Gingko Biloba and brain fog

[Habibtihayatiii]

I'm peri menopausal with brain fog, memory and lack of sleep the most impactful symptoms for me.

I've been prescribed sertraline this week by my GP but my gut feeling is that while I am slightly more anxious these days, it's not unmanageable and I'm not keen on taking something that seems like it would only alleviate a minor symptom for me but could have significant potential side effects.

I've been reading up and Gingko Biloba seems to come up a lot as a natural support for memory problems, brain fog and other general menopause symptoms. Has any tried this route and noticed a difference?

I haven't looked into gingko, but are you not able/willing to try HRT? I'd try that before an SSRI, and NICE guidance is to do exactly that: GPs should not be going straight to SSRIs for menopausal symptoms. @Habibtihayatiii

I found this in Holland and Barrett and I'm giving it a go
The reviews seem positive

mushroomsandco.com/products/grass-co-focus-lions-mane-mushrooms-with-ginseng-omega-3-60-vegan-capsules

Very happy to try HRT @GardeningIdiot but the GP has said I'm too young to start (at 44 it's the first time in a long time I've been considered too young for anything!!!).

Thanks @BeverlyBrook, that looks interesting. I might order some and see how I get on with it.

The latest Zoe podcast is all on menopause supplements and the evidence if they have any effect, spoiler alert they generally don't do anything aside from make money for the manufacturers.

Link to the podcast here or a google to Zoe podcasts will take you there too

Age has nothing to do with it. There are many women on this forum who have used HRT younger than you .

Your GP is incorrect and they are not following NICE guidance (which is to prescribe HRT before ADs.) HRT is prescribed on the basis of symptoms, not age.

Obviously if you don't want HRT that's your choice, but your GP is incorrect.

If you started a thread saying 'My GP won't prescribe HRT for me at 44' you'd get replies from women who are on it!

Thanks @FYDM, I just listened to the Zoe podcast - really interesting!

@JinglingSpringbells, that's interesting. I don't know as much about this as I should and just took the GP at their word but I feel very resistant to taking anxiety meds with such side effects when I don't feel overly anxious.

That’s appalling, OP. As Jingling says, your GP is wrong. When are GPs going to get HRT and SSRIs right??! I’ve been on SSRIs for years as I can’t get off them due to withdrawal. They should not be started lightly (as is your instinct).

Here are the NICE guidelines on menopause: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng23/ifp/chapter/About-this-information

This is one relevant line from the info posted by @GardeningIdiot

^Low mood is a common symptom of menopause – it is different from depression (see other NICE guidance for NICE's advice about depression).
If you're feeling low as a result of menopause you may be offered HRT. Another possible treatment is CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) and you may be offered this if you have low mood or anxiety as a result of menopause.^

It has not been shown that antidepressant drugs called SSRIs and SNRIs can help with low mood during menopause if you haven't been diagnosed with depression.

[[https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng23/chapter/Recommendations#managing-short-term-menopausal-symptoms

2015 (8 years ago- GPs have had plenty of time to learn this.)

Psychological symptoms
1.4.5
Consider HRT to alleviate low mood that arises as a result of the menopause.

1.4.6
Consider CBT to alleviate low mood or anxiety that arise as a result of the menopause.

1.4.7
Ensure that menopausal women and healthcare professionals involved in their care understand that there is no clear evidence for SSRIs or SNRIs to ease low mood in menopausal women who have not been diagnosed with depression (see the NICE guideline on depression in adults).

Menopause matters is also useful, but not the easiest to find your way around (ignore the shitty ads)
www.menopausematters.co.uk/balance.php

The thing I'm struggling to get my head round is that I'm not struggling with low mood/anxiety on a regular basis. I have a stressful job so can feel overwhelmed occasionally but but it seems reasonable to me that I would feel overwhelmed if I haven't had more than 4-5 hours sleep a night for months! And it's all compounded by ever increasing brain fog and memory loss.

My consultant emphasises that poor sleep has bad health outcomes for anyone, (this is well known anyway- not just for women) so using HRT to help sleep is a valid one. It's one of the main reasons I've used it for almost 15 years as well as flushes.

Thanks very much for the replies and resources shared - really useful and lots for me to look at. Really appreciate it.

I’m 44 and started HRT patches a few months ago, symptoms have gone