Depression & Perimenopause & w/d

[[Sw...]]

Past several years (prior to any benzo) I would get weepy the day before my period started.  No big deal - when I started to feel this way I would just know my period was going to start within a few hours.  Then weepiness would lift.  Since my benzo w/d I've noticed moderate depression just before my period (well, its moderate now, at almost 3 months off.  But as I look back it was moderate to severe depression just before my period.)  So I figured the benzo w/d was just intensifying my regular symptoms.  My period this month came early.  This is very unusual for me as I have always been like clockwork.  So I started thinking maybe this is peri-menopause.    Anyone know if benzo w/d alone can throw off the timing of your period?  I was thinking yes since I've read that any imbalance in Cortisol can also mess up female hormones.  And I'm pretty sure most of us in benzo w/d have problems with Cortisol.  Just trying to figure out if this is a symptom of w/d and/or peri-menopause.

[[we...]]

SweetPepper,

 

I think I can answer this one.  Yes definitely, high stress levels can make you skip or play havoc with your periods, it did for me.  5 Months of taper and interdose withdrawal, I should have had 5 periods, only got 2. I asked my doc, and she said yes it can.  My hormone levels go checked and found to be normal, although at this time of life, it's OK one day and not the next.  The way I see it, I'll just wait and see now that I'm off benzos to see whether they normalize.  Hope this helps.

[[Sw...]]

Thanks Wellness.  Feels better knowing its not just me.

[[Re...]]

Hey sweetPepper,

 

I just read your post.  I'm currently going through the final stages (at least I hope the final stages) of perimenopause.  But throughout my taper and for some time post benzo the intensity of my syptoms always, and I emphasize always, got worse during my periods. Surprisingly, my hormone levels were very stable during withdrawal, so I knew that it was benzo recovery that was intensifying my perimenopause symptoms.  Now, perimenopause is a total breeze! I still experience cyclic insomnia, but not like it was a year ago.  Everything is very, very mild.  I agree with wellness, benzos can wreck hovac even on the endocrine system.  I think for me that my benzo use suppressed the activity of my endocrine system, which in turn kept symptoms during my periods mild, and when I stopped the benzos, my endocrine system went haywire (like all other systems in the body during benzo recovery) and made everything worse.  As I said earlier, everything is much quieter now, and I'm sailing through the final stages of perimenopause without incident (fingers crossed).  Things will settle down and get better.

 

Continue to stay the course.

Retire2010

[[Sw...]]

Hey sweetPepper,

 

I just read your post.  I'm currently going through the final stages (at least I hope the final stages) of perimenopause.  But throughout my taper and for some time post benzo the intensity of my syptoms always, and I emphasize always, got worse during my periods. Surprisingly, my hormone levels were very stable during withdrawal, so I knew that it was benzo recovery that was intensifying my perimenopause symptoms.  Now, perimenopause is a total breeze! I still experience cyclic insomnia, but not like it was a year ago.  Everything is very, very mild.  I agree with wellness, benzos can wreck hovac even on the endocrine system.  I think for me that my benzo use suppressed the activity of my endocrine system, which in turn kept symptoms during my periods mild, and when I stopped the benzos, my endocrine system went haywire (like all other systems in the body during benzo recovery) and made everything worse.  As I said earlier, everything is much quieter now, and I'm sailing through the final stages of perimenopause without incident (fingers crossed).  Things will settle down and get better.

 

Continue to stay the course.

Retire2010

 

Thank you for the reassurance Retire2010.    So glad to hear perimenopause was a breeze for you.  We so often only hear the horror stories about pain, no sleep, mood and personality changes that come with perimenopause (on top of benzo w/d).    It can be frightening.  Did you have your hormone levels checked during your w/d?  I am only 3+ months benzo free now but I definitely see patterns of waves happening during certain times of my cycle.