Mental Health Trigger Warning
Hi, I wanted to share my story in the hope it helps someone else who is struggling to get the right diagnosis.
I’m 43, with two teenage boys and a beautiful, caring, loving husband. I’ve been on Femoston 1/10 for four months and recently moved up to 2/10. The change has been incredible. My libido has returned, orgasms are better than ever, my skin is hydrated and clear, my hair has stopped falling out, and I feel calm. My anxiety has reduced, the depression has lifted, and I’m sleeping 8–9 hours a night. Morning and night sweats have eased. The extreme morning anxiety, dread, and panic attacks are gone. I finally feel content and genuinely happy again.
A year ago, I crashed. I experienced major clinical depression and anxiety. I was hospitalised, prescribed Valium just to get through the days, and had to take leave from work. I was suicidal.
I was misdiagnosed with bipolar II by three psychiatrists. I already had an ADHD diagnosis but couldn't tolerate stimulant medication due to poor liver enzyme metabolism. I was prescribed five different antidepressants—none of which worked—until Lexapro finally took the edge off. There were discussions about starting antipsychotics and epilepsy medication, but I refused. Deep down, I knew I wasn’t bipolar.
Eventually, I was well enough to leave the house and found a women’s menopause specialist after hearing a podcast about perimenopause. The waitlist was four months. She prescribed Femoston 1/10, and within 3–4 days my symptoms started improving. After three months, I began tapering off my antidepressant and returned to work, functioning again. I still had some morning dread and anxiety, so she increased my dose to Femoston 2/10—and now even those symptoms have disappeared.
I can’t explain how grateful I am. I genuinely believed I wasn’t going to make it. I thought I’d end up permanently hospitalised, or worse, because I just couldn’t cope anymore.
If you’re struggling, please know that perimenopause and hormone imbalance can mimic serious mental illness. Don’t stop advocating for yourself. Keep looking until someone listens.