Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN)
Low‑dose naltrexone (LDN) is a low dose of naltrexone that is thought to briefly block opioid receptors to boost natural endorphins and support immune balance.
Research shows that women are twice as likely as men to develop mood disorders and anxiety from puberty to age 50. We also know that many women struggle with mood and anxiety disorders during perimenopause and menopause, often as a result of hormonal changes. In some cases, women may benefit from mood disorder medications.
The ability to focus and think productively, emotional state, and quality and quantity of sleep at any age may all be contributing factors to mood disorders. Each of these can affect work performance, relationships, and one’s overall satisfaction and enjoyment of life. And all three — brain, mood, and sleep — are closely tied together. It’s a complex relationship.
Poor sleep can lead to emotional changes, anxiety, depression, and cognitive difficulties, while all of these issues can make sleeping soundly more difficult. Additionally, hormonal changes that occur during perimenopause and menopause can exacerbate these problems.
Overall stress, aging, hormone imbalances, and life events can lead to mood and anxiety disorders. Personalized mood disorder medications from Belmar Pharmacy may help ease these conditions so women can feel their best.
Anxiety and Mood Disorders Medication for Women from Belmar Pharmacy
Oxytocin
Oxytocin is a natural hormone and neurotransmitter that supports key reproductive functions and influences bonding and social behavior.
Estriol and Estradiol
Estriol (E3) and estradiol (E2) are key estrogens that may work together to support hormonal balance, combining estradiol’s stronger activity with estriol’s gentler, shorter‑acting effects.
Estradiol (E2)
Estradiol is the strongest and most active of the three primary estrogens and may have a role in supporting menstrual, bone, cardiovascular, and overall cellular health.
Estriol (E3)
Estriol is a weak, naturally occurring estrogen that is gaining interest for its unique biological profile and potential immunomodulatory and menopausal‑related benefits.
Testosterone Cypionate / DHEA Grapeseed Oil
A testosterone cypionate/DHEA grapeseed oil injection combines long‑acting testosterone with DHEA, a hormone that the body can naturally convert into other hormones.
Testosterone
Testosterone is a sex hormone that plays a number of important roles in reproductive health and general wellness in both women and men.
Progesterone
Belmar Pharmacy offers bioidentical micronized progesterone compounds. This hormone is crucial during the reproductive years and can benefit perimenopausal and postmenopausal women particularly in areas of endometrial protection, sleep, and mood.
About Mood Disorders
Types
Mood and anxiety disorders are as real as physical health conditions, and can be just as disruptive to daily life. Like physical ailments, women may experience many different types of mood disorders, including:
- Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder
- Bipolar mood disorder
- Seasonal mood disorder
- Depression
- Anxiety and social anxiety
- Affective mood disorder
- Generalized anxiety disorders
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder
- Panic disorder
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
During perimenopause and menopause, hormonal changes combined with work and life pressures may make mood disorders more severe, or women may experience them for the first time. Hormonal shifts that occur as a woman transitions out of childbearing years can lead to feelings of depression, anxiety, and irritability. They may also have trouble focusing or concentrating at work.
If someone is not sleeping well, suffering from hot flashes, and dealing with brain fog (all potential symptoms of perimenopause), they may feel more stressed and less in control of their emotions on a daily basis. As a result, they may be more likely to develop a disruptive mood disorder. In fact, depression is a common experience for women in perimenopause.
Diagnosis
Mood disorder symptoms may mimic premenstrual syndrome (PMS), but instead of revolving around your monthly cycle, women may experience these symptoms long term. It’s important to talk to a healthcare professional to rule out any physical causes of mood disorders, such as thyroid disease. The provider will ask about health history, current medications, and other concerns related to emotional wellness.
Once physiological causes are ruled out, the provider may refer the patient to a mental health professional for further evaluation. Psychologists and psychiatrists are trained to understand and diagnose mood disorders and symptoms. They may assess sleeping and eating habits, lifestyle, home environment, stage of life, professional role, and other behaviors and factors that could be contributing to a mood disorder.
Therapies
Mood disorder treatment largely depends on the diagnosis and severity of symptoms. Mood stabilizers can help regulate mood swings in patients with bipolar disorder or other mental health conditions. Antidepressants are some of the most widely used medications prescribed to treat depression.
Belmar Pharmacy compounds low dose naltrexone, which is often helpful for women, men, and children who experience certain types of mood disorders. Low dose naltrexone can be used for brain and mood support because it stimulates the release of endorphins in the body. Endorphins are the chemicals your body releases during moments of pleasure, such as when you’re eating your favorite foods, listening to good music, having sex, exercising, or laughing.
Natural endorphins reduce pain, boost pleasure, and give you a feeling of well-being. Supplementing endorphin levels through low dose naltrexone may help alleviate depression, reduce anxiety, boost self-esteem, and even help in weight management.
In addition to low dose naltrexone, Belmar Pharmacy compounds oxytocin as a therapeutic option for brain and mood support. Oxytocin is a hormone your body produces naturally, especially during activities like sex, hugging, and cuddling. Research has shown that supplementing oxytocin can increase relaxation, trust, and a sense of well-being, while lowering stress and anxiety.
In women especially, addressing the hormonal imbalances common during menopausal shifts may also improve sleep quality. Insomnia often increases with age, and when combined with hot flashes, night sweats, or mood changes, restful sleep can feel out of reach. Estrogen and/or progesterone hormone replacement therapy may also help you relax and sleep better at night.
In addition to medications as a treatment for mood disorders, your provider may recommend talk therapy (psychotherapy) with a professional, licensed mental health counselor or therapist.
