Some women and I am one of them, felt like crying when they were perimenopausal. Some doctors prescribe antidepressants; mine did. Unfortunately, this was a terrible mistake. I was not depressed. I did not need this medication. It’s my fault that I never checked out what she prescribed for me. If I’d known I would never be able to stop taking this medication, I would have weathered through and been just fine. My opinion is drug companies make a lot of money from antidepressants, and this is one more way to get people hooked.

I hate it. I’m angry at the doctor. I should have researched the drug. I thought it was specifically for perimenopausal women. It isn’t. I’ve tried stopping the drug four times, and I simply cannot manage without it. Something is wrong with this method of treatment in my opinion.

This is my story and my opinion. Women may need antidepressants at this time of their life because their outlooks can be very dark, and the prescriptions can undoubtedly be the best treatment. I’m not saying no one should use antidepressants when perimenopausal; I’m saying that it was wrong for me, and the doctor shouldn’t have prescribed them so quickly. I’m also finding that this happens too frequently.

A Google search on antidepressants explains why they are used and why some doctors immediately prescribe them in a “one size fits all” cookie-cutter fashion. Therein lies the problem.

According to research conducted by The Menopause Charity, “Menopause guidelines are clear that antidepressants should not be used as first-line treatment for the low mood associated with the perimenopause and menopause. This is because there is no evidence that they actually help psychological symptoms of the menopause.”

An organization name Balance explains, “Despite this clear recommendation, many women are inappropriately offered antidepressants when they first seek help from a healthcare professional about their menopausal symptoms.”

Menopause is a stage women achieve; it’s not her body going through the change and preventing her from the ability to have children. Rather, it’s where she ends up after all the changes in her body have occurred. Menopause marks the end of women having menstrual cycles, and it is diagnosed after a woman has gone 12 months without a menstrual period. Just as puberty is the process that changes a woman’s body to enable her to bear children, menopause is the finality after all the changes so she can’t conceive. An average woman’s reproductive years are between ages 12 and 51 but note this is an average, not an absolute truth.

Perimenopause occurs when a woman begins and proceeds through the bodily and hormonal changes that result in menopause; this time period can be highly volatile for some women. Hot flashes, emotional ups and downs along with other symptoms including disruptive sleep patterns and reduced energy will often be the effects associated with perimenopause.

Another possible and controversial medical practice for several perimenopausal problems includes methods of balancing a woman’s hormone levels. But that’s for another time because it’s vastly judged as a lifesaver or a terrible error.

Each woman is different, but each one needs sound medical advice based on her symptoms. And we women need to research and understand the benefits and problems associated with all methods of treatment we encounter. Please don’t feel you have to follow my lead, but please do make sure you understand exactly what is happening to you and review all possible solutions.

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