LisaH1960

Hi Becky,

I don’t know what your symptoms are, but have you considered trying any OTC products? While it’s true that they don’t help everyone (what does?), many of us have found relief by using things like soy isoflavones, black cohosh, red clover evening primrose, etc, and as you have a couple of months before your appointment, it might be worth a shot.

I started having severe hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings and terrible anxiety/depression last summer. I was prescribed HRT (Premarin), and while I was happy to see that it really helped with the flashes and sweats, I still suffered from the emotional symptoms. Then I started having bad physical side-effects from the HRT and had to quit. Not surprisingly, the hot flashes and night sweats were soon back, and worse than ever.

I started taking an herbal product called Wisdom Menopause Formula in January, and for me, it has been a lifesaver. It worked on the flashes and sweats as well or better than the HRT had, and unlike the Premarin, my emotional issues have really balanced out as well. Another odd thing that I’ve noticed more recently is that my stomach is feeling better than it has in years. I have suffered horribly with acid reflux since I was a teenager, and over the years have taken many different prescription and OTC products to try to deal with this, including Aciphex, Pepcid, Prevacid – you name it – and always accompanied by liberal doses of Tums.

My latest regimen was to take double-doses of rantidine (generic Zantac) because it was cheap, and for me it worked as well as the expensive rx meds. About a month ago, I started forgetting to take my pills, which was weird, because the pain and discomfort was normally impossible to ignore, especially at night. Anyway, I decided to quit for a few days to see what would happen, and I haven’t had to take a pill in over three weeks now, and I rarely even think about my stomach.

For me, this is miraculous. I can’t say for certain that it is the Wisdom Menopause Formula that did the trick, but aside from starting and then quitting the HRT, I can’t think of any other changes that could be responsible. I still take an occasional Tum, but nothing like I had been.

Anyway, to get back to the point, the OTC products do work well for some of us, and as you’ve got some time before your appointment, you may find that it’s worth your while consider that option.

Lisa