Hi All,
Currently on 2 pumps Estrogel and testim gel.... my 3rd regime and still no view of any light at the end of the tunnel
Going through hell as we all are.... i have no idea when this will end or it will ever end....
I find myself having real bad bouts of depression (daily), which ends up myself talking to myself, wishing to die...
Also suffer from tics as well....
All this since been going through the meno/hrt all to do with hormones ... which i am total hysterectomy 12 years ago with ovaries removed.... was okish the previous 9 years with no HRT , until last July
Never had any form of depression previously...
I don't know if the cause is too much HRT or too little...
A few weeks after starting the Estrogel it seemed to get better..... but now coming back..., still have other hormone imbalance symptoms
Just wondering if anyone else out there has had the bad depression, sense of despair, don't know what to with myself...
Only resbite i get is taking 3.75 mg zopiclone....
I only take these when i need to..... when have a good spell don't need to take the zopilcone.
Just wondering if anyone else out there has had the bad depression, sense of despair, don't know what to with myself...
Anyone else in the same boat or has been there ?? let alone anyway out ?
Y x
"Have had some better moments when on the HRT where the depression and anxiety eased... but have lost those days..."
Sorry to hear about this yriches65.
As you are so certain that the cause of your depression is hormonal and you have never had depression before nor have any reason to feel this way (other than hormones) then yes hormones are the way to treat it.
As MIS71MUM says GypsyRoseLee has recently had success after going through difficult times. You probably know that this type of depression is called Reproductive Depression and is recognised by the eminent gynaecologist John Studd who treats this by means of oestrogen. Studd's regime consist of high doses of oestrogen to achieve much higher blood levels than most other women need in order to counter the depression. Do have a look at his website where there is a lot of information about this:
http://www.studd.co.uk/reproductivedepression.php . There are lots more relevant tabs down the left and rhs of the page.
You have had your ovaries removed and been a long time without HRT so your body has probably been "crying out" for oestrogen as has been said on here before!
I think you had initial success but your dose is probably too low - 2 pumps is the standard post-meno dose of gel. You haven't said how old you are but adding oestrogen at least until the natural average age of menopause of 51/52 is considered the best way forward to protect heart and bones - and as long as you can thereafter.
The good news is that you don't have to take a progestogen which is usually the part of HRT that causes the problems and side effects.
Although blood tests - and especially single ones - to measure estradiol are unreliable - they can be helpful for women in your position to see how well you are absorbing oestrogen from the gel. Maybe have bloods taken on two separate occasions - and if you put it on your arm - don't get blood taken from that arm!
I would not be in a hurry to take anti-depressants until you find the level of oestrogen that makes you feel as well as you can in view of its overall benefits. Are you able to get referred to a menopause specialist who can help you through this and to arrive at the best dose for you? If you manage to do this for say 3-6 months and things haven't improved then perhaps time to think about additional help - but I agree that
http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/ is a good website for self-help techniques in the meantime.
Hope this helps and you manage to find a treatment that makes you feel better and more positive
![Smiley :)](https://www.menopausematters.co.uk/forum/Smileys/extended/smiley.gif)
Hurdity x