Anxiety, brain fog, zero libido 10 years after menopause

Have you explored the possibility of hormone replacement with your physician?

Sei-don't walk, run to your doctor. Tell them how bad it is. As I was talking to my doctor, I could tell he wasn't talking me too seriously so I told him if I didn't get some help I would have to take early retirement and told him the specifics about the anxiety attack.

I did this about one month ago and am starting to feel a little better. The best thing that has helped me not feel insane is talking to other women my age and just asking them about it. I had a hair appointment the day after my husband had to come pick me up from my office, literally off the floor bc I had such a bad anxiety attack. My hairdresser said, "oh yes, I was thinking of driving my car into a bridge before I went and got help". Just talking to her and sharing our experience helped so much. Keep talking about it until you get the medical intervention you need.

@mrsmrb602018, Hi, it’s been quite a while since I went through menopause but even at my age (76), it can still get a bit rough sometimes. Most of what is making you feel so bad are your harmones, they simply changing along with your body and also your mind, it’s a normal process that all women eventually will experience. We have a natural clock inside figuratively speaking and when we approach an age where having periods monthly starts to skip and you notice that they don’t come every month, eventually they get less and less until one day they disappear, this part is the best thing we have to look forward to. We are also losing harmones that control our body rhythm and this process can and does affect our minds, anxiety, depression, lack of interest in sex are common symptoms of menopause, however some women have very strong symptoms and this can cause problems with enjoying your life. Thankfully we live in a modern world where we have help available to cope with these symptoms, it would be very helpful if you make a appointment with your doctor or gynaecologist to discuss what is going on with you. The harmone replacement therapy will help do wonders for you and make you feel more comfortable with the changes, don’t worry, you’re just going through a new phase of your life with lots of benefits you’ll eventually experience, best wishes.

@nicholebooker Hi, after you spoke with your doctor, what help did you finally receive? Are you on Menopause Hormone Therapy?

@mrsmrb602018 Hi, yes, I can definitely relate to your symptoms. I’m 58 years old, and about two years ago I started experiencing heightened anxiety, mood swings, racing thoughts, brain fog, and I had no patience. I stopped having menstrual cycles in 2019, and I wasn’t sure what was happening, so my doctor recommended switching me to Venlafaxine (Effexor). She explained that it is sometimes prescribed off label to help with menopause symptoms.

I was on Venlafaxine for 19 months and recently came off of it. I also tried hormone replacement therapy (an estradiol patch twice a week and a progesterone pill at night) for eight months, but I continued to have heightened anxiety and sadness, so I stopped taking it.

Now that I’m no longer taking Venlafaxine, my OB-GYN has recommended that I try hormone replacement therapy again at a higher estrogen dose to see if it helps. Since it’s only been five weeks since I stopped taking Venlafaxine, I’m still experiencing withdrawal symptoms, so she recommended waiting until I’m feeling better before restarting it.

It’s been a rough two years for me. I hope you start feeling better soon and get the answers you’re looking for 🤗

@wynnaa He immediately put me on the combi patch which is estrogen and progesterone. He also gave me Klonopin quick release for the anxiety attacks which has worked great! Keep in mind the HRT tends to take a long time to work but I am starting to feel better. I don't know if it is just because I have some hope that things will get better or the medications are actually working. But I am starting to sleep better. I just listened to Dr. Mary Claire Haver's "unPaused" pod cast, episode "Menopause Masterclass: My menopause toolkit" from June 16th and it is a great overview of all the options out there.