Has anyone been prescribed ADs for meno symptoms???

[speedytortoise]

So, I'm 55, previous breast cancer (non hormonal) and have been on HRT (Livial/tibolone) for a fair few years..... 9 ish? Recently had lower than usual moods, anxiety, some 'warm' flushes. Previous to BC diagnosis I was very active, no problem with moods etc.

Recently saw my GP who wants me to stop HRT, and having had a blood test, went back, and test were clear and GP has now prescribed Citalopram. She said it would help with any flushes, and my moods, and after a month I should then stop the Livial.

I've checked the leaflet, and discussions on here, and to be honest hot flushes seem to be listed as a possible side effect!!

So my question is, has anyone else take ADs for meno symptoms, and what was the outcome??

Hi i take seroxat, given for health anxiety helped but still needed hrt for my flushes xx

I was prescribed sertralin for my hot flushes.

I’ve been struggling with anxiety past 4/5 weeks thought it was side effect of hrt so stopped. Still anxious so dr prescribed citalopram 4 weeks ago as it also helps with menopause symptoms. I don’t feel any better, still anxious, so dr gave me beta blockers too a week ago. Nothing’s helping and struggling to put positive face on every day. Thinking abt persevering with hrt again as anxious can be menopause.

I think if you are anxious Dottie65 it's better to keep on with the HRT but also accept most people feel anxious about stuff all the time, learn to cope using other stuff like CBT, meditation, mindfulness.....pills aren't the answer unless it's so bad you can't get out the house.

Thank you queenofthenights for the advice, it’s really good to finally find a place to share things. I’m on with CBT and will just try and relax and know I’m not alone. I’ve never felt anxious like this before.

My first GP tried to suggest me ADs instead of hrt but I denied cause my depression was hormonal and not due to psychological reasons.

Thanks for the replies everyone, it's a bit more reassuring to hear this is something that can be offered. It's hard to tell in my case when I changed from a confident outgoing person to an anxious unhappy one, chemo and meno happened in the same time frame.
I'm going to give the ADs a try and see how they go. If anyone is interested I can report back in, the GP said it could take a month or so for everything to settle down, as there may be some initial side-effects.

I’d be really interested in how you get on and hope it works for you x

Hi
Has anyone been given sertraline 50mg a/d for menopause symptoms for 10 months.

My hot flush hasnt stopped , but my body is aching all over from head to toe. Taking co.codomal to try and help but doing nothing.
Feel like my old self is disapearing rapidly.
Cant take HRT as very high risk of hereditiy cancers.
Any suggestions

Much appreciate.

Dottie65 I will report back on this thread in a few weeks then. :)

Bluviolet, sorry to hear things are a bit rough, if that isn't working have you been back to the GP for other suggestions? I do know co-codomol is addictive, please be careful! It's the only thing that works for me if I have a threatening migraine, I can sometimes stave them off, but I try not to take them more than once a week.... is the aching due to the medication or meno symptoms? Does ibuprofen help? That is usually good for aching pains? But better to get to the root I'd guess. But basically if you've been given medication that isn't having any effect on the problem and is causing other issues I'd be going back to the GP with the view to stopping. Hope you can get some more help from them.

Following and hoping things improve for everyone. I have periods of anxiety but mine are definitely improved by not drinking alcohol and really working on getting enough sleep (not easy with night peeing and night sweats!) op, be kind to yourself you've been through a lot and not surprising you are anxious.

Twistella I started developing a reaction to alcohol around the same time as chemo/meno, turns out it was triggering migraines, which have been around much the same length of time. :( So I've been alcohol-free for about 5 years now.

Me. Gp told me last week that as I'm only having hot flushes, as an alternative to get I could try this other 'really mild' drug called venlafaxine to help me thermoregulate.
Aka Effexor, aka Elaxine.

I merrily popped to pharmacy and picked some up and took one.

Only then did I take to dr google to find out what this drug was. OMFG. Scared the shit out of me. It's an SSRI. With some serious side effects and withdrawals if you forget to take them (which I will totally do).

Then I had 24 hours of hell side effects. Mental and physical. No way am I taking a second one. I'm still discombobulated 3 days later. Apart from anything else the stomach pains are really bad and I do fasting so I can't take anything that needs to be taken with food.

Honestly fair fucking dues to anyone who is so depressed/anxious that taking these is better than their current condition.
I appreciate that they are supposed to get better after a couple of weeks but all I could think was how strong they were. And I was on the smallest dose.

Anyway I'm having a crack at the red clover isoflavones now. And if they don't work I'll try the soy versions. Then I'll do the hrt.
It's just coming into spring here so if I'm like this in winter time, I want to be ready when summer nights if 30 plus degrees hit.

If none of that works, I'm moving to Scotland.

