Beating the blues without antidepressants

Hi everyone, a bit late to the discussion but thought I would suggest 2 alternatives.  I have tried about 6 natural or alternative products for the relief of menopausal symptoms, all unsuccessfully. (I had a surgical menopause after endometriosis at 39 yo and was  told by GP that I am in the 10-15% category of women whose menopausal symptoms never resolve, yay!!!)  Several months ago I read on another B/C forum that lots of ladies were taking Happy Hormones and so tried the powder (they also have capsules) - available online. Altho I felt generally healthier it did nothing for my hot flushes. Several others suggested half dose of Effexor which is an anti depressant and I jotted down the name but didn't feel I needed it.  Fast forward to 4 wks before my DIEP and thoughts of if I was making the right decision saw me not sleeping well, stressing, crying, generally feeling down so my GP prescribed Effexor and altho there were initial feelings of nausea it was worth pushing thru.  I have felt very calm and the hot flushes went after 4 or 5 days! It makes life so much more bearable, I am much calmer to live with and it seems for me the "natural" products aren't effective. Hope this helps others in the same situation.