Print

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

[Mojo61]

I'm about 3 years post meno and up until last November I didn't really have any symptoms except hot flushes and the odd mood swing. However since then I've been through absolute hell with a sudden onset of crippling anxiety, depression, insomnia, weight loss, aching joints etc. Went to my doctor who prescribed HRT and citalopram and sent me for CBT.

Fast forward to now and although the anxiety isn't so crippling I'm still not good and feel so dreadful every single day. I've had an increase of citalopram, two changes of HRT, an endometrial biopsy and a cervical polyp removed (due to constant bleeding on HRT - all tests came back normal)

I'm currently taking Kliovance tablets and 20mg of citalopram, still bleeding on and off and the plan is to have a mirena coil fitted with separate oestrogen patches/tablets when I get back from holiday in 2 weeks.

Not sure if I need an increase in the SSRI or will the change of HRT help me? When I was on the Evorel patches apart from the bleeding I wasn't too bad, but since I've been on the Kliovance tablets about 2 months)  I've felt worse and I'm dry heaving every morning as I feel so sick.

Sleep is very poor; fall asleep around 10pm and awake again by around 3am then can't get back to sleep, tossing and turning, racing thoughts etc. Consequently after fighting my anxiety all day I'm exhausted by 8pm - and so the cycle continues...

Any help or suggestions would be great fully accepted as I'm really at my wits end here and don't know how much longer I can go on like this. Going on holiday Thursday, don't even want to go!

[meno lesley]

Hi

Really feel for you as my story is similar, I was 2 years post meno and going along nicely with just s few hot sweats. Then overnight I became a quivering wreck with insomnia, aching everywhere, feeling out of control, panic attacks, nausea, stomach upsets and tingling in hands and feet.  That was 5 years ago and have tried various hrts and now visit Nick Panay in London as gps in my area are useless.  I take 100 utrogestan everyday and 1.5 elleste solo, and although things are not perfect, I am better than what I was. 

Looking back my advice would be that if you feel sort of OK on one type of hrt to stick with it longer than 3 months, I made the mistake of swapping and wanting instant results, it does take time for your body to get used to the changes.

Things will get easier, try to take each day at a time, and be kind to yourself. 

Take care

Lesley

[CLKD]

It will improve.  Try not to think "Oh I'm awake early again" but use the time productively. If necessary, get out of bed, make a list of what's whizzing through your head and drink a cuppa.  Five hours may well be 'enough' sleep even though we expect to get more, apparently as we age we don't need as much!

I wouldn't alter anything until you've had the Mirena fitted.  Do you think that the AD has helped at all? 

There is medication to ease anxiety, i.e. Betablockas …….. have you tried Rescue Remedy ?

[Hurdity]

Sorry to hear this Mojo61. If the tablets are making you feel nauseous to the point of heaving then you will definitely be better off going back to patches! Transdermal HRT is recommended for those who get stomach upsets with tablet HRT. I know almost nothing about ADs but if your anxiety and depression is hormonally related ( ie you didn't feel that way before menopause or perhaps cyclically with your hormones) then it is a hormonal solution that you should be seeking and this is backed up by the NICE Guidelines.

The Mirena together with a patch or gel sounds like the way to go. Yes as CLKD says - wait until you get back from holiday if you can, and try to resist additional anxiety medication until you have tried a hormonal one - otherwise you could become dependent on a cocktail of these for some time.

I take meno lesley's point about side effects - and that 3 months is the minimum recommended time for a particular HRT, but I would have thought nausea would have settled by now and if you are having a Mirena fitted then good to change then.

Enjoy your holiday!   Where are you going?

Hurdity x