Hi - this is my first post here. I just found this forum, and am so glad that I did! I think I've been going through peri-menopause for the last 4 years. During the past 4 years, I have had panic attacks, depression, anxiety, ZERO sex drive, brain fog, weight gain, and just feeling generally "blah" all of the time. I was put on Effexor by my GP three years ago, and went off last year, as my weight was sky-rocketing, along with my blood pressure. I have been fine since going off (anxiety-wise), but lately have been feeling SO down and depressed. All I want to do is crawl into bed and ignore everyone, including my husband and kids.

What I am trying to figure out is ... who do I go to for help? I've tried my GYN, and she put me on continuous birth control pills to help with the headaches I was getting, and she thought it may also help my sex drive (it didn't). She doesn't believe in bio-identical hormones at all, nor does she do any type of saliva testing. I am also seeing a counselor (I just started), and she also doesn't believe in bio-identicals. BUT, I firmly believe that all of my issues are hormone-related!!! I can tell that this goes in cycles, and that I am entering another bad cycle ... and I don't want to go through it!!! HELP!!! :-) Do I try antidepressants? But that won't fix my sex drive. Or, will hormones help my depression? What kind of practitioner should I see??? It is all so confusing - not good when I already have brain fog and exhaustion!!!

I luckily have an extremely supportive husband - I share everything with him. He doesn't understand it all, but he is right by my side trying to help me in any way that he can. What I am frightened of, is that I find myself withdrawing from my kids (8 and 10), and I definitely do not want to do that, but I find it is just too exhausting to deal with them at times. I also feel the same way many of you do ... being SO irritated with my husband, wanting him to just go away, etc. even though he is being so great!!

There has to be a better way to do this menopause thing ... that doesn't cost thousands of dollars (I've done some research into the whole bio-identical hormone route after reading Suzanne Sommers book ... yikes, it is expensive, and not covered by insurance!!) I welcome any and all advice, and will continue to read through these boards as well.

Hi Red, welcome! You could try looking at the North American Menopause Society web site. They have a list of certified menopause specialists, and you can search the list to find one in your area. Chances are they will work with bioidenticals. Another thing you can try is to call a compounding pharmacy in your area, and ask them for names of doctors who work with them. You can also contact Pete the Pharmacist, one of the "ask the experts" here, who is with Belleview Pharmacy. They can do the saliva testing via mail. I think there's a box you can click on at the top of the page to go to their web site. I think the trick is to educate yourself, decide what kind of approach you want to take with treating peri symptoms, and then find health care providers (including a counselor if you want to do counseling) who fit your preferred approach and who understand peri. I hope that helps!

hi red, welcome to ps. sorry you are having a hard time. but you've come to the right place.!! there are a few ways you can find a good doc who will prescribe bio's. you could contact a compounding pharmacy as rs suggested. you can go to mary shomans thyroid site and look up top docs there, or you can ask others here where they go ( of course if they are in the same state). hormone imbalance can cause much havoc physically and mentally, so it is important to find balance. find a doc who is willing to listen and do a full thyroid panel and hormone panel. good luck and big hugs, kelly

Red, when I first began reading your post I had to check the name to see if this was one of my previous posts from a couple of years ago. I understand your frustration, confusion, and desire to obtain some direction and answers. I have been taking compounded progesterone and dhea for almost two years now; which was prescribed by my ob/gyn. It took some time to find the right doctor, but I'm thankful that I did find someone who is also around my age and also dealing with these hormonal issues. You are in the right place for support, understanding and a wealth of invaluable suggestions.