ADs or HRT?

[MrsMolesworth]

I'm 51. Needed ADs on and off all my life. But in my mid forties I got a severe attack of lethargy which never left. I just slept and slept my life away and haven't really stopped since. My mind has felt fogged. I've been off and on different ADs. I've put on a stack of weight. It's massively affected how much I earn, the state of the house, my relationship with DH, because I have energy for nothing more than one or two things a day. E.g. I can do two or three hours work (self employed) and hoover and then am wiped out until following day. Or I can go shopping in the morning and to a school meeting in the evening but would need to sleep all afternoon in between to manage the two.

No GP has ever mentioned menopause or peri as the reason for this, but I'm wondering if it is the underlying cause. (Not yet had any change in cycle.) The latest ADs just don't suit me, so after one month on I came off them. Now I'm wondering if I should go back to GP and ask for HRT instead.

Anyone had experience of this or similar?

Have you been diagnosed as depressed? There has been a load of publicity recently last few months) which showed that in many cases ADs don't actually work for a lot of people. Have you had your thyroid tested? Weight gain and extreme lack of energy might be due to that.
It's not 'normal' to feel that tired during peri meno so maybe you should pop back to the drs and ask for more tests? Are you trying the usual lifestyle measures that we all need to do at this time of life- healthy eating, daily exercise, etc? I think before you reach for some more meds, you need a really thorough investigation and re-asessment of what's going on.

Hi Polly,
Yes they tested thyroid and said it came back normal. I thought it could be as both my gran and my auntie had thyroid problems.
I've always had depression, since teens, on and off, so it is quite easy for GP and me to assume that's what's wrong. Only in the last couple of years, ADs haven't helped, so maybe it's not that.

Hi MrsMolesworth, I have just been looking in to this myself, came across an interesting article here: www.telegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/11698416/HRT-instead-of-anti-depressants.html

suestew - that's an interesting article, though I despaired when I read that a side effect was fatigue. I can't bear how weak and tired I permanently feel. If only that could be shifted, and if only I could think clearly again, I'd get my life back. Generally, despite being naturally depressive (lacking enough serotonin production) I'm a very upbeat person, love life, adore my DC, happy with DH, enjoy my job and wish I had energy to work full time. Also I long to sort the house out. I'm on top of the visible, but it really does need a deep clean and sort out. I don't want much, just that.

Just a quick comment - when the doc says your thyroid reading is normal - do you know exactly what the TSH result was? If not i suggest you ask because some women experience symptpoms even within the normal range. Also decreasing testosterone can also lead to lethargy/depression although I don't fully understand whether this can have an effect while your cycles are still regular and you are also still fairly high (I presume) in oestrogen.