Menopause And Mood Disorders

Question: What can you say about mood disorders after menopause?

Answer: Natural menopause is a normal and expected transition in a woman's life cycle. Most women will not experience severe difficulties, but preconceptions about the climacterium are likely to influence how well it is tolerated. Although most community studies have not shown an increase in mood disorders among postmenopausal women, there may be an increase in the 5 years preceding menopause. Mood disorders are more likely to occur in surgically menopausal women and in women with previous episodes of depression. Most women take medicinal (e.g. injectables) or herbal alternatives (e.g. Estrin-D) to combat this stage and eliminate the experience of difficulties encountered during this stage of her life.

Question: What do we know about mood disorders after menopause?

Answer: What you need to do is let all your feelings(good and bad) out. Don't keep these feelings locked up inside you like a ticking time bomb. I learned to use Yahoo!360 to do just this. In March 2006, for me, it started out as a place to write down my feelings and not keep them bottled up inside me. As time has passed I still write about my feelings and what goes on in my crazy life but I've also met some real nice people to communicate with. I also share pictures, my favorite places on line, things I like to do, and many other things. It's a lot of fun! Use this link: http://360.yahoo.Com/sue_10512 to visit my Yahoo!360 blog to see what I mean.

Question: Has anyone ever taken topamax and it help with mood swings during menopause? My sister is starting to go through menopause and her doctor put her on an antidepressant. It is helping, but my sister is also morbidly obese and I know that Topamax is used for other things than just epilepsy and migraines. It is also used for bipolar disorder along with other things. Does anyone know personally or if this is medically possible to be treated with topamax for mood swings associated with menopause?

Answer: Topamax is often prescribed as a mood stabilizer for those with bipolar disorder (manic depression). It can also cause mood swings. Topamax should be tapered up slowly until the therapeutic is reached. The side effects of Topamax cause a lot of people to stop using this medicine. It is known as "Dopamax" by people that are or have been taken this because it makes many people feel "dopey". Topamax can make people experience "brain fog" and cognitive problems. And there are some very SERIOUS side-effects to watch for when using it. If you notice ANY eye problems, your doctor should be contacted IMMEDIATELY. It has been linked to acute myopia and glaucoma. Topamax can also CAUSE kidney stones. It is recommended that you drink lots and lots (and lots) of water while using this medication. Topamax should NEVER be stopped abruptly. It can CAUSE seizures even in people that have never had seizures before. To avoid this, it must be tapered off of slowly. The second site below is a link to a really good message board for people that use or have used Topamax.

Question: Does anyone else get really irritated with this? Whenever any post mentions moodiness or mood swings, a bunch of people respond, 'bipolar'. Moods and mood swings are normal. Bigger swings during puberty, pregnancy, and menopause are normal. Mood swings caused by various medical conditions is normal. Big mood swings are tied to various mental disorders. Mood swings by the hour, day or week are typically due to a personality disorder (or puberty, pregnancy, or menopause). Bipolar is rare. Anybody else get irritated with the number of 'bipolar' answers that just don't make real sense?

Answer: Yep! When I went to the first doc about my depression/anxiety, he said...in a real annoying voice..."Sounds like your bi-polar". After that diagnosis, I was just waiting for the voices to come...Well, I am perimenopausal, which cause hormonal nuttiness, I like to call it. And I have G.A.D. (generalized anxiety disorder.) Dumb name, but I suppose better than sounding like I have a disorder that stemmed from an iceberg in Alaska!

Question: What does this said like to you? Menopause or just anxiety disorder? OK here I go: I have dizziness, headackes, anxiety, depression, anger, mood swings,flushing, heart rate is high sometimes. Lightheadness Hot flashes, night sweats forgettful, feel confused sometimes, panic attacks. Well this is most of my symptoms. What do you think. One time the doctors say menopause the next anxiety disorder. My FSH test came back postmeopausal but then my periods started back so now it premenopause and I feel like I am just going crazy. Any advice would be helpful.

