Do You Misplace Things? How to Know If It's Serious

Q: I know that some forgetfulness during menopause is normal. But I feel like I'm losing my mind sometimes. I'm not a nut case. I'm a fully functioning adult with a good job. I just have memory and focus problems. All my friends talk about this, but I feel like I'm worse. How can I tell if it's menopause, or more than that?
-- Terry, Long Island, NY

A: It can take a while for your body to settle into the new hormonal equilibrium that menopause creates. Meanwhile, symptoms of the changes inside you can range from hot flashes and insomnia to, yes, memory lapses.

To get some idea of whether your forgetfulness is normal, look at three objects; 5 minutes later, ask yourself what they were. Next, ask yourself what you ate at your last meal. If your answers are iffy, ask a friend to repeat the process with you, showing you three objects and asking you to describe a recent meal. Trouble twice with these questions is an indication that something may be going wrong with your short-term memory. Next step: Go through this checklist of seven early signs of serious memory loss.

Do you . . .

1. Ask the same questions over and over (and not because you're named Woodward)?
2. Repeat the same story over and over (and not because your kids are tuning you out yet again)?
3. Forget how to do something you normally can do easily (and not as a slick attempt to have your boss assign the job to the dude in the next cube)?
4. Get lost in familiar surroundings (and not as a way to avoid being nagged about mowing the lawn)?
5. Misplace things often (and not because your home has more junk than a city landfill)?
6. Neglect to bathe (and not as a sexual deterrent)?
7. Rely on someone else to make decisions you'd normally make yourself (not applicable to men married more than a decade)?

If you answered yes to one or more of these, talk to your doc. If the symptoms started with menopause, you may be able to restore your memory with a specific form of hormone therapy -- a combination of bioidentical estrogen, micronized progestin, and aspirin -- soon after menopause starts. We've seen many miraculous memory recoveries with this, and our bet is that we will eventually discover that it creates a longer, better quality of life, too (younger arteries, healthier hearts, stronger bones). The downside: We'll see a slight increase in breast cancer because estrogen helps estrogen-sensitive breast tissue grow -- that's why it's not for everybody. Keep this in mind as you and your doctor decide whether, in your case, the potential benefits outweigh the risks.

Q: A while ago I began taking Chantix to quit smoking and had some unusually good side effects. Not only did I quit smoking, but I also stopped drinking, stopped biting my nails, lost weight (normally impossible), kept my apartment consistently clean, and even stuck to my monthly budget -- a first! But I recently went off of the drug and all my old habits crept back. I'm now taking half the normal dose and am doing great again! I don't think Chantix is meant to be taken long term, but I feel so much better and more together when I'm on it. Is it bad to keep taking it?
-- Nan, Lexington, KY

A: Chantix helps you stop smoking by removing the pleasure -- it prevents one of your body's feel-good chemicals, dopamine, from being released when you take a puff. It might help you stop these other unwanted behaviors in the same way -- they may have a similar chemical footprint and Chantix may take the fun out of them. We'd recommend staying on it while continually reducing the dose, cutting it in half again and then again. Work with your doc to see how infrequently you can use it and still get its benefits. Meanwhile, find a buddy -- maybe another ex-smoker -- that you can call (and vice versa) anytime you need a prod or a cheer. You'll be amazed at how powerful this can be. Sometimes, support from a buddy can produce the same chemical changes in the brain as a drug!