Four years ago I was diagnosed with severe, chronic depression. My daily challenges bounced from crying jags and panic attacks to uncharacteristic irritability and temper flashes, from insomnia to complete exhaustion and always, always memory blanks that included getting in the car, driving and not being able to recognize where I was or where I was going (thank you, Garmin, for helping with that!).
My menstrual cycle was showing no changes but I was turning 50 so my first thought was that I might be entering menopause. Various tests seemed to indicate that was not the case. After informing every practitioner that I had a very low tolerance for most medications, I began treatment for depression and thus began the rounds of almost every medication prescribed for depression. I also went into therapy, trying to "talk" my way out.
At one point, my cholesterol became elevated and I was prescribed Vytorin. After taking both Vytorin and the anti-depressants for a month I found out that they are contraindicated - in a very big way. I'm sure you can imagine how terrified I was at hearing that.
Today, I am definitely in menopause and instead of being "cured" or even better, I can add extreme GERD to the list. Not only do I still have all my symptoms, adding hot flashes, I can expect to be on PPI's for the rest of my life. I am also on disability and pretty much unemployable - a very hard thing to accept after having had a successful career with so much of my identity tied up in my professional persona.
I've learned some lessons I'd like to share. Hopefully I am being redundant and you already know and practice these:
- You read everywhere that you should tell your doctor what medications and supplements you are taking. DO IT! Write it down, keep it in your wallet and update it as appropriate so you don't forget anything and know your dosages. What you don't tell them could make all the difference. Remember that YOU will live with the results no matter whose "fault" it is.
- Make friends with your pharmacist. What worked best for me was finding out when their least busy time was and stopping by then to talk.
- Talk to your doctor AND pharmacist about ALL the prescriptions you are taking, including over-the-counter supplements, and chances for interactions.
- If you can't read the insert for side affects and there's no time to ask your practitioner, ask your pharmacist.
- As much as possible, take charge of your health care. Listen, get second opinions, talk to your family and make decisions. It's your health and you will have to live with it. Don't just "go with the flow" on this one!
Believe it or not, it's taken me HOURS to write this. Ah, well. I wish you good health, much love and long life.
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I think it's amazing what you shared here. Number one, I am overwhelmed by your story and what courage and strength you've had to come and share all of this information with all of us. You are a very strong woman! This is exactly what this website is supposed to do--helping to EmpowHer other women, so hats off to you for sharing this with us!
My symptoms were so similar to yours--the irritability, the temper flashes, insomnia extraordinaire, and no memory. It's amazing how many times I hear women say "My menstrual cycle was showing no changes but I was turning 50, but yet the tests were indicating that nothing was going on," which is what happened to me, and I'm finding is happening to most women.
This is why I'm such an advocate of women getting their blood and hormone levels tested at such a young age, and then putting their results in a binder, and then going back and checking them every year. That way, they can keep track of their levels and how and when they begin to change. For most women who are dealing with menopause, they typically start with symptoms that they associate with thyroid or with hormonal changes--it's not always night sweats or hot flashes or the more common symptoms that we always associate with menopause. In my case it was acid reflux and insomnia.
I've learned some lessons I'd like to share with you. Be sure to get your bloodwork done on a regular basis, and if you are not sure what tests you should be getting, visit www.herplace.com, where Dr. Vliet has provided women with a list of bloodtests and bloodpanels that you should have checked.
I love what you say about making friends with the pharmacist--that is so critical because again, I'll go back to what happened with me. If I only knew some of the side effects of the drugs I was taking, it would have clued me in right away that I was having major side effects. So the tip is to go to the pharmacist and get what the pharmaceutical company give him or her, not the list of side effects that he or she puts on the side of your bottle of medicine. These tend to be the most generic and general side effects, but in my case, the side effects I was having were the ones on the information provided on the longer list.
Also, it's important to remember that your prescriptions are going to change. In my case, it's been a continual process of tweaking and tweaking my medications over time. Again, this goes back to the binder and keeping on top of our blood levels and our medications. In my case, I've even had to change the time of day that I take certain medications. Right now, 3 p.m. is when I take one of my thyroid medications as well as an estrogen gel. I've set my alarm on my cell phone to go off to remind me to take my medications so I always remember.
You brought up so many great points for women, and if you would be open to participating through a news story or a television show, and if you'd be willing to share what you've learned through our website if would be great! You are exactly what we are looking for in terms of a woman who not only advocates for herself but also for others. Please let me know if you have any interest in this and we could contact you for different things. I would love to interview you on one of my podcasts.
I also wish you good health, much love and a long life, and believe me, it can take me hours to write things too!
June 11, 2008 - 11:43amThis Comment
That's such great advice from someone who has experienced this first hand. We appreciate you taking the time to share your advice with other women. Are you still taking any of the above medications? Have you found some work better for you than others?
June 11, 2008 - 10:11amThis Comment