Taken new menopause vitamins and symptoms got worse

[Proseccodreams]

Has anyone started taking menopause vitamins and found their symptoms got worse?
I’m 49 and in perimenopause suffering from terrible brain fog, lethargy sleepless nights and until recently only hot flushes at night. My current vitamins stopped working so I bought some Bettervits for menopause and within 5 days of taking them I started with hourly hot flushes throughout the day too.
I’ve stopped taking them now and gone back to my old ones but still getting hot flushes.
Has anyone experienced this or do you think it’s just a coincidence and maybe my symptoms are getting worse?

What do you mean your current vitamins stopped working??!!

vitamin/mineral supplements help if if if you have deficiencies.

they are not a cure for peri symptoms.

you have the choice of a) sit it out and live with the symptoms or b) go to a gp and get hrt

@sorrynotathome i was taking some health and her perimenopause vitamins and they seemed to be helping but then they stopped having the same effect I’m guessing because my symptoms got worse

@greenacrylicpaint I was trying to manage without going on hrt so trying different things. I just wondered if anyone else had had the same experience

Vitamins don't help menopause symptoms.

If they did, menopause specialists would say take them.

Your symptoms are not connected with taking or not taking vitamins.

They are due to your peri symptoms changing and getting worse.

Why are you trying to avoid HRT?

Just reminded me, I need to send mine back - only took them for 4 or 5 days & started spotting which is not something that I've ever experienced.

@JinglingSpringbells hrt just makes me nervous I guess because of the side effects you have to endure while they find the right one and dose for you plus you don’t know how long you’ll be on it

@Proseccodreams but the prospect of osteoporosis, because you aren’t benefiting from the protection HRT gives you, doesn’t make you nervous?

Yes it does. I’m going to make myself sound stupid here. I just thought I could combat all the negatives by doing something natural eg yoga and take vitamins!

No, you don't sound stupid. I started taking hrt at the age of 55. I should have started much earlier. My ongoing symptom is brain fog but hrt helped hugely with other symptoms.
I am on Femoton 1/10 tablets which seem to suit me well so far. It did take a couple of months for me to settle on them but to be honest I was an anxious mess beforehand and so worth going through settling process.
I have a cupboard full of going out of date, various menopause supplements. HRT only thing that seemed to work.

Holland and Barrett do different menopause symptoms tablets and their staff will give you advice

no, you are not stupid.

supplement manufacturers have a gigantic advertising budget and many naturopaths are charlatans skilled in talking you into spending lots of money for questionable treatments and remedies.

Not all women get side effects.

You're getting a skewed picture on forums as women with problems post, rather than all the women who feel fine!

How long you would be on it- that' s your choice.

Equally you don't know how long will your symptoms last without HRT. The average is 7 years, but it can be as long as 20 or forever.

There are no proven herbs or vitamins to help menopause (except maybe black cohosh for flushes and some people say sage helps) . The companies who make all these claims are lying, basically. They make £billions by trying to convince women they work. Most of the things in these menopause formulas are found in our food anyway, or could be if we ate it (like soya) but don't cost £35+ a month.

HRT is 'natural'- it's the same molecular structure as your own hormones and made from yams.

Not saying you must use HRT but just make a decision based on the facts.

Thank you so much everyone you’ve all been so so helpful. I’m going to give my doctor a call and go speak to them about hrt, you’re right. Thanks so much xx

B3 can also cause flushing if you're taking too much. And peri symptoms will intensify over time without HRT.

Having had a stroke in my early 30’s HRT is not recommended for me. I have also tried patches available from my GP with very limited success.

I find evening primrose oil tablets helpful, magnesium for mood stability and cramps and have been trialling a product called hormone harmony made in Aussie. The jury is still out on that one but I do think I bloat less. Just not the weight loss their fb suggests.

my GP recommended I look at alternative products and I’m going to find a good natural health practitioner, as I’m also sure my stomach is more sensitive than ever.

having said all that, are you a wine drinker? As I have got older I’m very aware that drinking wine causes me more menopausal issues than anything else. Sweating, sleeplessness, turning crimson , and depression. It’s worth considering and ‘experimenting’ with quantity and brand if you are…

Having had a stroke in my early 30’s HRT is not recommended for me. I have also tried patches available from my GP with very limited success.

Sorry to ask @changeme4this but are you saying that you can't have HRT but your GP gave you HRT as patches?

If you can't use HRT(it's not clear if you can or can't, and maybe the dose /type just wasn't right) then it's worth looking at the research done by medics before paying to see someone. There is data out there on herbs etc, by the Royal College of Gynaecologists. Otherwise you are wasting your money, to be honest.

Sorry for the delay. The patches are called clonidine and are not HRT patches

I find B complex vitamins unhelpful. They seem to be very stimulating and can give me insomnia (and heartburn)