Menopause? QUestions

[UnicornIsis]

Hey y'all,

I've been talking with my mother lately. Her mother died before she hit menopause so we have nothing to judge her symptoms and experiences by and she's the oldest woman in the family at the moment.

She's been going through menopause since I was a freshman in high school at least, about 10 years now. She still gets hot flashes and night sweats badly, severe anxiety about memebers of the family getting hurt or dying and SEVERE mood swings. She wasn't like that before the menopause, the anxiety was the same, but the mood swings weren't there. She talked to Dr. Abdallah several times when I saw him and he said she had a mild case of dysautonomia and the menopause is what triggered it.

What I'm wondering is, is there anyone else here, who has it since menopause or developed it with/after menopause, do any of you have mood swings? My father says there are days he walks into the house says one word and she bites his head off. And there are other days when she's just fine. It seems to go between the extremes sometimes.

She takes Black Cohosh -- an herb and we can tell the days she doesn't take it becasue her mood swings are MUCH WORSE.

I've been reading the "Mitral Valve Prolapse Syndrome/Dysautonomia Survival Guide" and the Anxiety described in there is EXACTLY my mom. So far it hasn't described mood swings, but I'm only part way into it.

I guess I'm hoping the mood swings she has are part of Dysautonomia and not something else.

Thanks for reading.

UnicornIsis

[futurehope]

I developed POTS after menopause.

Sorry your mother is having such problems, esp. the mood swings. Is she getting enough, or good enough sleep? Being in a constant state of fatigue and not feeling well helps to set us off.

I can get pretty nasty sometimes, but a lot of times, with me, it's my lack of sleep or not feeling well and "keeping silent" about how poorly I'm feeling. It's a stressor to feel poorly all the time.

I'm glad the Black cohosh works. Has she spoken to a psychiatrist? I know there are medications out there that "level out" mood swings. I don't know what they are.

Best wishes to you both. If you or she has any other questions about menopause, feel free to PM me.

[kmpower]

I developed POTS after menopause, too. Because it was a few years later, I didn't see the connection at first because my menopause was so easy. Still, after finding this group and doing my own research I found the following connections for me:

Estradiol and estriol sensitize the alpha-adrenergic receptors, which are responsible for arterial vasoconstriction in the calves. Pooling can be in the veins, but as a result of arterial (alpha adrenergic) failure or dysfunction.

Some adrenal precursor hormones go down with age (pregnenolone, DHEA) and so aldosterone levels can go down, too. Aldosterone holds sodium in the body and when we lose sodium, BP can go down.

As the hormones change, it is harder to keep the levels of B6, B12 and folic acid up to needed doses, so all sorts of neurologic things can happen.

As to mood swings, when I don't feel good, it is harder to be nice. I want to be, but I am more easily stressed. And if there is a doctor visit on a bad day, and the doctor is not understanding, well, it isn't a happy scene.

Hang in with your Mom. She really needs support.

There are some good books on bio-identical hormones. I am trying to do without, but I have noticed that some of the forum members take them.

OLL

[UnicornIsis]

Thanks y'all, and the lady who pm'd me. I talked to Mama about it again tonight.

She's ordered the book I'm reading and is waiting to get it in. And she's going to call Dr. Abdallah for herself, instead of for me for once. I told her to look up this post, as she's never been to the site before.

Again, thanks.

UnicornIsis

[Lily Pearl]

Hey y'all,

I've been talking with my mother lately. Her mother died before she hit menopause so we have nothing to judge her symptoms and experiences by and she's the oldest woman in the family at the moment.

She's been going through menopause since I was a freshman in high school at least, about 10 years now. She still gets hot flashes and night sweats badly, severe anxiety about memebers of the family getting hurt or dying and SEVERE mood swings. She wasn't like that before the menopause, the anxiety was the same, but the mood swings weren't there. She talked to Dr. Abdallah several times when I saw him and he said she had a mild case of dysautonomia and the menopause is what triggered it.

What I'm wondering is, is there anyone else here, who has it since menopause or developed it with/after menopause, do any of you have mood swings? My father says there are days he walks into the house says one word and she bites his head off. And there are other days when she's just fine. It seems to go between the extremes sometimes.

She takes Black Cohosh -- an herb and we can tell the days she doesn't take it becasue her mood swings are MUCH WORSE.

I've been reading the "Mitral Valve Prolapse Syndrome/Dysautonomia Survival Guide" and the Anxiety described in there is EXACTLY my mom. So far it hasn't described mood swings, but I'm only part way into it.

I guess I'm hoping the mood swings she has are part of Dysautonomia and not something else.

Thanks for reading.

UnicornIsis

Hello UnicornIsis,

My POTS symptoms began with menopause also. Terrible, terrible anxiety to the point that all I could do was manage to make a meal and do a bit of laundry, if that. My emotions go the other way though in that they have become very flat. I find that I am unable to cry though I can now shed a tear or two when I am sad which isn't very often. What helped me first of all was going on a low carb diet to prevent blood sugar fluctuations. It took about three months of no sugar, pasta, bread, rice or potatoes to come to the point where I began to feel half decent. This means a diet of meat, fish, eggs, cheese, nuts, seeds and vegetables. The vegetables provide enough carbohydrates for good nutrition. I also had to give up fruit though now I can tolerate it now and again. Because I have reactive hypoglycemia, this diet really helped me. It is a bit spartan but I had to ask myself what I wanted more - the food or my sanity. The anxiety is still there but to a lesser degree. When I began to take Celexa which is an SSRI, it helped even more. Many, many women who are going through the change have to completely alter their diets in order to cope with menopause. Also, I found that taking extra calcium/magnesium helped. B12 and B6, the 'nerve' vitamins help as well. The anxiety is still there but to a much lesser degree. It increases when I am under stress which I really try to protect myself from.

Hopefully your Mom will find some relief from these symptoms. It came to mind when I was experiencing the worst of it, that I now knew what **** must feel like. It's one of the most awful experiences I've ever endured.

Hope this helps,

Lily