Supplements - any recommendations?

[RM2013]

I’m 49 and believe have been peri for a few years now. I’ve been on HRT/progesterone for a couple of years.
recently I’ve noticed that the brain fog and anxiety seems to be getting worse and I’ve had some joint pain (this had largely stopped when I started HRT)
I exercise a lot so need not to be in pain!!

can anyone recommend what supplements have helped?

my main issues are
hot flashes (mostly at night)
anxiety and severe brain fog
low mood
low libido
some joint pain
fatigue (particularly first thing in the morning)

im on estrogel and progesterone tablets - was on everol conti/50 patches but had an allergic reaction so had to switch to gel

Firstly, go to a private peri-menopause/menopause clinic if you are able to. I can't possibly recommend it enough.

Secondly, magnesium glycinate. Absolutely critical.

Black cohosh (magnesium supplement) worked wonders for me. It stopped hot flushes, itchy skin, panicky feelings and rage.

Everyone seems to recommend magnesium glycinate (I've found regular magnesium from Boots helpful but it does erm... have unwanted side effects) but absolutely nowhere sells it except online and in huge doses or/and you can't tell how legit it is.

Please can I ask where you got magnesium glycinate from ? I tried magnesium sulphate I think but it gave me diarrhoea

A good start is magnesium, vitamin d and a multivitamin or berocca as well as omega 3 if you aren't eating two oily fish per week.

Look at adding testosterone for your low libido.
Fatigue - vit B complex.
Joint pain - a good quality omega 3.
Brain fog - magnesium L-threonate.
Also add in D3 with K2.

How many pumps are you on?

Magnesium sulphate will affect your bowel, it’s used in constipation. Look for glycinate instead.

2 pumps a day currently maybe I should increase dosage?

thanks all for the suggestions it seems magnesium, B12, omega 3 and vitamin D seem to be mentioned often. I’m just confused after researching whether I should be trying to find a multivitamin type supplement that has several ingredients in or whether getting quality ones individually is the way forward

A friend recommended menopause clinic but money Is quite tight currently so not sure if I can justify it (although I have no idea how much it would cost)

one of the ladies I work with had recently been prescribed testosterone and really says it’s helped her

If you a re on HRT the first step is to try a different dose or type because you shouldn't need supplements to do what HRT is supposed to do.

Gel is licensed for up to 4 pumps a day.

You should try increasing to 3 for a couple of months and see how that helps.

If it's still not enough you can try 4.

I’d try 3 pumps. If you want to use supplements, I’d go individual rather than one does everything.

Creatine mono hydrate might be good for you especially as you exercise a lot. It can also have cognitive benefits.

There are reams and reams of published papers on its effectiveness, it is the most researched supplement available and it is super cheap. It’s a fine powder and I just dry-scoop it.

@PortiaWithNoBreaks that’s a good suggestion thank you I don’t currently use any protein shakes or creatine but I do think this would help with the exercise I do

@RM2013 I’ve been using it daily for about 3 years and it definitely helps with endurance, power and strength (weight lifting). I didn’t do a loading phase, just started with one scoop everyday. I think it takes about 3 weeks to saturate the muscles. I just buy the cheapest on Amazon, usually Warrior.

Something else you may want to look into/research is Inositol to see if it might benefit you. Again there’s quite a lot of research and it’s used a lot in women with PCOS.

I use it to help with deep sleep together with magnesium glycinate and glycine. I get it all from Amazon.

I believe Lions Mane is good for the brain

@RM2013 If you saw a specialist the first thing they would suggest is increasing your gel.

There is no point messing around the with supplements and spending money for the symptoms you have.

They are all peri symptoms and should respond to more estrogen. HRT often needs increasing the further you get into peri, as your own levels are falling.