Anxiety in Menopause

Linda from California writes: Dr. Lawrence, I'm going through menopause and the anxiety attacks are terrible. I won't take estrogen for reasons I won't go into. Is there anything other than hormone therapy that can help me.

Dr. Tom Lawrence replies: Linda, you don't tell me your age or the reason you are going through menopause at this stage of your life. So I'm going to assume that you are in the late stages of perimenopause or full blown menopause. I'm also going to assume that you entered menopause through the natural aging process. If these assumptions are in error, and for the benefit of other readers, you will want to go to the panel immediately left of this main panel and click on the links to take you to other pages with much more in-depth information.

With the above assumptions in mind, here is some general information about menopause and menopause alternative treatment. Your body has a mechanism that regulates hormones. With age, this mechanism wears down, causing loss of hormonal balance and onset of menopause. This results in a variety of symptoms. In addition to the anxiety in menopause you are experiencing, symptoms can include hot flashes, difficulty in keeping your thoughts straight, losses of short-term memory, mood swings, and depression. There are also hair loss in menopause and headaches in menopause. Some women report a loss of libido or interest in intercourse after menopause.

Treatments

HRT

Linda, I know you refuse to take estrogen, but for others who visit this website, I will touch on it briefly. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) involves taking the hormone estrogen, with or without another hormone progestin. These are only available with a prescription from your health care professional. HRT is right for some women, more especially for those whose menopause is the result of surgical removal of the ovaries and/or uterus. But, HRT carries the risk of some serious side effects, including uterine cancer, heart attacks, strokes, breast cancer, and blood clots. HRT may increase your chances of getting dementia, based on a study of women aged 65 years or older. Close consultation with your doctor is a necessity if you choose HRT. For a more in depth look at HRT, see the page Benefits and Risks of HRT.

Herbal Remedies

There are those who treat their menopause symptoms with herbal remedies. Some women report success with herbal therapy. However, the scientific community puts little faith in it. And some of them can have serious side effects. These herbal remedies include Ginseng, Red Clover, Evening Primrose Oil, Kava, Black Cohosh, and Dong Quai. To learn more about herbal remedies, click the Herbal Menopause Remedies link on the left side panel of this website.

Non-HRT Pills for Menopause

There are no magic pills for menopause that will treat every woman's symptoms. But there is a capsule that you should consider. Click here to learn about a relatively new menopause alternative treatment. If your symptoms include hair loss in menopause, you should consider a dual approach to your hair loss treatment, combining a general menopause alternative treatment with another treatment that specifically targets hair loss. For more information about treating hair loss in menopause, go to www.hairlosssolutionsforwomen.com.

To see more questions asked by Dr. Lawrence's readers, and his answers, go to www.DrTomLawrence.com.

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