Is there anybody else out there who felt pretty stable and balanced on their meds - and then menopause hit???

I swear that if it wasn't for coming here the past year I would have gone off the deep end and/or killed somebody.. I'd forgotten what "real moods" felt like - not to mention that we get all the rest of the symptoms too. I finally quit my job because I don't think I had an ounce of concentration or short term memory left!

I'm having trouble finding information on the effects of peri-menopause on women with bi-polar disorder, does anyone have first hand knowledge?
Or just some sympathy??

Hi BJ. I have sympathy for anyone going through menopause, especially if they are Bi-polar too! I haven't read about it though. Sometimes I wonder if that is part of what's wrong with me lol. I'm almost 47 and have been much more moody and anxious myself and I can't blame it all on my bipolar disorder or my other big problem. Anyway I guess I'm gonna look up menopause and bi-polar somewhere on the internet, if there is info on those two conditions together. My sister went through menopause a few yrs away, and she was so moody and sometimes angry. That reminded me of bi-polar . I had a doc who told me I shouldn't take estrogen and hormones like that,with lithium, guess I really don't know much about menopause and such. Anyway I hope you feel better soon!

Sympathy here HoosierBj!

Here (http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/9103/29809.html) is a little bit of help at least.

And this study (http://www.psychiatrist.com/abstracts/200204/ab040202.htm) seems to concur - if you are bipolar, your symptoms are more likely to worsen at perimenopause if you are not taking HRT.

But, according to this (http://www.psych.uic.edu/education/courses/m2psypath/2002/reprod/sld051.htm) (the 51st of 51 slides, a whole presentation on perimenopause) it appears specific, and not without risk.

Hope this helps, good luck.

[This message has been edited by TiredMan (edited 06-06-2003).]

Thanks! It IS hard to find perimenopause AND bipolar mentioned in the same article. I'm just such a mess compared to how I've been for the past 17-18 years.
Had to quit my job because I couldn't handle the least bit of stress (I'd worked thru highs & lows prior to this for over 20 yrs), I'm REALLY edgy, swiss cheese instead of a memory & brain cells, wish it all qualified for disability. I figure I could manage to stuff envelopes in a room by myself but that's about it!
I'll probably wait another 6 months and post again about this - I thought there might be a bigger group of experienced peri-menopausal bi-polars out there...
Thanks again!