[bigdog]

hey, ladies,
i need some advice. I'm 53 and going through menapause - bleah...or as my DH says, the change. LOL. so not funny. hot flashes not so bad, but the anxiety is awful and mood swings. at first i was thinking all the extra anxiety is from my job, but i've been in sales for over 20 years, have always had crazy maniac bosses so really nothing new. and i'm a great salesperson, love my customers, etc. Little things bother me more and more and am having problems sleeping and sometimes will wake up super nervous. the extra protein really helps and the exercise helps the most.
a friend of mine said she takes activella and that takes the edge off and has really helped her. she's 60 and has been on it 15 years. i was going to ask my doctor about it. i read the side effects though and yikes! my doctor a couple years ago recommended Estroven (natural herbs from Walgreen)..

any advice you can give me would be really appreciated!! some people recommend anxiety medication.... i tried Lexapro right after my mom passed away (had a hard time dealing w/ it) and it made me feel very strange and seemed like depressed. a couple of my friends are on prozac and a couple on lexapro.... but i don't think i can do meds.
was thinking about joining a gym to exercise more, maybe yoga and some get my heart pumping classes :-)

[camaswa]

Bigdog, There is an article in this month's More magazine about menopause and when hormone therapy might help. I don't have it in front of me but I will try to remember tonight to see what it says about anxiety and depression. The increased exercise (i think weight training helps me) and yoga certainly would be a good thing. Myself, I think the hot flash thing is happening. I got really hot in a restaurant recently and my husband said my face was beet red. I got clammy, and then I started to cool down. That was the first daytime surge- I have been having night sweats for a few years. The sobering thing in that More Magazine piece was that this crap goes on for YEARS.

[bigdog]

thanks, Camaswa,
i've been googling like crazy to get some info about what to do. i just checked out MORE online and they actually have a few articles i'll read tonight. i saw this one http://www.more.com/menopause-memory...ormone-therapy and it gave a brief summary but not alot about the side effects. when my friend said, "takes the edge off" i was like, that is exactly what i need! i should trust my friend since she is in the medical field but i always have the need to research everything! but that is how i discovered you guys on 3 fat Chicks on a diet/MRC so happy i do research!! i like what teacherlady said this weekend about she can tell her "community" anything :-) and we all share and get great support and advice. :-)

My mom used to take a little nerve pill - LOL! and had no side effects...hmmm...wonder what that was...eldavil or something like that and she was the happiest person i know! a little bit crazy like me who always talks before thinking!! i saw HRT may cause weight gain and i was like OH H*** NO! i'm going to step up the exercise too.

i have two older sisters, one is 10 yrs older and one is 7 years older. they told my DH that it never ends! oh, lawd! my friend has a tiny battery operated fan she carries around in her purse for the hot flashes. my main problem is the anxiety and not sleeping well :-(
i think the weight lifting at the gym would really help (i used to love weight lifting) and i think Yoga would teach me some relaxation exercises. plus keep me from obsessing about work all the time and stop work at a reasonable hour...i work out of the house and will just keep working alot of times till my DH gets home 8ish...