Karise McNamee - Paths with Purpose

Before perimenopause, Angela hiked over 100 miles a month. “I was incredibly active,” she says. “I moved to the mountains so I could hike.” Then: “Man, oh man,” she says with a sigh. “Perimenopause wiped me out.”

With approval from her doctor, Angela began taking HRT for her symptoms, but it didn’t make a big enough dent. Then, a few months ago, Angela saw a social-media post from a woman who took daily anti-histamines (like Allegra, Claritin, or Zyrtec) plus Pepcid AC (a common antacid) for her perimenopause symptoms. Her results, as reported, sounded miraculous: no more brain fog, no more tossing and turning all night. Even her mood vastly improved. Angela, who is now 55, decided to try the regimen for herself.

“Women will go to their doctors and say, ‘I take Allegra and Pepcid and my PMDD symptoms go away. It’s like magic,’” says Zachary Rubin, an allergist and clinical immunologist, who has seen patients who take anti-histamines for these purposes for years. So far, Rubin says, these experiences are clinically unsupported. However, he notes, that does not mean it’s not working for anyone, and there are plausible reasons for why it might work.

Read Katie Heaney’s report on how a rumored “drugstore secret” for treating perimenopause and PMDD has gone viral — and if it really works: https://nymag.visitlink.me/OAPLAW