Should I be through this at 54? How long does it go on? - Menopause Message Board

pud · 05-19-2008, 10:23 AM

Hello again ladies,

This is probably for the "older" ones amongst us. I just wonder if I should still be getting the menopause symptoms at 54.
I guess I had a late menopause, started with hot flushes round about the age of 52, then my periods began tailing off. It was when they stopped completely, coming up to 53, that I found my real troubles started! I felt a definite drop in mood, depressed all the time, also began suffering from insomnia (not like me!), and then all the other symptoms, anxiety, panic attacks, weird feelings, forgetfulness, etc, etc, etc, etc happened. The anti-depressants I had for years and which kept me well just stopped working.
What followed has been the most frustrating time of my life! I tried hrt, and it did actually work, then I was told that they should not be prescribed after the age of 53 as the risks from them increase dramatically at that time (just my luck to start a late meno!!), so that was the end of them! I came off my usual anti-depressants and tried 3 other newer ones, all of which increased my anxiety so much at first that I had to give up after a couple of weeks. I may try these again though and try to bear with it - doc said if I can ride it out for a few weeks, then I should feel the benefit.
For now, I'm back on my old anti-depressants and also a cross between a tranx and and a/d, which has helped somewhat, but I'm not keen on taking these long term. Will discuss with my psyc when I next see her. A lot of my symptoms have subsided, but I'm just left with an overall general feeling of unease - what I call a "twittering" in my gut, which is really annoying. It can increase when I'm really anxious about something, but I try to ride it through.
Anyway, wondering if any other ladies are a similar age and experiencing similar things. Also like to hear from those who have come through it, and at what age.
Interestingly, when I started with all this horrible stuff, I said to a colleague, who was 63 at the time how I was feeling. Without batting an eyelid she said "well it's your time of life isn't it?" So it would seem it's common knowledge what havoc the old meno can cause!!
Look forward to hearing from you.
Pud
xxx

ebrena · 05-19-2008, 02:01 PM

Hi pud, I'm not sure what it is your explaining. But it sounds more like generalized anxiety than menopause. Who said you can't take "lose dose" HRT after 53? Maybe 63. I am 53 and take "low dose HRT" it it has helped me immensly. I don't think you are late in years for starting menopause, what you have for years prior to the build up is peri-menopause. I never went into menopause till 51 and most people I know-the same. I worked with a woman who was 63 years old and was taking HRT for menopause and then began having break-through bleeding so she had tests done-the Dr took her off the HRT because she was not yet menopausal!!! She is what I would call a late bloomer. There is no time frame on any of it. Basically they say to look towards your mother and other female family members to see when they began and yes it can go on for years and some lucky duckies breeze through it. So try to calm down and ride the ride and don't compare yourself to what others are going through. Perhaps now is not a good time to go through changes in your other meds, if they worked before maybe you just need to change the dose. Some Drs will recommend you change to this or that newer one but they don't know how you will react. As for anxiety it may be more pronounced because you are reading too much into a natural life process. I have anxiety disorder and I am bi-polar but I have had these since my early 30's, I think maybe perhaps my anxiety is up a bit more because things like forgetfullness and confusion are driving me buggy, this is the part I am having difficulties with. Sometimes my head feels so full of thoughts and non-thoughts I feel like I am going to lose it. Other peoples stress rubs off onto me too which I need to let go of. I have trouble dealing if someone is flying questions at me and want on the spot answers, I just feel like saying-STOP and go away! I feel like I am on "overload" I call it meno-brain, but I am sure not every one gets it. Good luck to you and if you don't smoke and the HRT worked I would go back on it, but that is me.

ebrena · 05-19-2008, 02:28 PM

pud, an example of my "meno-brain" on HRT. I went shopping at the drugstore the other day and took my stuff out of the basket and paid for it. I got to my car and here I was holding my bag in one hand and the stores basket in the other, As I looked at these I realized I still had my house slippers on!

pud · 05-19-2008, 02:38 PM

Hi Ebrena,

Thanks for your helpful reply. I think the problem is if you START hrt after 53 Perhaps you started it before that age?, in which case I think it is okay to carry on with it. However, I think I may go and discuss it with my doctor again.

I am prone to depression and anxiety, but it was always under control with anti-depressants until I hit the menopause, and I just don't seem to have been right since then. It is sort of like the symptoms I had before, yet different somehow. That's when I became aware this was not the same as what I had experienced before. From other posts on this board it would seem anxiety is one of the major symptoms women suffer during meno, so if you were prone to it before, then I suppose it's worse at this time. I've had tests and I am definitely menopausal.

I will let you know how I get on. I may go back to the doctor again as I'm not due to see the psyc until beginning of July, which is quite a time to wait when not feeling good.

Keep healing.

Much love
Pud
xxx

Quote:

Originally Posted by ebrena

Hi pud, I'm not sure what it is your explaining. But it sounds more like generalized anxiety than menopause. Who said you can't take "lose dose" HRT after 53? Maybe 63. I am 53 and take "low dose HRT" it it has helped me immensly. I don't think you are late in years for starting menopause, what you have for years prior to the build up is peri-menopause. I never went into menopause till 51 and most people I know-the same. I worked with a woman who was 63 years old and was taking HRT for menopause and then began having break-through bleeding so she had tests done-the Dr took her off the HRT because she was not yet menopausal!!! She is what I would call a late bloomer. There is no time frame on any of it. Basically they say to look towards your mother and other female family members to see when they began and yes it can go on for years and some lucky duckies breeze through it. So try to calm down and ride the ride and don't compare yourself to what others are going through. Perhaps now is not a good time to go through changes in your other meds, if they worked before maybe you just need to change the dose. Some Drs will recommend you change to this or that newer one but they don't know how you will react. As for anxiety it may be more pronounced because you are reading too much into a natural life process. I have anxiety disorder and I am bi-polar but I have had these since my early 30's, I think maybe perhaps my anxiety is up a bit more because things like forgetfullness and confusion are driving me buggy, this is the part I am having difficulties with. Sometimes my head feels so full of thoughts and non-thoughts I feel like I am going to lose it. Other peoples stress rubs off onto me too which I need to let go of. I have trouble dealing if someone is flying questions at me and want on the spot answers, I just feel like saying-STOP and go away! I feel like I am on "overload" I call it meno-brain, but I am sure not every one gets it. Good luck to you and if you don't smoke and the HRT worked I would go back on it, but that is me.

ebrena · 05-19-2008, 10:05 PM

Good luck pud and hope you feel better soon. I do admit my anxiety disorder increased with menopause and sometimes I felt like I was vibrating internally-awful feeling. I am not a person to relax much, I could be sitting starring into space but I am thinking over time while doing this. Stressful situations do me in-I used to be able to handle it but now I feel like I could explode either flip out on someone or break down and cry, I become confused easily and my husband has no idea how my head feels when I get like that and if he is asking me snap to questions I am floored. I just look at him and have to leave the room. I hope it is not forever.