Brief Answer: The small increase in dosage should only help. Detailed Answer: Women during the menopause transition are more vulnerable to depression then after menopause. The incidence of depression is no greater after menopause then it is it any other time. That said women as a group are more susceptible to depression then men. You do not state if you have a history of depression but it would make sense to me that you do. Estrogen does play a role but it usually is a beneficial one. Estrogen supports the neurochemicals that stabilize mood. When those neurochemicals (serotonin, epinephrine, dopamine, etc.) are lowest women are vulnerable to depression and it parallels when estrogen is lowest. It is the cause of PMS, it is the cause of postpartum depression, and the wide fluctuations and finally withdrawl at menopause is the cause of increased depression at that transition point. An increase in dose may have been made because you complained to your doctor of moodiness? Obviously the increase in dosage has not helped. I think this means that you need more support than estrogen could provide. Fortunately modern antidepressants which work by helping your own neuro chemicals hang around longer are available inexpensive and generally very well-tolerated. I encourage you to see your physician as soon as possible. Be XXXXXXX about the difficulties you're experiencing. Once your mood is stabilized and improved I would recommend you go back down to the .05 dor since that was adequate to control your menopausal symptoms. Is also possible this far out from menopause that you could even decreased the dose further. However I would not encourage you to make any changes until the depression has been addressed. I hope this answers your question and I certainly hope that you're feeling much better very quickly.

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