To be sick and tired of the fucking menopause?

[Miladymilord]

I'm in bed. Feel wide awake, alternatively hot then cold. I've got leg cramps, greasy hair (wtaf), I feel really grumpy. Can't relax. I know ill wake up again in about 3 hours, drenched in sweat with restless legs. It's totally shit.

I had a period in February so I have to take the cyclical hrt for a few months.

I know this is incredibly vain, and shallow as a puddle compared to some of the symptoms people have (including my others) but I am so upset how CRAP my hair is now. It used to be (one of my few) crowing glories. Thick, curly, lush. Now: far less curly, dry as fuck, and just sad and old looking - irrelevant of how much money I throw at it (a lot) and how good my hairdresser is (great).

Evorel twice weekly Blogs, they are huge.

Will have to buy baby oil ( sobs, my babies are long gone).

Blogs I don't t think it's vain to be sad about how the menopause changes you. For me , it's my skin , it's gone all chickeny in the crooks of my arms and I now have vertical lines along my top lip ( these seem to have appeared almost overnight) .

Blogs... Arw you me?
I feel so bad moaning about my hair but it used to be full of bounce and curl and was much admired. Now it's dry, flat, and generally crap.
I use hideously expensive shampoo, conditioner and minimal products. Regular trips to my excellent hairdresser and even a Dyson hairdryer has not helped

Omg yes. My hair. It’s dry and becoming much more course.
I’ve always had lovely hair and it does look good when the hairdresser blow dries it but I’ve had to chop it to shoulder length because it’s so knotty and dry now 😭

Oddcat - do you lift weights? Or do any weightbearing exercises? This really helps with chickeny arms, plus is important for osteoporosis prevention.

I know, though, hard to see the body change. Women have to cope with so many physical (and accompanying mental/emotional) changes through their life; menustration (it starts, it's with you for decades); pregnancy, and then menopause.

What changes do men go through? I'm not saying they don't feel the passage of time, but it's entirely different.

The hair situation is really hard. I feel like I'm invisible most of the time, faded even. Having crappy hair really adds to that.

The Evorel patches left horrible marks on my skin too. I switched to Estradot- they are much smaller and don’t leave any mark. Although every time I go for repeat prescription pharmacy tries to revert to Evorel. I think they are cheaper.

Bio identical HRT took away all symptoms apart from crap sleep. I’m up at all hours- nothing helps.

@Blogsshogs1

Yep, I spend far more time/money on my hair now than I used to and it looks worse.

My big complaint at the mo is covering up my graying temples. My hair doesn't want to absorb colour properly - well, sometimes it does, other times it seems to wash out in a couple of weeks. I'm having it professionally done so it should be properly applied (I don't want to pay the money, but am a bit desperate right now).

Does anyone else have this problem?

Also, do things improve post-menopause? I know some older ladies with lovely hair so I'm hoping it's possible!

P.S. I've been using the same hairdresser for 10 years so she knows my hair and we've only been struggling with it recently.

Bio identical HRT took away all symptoms apart from crap sleep. I’m up at all hours- nothing helps.

Like saying a steak sandwich was great other than the steak being awful tasting.

HRT has honestly changed my life insofar that I am back to living rather than enduring life

Not really as I had so many other delightful symptoms too!

Notsohorriblehistory - what HRT are you on?

Night after night of awful sleep. Surely that is life altering? In a profoundly negative sense

I’m on evocol 50 patch

Night after night of bad sleep is horrific. It will change your life in every way. I know! It's one of the worst symptoms for me. Utterly unbearable.

But the meno specialist told me that sleep is very complicated and hard to pin down as to why so bad for each individual.

I'm 48, perimenopausal and have had the mirena coil for last 15 years.

I was suffering from the most god awful hot flushes (that heat wave damn near killed me) plus the night sweats and disturbed sleep as I was having to get up and pee constantly.

I was recommended 2000mg strength sage tablets which I take with black cohosh (they complement each other apparently) and all the symptoms stopped within 2 weeks.

Buy them online as high street stores don't sell high enough strength

I feel like I know so little about the menopause other than the symptoms vary from woman to woman vastly and it may possibly last 10-15 years or it might now pass me by without me realising (please God).

What I find frustrating is that there is no proof that any of the natural supplements work and none of them seem to work for everyone, but some of them seem to have potentially serious side effects. I took black cohosh for a while after having out recommended and thought it was jerking, but when I stopped taking my antidepressants the hot flushes came back and it turned out it was the antidepressants that stopped the hot flushes.

I can't afford to keep buying all the different supplements on the off chance they might work

&I can't afford to keep buying all the different supplements on the off chance they might work*

Me neither. Although I am persevering with the dormeasan. Second day of elleste and almost certainly my imagination but I feel more cheerful..

milady that's great, fingers crossed.

I've an appointment at the gp on Thursday and I'm going to discuss the merits of hrt vs antidepressants.

Well, I'm 57 and supposedly through alot of it . I do remember the hot sweats at night, but I only found them inconvenient more than anything. I still get them occasionally.

Except like Oddcat I suddenly have:-

vertical lines along my top lip ( these seem to have appeared almost overnight). This is very weird, I'm not even a smoker!

My sleep is much more unpredictable, which is the most difficult thing for me.

Its also much more of a challenge to lose some weight.

I meant, Oddcat, mine also appeared literally overnight. The rest of my face remained the same .

The brain fig- had that but memory returns- its been a temporary thing for me. So there is hope!

Oh meant ' fog' maybe not so temporary after all... limps off....