Hello all you lovely ladies!

2 summers ago I saw a dermatologist (sp?) bec of some dry/scaly / red skin rash I was getting on my arms..he did a biopsy , with his results "I "believe" it to be lupus of the skin"..he gave me a script and told me "This will put a spring in your step again and take away any pain you have in your joints ". I swear, my step was springy enough at that time and I certainly didn't have joint pain, UNTIL I TOOK THE DANG MED!!
Since taking the meds (I don't recall the name of it at the moment, but I just know I still have the med bottle in my house (for ref)..I have NOT felt the same since! I took the med for 1 mth but realized I was GETTING joint pain after about 1 week of taking the med. (9 out of 10 scripts I purchase I seem to have an adverse reaction)
Since all this I have entered menopause (as I said, when I started on this med is when I started feeling like I went downhill)..and now been 6mths since my last P ( 11 mths before that P) and have been told I am officially post meno YAY!

I guess my wondering here is...Lupus and Menopause, Menopause and Lupus, -- the 2 not mix well?

For a few mths now I seem to have a "fullness" feeling in my chest, which I chalked up to anxiety (Doc too) pressure/ stress of life in general and Menopause (no energy) but how much do I blame meno...how much do I blame Lupus?

If none of this make sense..I understand (TEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE) Yes, I've learned to laugh a lot in my meno years (better than crying)

Thanks for any info!

~Helen~

P.S. I had something else to add to this but for the life of me I'm drawing a blank (per usual these last 2 yrs) *SIGH*

P.P.S.
I don't have much faith in docs in this town! sorry! (and no that wasn't what I was going to add up above) )~~

Just my experience and opinion here - I developed what my doc thought was an autoimmune disorder at the same time my hormones went nuts. I had joint aches and pains, stiffness, muscle aches, allergies went crazy, couldnt even wear my wedding ring because it gave me hives. I had a positive rheumatoid factor, too. I saw a rheumatologist for the symptoms I was having and was told since I had no damage from the symptoms, a lot of times the treatment was as bad if not worse than the symtpoms. In addition to this I couldn't get a straight answer about my hormones either. I got a lot of conflicting info and was treated as many have said on here with a pat on the head and an "I'm sure it will be fine, its nothing serious". My last resort (should have been my first) was to go to a naturopathic doc. He told me all my symptoms were in fact related and came from my body being seriously stressed, my adrenals being fried, my liver not doing its job and my immune system so confused it was beginning to attack me. I've been seeing him for about two and a half months now and am starting to feel much better. I'm on an herbal to calm down my adrenals and help my hormones regulate, as well as sesame, coconut, flax, and evening primrose oil. The difference with this doctor was he actually wanted to know why my immune system and other systems were not working right. He wanted to cure the problem, not treat the symptoms. This hit home with me. I know there are some natural/herbal ways to treat lupus, so it might be something to check into, especially if the meds affect you so adversely! Hope you're feeling better soon.

Dear'EVEWASFRAMED' and'ADAMDIDNOTHINGTOHELPHER!

Am sorry you have lost that 'spring'-you did make me laugh the way you wrote it.It is very possible that you are one of those ladies who is particularly sensitive to Meds or maybe you were wrongly diagnosed

What about a full Check-Up including Hormones and Thyroid Levels?

Please look after yourself.Do not give up on searching for answers.

God Bless
Elizabeth