LOL Eponymous!! Hope the effects sort themselves quickly, sorry but that did make me laugh! (The description, not the problem!) My GP said Red Clover was the only thing that had a proven effect in proper clinical trials. Hope that works because Scotland is just not cold enough and maybe Iceland is a bit too far to move?

I must confess I still have my Citalopram sat here, not had the guts to start. I keep thinking I have a busy week coming up and can't afford to be off colour.... must try is soon though as now down to only 7 weeks HRT left......

I live in Australia speedy so everywhere cold is a long way :-)

I’m taking one pump eostrogel and utrogestan 200mg daily for 14 days every 3 months. No period since Feb ( I’m 50).
Symptoms were debilitating joint pain in every joint in my body , after two years I self diagnosed and demanded hrt.
Take prog 3 monthly as I’m slightly intolerant , it gives me aura migraines and feels like living in glue. Nothing seems to give me s withdrawal bleed - interested in hearing from others similar

Bluviolet - when you say you ache all over .... I couldn’t get out if the car after journeys, or walk in the morning , or hi up and down stairs ... I thought my life was over , I was old.. since taking the oestrogen daily within two weeks I was feeling better and have lost 4 1/2 stone of the 8 1/3 I put in being unecessarily disables with arthritis which wasnt arthritis.
Women need to know that this false arthritis is a lie eistrigen symptom and no one else should be left to suffer like I was. It wasn’t aches and pains, it was totally debilitating

Nothing seems to give me s withdrawal bleed - interested in hearing from others similar

It's prob because you are only using 1 pump of gel- a very low dose. I use 2 pumps and use Utrogestan every 6-8 weeks and get a fairly heavy bleed each time.

Is there a reason why you are on only 1 pump when the starting dose is two?

Yes - I had ER +ve breast cancer at 37 and had ovaries removed as I have the BRCA gene. I've been on Citalopram for a couple of years now and it's been very effective for the flushes.
I know I need to combine it with more exercise and a better diet - as @QueenoftheNights will tell you, early menopause is a huge risk factor for osteoporosis, but Citalopram does help as part of a package.

Thanks. Queen of the night

I thought it was one pump as the prescription didn’t give details and neither did gp. One pump was relieved all symptoms . Previously I have gone 12 days in prog 200mg but this time I’m trying 14 days as I’d rathwr have a small bleed to get rid of lining.
3 month is nhs protocol on their website. I was only told monthly or three monthly . The prog makes me dee so awful I’d rather six monthly !

Weebarra - that's really interesting, thanks!! It makes me feel much better about trying the Citalopram. I had a bone density scan about 9 years ago which showed I had some areas of concern, but then went on HRT quite soon after. I'm off for another one tomorrow so will hope that comes back ok. I totally get the 'more exercise, better diet' thing..... I put so much weight on from pre-BC. And so unfit. Started running last year with a C25k group and found that really helpful and so supportive. My mission this winter is to get fit!

I thought it was one pump as the prescription didn’t give details and neither did gp. One pump was relieved all symptoms . Previously I have gone 12 days in prog 200mg but this time I’m trying 14 days as I’d rathwr have a small bleed to get rid of lining.

I thought the leaflet inside said 2 pumps was the starting dose and you could go up to 4?

Taking MORE Utrogestan won't give you a bleed- quite the opposite! Progesterone opposes estrogen. It stop the lining building up ( women who don't want a bleed at all use 100mgs every single day.)

The likely reason is your lining is not building as the 1 pump is giving you only 0.75mgs estrogen. The lowest dose in a pill form is 1mg.

My script for a bleed type regime is only 10 days of Utrogestan. You don't need 14 days on 1 pump.

I've never ever seen a 3-month regime on the NHS website unless it's using Tridestra which is a pill form and a 3-monthly cycle. I don't think you will find they are referring to gel plus Utrogestan. Link to it for me?

I am on HRT (have been for over 12 months) which has helped somewhat with the meno symptoms but I was still struggling with my moods, anxiety, not sleeping, getting upset etc etc, the doc asked me to try Citalopram 20mg (I think) about 2 months ago & also at the same time I started also using a vaginal oestrogen cream, the difference really has been amazing, the first few weeks I didn't notice anything but since then I feel so much more level & normal, I am still not sleeping properly but am coping with it better & now feel able to rejoin my slimming club and actually attempt to start losing some weight, I have also gone back to the gym & started doing classes - I just feel more 'me' now and I haven't felt like this for a long time

Oh and I can't take citalopram in the day as recommended I can only take it at night - the worst side effect I have had is from jaw clenching so I suffered headaches for the first month or so

I’ve tried 10 12 and now 14, I thought the bleed was triggered by the sudden drop in progesterone when you stop taking it - like natural hormones , period is triggered by progesterone drip and the end of each cycle.
Just following gps orders. Impossible to get to memo clinic or consultant in my area, it’s cheaper to let you get cancer.