Do the mood swings stop?

I've been having a lot of mood swings since my period stopped in July. Actually, they don't swing that much, they are basically right there waiting for something or someone to trip the trigger. I was a huge PMS sufferer but recently I feel like I'm PMSing very day. I've tried Prempro but it brought my period back heavily 18 days so I went off them. I'm now going the holistic route (black cohosh, evening primrose, etc.) but it doesn't help much. I'm already on two anti-depressants and going to counseling.

I used to be a nice person but I snap at people at work (although I think they deserve it) and my sweety is getting very tired of my emotional tyiads.

What more is a menopausal woman to do?

Oh, I can relate! My poor family never knows when Mount Moody Kathy will erupt . . .

I wrote a small article on that issue that was published in our newspaper and is also on my website - you can view it here:

http://www.rickandjune.com/Articles.asp?ID=1

Maybe one of the suggestions listed will be something you haven't tried yet. Hang in there!! I find the best thing for me to do when I feel that anger coming on is to go for a long walk. It gets me away from the family so I don't say things I wish I hadn't, and the walk clears my head and makes me feel better.

Good luck Vonnie, and stay in touch with us. This forum is a great place to vent and get support.

Kathy

Hi Ladies,

Thanks for the tips.

To be honest, I believe most of my moodiness is coming because my new supervisor at work is young lady who's 24 years old. It's quite difficult to take orders from this little twit..er...I mean young lady when I've been in the workplace for 30+ years and she's barely getting her feet wet. Ugh - I know I'm the only one who can do anything about it but so far I hang in there during the day and work on my writing at night so that eventually I can become a full-time freelancer. Is the the golden dream or what??

I try to stop resenting this girl but she just gets under my skin and there's no way I can take a walk during work hours, although some days I feel like walking right out the door!

Oh well - thanks for listening, ladies. Writing this is cathartic.

Ahh, I understand completely. I was Director of a small Charter School for two years until I quit because the stress just wasn't worth it.

The teachers were all 22-24 years of age, newly graduated and full of themselves. When they discovered I only had a 2-yr degree - oh my God - it was all over. From then on out, they never respected me or my ideas or my work.

They had more education than I did, therefore they were smarter and better than I was and knew more. Of course, my 25 years of work and life experience meant nothing to them.

Not sure what to tell you Vonnie. Your supervisor is probably trying to do her job to the best of her ability and is afraid if she shows weakness or asks for your help it might signify that she doesn't know what she's doing.

But I'll tell ya, the older I get, the younger all these employees seem. I try to remember back to what I was doing at that age, and that sometimes takes the edge off. Because at that age, I was working and confident and trying to "go places" too.

Okay, stop me, I'm rambling....
Kathy

Just to pop in with another possibility for your mood swings. You say you are already on two anti-depressants. If I were you, I'd talk to your doctor and see if these need to be adjusted or something else tried.

Anti-depressants aren't a one size fits all kinda of medication. And, they don't work the same way all the time. Some times they "poop out" and lose their effectiveness after taking them for a period of time. I'm currently going through that right now with one of mine. But, there is a solution. Your doctor can help.

As for the extra stress you feel dealing with a younger supervisor with an attitude, writing does help. Too bad you don't work in an environment where you can take a walk for a break. But, you might be able to take a "mental break". Next time she gets under your skin, step away, breath slowly, and imagine yourself some place that always made you happy in the past. Think about this place. What were the sounds? What were the smells? How did it make you feel?

Don't let her invade your special place.

On return to work after three months off following hysterectomy, all at work anticipated that I would be coming back moody. Oh, yes, I had occasionally snapped and been caustic with colleagues since my return. What riles me is that, when I am at loggerheads with someone at work, it is immediately attributed to mood swings when it should not be.

Yes, that happens here at home to me too. When I'm irritated at my husband who never does anything wrong, it's assumed my period is on it's way. Then I get more irritated at that assumption. Frustrating!

Speaking of young bosses, how about young doctors that we go to? Have any of you looked at their diplomas on the wall of their office? Do the math and cringe! Many are the ages of my children. How did this happen? Seems like yesterday that I was that age!!

I'm so glad you're talking about this. I'm post-menopausal and still have mood swings. Thought about an anti-depressant but not sure I really need one. I know I don't want to add another pill to the list. Isn't life about the ups and downs? Are we supposed to hide what we're feeling and thinking, go along with the "crowd"? Isn't that why so many people drink and do drugs - to cover up their feelings?

Von, My newest manager is 29, I'm 59. He pushed too hard when he started and I pushed back with a memo to his boss and HR (I documented everything for two months). It worked and we get along now - most of the time! Hope it gets better.

