I am 51 years old and I am already taking Menosan, as well as HRT. I am really struggling with both mood swings and depression.I have in the past 2 years I have been diagnosed Bipolar II. I am on a low dose combined HRT and I have a monthly bleed. I have no children and it seems as though that has influenced the choice of HRT. I am hoping to be gradually phased off HRT the next time I see my GP. I only went on HRT because I wasn't sleeping well. I take Dormesan with the consent of my doctor, and that helps enormously. Any further advice would be welcome.

If you wish to come off HRT it is really important to do it very, very slowly, at least over 6 months.

Coming off HRT mimics a menopause but if you come off too quickly then your stress system crashes (you are suddenly without all these extra hormones which have been shoring up your body), and you can end up getting menopause-like symptoms all over again!

When you decide to come off, I would suggest starting a female multi-vitamin with high levels of B vitamins, and a separate magnesium supplement to help support your system generally.

Acupuncture can be really effective for balancing whilst coming off HRT so it is worth looking into.

Avoid foods that can stress the nervous system such as caffeine, high salt and sugar foods, processed foods, and try to drink plenty of plain water every day.

Daily relaxation is really important for this as it helps to strengthen the nervous system and the stronger this is, the less likely you are to get symptoms.

You can continue to take Dormeasan and Menosan to help with existing symptoms. You may also find taking Menopause Support helpful at this time as it is known to gently raise and balance oestrogen, and can help the body to adapt without the HRT.

Eileen Durward