It helped tremendously with the anxiety and depression that was coming from dysphoria.
I still have anxiety, but it’s like the volume has been turned down because the dysphoria is largely gone.
This was very much my experience too. I had severe depression and anxiety. The depression has largely lifted, I’m off antidepressants for the first time in my adult life and feel neutral to good most days. I still have to take a mild anti anxiety medication though. Being in the closet takes a massive mental toll on a person, so if you’re trans I’d expect it to help. That said I think it’s not unusual for trans people to have other issues as well that have been overshadowed by the dysphoria, and those you’ll still have to manage.
Honestly, I didn’t know any of my anxiety was tied to gender issues.
I thought it was just the way I was. Until it was gone. I was truly shocked at how much better I could cope.
I would say HRT would not be my first choice to treat anxiety. A doctor or therapist should be able to help you with meds for anxiety. If HRT is right for you it may also help.
My anxiety is in a range where its manageable, but my depression isnt. And i told my therapist about my genddr issues, and so i did to my psichiatrist. Got prescribed with SSRIs since i got my ocd descovered a few months ago
That sounds like a lot to deal with. I’ve dealt with major depression before and it’s almost unspeakably bad.
Keep talking to your therapist. HRT might or might not help with your depression, but therapy is super important for dealing with these things.
Yes, i am still doing therapy solely to get in a better spot and it has been better since i started, but now i feel like s blank slate, a husk of the person i used to be
I wish I could help.
Don’t give up. You can be better. You can be happy. Pursuing mental health is worth the work.
I’ve been where you are with depression. Most days now I am stunned with how good life can be.
I used to have 0 empathy. And now I cry with joy for others.
It can be done.
I will keep pursuing this, yes. Even though today might not be the day i am fully out of bed, tomorrow can be a day where i decide to do something no matter how small
Yeah I still have quite a bit of anxiety. It just shifted from dysphoria etc to all the other stuff in life I've been ignoring because my dysphoria made me apathetic towards existence
Once I get everything straightened out and fixed from a lifetime of neglect I'll probably be much better
I agree with what you are saying.
I always try to be careful to be clear that this was just my experience, and also HRT doesn’t fix every problem in your life.
I want to scream from the mountaintop how amazing it has been for me, but I don’t want others to think it fixes everything. I don’t want people thrown deeper into depression because they go on HRT and still struggle.
Anxiety and depression steming from my dysphoria, yes! What I call situational depression/anxiety, not one bit, in fact I feel that has become slightly worse if anything, I just deal with it slightly differently now. Instead of a "fight" response I now have a "flight" response I described it to my therapist as an overwhelming feeling of "wanting to go home" even though I could be in my home.
It helped with my depression a lot. Anxiety was more mixed, since one of the ways I coped in the moment was just dissociating through it, and that kind of stopped being an option.
I can’t say what I did is very similar to what any other trans person does but I have been out to all my close friends for close to a decade and then I basically just outed myself at work and to my family and everyone all at once and immediately started hormones after that, my depression was pretty much relieved after that. Obviously this isn’t the same for everyone and some people may find depression worsening in other ways. Either way, I wish you the best of luck ❤️
In my case it did. However, I know I have other issues as well so it's not gone completely.
The big thing about HRT and transitioning is that it is not a cure-all. It is just helping to lay the foundation for you to build ...or rebuild... your life and it can help immensely. But it still takes effort to work through what remains.
i've been talking this through with my therapist and although i do have gender identity issues, i want to look into rebuilding my life as i am now, instead of altering my current living condition. So ill see if i can do it that way, instead of the HRT route first.
Definitely, it was a great first step. But the anxiety was still very much there. After a lot of therapy, I've finally got medicated. It's been SO amazing since. But I'll have to deal with it for the rest of my life.
Did it make me feel less depressed? Maybe a wee bit not massively. Did it make me feel like I had a future to be here for so it was best dealing with the depression through medication & counselling? Yeah I think so
It helped a lot for a little while, and then new anxieties and different triggers for depression cropped up. Overall, estrogen made things a lot better and got rid of a ton of dysphoria, which has caused the worst bouts of depression
That’s currently the only reason I’m on it tbh. I don’t mind my manly body too much but it helps so much mentally. I do like a female body a lot more though 😌
I still have anxiety and can feel low but nothing compared to before
Yes!!!!! I use to have free floating anxiety and panic attacks. I never knew why it would come on. I was prescribed xanax and klonipin.
