The hormone replacement therapies out there have new lower dosages and are a lot safer now than they were a few years ago. There is a new one made specifically to help with your symptoms. I suggest you talk to your dr and follow his or her advice. When talking as adviced, hormone replacemnt is not as bad as advertised. At least you will get your life back.

Maria

I am giving it till after Christmas that will be time for my yearly check up. If not better then I will ask to be put on something..I am tired of this...

The joys of maturing??? Yep - having a regular laughapalooza over here.

Achne at 51 (lovely) and turning into the bearded lady. Unfortunately my legs are still hanging in there with the weeds as well. Kinda sexy if you like the Mrs Bigfoot look.

Add sneeze and pee ( a new game) and CRS - can't remember Sh** (another new game).

Whimpy bouts of crying for no reason (so not me) and the sleep disruption coupled with monsoon-strength sweat pouring.

Go to the health food store - they do have a variety of product that help. I keep a perscription of low-dose Valium for the anxiety attacks. Don't have to take them often, but I am always glad when they are there.

When I went thru it, it was pure @#$*! I didn't take it well at all.

I was parinoid as all get out, and lashed out at everyone and everything. I couldn't take soy and the hormones didn't help at all. Thank goodness that's over with.

Good luck to all of you going tru it, I hope you don't have the problems I had.

But look on the bright side...no more monthly visitor!! :D

My wife is 13 years older than I am (yes she was a "Cougar" LOL) but she and I have a real strong marriage and this was never a problem with us. We never argued and fussed during this time and I understood she was going through a huge change. I just did what ever it took to make her comfortable and happy.

But from a guys point of view it really sucked when my wife went through the change. I didn't know what to wear from one day to the next with her. :lol: My utility bill was through the roof for about 3 years and even though she is finished as such she still has a hot flash every once in a while.

Billy

I've spent the first 40 years of my life freezing to death. Hot flashes may not be so bad. The rest does not sound like fun. Especially the part about following your mother's pattern. She didn't bother to do the stopping part until she was 56!!!!!!!!

I hated going through it, but it was harder on my kids than me. The night sweats were bad and the hot flashes were no fun, but the worse thing for me was the mood swings. I was horrible to live with. I didn't like myself. My doctor put me on low dose birth control for two years. It worked wonders. By the time I went off it I was back to normal and all was well. My kids call that pill the wonder pill because it made me sane again.

What is working for me is Estroven PM. Had been on very low dose of HRT, through a patch, but, alas, got the breast cancer anyway. Both the breast surgeon and oncologist say the Estroven PM is safe and it has really helped, especially with the sleeping, which has been a problem since menopause. Not perfect but better.

Like Littlehud, my doc put me on low dosage birth control pills. I wasn't on them too long and they were a great relief. Prior to getting on meds, can you say "mood swing", it was awful. I didn't have sweats but I did have HOT (like burning up) feet in the middle of the night. And there was absolutely no rhyme or reason to when that monthly visitor came----no schedule at all. Monthy became every two weeks sometimes. The "pill" were a life saver. I finally felt like I was under control again.

Thanks for the heads up! I am past it, but did have all the crazies. Only had one Hot Flash with all the emotion when I took some new cholesterol medicine, and I am off that medicine!