitive Dangermouse! Obviously you've had a real chemical change in your body with meno. A friend had a similar thing after giving birth, became very allergic to a lot of things including anti-biotics.

We'd probably all need a tailored hormone program but unless you see a real expert that ain't going to happen. I was pretty ok jogging along until a few weeks after my op and things have been up and down, hope it settles soon. Had crashing fatigue day today, bad night sleep but no anxiety. Actually I felt better the day after the anxiety nights, must have been all that extra energy pumping around!

[Hurdity]

Im 48 and periods vary in intensity and length The best way to describe how I feel is pmt more often than not

Has your cycle length changed though ie varied from its usual length - if regular and have you started missing any? Sometimes periods become more frequent just before peri-menopause but whatever happens pms seems to get worse  in the last stages of our fertile phase - known as the late reproductive phase - when ovulation still happens but hormones start to go awry before peri-menopause sets in.

It still is far better to make sure your diet is good and that you are not deficient in anything, than to take supplements - except as a short term boost if you have been shown to be deficient. You can't "boost" oestrogen thought supplements ie vitamins and minerals - although there are some herbal remedies known as phyto-oestrogens - contained in some foods and sold in concentrated form which can behave like weak oestrogens, although I read in the literature that they can also have the reverse effect by competing with oestrogen receptors. There is information about these on this site.

Hurdity x

[Sammas]

Hi my periods have got longer some months and heavier at other times They are still happening every month I just don't know why I now feel worse after feeling so good I am in dispair as to what to do next I am going away in just over a week.  Over the last 2 days I have felt worse Hot but not flushes, irritable, sick, dizzy.  Sound like a hypercondriac I can remain up beat most of the time on the outside but feel like hiding away in reality xx

[Dana]

There comes a point where all the supplements in the world may not help. While "natural" remedies can help during the early stages, as you progress towards menopause simply taking supplements no longer helps with the depletion of estrogen that you will be experiencing. That's when HRT becomes a lifesaver for a lot of women. It sounds to me like that's what is happening to you. What you were doing is no longer helping, and that's what often happens.