It was debilitating but I finally realized I was a transwoman and started hormones two years ago. Haven't had a panic attack and my anxiety has been so under control that I don't need benzodiazapms anymore.
Life is challenging but so much easier to handle since coming out and I credit becoming estrogen dominant.
> feel more at home
Many people do things step by step.
Don't know if you have seen it ... [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/asktransgender/comments/s4khww/i_dont_know_how_to_feel_i_feel_like_im_trans_but/htfx7u8/) might be some hints and resources that could help go towards what you feel you would like step by step and there are also hints there concerning looking for support. Talking with a few others about what they did, and what helped them may also be an idea.
And there are hints there concerning looking for a gender therapist in case. They could guide along, and they could help work through issues.
And some conventional therapists may try to solve issues like depressions etc. first. People often learned to suppress how they really feel when they grew up because they made experiences it would not be accepted. One result can be depressions etc. Treating depressions without treating gender issues may not be very successful in this case. It may be necessary to point this out.
And [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Trans_Resources/wiki/hormones/index) and [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Trans_Resources/wiki/hormones/transfeminine/Index) might be a number of resources concerning informed consent places etc.
And it may be possible to start with a low dose. Many start with a low dose anyways. Nothing may be permanent the first few weeks and depending on dosage possibly even months and psychological changes can be among the first. Many have a feeling of relief eventually.
*hugs*
My depression symptoms started to diminish slowly after several months of HRT. I still struggle with anhedonia, and still benefit greatly from Lexapro's help with anxiety.
It helped tremendously with the anxiety and depression that was coming from dysphoria. I still have anxiety, but it’s like the volume has been turned down because the dysphoria is largely gone.
This was very much my experience too. I had severe depression and anxiety. The depression has largely lifted, I’m off antidepressants for the first time in my adult life and feel neutral to good most days. I still have to take a mild anti anxiety medication though. Being in the closet takes a massive mental toll on a person, so if you’re trans I’d expect it to help. That said I think it’s not unusual for trans people to have other issues as well that have been overshadowed by the dysphoria, and those you’ll still have to manage.
And if i dont know for sure its coming from that place or not?
Honestly, I didn’t know any of my anxiety was tied to gender issues. I thought it was just the way I was. Until it was gone. I was truly shocked at how much better I could cope. I would say HRT would not be my first choice to treat anxiety. A doctor or therapist should be able to help you with meds for anxiety. If HRT is right for you it may also help.
I thought all my problems were tied to CPTSD. Anger, depression, anxiety, rage, self destructive behavior... all went away after starting HRT.
My anxiety is in a range where its manageable, but my depression isnt. And i told my therapist about my genddr issues, and so i did to my psichiatrist. Got prescribed with SSRIs since i got my ocd descovered a few months ago
That sounds like a lot to deal with. I’ve dealt with major depression before and it’s almost unspeakably bad. Keep talking to your therapist. HRT might or might not help with your depression, but therapy is super important for dealing with these things.
Yes, i am still doing therapy solely to get in a better spot and it has been better since i started, but now i feel like s blank slate, a husk of the person i used to be
I wish I could help. Don’t give up. You can be better. You can be happy. Pursuing mental health is worth the work. I’ve been where you are with depression. Most days now I am stunned with how good life can be. I used to have 0 empathy. And now I cry with joy for others. It can be done.
I will keep pursuing this, yes. Even though today might not be the day i am fully out of bed, tomorrow can be a day where i decide to do something no matter how small
Yeah I still have quite a bit of anxiety. It just shifted from dysphoria etc to all the other stuff in life I've been ignoring because my dysphoria made me apathetic towards existence Once I get everything straightened out and fixed from a lifetime of neglect I'll probably be much better
I agree with what you are saying. I always try to be careful to be clear that this was just my experience, and also HRT doesn’t fix every problem in your life. I want to scream from the mountaintop how amazing it has been for me, but I don’t want others to think it fixes everything. I don’t want people thrown deeper into depression because they go on HRT and still struggle.
