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[ricekrispie]

Hi

I'm not sure if this is a meno symptom, I have had blephritis in the past and it's not this, I'm waking up at 1.00am, within 10 mins either side, every night with extremely dry eyes, nasal passages and mouth. It doesn't matter how much I drink in the day, eye drops I use or if I use a hot eye mask it's the same every night. Sometimes I'm up for two hours! Needless to say I'm exhausted. I do still get hot/cold at night and twitchy legs but take magnesium, calcium, vit D and zinc daily. But it's the dryness eyes, nose and mouth that does it. I drink a lot of water when I wake up and by the time I wake up I'm not thirsty at all, and yet I'm hydrated when I go to bed!

I'm not diabetic, I drink a lot of water and herb tea, a couple of proper tea a day, no coffee. I'm on estrogel twice daily.

Has anyone else had experience of this? The only thing I can find online is Sjorgen's Syndrome "Sjogren's (SHOW-grins) syndrome is a disorder of your immune system identified by its two most common symptoms — dry eyes and a dry mouth.

The condition often accompanies other immune system disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. In Sjogren's syndrome, the mucous membranes and moisture-secreting glands of your eyes and mouth are usually affected first — resulting in decreased tears and saliva.

Although you can develop Sjogren's syndrome at any age, most people are older than 40 at the time of diagnosis. The condition is much more common in women. Treatment focuses on relieving symptoms."

If anyone has any experience or suggestions please share!

Thank you
Kate

[Jaylow]

Can’t help I’m afraid but these were my first signs of peri, and still are my main symptoms now after 3 years on hrt. My gp thought it was thyroid although tests came back ok.

[jaypo]

Yep,they can be down to meno I'm afraid, I had extremely dry eyes,could hardly open them as they were so sore,I've tried 3 different eye drops but none worked,the best thing was a warm flannel over my eyes for a few moments

[Wrensong]

Hi ricekrispie, yes I also have dryness in eyes, nose & mouth & have been investigated for Sjogren's.  Did a lot of reading around a couple of years ago & there's quite a bit out there on how hormone deficiency & HRT relate to Sjogren's & dry eye syndrome.  Though we tend to associate oestrogen with reduction in systemic dryness, there's some very interesting stuff on androgen deficiency being implicated in both conditions & the suggestion by some authorities that exogenous oestrogen may make the condition worse, though the jury seems to be out & most studies I've read conclude that more research is needed.  Some of what follows in the links below is a bit technical, but interesting if you like to read research studies!

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/cxo.12147

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4667056/

https://www.healio.com/news/ophthalmology/20120331/gender-and-androgen-imbalances-are-keys-to-dry-eye

I had BSO a couple of years ago when already postmenopause, so lost the source of much of my testosterone production overnight & found the dryness in mouth, nose & eyes markedly worsened afterwards.  Supplementing with T seems to have really helped the dryness, so if you are not on a regimen that includes T you may want to think about that?

You mention eye drops - if these are not prescription drops please ask your GP/Optician for some.  They need to be preservative-free for long term use.  It's really important to keep the eyes well lubricated, not just for comfort but to reduce risk of corneal ulceration.  If you have not had a tear film test this will probably be carried out if you are referred for investigation.  It's simple, quick & painless as anaesthetic drops are applied first. 

I've worked my way through a range of prescription eye drops over the years but currently use oil based drops that help to protect the tear film from evaporating too quickly, which is a problem with the Meibomian gland dysfunction that's involved.  I find these more effective than other drops.  The Ophthalmologist recommended microwaveable heat mask seems to make matters worse!  I don't use artificial saliva because the Testogel has improved the dryness in mouth (& nose) enough not to need to consider that.

Maybe ask your GP about tests/a Rheumatology referral for Sjogren's if you are concerned it could be that?  There is a blood test & they usually do a full autoimmune screen.  If the blood test is negative (not uncommon) & Sjogren's strongly suspected, they may suggest biopsy of the salivary glands in the lip. There is drug treatment available (Pilocarpine) but I was warned that side effects include flushing & sweating, so something to weigh up at menopause.

https://sjogrenssyndromenews.com/2018/02/22/pilocarpine-effectively-treated-dry-mouth-eyes-sjogrens-syndrome-trial-results/

I hope some of this is helpful.  Please PM me if you want more detail.
W x

[Wrensong]

Forgot to say - I see your supplements include magnesium - please be careful with this as it can be diuretic.
Wx

[ricekrispie]

Thank you so much, everyone. The magnesium is once a day and really helps with the restless legs. I've made an appointment to see the GP and have requested hormone bloods. Will broach the autoimmune question. Thanks again.