This is for the ladies. Has anyone got through menopause with OCD and is now post menopause? I’m having such a tough time with hormones and my ocd. I pray this gets better. Having a double whammy with this has been tough. Thanks
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@Daisyandconfused Did it calm a little when you got through it
@Daisyandconfused They say the fluctuations get better and more evened out
@Daisyandconfused I’m on oestrogen and progesterone too but not tried an ssri. Sometimes think maybe I should or I’ve also wondered if I need a higher dose of oestrogen.
@Angel20 Do you need an antidepressant for your OCD?
@Daisyandconfused Was the ssri alone helping at all
@Daisyandconfused Yes I need to find someone who works and knows hormones. I am already on ssri
@Schoolie93 I’m not taking one no
@Angel20 I think my ocd just got so much worse with the hormone thing I needed it, hopefully when that is helped after time I won’t need both AD and hormones. That’s great you can manage OCD without meds. I started some ERP but still need more
@Schoolie93 I sometimes wonder if I should be on an AD. Where have you had ERP? I’m in UK and it all seems to be CBT here which I’ve had already.
Thank you ladies for your input and help
@Schoolie93 You’re welcome. Good luck 🤞
I am through menopaus, I have used HRT for ten years. It definitely helps. It's not important to do tests, a good doctor listen to which symptoms you have.
@Estrid Did you use hrt during perimenopause? How about an ssri. Did you feel better at all after you hit actual menopause?
@Schoolie93 Yes, from perimenopaus and forward. No SSRI since a few years. No, I felt worse...now my estrogen is so low and it has affected my sleep so much so I had to go high on estrogen medication. I guess I have to use HRT many years from now.
@Estrid How is your anxiety or panic attacks
@Estrid Omgosh yes sleep can be a major issue for most having insomnia
@Schoolie93 I have worked hard on my recovery, I have a lot of obsessions but I manage wuite well. The most frustrating thing is that menopaus in addition to longtime covid made me more sensitized in general, I easily pick up new themes so I have to be superalert to use my skills.
@Estrid Yes I hear you. I had to skip on news a lot and social media plus I have health anxiety that makes things worse so I have to be careful. I try using my tools as much as possible when I remember and they help
@Schoolie93 Get you. Hope you'll find a solution regarding your hormones. OCD and health anxiety is enough in itself for sure.
My ocd suddenly got a lot worse literally overnight when I was 5 years post menopause. Think my hormones must have suddenly plummeted massively. Saw a menopause specialist and started hrt which has helped a lot but I still struggle at times.
@Angel20 Did you struggle during perimenopause as well
@Schoolie93 Looking back I can see I was gradually getting worse but just subtly until suddenly 5 years post menopause I literally went to bed, had a nightmare and woke up an anxious wreck and a really difficult time with my ocd followed.
@Daisyandconfused Omg seriously wow 0
@Daisyandconfused No wonder you were suffering so much, my gosh . I wish doctors tested more and gave us more answers instead send us home saying it’s part of life ughh
Currently having an anxious night because my hormones are doing whatever they want before my cycle starts. It's so frustrating. I feel very, very on edge and like I'm constantly anxious about something bad happening. Also been nauseous and having sleep issues. So irritating. How does everyone else deal with the spike in anxiety and OCD before periods? I'm seeing an endocrinologist on Monday to try and help but I feel so stressed out.
I'm roughly 2 months pregnant and I'm struggling so bad with OCD (specifically surrounding psychosis/postpartum psychosis, postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, etc). I'm so discouraged because I was sub-clinical for over a year and this pregnancy and the hormones are undoing all of my progress. And it actually seems so much harder than BEFORE when I was at a low point. It feels like the hormones are ruining my brain and making me lose my mind. I keep looking over my shoulder, getting intrusive images of scary hallucinations that I might start to get, i fear hurting myself or my baby, etc. Psychosis in pregnancy is 1 in 1000. That's not that rare. I feel like I just upped my chances of my biggest fear happening and I have so much regret and fear around that. I'm also a Christian and I'm relying on God so much more now than ever, but I'm afraid of that too because people in psychosis often have religious delusions and I can't tell if I'm slipping into that or if God is really just using this trial to pull me closer to him. I just feel so defeated. I feel like ERP just isn't going to work for me because the hormones are a whole different animal that "normal" people with OCD don't have. Like they're making me immune to ERP or that ERP isn't for people like me and I'm hopeless.
How are your experiences during an ocd spike while going through a menstruation? It doesn't matter if you are afab, your experience is valid too! I noticed my thoughts get worsened and the spike intensified, but now that I'm taking sertraline I don't feel an panic attack as before but the throughs and feelings are definitely there so is an unpleasant situation
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