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[Tempest]

Anxiety has been a HUGE problem for me since my oopherectomy. I also visit the Hystersisters forum and anxiety is one of the major complaints over there in women who never suffered with it before their surgeries, so it has to be hormonal.

I notice a pattern with mine in that it happens when my estrogen levels are dropping - this is a huge challenge for me as I just can't seem to get a stable dose in my system, so we will be looking at an implant if I can finally get my level of estrogen up to a level where I feel reasonably good so that we can judge what strength of implant to go for.

At the moment, I have Diazepam at my disposal if I absolutely have to use it. It does help! I'm very stubborn though so I try to grit my teeth through the worst, to my psychiatrist's despair!

I also get very, very anxious if my blood sugar is low which is something that has been happening in conjunction with my low estrogen levels. I absolutely HAVE to get glucose in fast, or its disastrous! I actually sweat and get double vision too but I'm not diabetic as this has been thoroughly investigated. Hormonal imbalance certainly wreaks havoc with your body!

I'm also researching what role low Testosterone plays in anxiety and I'm sure this is part of the picture for sure. Again, until I raise my estrogen levels I cannot start the Testosterone. It's going to be a long road!

[Annie0710]

tempest I swear low T has added to the problem of my anxiety

Anxiety only strikes when I'm around people, rarely at home but can happen if someone drops by

I've always had good oestrogen levels and didn't suffer anxiety all through my child beating years until peri struck

You of all people need these hormones replacing to optimal levels 😘 X

[GypsyRoseLee]

Well despite being on high dose oestrogen and 100mg of Sertraline I STILL get nasty anxiety and low mood at certain points in my cycle I.e. when I ovulate and when my period starts.

So it's obviously due to hormonal fluctuations. I have felt great for the last 12 days (since having a wobble when I ovulated). Then yesterday afternoon started to feel anxious and tearful. Sent to the loo and surprise, surprise my period had started. So I now have several crappy days to endure until my own oestrogen starts to rise.Though why 4 pumps isn't enough, I just do not know???

Between times I feel fine.

[GypsyRoseLee]

Menomale, I would dearly love to know what on Earth is going on with my body.

It does seem to me that my own oestrogen still plays a vital role, hence getting horrible jitters when ovulating, so presumably it's very high? And then feeling horrible as just as my period starts, so presumably very low?

But, if my own oestrogen is still so potent, I don't understand why my periods are so very light now, even with adding in 4 pumps every day.

I do use progesterone, but it doesn't make my period any heavier at all, and last month sent my anxiety stratospheric and gave me awful depression too.

Haven't taken any progesterone this month, and period still so light, have had lots of headaches, bloating and my mood dropped like a stone just an hour before my bleed started.

I have been referred to see if I could have a full hysterectomy on the NHS, but GP has already told me I won't get one.

[dangermouse]

I have the same pattern as you GRL, but I'm not on any HRT. Second half of cycle is still not good but it's not as severe as over ovulation time and right at end of cycle. I have only about 6 hours in the month when I feel balanced! (just before oestrogen starts climbing around Day 6) My GP did say that HRT is not strong enough to lower perimenopause surges like the pill can - which helped me when I had extra high oestrogen surges I couldn't eat through.

Only having dizzy nausea now around ovulation and I just ignore the anxiety and lows and keep myself busy. I find it better working than doing social stuff as you want to feel good then but it feels more natural to feel rubbish when working.

One day we'll get to menopause and then the surges will be over so something to look forward to, even if it's years away. It can't surge forever!

Remember, life isn't about what happens to us, it's about how we deal with it.

Stay strong! x

[GypsyRoseLee]

Thank you DM. Very wise words as always. I know the Pill is much stronger, but despite initially loving it for the first few weeks the accumulation of progesterone just brought me to my knees in the end.

I am just praying these surges get weaker, and finally stop all together at Menopause.

It's obvious that we fall apart at 'hormonal changes' and not necessarily a certain level of hormone. I never seem to have more than 10-12 good days, before getting a nasty bought of anxiety or low mood again.

