Constant Tiredness - Menopause Message Board

Alabasterlyn · 05-31-2006, 04:28 AM

I'm 51 and haven't had a period for about 3 1/2yrs now, so I guess that makes me post menopausal now. I have never taken anything for the symptoms as I thought they would go away quickly, but some of them are really getting me down.

I think the hardest one for me right now is the constant tiredness. I had some bloodwork done this time last year to see if anything else was causing the tiredness but the tests all came back okay. However I can't help worrying as I feel tired beyond belief.

I also suffer very badly with anxiety and agoraphobia and have done for many years. I take anti depressants and benzos for this and I guess it's possilbe the combination of anxiety and menopause could make the tiredness worse, I just wish I knew.

I don't sleep well, haven't since the start of the menopause. I find it hard to get off to sleep then will wake up a couple of times a night with a hot flush and then wake up pretty early in the morning, about 5am. I try to take a nap in the afternoon but usually only manage about 10mins and often wake up feeling very down and depressed.

I think in the back of my mind I am worried there is something serious wrong with me that the doctor hasn't found. I don't know anyone else that is going through the menopause. All my friends and even my older sister are still having regular periods and seem to feel fine, so I can't even compare how I feel to them really.

Right now my daily schedule seems to be get up, do housework, sit down for the rest of the day. To me that is not normal and I don't want to keep on feeling like this. Living in the UK as I do it's not very easy to get tested for things but I am wondering if I should pay to go privately and see someone to see if there is some underlying disorder that has been overlooked, but I'm not sure where to start

Lyn

Hopefully · 05-31-2006, 08:04 AM

Lyn, here's a great big {{{{{{{{HUG}}}}}}}}. It sounds like you would probably have more peace of mind if you saw a doctor to rule out all your concerns. Believe me I know that peace of mind is priceless.

I have a friend who is about 54 and also several years post menopausal who uses compounded progesterone, and Vivelle hormone patch and she is doing well. She is also using an antidepressant and benzo as needed.

I am still going through perimenopause and dealing with feeling lethargic at certain times;taking vitamins, supplements, and compounded progesterone has helped.

Many of us have to deal with these hormone issues, but it's a blessing having the support of other women at boards like these and the help of a knowledgeable doctor. I pray that you will get the peace of mind that you need.

katidid95 · 05-31-2006, 11:56 AM

Lyn:
This sounds like it's been really hard for you. Being tired all the time is horrible. When you had your testing, did you have your thyroid checked? I don't have this problem, but know many women do, especially during peri and menopause. You might want to get that checked out. Also, I don't know anything about your medications, but is it possible they may also be contributing to your tiredness and inability to sleep properly. Maybe should talk to your doctor about that also.

You didn't mention diet and exercise, but it's extremely important during menopause. You might be surprised at how much it can change how you feel. Things like caffeine (I gave up completely) and high carbs (like sugar, refined flour, etc) can really zap your energy. Do you exercise at all? Even walking will benefit you. Find a friend and walk or walk by yourself if you have to. I've been jogging for years, but have cut back to 3-4 times per week and when I moved a few months ago, quit going to the gym to work out with weights. So I added walking to my routine, 5-6 days per week for at least 20-30 minutes. I think it's helped me, especially with sleeping. I find I sleep the best on the days when I've walked in the morning and then jogged in the afternoon.

Don't give up! You may have to try lots of different things, and each may help a little, but all together you may end up feeling a LOT better.

Alabasterlyn · 06-01-2006, 02:10 AM

Thank you for your replies Hopefully and Kati, it’s good to be able to discuss all this with people that understand how horrible the menopause can be.

When I had my blood work done last year they checked for thyroid, liver function, kidney function, anaemia and sugar and as I said before they came back normal.

I do try hard to eat properly and I’m not overweight or anything. I make sure I eat plenty of fruit and vegetables and I also have plenty of nuts and seeds too. I don’t have a lot of caffeine, I did actually cut it out completely for a few months but felt no different so I have started to have a couple of cups of tea a day with caffeine again. The rest of the time I drink hot water with a slice of lemon or fruit tea.

As for exercise, well I know I don’t get enough. I don’t go out walking because of my agoraphobia. I did have an exercise bike some years ago and did quite well on that for awhile until it became boring and I gave it away. I could do with something like a treadmill but my partner thinks I will soon get bored with that and just be wasting money. Also would need to find somewhere to put it as they can be quite big. I’ve got a pedometer and I was trying to do the 10,000 steps a day thing, but the most I could manage in a day was 7,000 and once again I soon got bored with that.

I guess the trouble is that when feeling down it’s very hard to get motivated and when I am feeling tired I just want to sit down.

Lyn

cfos1 · 06-01-2006, 09:51 AM

I am almost 57. I have been going through this menopause thing for about a year. In late 2004, I was having serious bleeding issues with my period. In December, I started b/c pills and remained on them until April 2005. I didn't like how they made me feel. My periods were better but still a bit heavy and had cramps. I also did't feel right mentally. After going off them, I got one last period and haven't gotten one since. I had a scant one in November...only used panty liners for a few days. Soon after stopping the b/c pills, I began feeling unusually tired and fatigued all the time. I had some problems sleeping. By fall, I began feeling really bad...like something was really wrong... I went to the doctor...had blood work done...nothing showed up. I was feeling overly anxious...he gave me an anti-anxiety med...that I took for a while. It seemed to help. Now I am feeling like I did in the fall only not quite as bad. I am going to start back on the anti-anxiety medicine. But I still don't understand this constant fatigue...Is it really a menopause issue?