Hi, Kathy: Frustrating, indeed! Nowadays, I try to be monosyllabic so I can take a breather and not be seen to "snap". I've come up with a good way to go about it though...I let memos fly out of my desk!

Hi, Pam: Just fairly recently whilst out to lunch with a colleague, I remarked about how young the bobbies looked. Her retort was: "Well, it only seems to be because we're much older now". I cringed at the thought.

Well I must confess to still having the mood swings. I breezed through menopause, not so much as a flash, hot or otherwise, but oh those mood swings. My son had the answer, when he heard my DIL and me talking about them, he said, "nothing new here, you've alway been a b-witch." He laughed and ran into the back yard knowing I could never catch him. But seriously I still get all moppy and edgy, especially around the time I use to get my period and menopause for me is only a memory

I haven't had a period since 1991 but, around "that time of the month" I get a little snappy and start craving salt & chocolate.

The mood swings stop after menopause has fried your brain and memory. Seriously, they do eventually stop.

Vicki, do you ever do the salt/chocolate dance? Eat a pretzel and then a Hershey Kiss. Hmmm, I want to end with a salt taste. Eat another pretzel, then want to end with the chocolate taste. Please tell me I'm not the only one who does this.

That's why I like chocolate covered pretzels so much! I make them around the holidays. They are always a hit.

Dianne, I've been through menopause, haven't had a period for almost 10 years and I'm still having hot flashes...when do they stop? Does this mean my memory and brain have more frying to do?

I don't have any freakin' mood swings, you hear me? NONE! COUNT UM! ZERO! NADA! ZILCH! ARE WE CLEAR?!

Now...ahem..cough...what was the question sweetie?

I've never really differentiated between my PMS mood swings and Bipolar. But, taking all these meds, my mood is pretty much stabilized.

Now, if only they could make a pill to conquer the chocolate and salt craving.

Yes, Dotsie. I'll eat my salt, then I'll want some chocolate. Then I gotta have salt again. The cycle is never ending. Well, it is sorta. Then it starts up again the next month.

Chocolate covered pretzels, huh? I never really thought about combining the two. My salt craving usually ran to the chips side. You know. Potato chips. Tortilla chips. Don't know how good they'd taste if I dipped them in chocolate.

My cycle is just continuous for CHOCOLATE. Salt, I could take it or leave it, and don't enjoy chocolate pretzels at all.

Now my best friend is another matter - she salts her chips, she salts her soup, she salts everything. And her doctor tells her to eat more salt because her blood pressure is so low!

OH MY GOD, you mean the Chocolate/Salt insanity is another menopause affliction. WELL, shut my mouth, I always thought it was my idea, my sneaky little habit...Phooey!!!

I LOVE to make the pretzels dipped in white chocolate. I make them every year at Christmas. Yummmmmmmmmmm! Gimme...gimme!

Thanks for all your support. Sometimes I think I just get plain tired. Yesterday and today the young chick didn't bother me too much but I know by Friday - POW - I'll be ready to blow!! She babbles on like an immature child who hasn't learned to be tactful yet. She's an only child from India and was treated like a princess from what we all gather in the office. Oh yes, it's not just me that wants to brain her, believe me. Trouble is - our boss loves her - ugh!! Maybe we're just bitter ol' bats but there's other young ones around there that we love. If any of us does happen to snap at one of her irritating comments she says we're so mean!

Oh well - thanks for sharing your suggestions and menopausal moods with me. Makes me feel less crazy.

Oh - and Rick & June - I know what you mean about being frustrated when your husband assumes it's your period. Mine used to say, well we have to remember that you're a little more sensitive at this time of the month. GRRRRRRR!!

Thanks for listening.

Saundra, I'm trying to remember how long I had hot flashes but it's that memory thing again. I took Vitamin E and it seemed to help. I actually had a male doctor tell me that menopause is hard on the body. I wanted to kiss his feet for understanding!

I noticed that after the flashes stopped, my body had changed. I can no longer sleep in a warm room, it has to be frigid. Before, I always wanted the bedroom warm. Trying to sleep with those flashes was awful for me and my hub. He'd have on a thick robe with the covers up to his chin and I'd be spread eagle and in the nude with the ceiling fan running at a warp factor four!

Oh Dianne the picure that formed in my mind when I read your post, too funny!!!!

Chatty and I are holding our sides laughing, Dianne.

Dianne, does this look like your hubby? This is from my book "June is Hot"....

http://www.crowningtouchgraphics.com/images/rick.jpg

Oh yeah, that's him only he uses the blanket too. Put a robe on that guy and it's my hub.

Too funny!

Dianne, if you had worn Kathy's pjs, you wouldn't ahve had to sleep naked!

Now you tell me!