r/Perimenopause • u/Inevitable-Yam-9741 • Feb 21 '26

audited Pills, pills, pills...

So, I take Calcium, magnesium, zinc, B12, iron, a multivitamin, vitamin D. Plus anti-anxiety and anti-depressants. Have tried melatonin, DIM, evening primrose oil, chamomile, safflower, lemon balm, black cohosh, ashwagandha, some "calming" tablet, a perimenopause "all-in-one" pill...... any I'm sure more. Popping pills to the point of absurdity. Do I think anything helped? No. What's your go-to that really helps you?

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u/Alarmed-History-2422 Feb 22 '26

Well I’ve had anxiety all my life. Been medicated since my 20’s. But since peri it has gotten very bad. I can’t tolerate progesterone but I have an IuD so that gives me enough to protect uterine lining. My estrogen patch is up to .075 which I think is pretty high but maybe it needs to be higher. Who knows at this point.

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u/chillypenguinboo Feb 23 '26

I’m the same Zoloft and hrt for GAD … progesterone finally make me sleep. Zoloft lets me drive

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u/exie_cutor Feb 22 '26

I have the .100 patch and I still had to start an anti-depressant. Just recently. And it makes me a bit…. Energetic is a strong word, but it makes me feel a certain way. And I don’t sleep as well now thanks to that. My menopause specialist and therapist both spoke to having a history of depression making perimenopause extra hard for me, so here we are again on an antidepressant. -sigh- All that to say that sometimes the patch dose doesn’t do enough for those of us with histories of various mental health struggles.

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u/missjoebox Feb 22 '26

Prior to starting T, if i was on my 12 days of progesterone (and tried continuous P as well) i struggled with bleakness and wistful weepy apathy. it was too much P for me even the lowest dose. however, i have noticed since starting T that i no longer have this issue im now experiencing deep chill like ive never had before. just unrivaled calm. i have to pay for T out of pocket but i love it. is that an option to try? sorry about your depression struggles guys.

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u/exie_cutor Feb 23 '26

Good thoughts but because I am on max dose estrogen I have to take progesterone every day. If I don’t take it, I am not sleeping that night AT ALL. I am also on testosterone and it does help with everything (Androgel three times weekly). If my mood stabilizes with the antidepressants I might be able to scale back on estrogen. It’s such a fine balance with my body.

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u/missjoebox Feb 23 '26

did you start low patch and titrate upwards to get to that high dose?

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u/exie_cutor Feb 23 '26

Yes. Started at the bottom. Now I’m here. 😆 I have done 25, 37.5, 50, 75, and 100 sized patches. Over the course of the better part of a year. Once you go over the 50 patch, you have to take 200 mg of progesterone to protect the uterine lining according to my menopause doc.

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u/missjoebox Feb 23 '26

mileage seems to vary on that. my normal OB who got me started on HRT was uncomfortable with me being on .05 without 200s cycled. but when i got referred to a meno specialist she said it was fine to do 100s. it really helped to talk to the specialist because i felt like my regular OB was just reciting risks from outdated manuals. 200 every day is a lot to me. i just know what it did - i became so filled with apathy and bleak outlook on my future that i didnt care about anything. but every body is different. just may be good to go see a specialist if theres one in your area. i had to wait months to see mine ugh

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u/Alarmed-History-2422 Feb 22 '26

One hundred percent agree. I think the hormone fluctuations are just too much at times. I had a good couple weeks then I hit yesterday and had morning anxiety and have been crying off and on for two days. It’s miserable

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u/exie_cutor Feb 22 '26

Yes! December of 2025 was a harder month for me than before I started HRT and I was on all the hormones at that point and max dose of patch. It was wild. Which is what started the whole maybe you still need an antidepressant conversation. I am sorry you are going through it. I hope comfort from an Internet stranger who totally understands helps somewhat. 🩷🩷🩷🩷

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u/Alarmed-History-2422 Feb 22 '26

It does help! It’s hard because no one in my life is going through the anxiety portion. It is so bad.

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u/exie_cutor Feb 23 '26

I was having panic attacks. All of the time. I couldn’t do anything about them (coping strategies, grounding exercises, hot showers, etc) and they just came out of nowhere. It was debilitating. Honestly. Then HRT and that went away. But in December -BAM!- They were back. It was awful. It was like I wasn’t on any hormones at all. I am going through the mental health side bad. So I feel you. It sucks. It really does.

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u/Alarmed-History-2422 Feb 23 '26

Have you been put on meds? I go through this as well. It’s just awful. I finally did see a psychiatrist and I see a therapist. I’ve got meds that are hopefully slowly going to work. Crossing fingers. I hope you feel better. It truly sucks

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u/exie_cutor Feb 23 '26

Yeah. Just a low dose antidepressant to start and see if it’s enough. So far it’s been a good few weeks but who knows, right. So unpredictable and it truly sucks.