Sigh...sertraline. Dr wants me to try it

[Badders08]

Soooo
Peri since I was 40
I'm 45 now
I'm now on Hrt patches - I can't take oral hormones (hemi plegic migraines so therefore a high stroke risk)
Patches have helped - no longer waking wet through and pre period week no longer as bad
BUT
I'm still having some symptoms that aren't going away...
Horrendous itching
Nausea - getting worse
Still having horrible moods and anxiety pre period week
Dr has suggested 50mg of sertraline
I'm a bit cheesed of tbh
I feel like ive tried EVERYTHING in the past 5 years...
Mirena
Pop pill
Cerazette
Depo injection
^ all horrendous
But equally i dont think Ads are the answer??
Dr says they are well known to help itching
Any thoughts??

If your mood swings and symptoms have only started with peri, the NICE advice is treat with HRT which means getting the type and dose right.

What are you using now?

It sounds as if you are still lacking estrogen and that whichever progestogen you're on is making your PMS worse (because you will still be producing your own if you're having periods.)

Have you tried an estrogen only patch OR estrogen gel (you can easily adjust the dose of gel until you get improvement) and Utrogestan- micronised progesterone? If not you should as it might help.

Apparently i cant have estrogen only as i still have a womb?
Also the one month I did try it I haemorraged :(
I mentioned the gel to the dr and she said I can't have it as there isn't a progesterone - which I still need?
God I'm baffled by it all

Have you tried an estrogen only patch OR estrogen gel (you can easily adjust the dose of gel until you get improvement) and Utrogestan- micronised progesterone?

Of course there is a progesterone- you take it as a separate item, 12 days each month . Lots of women use this type.

Or there is Provera, or Norethisterone.

Hmmm
I need to do some research obv

[Disclaimer, I suffer with horrendous itching but had not previously connected it with peri/meno, and am not medically qualified] Is the itching helped by a daily antihistamine? A lot of people are helped by a combo of zantac and Zyrtec (cetirazine and ranitadine) although mostly doctors and pharmacists are not familiar with the ranitadine being used for this (it helps because it operates as a blocker on the h2 or h3 receptors or something like that) - however both are easily available over the counter and it seems suitable for regular use if no contra indications.

This is a thread on MM all about this.

www.menopausematters.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,23372.0.html
The comments by a poster Hurdity are good- she knows her stuff.

Thank you