About Anxiety Disorders
Types
Fear and dread are the most common underlying emotions that lead to anxiety disorders, a type of mental health condition. Beyond feeling nervous or anxious about a particular situation, anxiety disorders can interfere with the ability to function in certain settings, or even daily life. An anxiety disorder may also lead to intense physical symptoms, such as sweating, trembling, or a rapid heartbeat. Women are twice as likely as men to have a generalized anxiety disorder.
Types of anxiety disorders include:
- Generalized anxiety disorder – a state of constant worry and overwhelm regarding daily personal and professional responsibilities
- Panic disorder – unwarranted panic attacks in response to certain social settings or circumstances
- Social anxiety disorder – intense fear of being judged negatively by other people
- Agoraphobia – intense fear of being unable to escape or get help in new places, unfamiliar surroundings, crowds, or anywhere outside the home
Diagnosis
To determine the nature of a potential anxiety disorder, a healthcare provider looks for anxiety disorder symptoms, shedding light on sleep habits and daily behaviors and their impact on quality of life. While there aren’t any specific blood tests that diagnose anxiety disorders, healthcare providers may recommend diagnostic testing for hormonal imbalances, including thyroid, estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. Since hormone levels can contribute to generalized anxiety disorder symptoms, it’s important to assess these potential underlying causes.
Diagnosis of a specific anxiety disorder is often determined by the intensity and duration of symptoms, their impact on daily activities and relationships, and the provider’s understanding of the type of anxiety disorder characteristics.
Therapies
Managing anxiety disorders typically includes a multifaceted approach. Often, talk therapy with a licensed professional combined with anxiety disorder medications are helpful to minimize symptoms and manage fear-based thoughts.
The most common type of psychotherapy for the management of anxiety disorders is called cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). This approach helps patients recognize and identify thoughts and behaviors that lead to stressful or negative thought patterns. Once identified, it’s then possible to adjust thinking and reactions to environmental triggers and situations.
In combination with therapy, certain medications may be beneficial for some patients. Belmar Pharmacy compounds low dose naltrexone (LDN) to support mood and anxiety disorders. Low dose naltrexone is often helpful for anxiety because of its ability to stimulate the release of endorphins in the body. Endorphins are the chemicals your body releases during moments of pleasure. Supplementing endorphin levels with LDN is shown to have a positive influence on mood, and therefore may help with the management of anxiety disorders.
Commonly Asked Questions About Anxiety and Mood Disorders
Mood disorders are mental health conditions that affect emotional well-being and sometimes physical well-being, too. A mood disorder often means persistent feelings of extreme sadness, extreme happiness, or irritability for weeks at a time, or longer. It’s normal to experience mood changes as a result of life’s ups and downs, but when a feeling of depression lasts more than a few days, it could be the sign of a mood disorder. Mood disorders can also interfere with the ability to perform daily tasks at work, school, or in the home.
Mood disorders are classified into the main categories of depression, bipolar disorder, disruptive mood dysregulation disorder, and premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Each of these has more specific disorders, such as postpartum depression (common in women after giving birth), seasonal affective disorder, and disruptive mood dysregulation disorder, or DMDD (common in children and adolescents).
Anxiety disorders are different from mood disorders and include generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, agoraphobia, and social anxiety disorder. Mood and anxiety disorders can occur together, and some symptoms may be overlapping.
Extreme mood swings are characteristic of bipolar mood disorder (formerly called manic depression). Symptoms of bipolar mood disorder include episodes of extreme emotional highs, or mania, and extreme lows, or depression.
Mania is characterized by feelings of euphoria, irritability, and feeling energetic. During this phase of bipolar mood disorder, it may be difficult to sleep at night or think clearly during the day. Lack of judgement is also common during a manic episode. Additional symptoms include:
- Distorted feeling of well-being or self confidence
- Unusually talkative; fast talking
- Racing thoughts
- Easily distracted
- Poor decision making abilities
Depression is typically characterized by feelings of sadness and hopelessness, and loss of interest in activities. Other symptoms of depression may include:
- Feeling sluggish; sleeping more than usual
- Lack of motivation
- Feelings of worthlessness
- Difficulty making decisions
- Suicidal thoughts
Both phases can last several days, and mood swings are also common in between manic and depressive episodes.
Generalized anxiety disorder is a mental health condition characterized by excessive worrying about a variety of things such as health, finances, work, people, or particular life situations. People with generalized anxiety disorder have a hard time controlling their habitual worrying about events, family members, and situations that may or may not seem concerning to others. Typically, to be diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, feelings of dread, worry, and anxiousness last longer than six months. Women are twice as likely to be affected by generalized anxiety disorder than men.
Symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder may include:
- Disproportionate worrying about a circumstance or event
- Focusing on worst-case outcomes
- Difficulty managing uncertainty
- Fear of making the “wrong” decision
- Inability to relax; feelings of restlessness
- Fatigue; trouble sleeping
- Nervousness
- Muscle aches
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
Ongoing symptoms may affect daily activities and performance at work or school. While the cause of generalized anxiety disorder isn’t completely clear, genetic factors, life experiences, and personality may all be contributing factors.
Anxiety is classified as an anxiety disorder, which is not the same as a mood disorder. The two can overlap, and often do. Anxiety disorders center around focusing on intense fear, worry, and apprehension toward people or situations. These feelings are usually disproportionate to the actual perceived threat, and last six months or more. Symptoms of anxiety disorders include difficulty concentrating, panic, shortness of breath, and rapid heart rate.
Mood disorders are characterized by persistent shifts in overall mood and emotional state. They often include long periods of depression, sadness, hopelessness, and loss of interest in activities that were once pleasurable (i.e., hobbies, spending time with friends, etc.). Extreme mood swings are also signs of a mood disorder vs. an anxiety disorder.