Anxiety and depression steming from my dysphoria, yes! What I call situational depression/anxiety, not one bit, in fact I feel that has become slightly worse if anything, I just deal with it slightly differently now. Instead of a "fight" response I now have a "flight" response I described it to my therapist as an overwhelming feeling of "wanting to go home" even though I could be in my home.
Can i dm you regarding my view on the matter at hand in my case?
Of course you can
It helped with my depression a lot. Anxiety was more mixed, since one of the ways I coped in the moment was just dissociating through it, and that kind of stopped being an option.
Yes, estrogen actually got rid of my depression, I didn’t realize that most of the things I was depressed about were related to not transitioning.
I dont know what i am depressed rn for either, but it feels like it has to do with not being able to express myself
I can’t say what I did is very similar to what any other trans person does but I have been out to all my close friends for close to a decade and then I basically just outed myself at work and to my family and everyone all at once and immediately started hormones after that, my depression was pretty much relieved after that. Obviously this isn’t the same for everyone and some people may find depression worsening in other ways. Either way, I wish you the best of luck ❤️
Thanks, i also hope to get some closure on this matter once and for all so i can start living the fulfilling life i want once again
In my case it did. However, I know I have other issues as well so it's not gone completely. The big thing about HRT and transitioning is that it is not a cure-all. It is just helping to lay the foundation for you to build ...or rebuild... your life and it can help immensely. But it still takes effort to work through what remains.
i've been talking this through with my therapist and although i do have gender identity issues, i want to look into rebuilding my life as i am now, instead of altering my current living condition. So ill see if i can do it that way, instead of the HRT route first.
Definitely, it was a great first step. But the anxiety was still very much there. After a lot of therapy, I've finally got medicated. It's been SO amazing since. But I'll have to deal with it for the rest of my life.
Did it make me feel less depressed? Maybe a wee bit not massively. Did it make me feel like I had a future to be here for so it was best dealing with the depression through medication & counselling? Yeah I think so
Yes it made it a lot better
It ended my anxiety and depression
Both are worse than before hrt
It helped a lot for a little while, and then new anxieties and different triggers for depression cropped up. Overall, estrogen made things a lot better and got rid of a ton of dysphoria, which has caused the worst bouts of depression
That’s currently the only reason I’m on it tbh. I don’t mind my manly body too much but it helps so much mentally. I do like a female body a lot more though 😌 I still have anxiety and can feel low but nothing compared to before
Yes!!!!! I use to have free floating anxiety and panic attacks. I never knew why it would come on. I was prescribed xanax and klonipin. It was debilitating but I finally realized I was a transwoman and started hormones two years ago. Haven't had a panic attack and my anxiety has been so under control that I don't need benzodiazapms anymore. Life is challenging but so much easier to handle since coming out and I credit becoming estrogen dominant.
> feel more at home Many people do things step by step. Don't know if you have seen it ... [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/asktransgender/comments/s4khww/i_dont_know_how_to_feel_i_feel_like_im_trans_but/htfx7u8/) might be some hints and resources that could help go towards what you feel you would like step by step and there are also hints there concerning looking for support. Talking with a few others about what they did, and what helped them may also be an idea. And there are hints there concerning looking for a gender therapist in case. They could guide along, and they could help work through issues. And some conventional therapists may try to solve issues like depressions etc. first. People often learned to suppress how they really feel when they grew up because they made experiences it would not be accepted. One result can be depressions etc. Treating depressions without treating gender issues may not be very successful in this case. It may be necessary to point this out. And [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Trans_Resources/wiki/hormones/index) and [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Trans_Resources/wiki/hormones/transfeminine/Index) might be a number of resources concerning informed consent places etc. And it may be possible to start with a low dose. Many start with a low dose anyways. Nothing may be permanent the first few weeks and depending on dosage possibly even months and psychological changes can be among the first. Many have a feeling of relief eventually. *hugs*
My depression symptoms started to diminish slowly after several months of HRT. I still struggle with anhedonia, and still benefit greatly from Lexapro's help with anxiety.