Answer: Menopause typically occurs in a woman's late forties to early fifties. It is a normal part of aging, marking the end of a woman's reproductive years.More information and remedies at http://useinfo4.blogspot.com/

Question: Bipolar disorder or menopause? I've been going thru wild mood swings for the past 3 months. Bipolar disorder runs in my family. I also went to my ob/gyn and had a biopsy done and was told that I'm now perimenopausal. I'm being treated now for bipolar with depakote. It's been about 2 1/2 weeks and I'm just starting to feel like a normal human being again, thank God. How do I know whether the mood swings were Bipolar Disorder or menopause coming on?

Answer: Why don't you Google *bipolar disorder* and get all the facts like symptoms, treatments, etc. That might give you all the answers you need. Also, Google *depacokote.* to see what else it does. But, why worry? At least you found out you CAN be normal. Just be thankful. I'm happy for you. PS: No matter how much you improve, keep taking your medication as the doctor orders.

Question: very scared!anorexia/eating disorder and very early menopause symptoms? i am very scared right now.for a while i have been suffering with an eating disorder,i am 5'4 108lbs and 14years old and eat very very very little.i have an extreme fear of gaining weight,and i have been loosing it extremely quickly.its tuesday and since friday all i have eaten is a peeled cucumber,diet soda,green tea and water.i ignore my hunger,drink water,and dont eat much at all.even when i ate the cucumber,i was on the treadmill and i walked it off not long after.i dont meet the citeria for anorexic perfectly (im not 15% under a healthy weight) but i think i have an eating disorder. and now,i dont know if this is what it is,but im getting really wierd,horrible symptoms,like menopause.a wierd heart beat,mood swings,hot flashes,dizzyness,lightheadedness,sleepi… problems,extreme fatuigue,headaches,anxiety,aching muscles and joints,when i stand i lose my vision,my tounge and lips go numb and i lose my balance for a minute or a little less.. im really scared right now,and i dont know what to do,and i dont want to go to the doctor about it because i dont want anyone to know about my eating problem,because in all honesty,i dont want to eat,i dont want to recover.. but i am really scared and i dont know what to do. does this sound like i might be getting very early menopause??? vegan4life - please.do NOT be a b.i.t.c.h to me.my weight has fluctuated so much lately its not f u c k i n g funny.so piss off and keep your comments to yourself if you are going to be a B I T C H.believe me.you are not helping. thanx a lot b i t c h.

Answer: Hun, You meet all the criteria for a diagnosis of EDNOS - and I don't think you would be posting unless you wanted help. Your symptoms are those of starvation, not menopause - but your body will stop having periods if you are not eating, Speak to your Mom or another adult you trust - print this off and show them if you think you can't talk about it. The not wanting to eat and the not wanting to recover is part of how the anorexia affects your brain - you do need help and you can get better.

Question: Can manic depressive disorder show up later in life? I'm in my late forties, and I've struggled with depression all my life. I've never had anything I'd call mania, but the last few months my mood swings have been ridiculous. I'm post menopause, due to hysterectomy, so i don't think it's hormonal. Why am I really happy one day and unable to function the next day?

