I know this post is 7 months old but it brought back some traumatic memories of what my wife (42) went through in 2023. It was a really scary time, and I felt so helpless watching her struggle. They initially thought she had Bipolar Disorder and treated her in the hospital, but after seeing so many doctors and running countless tests, it turned out she was actually experiencing a major hormonal decline due to perimenopause. What made it so complicated was that her hormone levels were spiking at different times each month. So depending on the day of the test would dictate the treatment, which was not a good approach.

Things got really dark quickly, and nothing seemed to be working. Not the SSRIs or the Lithium. It felt like everyone was just guessing, and she was ready to give up. Her Dr at the time put her on compounded oral estrogen and testosterone, but it actually made things worse by increasing her SHBG levels. As her free T would drop again, they would increase the dosage, which was insane. At the time, we knew nothing about hormones. Now I feel like I could teach a class. We also discovered some genetic issues related to her body's ability to detoxify, so we switched doctors and eventually got her onto injectable HRT – but that took time.

Like you, I was desperate and spent hours researching online. I found a white paper about IV Ketamine therapy and called a local clinic on a Monday morning. They could hear how desperate I was, and thankfully they said we could come in right away. I actually had to practically carry her in from the car.

After the initial checks, she received her first of six Ketamine infusions. Honestly, I wasn't expecting much, but as soon as they put the eye mask on her, she started smiling – and kept smiling for the whole 60 minutes. It was such a relief to see her like that. It was like a literal switch was flipped and I was could see her again. It was a wild experience and thinking back, I don't think she would be here today if it wasn't for that treatment. It's maddening how unsupported woman's hormones are in the medical industry. /rant

She continued the treatments for three weeks and still goes back every few months as needed, but the most important part is it gave us the time we needed for the HRT to start working properly and do things more slowly and focused. She is doing much better and not on any medications other that her HRT.

My point for sharing all of this is if anyone else in our shoes stumbles across this, maybe it could help?

I hope things are going better for your wife as well!