Dear Gee, All I keep hearing is that alcohol and peri- menopause is a bad combination. I am tired of reading and not understanding and when I visit my doctor, he is less than helpful. He does not know I drink daily. What are the symptoms that I should be looking out for? Hi lovely, The issue with alcohol and perimenopause is there are lots of symptoms that are seen in people who drink excessively and who are perimenopausal, this is called diagnostic overshadowing. For instance, these symptoms are signs of oestrogen depletion: · Mood swings
Dear Gee , I have just stopped drinking after three decades of hitting it all too hard when no one was looking. I am on day 87 and feeling very depressed and dark and I am shocked at this because I thought when I stopped drinking, my mood would lift. It did initially but it has not stayed that way and I am exhausted. Are depression and tiredness part of this journey? Love Lisa G. Hey L i sa G. , Depr es s i on and t i r ednes s i s de f i n i t e l y par t o f the j ourney ! Al though i t doesn ’ t happen to eve ryone , depr es s i on , when you g i ve up a l coho l , i s ve ry common . I t can happen f or seve ra l r easons , but i f not addr es sed , i t can l ead to f ant as i s i ng about the wi ne and r each i ng out f or the g l as s . When we s top dr i nk i ng we expe r i ence chemi ca l ad j us tment s . Al coho l touches many sys t ems i n the body and touches a lmos t eve ry neurot ransmi t t e r . I t par t i cu l ar l y a f f ec t s gamma-ami nobut yr i c ac i d (GABA) , wh i ch i nh i b i t s bra i n ac t i v i t y , and g l ut ama t e , wh i ch s t imu l a t es i t . When we dr i nk , g l ut ama t e i s l es s ab l e to s t imu l a t e the bra i n , and GABA i s be t t e r a t i nh i b i t i ng i t . Th i s i s why a l coho l makes you r e l axed and happy , and l owe r s your i nh i b i t i ons : I t s l ows some o f your bra i n ’ s s i gna l l i ng . When you s top dr i nk i ng , these changes r eve r se themse l ves . Your bra i n a lmos t goes i nto hype rdr i ve f or a wh i l e a f t e r you r emove the a l coho l and ar e no l onge r numb i ng i t . Rea l i s t i ca l l y i t cou l d t ake any th i ng up to a fu l l year to r each a base l i ne aga i n and f ee l be t t e r . But don ’ t l e t tha t put you o f f , we know the l ong- t e rm bene f i t s wi l l be a new you ! I t ’ s a mara thon , not a spr i nt s i s t e r . When you ’ r e f ee l i ng down and l ow, r each i nto your pocke t and t e l l your s i s t e r s , they wi l l be the r e wa i t i ng to l i s t en and o f f e r the i r expe r i ences and adv i ce . Th i s i s the bes t the rapy you can have and i t ’ s f r ee and on t ap . Lot s o f l uck and l ot s o f l ove Geexxx
· Low mood · Hot flashes · Headaches · Depression · Trouble concentrating · Fatigue · Memory retention · Anxiety · Confidence crisis · Decrease in bone density · Insomnia · Night sweats
So you can see, they are also symptoms of excessive and prolonged consumption of alcohol. The causal factor will be harder to distinguish if you are drinking too much and of an age when perimenopause can be manifesting. However, regardless of your age, if you are experiencing these symptoms, alcohol can cause them all. My answer to you is to put down the wine glass immediately as you are only making your life miserable and living less healthily. Perimenopause is challenging enough for women, adding wine into the equation is a cocktail for disaster. Good luck and go see your doctor today or as soon as possible. Lots of love and luck to you love Gee xxxx
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