Hello!
I just posted under another section ("Thought I was losing my mind, and then...") before figuring out that I should've posted here first. Sorry!
I'm a 51 year old American expat living in London. I really did think I was losing my mind before I figured out that everything I was experiencing was menopause related. Crying jags, anxiety attacks, hot sweats, night sweats, etc etc. Gained 6kgs in 8 months despite working out. How can I be that stupid, you ask? I still have regular periods. <sigh>
Anyway, the longer version is in another thread, but the short version is...saw a doc, cried a lot, had an in-office panic attack (that was lovely) and for the first time in my life took medication for anxiety. I'm on Pregabalin, 300 a day. I researched the hell out of this before I took it and agreed because it was non-addictive and had fewer side effects than other anti-anxiety and anti-depressants. They also eliminate hot flashes. Supposedly. I'll let you know.
The upside? Only one or two miiiild hot flashes a week, panic attacks few and far between, I sleep like a baby and life is better. Can't ask for more than that, right?
I still can't believe I didn't consider menopause for all my "issues." Why doesn't anyone tell you??? Thank you to everyone here for posting their experiences. I really appreciate it!
<3