Answer: It can show up later in life but if you are post menopausal I would suspect hormones first (are you on hormone replacement therapy?). Go see your doctor to rule out anything physical before jumping to conclusions..... Bipolar is not a place you want to go if there is a physical fix. Contrary to popular belief, the mood swings in Bipolar disorder do not happen in a second. It’s not about being happy one second, then mad, then sad. Also the mood swings in bipolar can be triggered by events (even the weather) but more often are not triggered by anything. The manic part is much more than just being happy. Here are some of my personal examples of the extremes. My moods generally last for a couple of months then there is a short period of being normal before I start to swing the other way The low - Do not care about anything, stop showering, stop cleaning house, crying a lot, sleeping 14 hours a day, want to die but don't have the energy to plan it, hating yourself for every little bad thing you have ever done..... feeling guilty about everything you have done while manic, knowing that everyone else hates you too. I feel like my mind has stopped working, thoughts are dulled, can't read..... just lay there like a dead lump of nothing. The High – these are symptoms as listed online followed by my examples * FEELING EXTREMELY HAPPY OR IRITABLE* Like you just won the lottery or like your boss just cut your pay in half so he could give his daughter a raise but the feelings go on and on for weeks or months. *INFLATED SELF ESTEEM* Believe that everyone loves you, everyone knows how smart, funny, pretty, sexy, you are. Think you are so good you can do anything. * REDUCED NEED FOR SLEEP* 2 to 3 hours of sleep a night for weeks or months and you are never tired. * TALK FASTER AND MORE THAN USUAL* Ramble on and on but the talk may be disjointed because thoughts are going by so fast you can't get them out fast enough. It's called pressured speech. * BE MORE ACTIVE THAN USUAL* Needing to run 10 miles a day when you never used to even jog. Taking up 5 new hobbies. * RACING THOUGHTS* Can be seen as confusion. It's very confusing because your thought go by so fast and you have no control over them it's like having 10 people all shouting at you at the same time. * BE EASILY DISTRACTED BY SIGHTS AND SOUNDS* Ohhhh bright and shiny things. :) Because you have ceased to even try to listen to your own thoughts. * ACT IMPULSIVELY, DO RECKLESS THINGS, REDUCED INHIBITION, SPENDING SPREES* Spending the mortgage money on furniture, buying 25 books about penguins because wouldn't it be cute if they could be a colony,* DRIVE RECKLESSLY* 120 mph down back roads with the radio blaring and not really paying attention to the road because of all the bright shiny things, *GET INTO FOOLISH BUSINESS VENTURES* cashing out your 401k to invest in a worm farm or going deep into debt so you can gamble because you know you will win, *HAVE FREQUENT, INDISCRIMINATE, OR UNSAFE SEX* like sex with strangers (without a condom) or with your sisters husband or your husbands sister. Suddenly decide you are bisexual because the opportunity for twice as much sex is there...... Oh my I didn't know I was into BDSM before... tie me up and flog me baby. I am Bipolar 1 and while the other types of bipolar may not be as bad they are still much more extreme than the online symptoms portray. The above are things I have one while manic and that's just a few of them.

Question: Please help:dramatic mood swings within space of a day? For the past few months I have been suffering fom dramatic mood swings.I've never experienced anything like it before. I will be high as a kite one moment:excitable, happy, everything seems great, I'll feel like singing and dancing and like nothing can get me down. Then I'll suddenly switch and become extremely tense and iritable, depressed, feel isolated and hopeless, everything and evryone around me seems out to get me and life seems pointless, and I hate myself and everything about my life. These mood swings will happen within the space of a single day, so I'm sure it's not bipola disorder, as i read that with that the manic and depressive moods last for a couple of weeks. Does anyone know what this might be o how to help cope with it? I am female, but I'm not pregnant, and my menstrual cycle doesnt seem to have much to do with it. I am 25, so not going through puberty or menopause or anything. If anyone has any suggestions I would really appreciate it, thank you.

Answer: Rapid-cycling bipolar disorder IS characterized by multiple episodes of mania and depression, or mixed states, happening in a 24-hr period. Some patients cycle even more quickly than that; in fact, it can be as quickly as from moment to moment, as it is in my case. The only way to know for sure what is happening to you is to see a psychiatrist. Read, "Bipolar Disorder for Dummies"-- it's the best book I've found on the subject. Also, visit nami.org for more info. If indeed you do have the disorder, it can be successfully managed by having the right "cocktail" of medications.

Question: is it PMS? i have chronic pain and mood disorders at least 5 days before my menstruation starts. i m on novelong birth control tablets once i finish the month's tablet cota, the symptoms start. i remain very angry, irritated, depressed, and upon that the chronic lower abdominal n pelvic pain which does not let me work. the mood symptoms remain throughout the period, the flow lasts for at least six days and the pain remains for the whole week. what is the remedy for this ? is this something releated to early menopause or something. i got my periods at the age of 11 similar to that of my mom n she got the menopause at 32 can anybody help me plz?

Answer: Some of your symptoms do connect with PMS but because of the chronic pain it sounds like something else like endometriosis might be going on. The only way to find out for sure what is going on is to see your doctor for further evaluation of the situation to see what they think is going on. Ask your doctor if it's ok to take B6 in either a bottle by itself or as part of a bottle of B Complex for the PMS aspect. I have found that is very helpful to my PMS mood swings.