Hi Lourdes, Have you gone to see Dr. Klaiber the psychoneuroendocrinologist yet? I just got his book today and wondered how it went and if you found out anything. I'm anxious to hear. How are you feeling??? My anxiety might be a bit better but I still feel "unbalanced". That might be a good word to describe it. Some moments I feel back to normal and then as soon as I think I do, wham, here's the anxiety or the feeling that I just don't feel right. I wonder if anyone else has that fast of a switch from feeling good to bad.... Take care!

Hi Lourdes, I wanted to bring this to the top in hopes that you would see it. Did you get to that doctor - the neuroendopsycho guy? Is there anything you learned there that can help us here at Power-Surge? Look forward to hearing from you!

Heck, after seeing a slew of professionals, I've been wondering about this expert Lourdes had an appointment with. I'm quite the skeptic, after being SERIOUSLY hormonal challenged for over 2 years. I saw shrinks, endocrinologists, gynecologists., to no avail. I don' t live far from where this physician practices. If he takes UHC I'd give it a whirl. Since progesterone makes me feel like crap, a higher estrogen dosage makes me nervous. I take a baby dose. I swear a large part of this has something to do with endorphins.

Hi Everyone- Ms S. Just wanted to respond to your question of whether anyone else switches quickly from feeling ok to anxious. Unfortunately I do, so you are not alone. Chris hope you are feeling better. I am going to try a new Dr if he agrees to work with Pete. I hope he does because then I could get some of this expense covered by my health plan. It should not be such work to feel good. If men had this problem there would have been a fix already. Sandy

Amen Sandy. We can place a man on the moon, but can't cure menopause. Some women sail through, while some find it disabling. Man, I didn't know I'd feel premenstrual for years, and my PMS ain't at all pretty. I just get scared I'll be a bitter, anxious depressive, forever. Yeah, the anxiety comes and goes. When I'm lucky so do the mood swings. Sometimes the depression seems endless, but at least I don't cry 24/7, as I did a year and a half ago. I mean all day crying jags. I want the old neurotic me back.

Chris Hopefully the old you will come back soon. I want the old me back as well. I am sick of the doom and gloom feeling. Feeling on edge, sad, nervous, etc. This is ruining my quality of life and it makes me angry that drs only seem to be able to throw darts at a board to find relief and I am doing most of my own reseach. Oh man this is nuts. Sandy

Here! Here! I agree with both of you. I want off this merry-go-round! Chris, you said in a previous post here "If he takes UHC I'd give it a whirl." What is UHC? I keep trying to read this psychoneuroendo guy's book, but I fall asleep and so I'm not getting much read. He does recommend that often times testosterone is needed to give us happy thoughts and energy. My testosterone was high in April but I have NO energy now....I wonder if it could change this fast????

United Health Care is my HMO. My testosterone is in mid-range. Hey, maybe Lourdes has found her miracle cure. I wonder if a dab of testosterone would be useful for me. Low dose estradiol patches, likely keep the flashes at bay, but I feel no difference in taking 75% less estradiol. Esstrogen makes me nervous, but what doesn't these days.lol Progesterone just makes me depressed. The birth control pill induces an unbearable depression in me. It's likely the high dose progestin. We're talking suicide watch. Ironically, I never had this reaction to the pill, until after I had children. Tested testosterone 3 times in the last two years, always mid-range. I could speak with my endocrinologist about using a tiny dose of testosterone. I'll have to ask my endocrinologist. Does Dr. Many Degrees have any theories on the depletion of beta endorphins and hormonal oscillations. I swear I have no natural endorphins left. I'm tired as well, as I slept terribly the past two nights. I'm spotting, which means menses is on the way.

