Erratic monthly cycles after long-term addiction?

[PuffinMuffins]

I'm honestly not sure if this is the right forum for this, just the closest I found here.

I know I need to see an actual doctor, I haven't in years due to fear of what I might find out. When I went before a few years back, I got a lot of generally discomforting feedback (like whoa your lung capacity/circulation/heart rhythm etc etc sure doesn't seem ideal, you need to see specialists about x number of potential issues) and just never went back haha.

So I'm 26, have used relatively harder drugs at least on a "weekender" basis since I was like, 11. Developed a rapidly worsening heroin addiction by 15, save for a couple month-long sobriety attempts was basically a every-6-hour user til 2 years ago. I gradually quit opioids altogether a little over a year ago after tapering my intake with mostly methadone for about a year.

Prior to the worst period of my addiction, my cycles had always been pretty regular. Gradually became lighter and less frequent a few years into usage, until I totally lost my period for about 3 years.

It wasn't til about a month before I quit h (when I'd been tapering my dosage prior to getting on methadone) I think, when my periods returned. My first period since its absense was fucking horrifyingly painful and heavy. Since then its been the most erratic bs I've ever seen. 3 months of no period, then a 12-day-nearly-faint-from-blood-loss period, then 3 weeks of peace until a normal 4 day period, then 2 months of nothing, etc.

Lately they've been *extremely* painful. My roommate recently asked me to describe the feeling - the first thought I had was "like someone is twisting a corkscrew into my intestines". It's like my entire uterine/intestinal area, he'll my whole torso sometimes, is just being torn tf apart. It's the most painful when it's especially heavy, which it has been lately.

What recently occurred to me is that this is the exact sequence of events my mom dealt with when hitting menopause. This has of course scared me off from seeking medical advice even more, because I'm unrealistic like that and just love to ignore my problems even if ignoring them makes them worse. One self-improvement mission at a time, guys.

So is that here anyone with any knowledge or advice etc about this?

 

[hikfromstik]

Are you still on methadone? I'm a guy , but knew a few ladies on methadone. I remember them talking about it messing up the cycles . In males it kills the normal testosterone production ( low T ). Have you done any googling on female hormones deficiency during MMT therapy ? I would find a good OBGYN and be truthful with your problem. I doubt your going thru menopause ,but I'm no dr either. I'm guessing maybe it's from the methadone???

 

[cj]

Seeing a doctor is the only real advice anyone on blue light can give you. I will say that your young and it's been going on long enough that if it was something horrible you'd likely already be dead. So that's some comfort

 

[Xorkoth]

My girlfriend developed overwhelmingly painful periods (though very regular) that sound similar to what you're describing, in her early twenties. Before, she didn't have them. She was never on drugs other than intermittent light weed use and a couple of times ever trying psychedelics. It's really bad for her but she has found an NSAID that works (meloxicam) and she can minimize the pain if she times it right and does various other things. I was just wondering if it could be natural, but you never noticed because your period was stopped from the drugs? But yeah you should definitely go to a doctor.

 

[ElleAZ]

You could have developed fibroids or PCOS and simply failed to catch it early because of your addiction. Your doc likely won't need to know about the drugs unless there is no other reason he can identify.

Did you become underweight? If so, that would make sense.

 

[ZaphodBeeblebrox]

The rogue honey badger that sometimes sleeps in my garbage can also had this happen to her. Her period was super erratic (but was previously super regular) and although she knew the cause she went to the doctor anyway to see what their thoughts were on it. Her doctor - without knowing her secret - asked what the real issue was with not having a period. In fact, she asked "why do you need a period?". Turns out, it's OK to not have a period every month. Contrary to popular belief that it's normal and healthy to have a period every month (not that it's not, because it is) it's also ok and healthy to not have one every month.

Definitely not a reason to keep using and it seems like you're making an effort to quit which is awesome, but this will, like everything else, eventually go back to normal. When will it go back to normal? Who knows. But if your'e concerned you can go to the doctor and ask for some treatment options. You can take hormones for 10 days which will force your body to have a period with the hopes that it gets it's shit together on it's own the following month (if not, you can take the same pills the following month) - OR - if you definitely do not want to get pregnant just go on birth control. That'll regulate you real quick - and make your periods lighter and less painful.

You're not going through menopause. Your body just needs to be free from the drugs and it'll self-regulate. You do need to be concerned if you see yourself growing new hair in new places (like your chest or your back) and she's not talking peach fuzz, she's saying straight up fat greek guy who works at the gyro place on not main street BACK HAIR. Yep. If that's happening you definitely need to have your thyroid checked because it's likely hypothyroidism which causes fatigue, weight loss, the hair stuff, and messes with your cycle (it's not permanent you just need to get off the drugs and it'll get better, but will likely need treatment too).

As for your periods getting heavier, that could just be a natural evolution of your body. You've been taking drugs for 10+ years (right?) so it's always been a bit interfered with. Honey badger also know a lot of other women whose hormones changed in their mid-twenties (ah, aging).

That said, and as everyone else on this thread also said, just go to your doc and find out. Have them test your hormone levels and check your thyroid. Talk to them about birth control options (Honey badger really can't recommend anything good to you, they all make her a raging bitch or suicidal - but that's just her) but she has a lemur friend who has had a great experience with her Mirena IUD. You don't have to tell them about your drug use. Just say you're really stressed and have lost weight (or some other non-drug related reason for not having a period) and you're concerned and would like to get a full checkup. Tell them to vaccinate you for HPV while they're at it and insist if they tell you you've already had sex and the vaccinations won't do much good - they're lying - the vaccination will still protect you from the types that cause cervical cancer and warts. They only say that because the longitudinal research studies haven't caught up to older women so it's only being given to virgins. At least, last honey badger checked clinicaltrials.gov.

Anyway, honey badger just wandered off and has broken into the neighbors toolshed to get weapons. She sometimes goes on random murder sprees and always tries to get the damn squirrels that wake her up early in the morning. I'd better go stop her before she kill's Steve the Squirrel's new babies.

Good luck, and don't worry so much you're going to be fine. Just get checked out.

Honey badger don't care