Supposedly researches are showing that the serotonin levels in the brain do get lower when women hit menopause, and by taking some serotonin noradrenergic reuptake inhibitors those levels are increased and thus less hot flashes and better moods all together! Read this – it’s interesting.
Since my surgery, menopause hit me full blast. The hot flashes were too much. It wasn’t like my mother, only at night, or some friends, only when drinking alcohol. It was bad. I went to see my family doctor and he suggested taking Effexor. Since I had been off anti-depressant for almost a year, I wasn’t too keen to start again, even if it was another kind. So many people were telling me to take hormones, but I couldn’t because of my severe endometriosis (the hormones are what feed that sucker!)… So, I started taking the prescribed pill. I saw a change within a few days – I was flashing a lot less! My mood was better as well. Then, about three weeks ago, I saw the surgeon for my post-op (4 months after surgery). He suggested that I start taking some hormones (oestrogen). He also mentioned that because of my severe condition, even if he did removed all that he could see, the endometriosis could come back after I start taking the hormones… I wasn’t too thrilled about that. I, nonetheless, started taking them (in gel form, not pills) with the Effexor. I barely had any flashes anymore. It worked great! But, in the back of my mind was this thought “it could come back”… and I wasn’t feeling too comfortable about that perspective.
Saturday we met with my family doctor (follow up for Effexor) – we wanted to know his opinion about this whole thing. Hubby was really not “pro hormones” for the time being. After chatting with the doctor for a while, I came out of there more confused. Taking the hormones may bring back the endometriosis (I REALLY don’t want that pain back!), but he thinks I should give Effexor a better chance and try that alone for a while and see how I feel. But he also said that I could continue taking the hormones, if I feel that I really need it: it’s all about how I feel and my level of comfort (or discomfort).
So… since I don’t really want the pain to come back and since I felt a little paranoid about it, I decided to stop taking the hormones. Already I’ve been flashing again… Darn! I’ll try to give the pills a bit more time, but dang! It’s thought when I know I could feel better… There’s no way to know if the endometriosis was completely removed, like there’s no way either to tell if it has come back, except if I have pain or through surgery… Neither of these options is appealing to me at the moment! I just want to be pain free and “power surge” free as well…aargh!
What would you do in this situation? Would you rather take anti-depressant or hormones?
15 comments:
From what I understand, once you reach true menopause and no longer get your period, your risk of getting endometriosis is gone.
If it were me, I'd go on the hormones since they seem to work better and take the risk of needing another surgery. I've had surgery to remove endometriosis before and will be having another one soon...it's not desirable, but it works.
I found this link and found it interesting...about how taking progesterone can stop the growth of endometriosis.
http://www.endo101.com/
...but whatever you do, it's important that it feels right for you.
kim: The thing with endometriosis is that it does "live" as long as it's feed hormones, so even if you no longer have periods nor ovaries and uterus it may still be active and therefore rampant. When I had my surgery they had to scrape my intestines as well as liver to "clean" it off.
With hormones I'm concerned about breast cancer risks. And I wouls try to avoid surgery as much as possible. I've had enough for this lifetime!
I checked out the link (thanks) and found a few others by the same doctor, she seems to be "selling" progesterone a lot...
Definitely I'll try to do what is best for me...
I'm one of those people who tries to take as few medicines as possible. I have to be really sick to take an anitbiotic and I don't take my kids to the doctor for every cold.
Of course, I am not suffering any kind of chronic pain either.
Anything natural you can take or eat to help?
good luck with your decision.
ps. i heard you were chatting with Preppygirl, you know she's in an institution right? she's certifiable.
Oi. What a decision. I couldn't say what I'd rather do. I'm having my own issues down there and it 's very frustrating. Perhaps the hormones?
wow, i'm no help today!
princess: I'm not a pill popper either and I have tried a few "natural" options and nothing seems to work much...
I did know that about her, thanks for confirming it though! ;-)
paisley: That's ok - there are days like that...
Argh! All I can say is that if you have a (no pun intended) gut feeling about which to take or to avoid, go with that. My situation was different - never had endometriosis - but a year ago I was at the nadir of my menopausal experience, and I followed my heart/instincts/gut feeling. The problem wasn't hot flashes, although I had frequent low-level ones. It was the emotional rollercoaster: all my emotions were exaggerated (way too excited, touched, annoyed, sad...). 24/7, the amp was set on "11"! Once I realized what was happening (because the emotions are *real*), I was able to start watching myself and compensating for it. I didn't want to try altering my brain chemically, TYVM, so I rode it out, not knowing if it would take months or years. Now I'm back to myself (the worst part lasted 5 or 6 months, I think).
Sorry you're going through that. I haven't quite reached that stage yet, so I don't have any firsthand experience to share. I'm hoping when I get there that the stories I hear about women who eat a lot of soy are true, but I guess I'll just have to wait to find out for sure. Good luck to you--and hang in there!
Yez: I like that idea, to follow my gutt! Thanks! I kind of did since I stopped taking the hormones... I'm really scared it might come back, so for now, I'll wait a little longer...
Never easy dealing with emotions, and they are so real, as you say - Glad to read you did manage "comme une grande dame" on your own. Good for you!
lizgwiz: Thanks! I'm hanging in and I've been eating a lot more soya so maybe I'll see a change... I'm keeping my fingers crossed!
I forgot to say that for the hot flashes, I decided against soy because there was a lot of controversy about it in a forum I frequent. Black cohosh was recommended instead, so I took that daily. It may have been a placebo effect :> or it may have coincided with my hot flashes just naturally slowing down, but within a month they were less frequent/intense. (Mostly mine had been annoying just because of their suddenness, and I just got tired of climbing in and out of my cardigan a zillion times a day.) I only took the black cohosh for a few months, last summer, and now I merely get a bit warm, just enough to think a hot flash is starting, and then it goes away!
yez: Black cohosh did sweet nothing for me, I tried it for a few months...
I'm calling it "flash aerobic" the putting on and off of sweater... Fun! fun! fun! At least I'm being active! ;-)
So funny you mentioned the "power surge" - you might want to check out this site and forum:
www.power-surge.com
You will find a lot of people there going through exactly what you describe!
I have polycystic ovaries, so I have to take the hormones to avoid the pain and other nightmarish issues. I'm not at the meno stage yet, but sometimes have similar symptoms. Yucky.
So far so good, though, with the hormones. AND... from my experience on antidepressants (when I was misdiagnosed), the side effects SUCK.
pg: Thanks for that link - interesting!
dcmm: The side effects do suck but at the same time they help!... What to do, what to do? That is THE question!
Thanks for this timely post. I had a hot flash so bad the other day while taking a nap I thought the couch was on fire and I scared the crap out of the dog!
My opinion would be to keep with the anti depressants - the reduce them some, you said, which makes them tolerable? And if the hormornes are going to increase the risk of the return of the endro...then why risk that? Besides there are other effects of hormones that I understand aren't good either....
Just a thought....I don't take anything except a lot of showers and walks outside with no coat in 20 degree weather....hee...I am pill phobic [whatever that means] and just try to keep it sane [with a very, very understanding husband and children who like open windows in Feb!]
Hugs and good luck sweetie!
skippymom: Thanks. I'm lucky that way too, I do have a very understanding husband, but I'm getting on my own nerves!!! I'm not crazy about popping pills either, but it's better than popping somebody! ;-)
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