Hi Mrsquirrel and everyone. Chriscarol, I wish I had find the miracle cure but I dont think there is such a thing. Mrssquirell, I am sorry for not responding sooner but i have been so busy. Anyway I did see Dr. Klaiber and he is a big proponend of estrogen and testosterone to improve mood. He is against progesterone because he believes it kills the receptors on the brain and induces depression. I have noticed that I get more depressed lately with my progesterone. He also tests the MOA levels. MOA is an enzyme that matobilizes serotonin and other brain chemicals. If MOA is high then one does not get the necessary brain chemicals because the MOA enzyme will break them down before they are effective. According to him, when estrogen is low MOA enzimes are usually high. So this probably explains why I have not responded fully to the two anti depressants I am taking. He tested my hormone levels and MOA and yesterday he told me my estrogen is low and my MOA enzyme is high. My progesterone is ok but my testosterone is very high. So next time he sees me he is probably going to recommend increasing my estrogen and thus increase my MOA. Reading what Chriscarol wrote I am nervous about taking estrogen because it may make me more nervous. I hope not. My current doctor has added testoterone to my progesterone regiment. I have noticed I have more energy and increased sex drive but I still feel kind of down and a little obsessive. So it seems to me that taking estrogen would help with that. Anyway this visit was helpul because I became more educated and this dr. is experienced. But I still dont feel great. Let's see what happens in the next visit. I am not sure if I should leave my present dr and just see dr. Klaiber or keep my current dr. and take the information to my dr. and have him give me estrogen. I also changed Psychiatrists. I picked a woman who is aware of the role of hormones on the brain. I wish I could tell you I had found a cure. I can keep you posted on what happens next. What I feel good about now is that I am dealing with professionals that respect and believe that hormones effect the brain. During my research the most frightening thing I found was the level of ignorance about women's hormones that exists among doctors. I really want myself back too. I have gone from a confident and happy person to a frightened and more negative person (more like a child). My friends tell me I am obsessive about this but I will search until I feel better. Thanks for reading this and I am so happy this site exists. We are not alone.

Thanks for the response Lourdes. Having always had mild Obsessive tendencies, this has been brutal. At least Dr. Klaiber validated my assumptions, about progesterone being a culprit in the hormonal stew. Progesterone rises premenstrually and this was when my depression has been the worst. Try increasing the estrogen, as everyone is difference. At least you've found some physicians, who will validate the correlllation between hormonal events, such as puberty, postpartum, the premenstrum and perimenopause exacerbating, or even causing mood and anxiety disorders. Good luck.

Chriscarol, I am going to try to increase estrogen. I just want to get a better outlook on life. When you went off your anti depressants was it a difficult process? I am stuck with two anti depressants with its side effects and not many benefits. Is there a medication that increases beta endorphins? you seem to know so much. Anyway, are you having lots of snow in Connecticut? Thank you

Yup!! Lots of snow. Excercise increases natural endorphins, as do opiates, but of course opiates aren't an option. Once I ran out of Effexor, so suffered withdrawal symptoms. I tapered slowly the time that I went off for 9 months, without problems. Right not I'm weaning, off Valium, since it's taking more to achieve the desired effect. Are you still on anticonvulsant mood stablizers? I tried 4 different ones, which mellowing, until, about the third week. Then they just left me depressed, so I never continued long term. What about unopposed estrogen, without progesterone, when taking just estrogen alone. My ob/gyn said, since I just take .025 mg. of a estrodial patch, uterine hyperplasia shouldn't be much of a risk. I still take the EffexorXR, which doesn't help much. Did you quit the mood stabilizer? For a while I thought I had mild bipolar, but when mood stabilizer just made me more down, dismissed it. I still entertain the thought of having BP, particularly before my period, which is due any moment. Wean slowly off the AD. Effexor is suppose to be the worse to kick, and as i said, when I tapered it was easy. Unfortunately I came a bit unglued, 2 years ago, and I'm back on the merrry go round. It seems I also heard estrogen increased beta endorphins, but as I said the higher dose of estradiol made me slightly more anxious. Which dose of estrogen and type are you taking now? I walk, which is suppose to help depression. Hate walking in this cold though. Hope the dose increase helps? I never felt as constantly lousy, as I have the past two years. I least in the severe PMS days, I experienced a tremendous relief on day. 3. This current period, it's been, stop, start, stop, start minor spotting. Bleed already!!! I know what you mean about feeling childlike, and I'm not referring to the sense of wonderment they possess. Heck, I want that sense of wonderment back.