What Doctors Don't Tell YouOur story last week about the use of antidepressants to treat the menopause triggered some interesting stories. One lady who suddenly started developing hot flushes controlled the symptoms by adopting a macrobiotic diet and lifestyle. All red meat and dairy was eliminated from her diet. Since then, three years on, she has never experienced another hot flush, and her monthly mood swings have disappeared.
One reader points out that the treatment of menopause – or perimenopause symptoms – with antidepressants and sleeping pills is nothing new. Several of her friends were prescribed antidepressants, and she remembers her own symptoms included disorientation, lack of self-esteem and memory and concentration problems. Perhaps many people on antidepressants are in fact experiencing early-stage menopausal symptoms, and so probably should be treated neither with antidepressants nor HRT.
Daniel Redwood DC
Tom Ferguson MD
