Question:
I have tried to write this a couple of times and didn't know where to start?
I just wanted to say my body is at sixes and sevens between the hot flushes
and the dep/anxiety. I have been off work this week and Doc have signed me
off for another and given me Trazodone Hydrochloride 50mg, I started with
one at night and have to step it up to three at night gradually. I feel a
bit better but still don't want to see anyone and don't want to go out
unless its somewhere I want to go, the family are quite good in not forcing
me. The other good thing is I'm not getting nearly as many flushes since I
started these pills, I was getting between 20-25 a day now I'm only getting
1 or 2 a day. Well I'll just have to take one day at a time and as my
husband says when your down the only way is up (He is very sweet, but then I
biased).
Answer:
So the hotflashes are disturbing your sleep to the point where you can't
work? I had a bad spell of insominia from nightsweats some years back
that left me feeling very anxious. I struck up an e-mail correspondence
with someone else on websites who was going through the same thing
and we passed the time incoherently trying to solve the mysteries of the
universe. My bad phase lasted about four and half months and abruptly
left of it's own accord. Slow and steady. Just take it a step at a time until you feel better. That's good, too. Some on websites find that their hotflashes are
very stress related. Mine are sometimes, but not usually. I attribute
that to my mellow, easy going personality. ;-) It's good that you have him to understand and encourage you. Please
feel free to post, even when you feel at your worst. Someone here, is
bound to have been there before and may have some insights for you as to
coping strategies. I too have had periods
of anxiety and/or depression all my adult life. I had to look up the
drug your doctor gave you in my pill book, and the good news is it says
this drug has fewer side effects than other antidepressants and takes
2-4 weeks to "achieve maximum benefit". The book also says the dose you
are taking is a "starter" dose (i.e. 150 mg/day). One of the "menopause
specialists" I consulted last year for my hot flashes suggested
antidepressants, as apparently relieving hot flashes is a side effect of
some of them, but I personally am very drug sensitive and had some bad
reactions many years ago so I didn't want to go there (not to the drug
you are taking, which I never tried). Do you think your anxiety is
caused by something in particular or are you just going through a bad
phase? Either way, I hope you feel better soon. I too looked it up on the web and was reassured
by what I read, the only side affect I suffered was low blood pressure which
it does say can happen. The first night I took it, (and this was just 1 pill
50mg) I got up from the chair to go to bed and I came over all funny I
thought I was going to faint, my husband helped me to bed and I lay down and
the feeling went away. Spoke to the Doc and she took my bp and said it was
fine and to take pills just before going to bed that way I won't have a
repeat of it . I must admit I am starting to feel better in myself
