Menopause therapy that works - Menopause Message Board

overseas_mah · 01-03-2005, 02:21 AM

I see a lot of the same questions posted again and again. Menopause seems to be a never ending travail, once those natural hormones dribble away a host of never ending problems follow.

When I discovered menopause a year and a half ago, it crippled my life psychologically, sexually, physically. I was wrecked. I feel that I have now recovered 80% of my old me. Not all, but enough. What did I do?

I went the med route. I began taking low dose birth control pills. That helped. I have the good fortune to be living in Europe right now and I'm also taking the medication Livial (not available in North America yet, but currently being tested there). It's a steroid that works, I don't exactly know how, to bump the system into boosting the hormone balance into what it used to be. Between the two of them I'm still post-reproductive, but feeling pretty good. No anxiety, no sweats and hot flashes, not as much brain fog, better energy, increased libido.

I know the bad news industry has women terrified about medicating menopause. Don't let all the hue and cry keep you from finding treatment that works. Don't be terrified of hormone replacement or other medications that can help. I made a choice: I'd rather take the risks and feel good than be miserable and 'natural'. It has worked for me. Sure, I'd rather be 25 or 35 again, but that's sure not gonna happen, so I'll take what I can find that improves my life as it is now.

All of you nay-sayers can waggle your fingers and tell me how I'm going to have a heart attack or grow tumors, or that horse mare urine isn't human and doesn't belong in my body---but I say phooey. We're all going to die some day and I'm living now and feeling pretty good. I say the meds are doing exactly what they are supposed to do, and I consider the treatment a success.

I'm 51 and a half and have been on this therapy for nearly 2 years. I plan to take the stuff for the rest of my life. I'd never even consider going back to the hell of 'natural' menopause. Never.

joyka · 01-03-2005, 08:37 AM

I agree with you wholeheartedly. 100 years ago, more than half of us would be dead at age 50. Living past 50 is what isn't natural. Therefore, I am taking whatever I need to feel as good as possible.

noinwi · 01-03-2005, 08:54 AM

If I could find something that works for me, I'd stick with it,too. I've had symptoms for 7 years now(I'm 53), and I'm still trying to find a treatment, natural or otherwise, that will work with a minimum of side effects. I refuse to give up. My night sweats are worse than ever and I'm losing so much sleep. I just started back on estrace(out of desperation) although I know I'll have to put up with sore breasts. But I also just changed doctors and I'm hoping to try a vaginal cream containing estriol("the forgotten estrogen") after reading about it. It sounds promising. I wish you continued luck with your treatment!

overseas_mah · 01-03-2005, 10:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joyka

I agree with you wholeheartedly. 100 years ago, more than half of us would be dead at age 50. Living past 50 is what isn't natural. Therefore, I am taking whatever I need to feel as good as possible.

Yeah baby, isn't that the truth. What was 'natural' for women of 50 for most of history was--death. At the turn of the 20th century the average life span for an average American was about 45. You stayed alive just long enough to see your children grown *if* you were lucky. And 35 or 45 years of life have been the human norm for millenia. Until now.

So now that we're living twice the historic normal human life span we've run into a whole new set of problems. There are maybe only one or two generations of women who came before us and lived to their 70's or 80's in any great numbers. It's no wonder that menopause relief is so primitive.

But I am not primative. I intend to take full advantage of any kind of treatment available, natural or otherwise. Heads up ladies, don't let the media with it's bent toward "the only news is bad news" contol your decision making. It's your life. Do you want to suffer in 'natural' martyrdom or go out and do something about it? Some of these meds DO WORK! But the papers and CNN need headlines every day so it's the bad news that makes the cover stories.

Ask your doctors about Livial. Sure, it has risks. So does aspirin. And vitamin B and too many root beer floats. Stop letting yourselves be scared to death. Make noise in the medical industry. Science can be our ally.

Hopefully · 01-03-2005, 01:43 PM

Overseas your post made me smile. Like so many women I tried to go through perimenopause the "natural" way, but after 2 years of "natural" along with daily panic attacks, anxiety, mild depression, wretched mood swings, etc...I opt for a better quality of life. I'm now taking a low dose bcp and Wellbutrin. I'm still experiencing peri symptoms while on the bcp so now I'm wondering what tweaking needs to be done. My doctor is checking to see if I'm receiving enough estrogen from the bcp. I know that I need something else, but what...?

Do you thing the Livial or the bcp made a greater difference in how you feel?