Menopause and Psychotic behavior

Women's health
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Hi Lela and Vix, and and;

  Lela, you mention 'Xanor', I assume this is an anti-psychotic or anti-depression drug?  As in your case, my wife tried unsuccessfully to ween off 'Abilify'.  This forum has prompted me to review a podcast from Australia regarding HRT.  They mention 'SERMs'  ( Selective estrogen receptor modulators).  I believe the intention is that they do not have the same cancer risks.

  I believe that we need to find a Doctor (in Ontario, Canada, hopefully) that specializes in Menopause.

   Thanks again, all.  Regards,  Peter

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PS;  I guess my point (forgot to mention---I think the 'brain-fog is contagious--HA HA)  is that; being on anti-psychotics is making it difficult to determine the effectiveness of HRT---I think.  The effects of one is muddled by the other.   And further;  what are the original symptoms and what symptoms are due to the withdrawal from the anti-psychotic?

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Hi Peter - i did reply to your post last week, but it is still in the "needs to be moderated box". Not sure If I said something there that I should not have? Hope the forum will eventually allow it.

With regards to Xanor, it is benzo drug, similar to Xanax, Activan etc. Normally prescribe in cases of GAD. Only problem with these drugs are that you become very dependent on them, and going cold turkey by weaning yourself off them is apparently very dangerous and should be administered by a GP. I have red that there are people that have been using it for almost 25 years as they could not deal with the withdrawal symptoms. I have been trying to get info on what the longest term of actual use should be, but have been unsuccessful. The one site said that you should not use it longer than 8 months. I am almost past that time. 

I was hoping, seeing that i started HRT, that I will be able to cope without it, but I became so dependent on it that I believe I will have to consult with my GP before I follow this route again. I did try it a while back, on my own but failed miserably.  

Let me know if you need any more info on this, I will gladly share my own experience with you. 

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Hi Peter, are you referring to the symptoms of withdrawal if you are trying to wean yourself of these benzo drugs? I can tell you what symptoms I had: Firstly, I started getting pins and needles, specially in my face. Then my tongue started feeling numb, started feeling dizzy, had tremors, burst out in a cold sweet, felt disorientated, and sort of out of zone like I was loosing focus, then terrible headaches, this was on day 3 of not using. I then googled the symptoms and red that it is very dangerous to do it without supervision and that it can trigger seizures. This freaked me out as I am already using meds for night epilepsy and decided to rather keep on using and consult with my GP. I have not done so yet, as I am too scared to go through this again.

PS. Brain fogging is part of peri-menopause symptoms, and using Xanor/Xanax do seem to help with this symptom. Once again the reason why these drugs have such an addictive effect. I mention again, I so wish I never started taking them, and was offered HRT instead. Unfortunately it is just too easy giving calming meds and antidepressants for women when the actual problem is clear, under there noses that we all just from peri-menopause. And if they do not want to prescribe HRT, then just guide us and suggest natural ways to get the hormones under control!

It is my opinion that some GP's are just clueless when it comes to such an obvious problem been peri-menopause!! 

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Hi Lela;

  You may be on something similar to my wife--guessing here.  Abilify, (her current med) is a 'better' version of Olanzapine.  I am making broad assumptions here.

  Here is what wiki says about Olanzapine;

Olanzapine is believed to work by blocking, or antagonizing, the dopamine D2 receptorwhich is an action it shares with most antipsychotics.[7] Like most other atypical antipsychotics olanzapine also strongly antagonizes the 5-HT2A receptor, which may partially underpin its reduced propensity for causing movement disorders.[7] Despite its close structural relation to traditional benzodiazepine anxiety-relieving medications, it possesses no affinity for the GABAA receptor, its anxiety-relieving effect is mediated through its effect on dopamine and 5-HT receptors.

  So, again, I am assuming that Abilify is related to 'benzos', somehow.

Please, anyone reading, my assumptions must be researched properly.  What I'm getting at is; my wife also tried to ween off of Abilify (unsuccessfully).   You mentioned "cold turkey" and weening together, but I thought the former means stopping abruptly? (which we know is generally not a good idea).

  She 'weened' off Abilify, over the course of a year. I  noticed some psychotic symptoms returning, but I hoped this was attributed to withdrawal  effects, rather than a general, continued necessity for he drug.

   After a particularly bad episode, long story short,  she is back on a monthly 400 mg Abilify injection.

  At the moment, my hope is to get a referral to a Doctor, specializing in menopause, if they exist in (Ontario) Canada.  Even if we are lucky enough to find one, treatment etc., will be clouded by her current prescription.

  I have to investigate "SERMs"  further.  IIRC, they are hormones that affect the brain, without the (breast) cancer risks of traditional HRT.

Has anyone had experience with these?

            Thanks,   Lela and all.  Regards,    Peter

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Hi Folks, just a little update; 

  My wife is back on 'Abilify'  after a particularly bad episode.  All is well, and no one seems to concerned about investigating further.

   Her diagnosis is Bi-polar Disorder.  Her history is explained in the thread above.

My Burning question;

      Has anyone been diagnosed with Bi-polar, at the same time as menopausal symptoms started?

                           Thanks again all,   Peter