Getting through menopausal bleakness

[crochetmonkey74]

Does anyone else get this? Occasionally, it comes down like shutters and the whole world feels really dark and bleak. It clears , and it's not regular, bit anyone have it and got tips for getting through it? I don't want medication right now, but not averse to it in the future. I suppose I'm just looking for solidarity at this stage.

Hi, yes, but so much better with HRT. I don't think of it as medication as it's body identical plant based and is simply giving me back what I have lost. I have my sense of humour back, no more crushing tiredness or black moods and so much more energy. If you can do it, do look into it.

I got into a position where I didn’t want to go anywhere, in fact I still dont want to go on holiday, and couldn’t work out if it was post-covid or peri. So I decided to do a 3 month trial of HRT, for myself and the family!, and I’ve never come off it. I go out for days now and enjoy myself.

The drop in oestrogen really affected me, hrt made me feel like myself again. Honestly It was a game changer.

I might need to come off it…and GP is suggesting a mild antidepressant instead.

depression is a well known symptom of peri menopause.

Yes, I struggle, and I have depressive tendencies anyway. I can’t take HRT and I take medication which makes all menopausal symptoms worse, so I’m in full flow with insomnia, hot flashes, anxiety, joint aching, dry skin and hair, hair thinning, brain fog. Exercise is key for me, even if I don’t want to do it. Finding things that add value to your life and doing them. Limit screen time.

I'm overweight so worry about not being able to have hrt but will investigate when it gets worse. Its not often , so I am coping but just wanted to reach out and see if anyone else has any tips . Agree with exercise and fresh air.

www.instagram.com/reel/C1vLT36NZtS/?igsh=ZzI4aWkzZTU2cXZ6

Wish I'd started HRT earlier. Life saver.

images.app.goo.gl/tTEZyBzKukNpHNrz7

You can have HRT of overweight. Also most recommended HRT body identical so isn't really medication as such. Why wait?

An exercise routine that involves getting outdoors is great and will kill several birds with one stone, so to speak..

I agree with what others said. I had an awful time with peri a few years ago but it’s pretty well controlled now with HRT. On those really hard days, it helped me to get out the house however tough it was and just walk. Sometimes listening to music or calling people as I did it. It didn’t get rid of symptoms but was a distraction and made me engage with the world which was very easy not to do.

Yes. I get attacks of "lost the will to live".

I don't want to die, but living has got inexplicably harder and often I just can't summon the motivation.

Sometimes it's nasty until I pick myself up to give it another effort.

It doesn't help that I'm in constant pain from muscles/tendons.

I'm hanging in in the hope that it will either get better or I'll get used to it and not remember any different 🤣.

I don't mean to make light of it - it can be miserable. But - I hope you can take some consolation from solidarity.

I feel similar op, I actually started a thread on it but didn't get many replies. I'm Not even sure if it is peri or just January blues by my god, it's getting me down.

You know people say that when you get older, you don't care about what people think? Well I feel like the opposite is happening to me.

I'm 40 and irritable. I let tiny things get to me. Friends and family who I love seem wind me up by saying the wrong thing. I feel Prickly and defensive all the time. I seem to have lost my sense of humour and instead of taking a joke I stew on stuff. I read into stuff things which probably aren't there. This isn't me, I used to be self deprecating and funny if I say so myself.

Now what you mean about bleakness, but I've always been a fairly positive person so this is new.

I agree with PP about getting outside and exercise.

This!

I still get that despair feeling occasionally, but it feels more like PMT sadness (when I'm not actually due on) rather than complete and utter rock bottom. Before HRT I felt like I was becoming depressed again.

I'm overweight too, it didn't effect me being able to have HRT.

HRT is not medication- its just replacing your natural hormones. I increased (doubled) my dose last year and my MH has improved massively (anxiety & flatness). Very few people cannot take ANY of the HRT options. Have a look at the Balance Menopause website for more info.

Any tips on how to approach GP about it? I have a bit of trauma after a GP visit went very wrong and he treated me terribly

Sounds a bit daft, but I realised mine was linked to dehydration. I'd get up feeling this way every morning. Sometimes to the point I'd wake and been crying in my sleep. I'd lost a lot of fluid from sweats at night and a pint of water first thing lifted my mood no end. (I realise you might be talking about something deeper, but thought I'd share in case it's useful for anyone.)

This rings true for me . I wake very dry and thirsty every morning

Lots of resources here including printable symptom sheet and copy of NICE guidelines. Don't be robbed off with AD's.

www.balance-menopause.com/menopause-library/im-new-here/

HRT. Walks. Dogs. Other menopausal women. Gigs. Spas. Facial head msssages. Walks walks walks.

I’ve been perimenopausal for a few years now. I’m 49 and been on HRT for around 2 years.

to the previous poster who asked about how to approach the GP - most are much more clued up now. You can download the NICE guidelines. I did my own research and downloaded the balance app and basically ticked off all the symptoms I was having - contacted the GP and told him all my symptoms and that I wanted to start on HRT. He basically agreed there and then subject to having a BP check and some bloods to rule out it wasn’t anything else eg thyroid, HBA1C, FBC, liver function - they all came back as normal so I started on HRT.

im starting to struggle again, particularly with low mood, severe anxiety and brain fog and some joint pain creeping back in so I’m in the process of researching supplements to try and ease some of the symptoms. HRT helps. I am a normal BMI and exercise regularly which I know can help.

Ive been reading recently about the positive effects of sugar free diets and I definitely found that alcohol made my night sweats much worse.

definitely with you on solidarity this actually sucks 😭