Peri Menapause craziness....

[Amy]

I'm with you! The night sweats, the crabbiness......awful! I couldn't take hormone replacement therapy because I had breast cancer back in 2002. (I was also told to avoid soy because soy acts like estrogen in the body, but at my last checkup, my oncologist mentioned the new study that a PP wrote about, that now soy is good for you.)

Anyway, I mentioned my nasty moods and night sweats to my gyne last year, and he suggested I try Effexor XR - an antidepressant. He said that it seemed to help some of his other patients. Well, you can add me to the list! I'm taking the smallest dose (37.5mg), and it's wonderful! I take it before bed, so I don't know if it knocks me out or what, but no more night sweats. And it has REALLY improved my mood - just ask my DH! I'm a lot more pleasant to live with now.

Unfortunately, the Effexor has a side effect of weight gain (at least for me). I asked DH if he'd rather have me fat and pleasant or thin and crabby, and he voted for fat and pleasant. I must have been grouchier than I thought! Go figure.......

 

[mhsjax]

I'm with you! The night sweats, the crabbiness......awful! I couldn't take hormone replacement therapy because I had breast cancer back in 2002. (I was also told to avoid soy because soy acts like estrogen in the body, but at my last checkup, my oncologist mentioned the new study that a PP wrote about, that now soy is good for you.)

Anyway, I mentioned my nasty moods and night sweats to my gyne last year, and he suggested I try Effexor XR - an antidepressant. He said that it seemed to help some of his other patients. Well, you can add me to the list! I'm taking the smallest dose (37.5mg), and it's wonderful! I take it before bed, so I don't know if it knocks me out or what, but no more night sweats. And it has REALLY improved my mood - just ask my DH! I'm a lot more pleasant to live with now.

Unfortunately, the Effexor has a side effect of weight gain (at least for me). I asked DH if he'd rather have me fat and pleasant or thin and crabby, and he voted for fat and pleasant. I must have been grouchier than I thought! Go figure.......

I have a friend that has just finished with her chemo for breast cancer. Her Dr put her on Effexor, it has worked miracles on her hot flashes.

Someone said to eat more soy. I won't do this because so much soy is estrogen based. Same thing as putting a hormone in your system. My friend that I just mentioned developed her breast cancer soon after taking soy products, her Dr's said Her cancer was the type that was extremely estrogen sensitive. You have to be very careful with "natural" things, they aren't always that good for you.