[Jaki T]

Good thread!

The only thing that helped my (lifelong) anxiety is antidepressants...low dose Paroxetine. But now I need to try a period without them do see if they're causing my drenching sweats    I tried a different AD but that didn't suit me so after horrid reaction took another Paroxetine yesterday and will try and stabilise before withdrawing.  I have resisted any form of HRT because of the likely anxiety that will result. I was on the pill years ago and my bp went through the roof. I know patches are supposed to be weaker but I don't think a good idea if one is susceptible to anxiety. 

Tranquillisers also help anxiety but I'm very careful only to use them occasionally 

[Urbanchick]

I suffer from terrible health anxiety since becoming menopausal a couple of years ago.   I had a hysterectomy aged 40 [16 years ago] but kept ovaries so have no real idea when meno began.   I remember having faint feelings about 10 years ago and then about 4 years ago the hot flushes started.    I have tried HRT oestrogen only and still get the anxiety.   I tried SSRI and HRT - anxious to start with and then a bit numb, very tired and bad digestive issues for the first time in my life.   Now I have tried cutting my HRT in half [I am only on 1mg tablets] and after six weeks I have very aching hips and what feels like trapped wind in my rib cage and around my back.  I am also now having trouble with extreme adrenalin surges in the early hours, followed by bad flushes in waves.   So now am really tired!

I feel a different woman - I used to be a bit of a ball breaker, now I am mainly a wreck.    I catastrophize every symptom until I become obsessive [embarrassingly so, I would hesitate even to admit some of my health obsessions].  Although I am blaming hormones, I have always been a worrier and a glass half full person.  I also have very low self esteem, which I have covered up with outward show of extreme confidence.

[Urbanchick]

No - GPs aren't interested are they?    Am going to go private!

[Urbanchick]

One thing I meant to say is that distraction and being busy always work for me.  I sometimes have panic attacks on the way to big meetings where I have to present to loads of people.   But my panic/anxiety goes the minute I get stuck in and stop thinking about it.

[Jaki T]

Hi Menomale

I'm not completely averse to trying very low dose of HRT in non-oral form though very anxious about it and trying to explore all other ways if possible.  My main side effects from Paroxetine have been weight gain    But it's helped anxiety, no doubt about that, and means I could so things I wouldn't otherwise do. I think different ADs work for different people. Trouble is, now I'm hitting the menopause and getting awful sweats and so have to rule that out as a side effect of AD! I also have Fibromyalgia and CFS so massive fatigue issues too. It's also hard to disentangle what is menopause and what Fibro - most people describe it as a double whammy    So it's all a juggling and balancing act.  Yes, years ago my bp was so high I had to go to a hypertensive clinic and I was the youngest there by about 30 years or more!  So you can see why I'm wary of HRT in any form.  The medication they gave me at the time for hbp was catastrophic!  One lot made me wee all the time (and I wee for England as it is!) and the other made me faint in a public place which triggered off bad anxiety and panic attacks int he first place! 

[Jaki T]

Thanks Menomale.  No, Fibro and CFS aren't linked to hbp as far as I'm aware but anxiety is linked to Fibro (along with a host of other things!).  I think it's part of my biological makeup to be anxious because have had it as far back as I remember.  As for whether the sweats are part of Fibro or perimenopause, that's the 64 million dollar question!    Probably a bit of both (or a lot of both should I say!). Many people with Fibro who aren't menopausal suffer with sweats too. I'm not sure if I'm experiencing oestrogen surges...probably not a lot.

[Tempest]

Bumping this thread, because I think it's brilliant!  xxxxx

[Menomale]

Hello dear Tempest,

Thank you for bumping it! I've been away for some time... it seems my anxiety has been replaced by a hyperactive kitten 

Maybe this is one excellent therapy for anxiety!

Hope you're ok, hugs!

XXX

[Krista]

Thanks for bumping Tempest. I've just read the whole thread and found it very interesting. Had my last period three years ago and since around that time have been a nervous wreck. Only just made the connection that it might be hormonal and after reading this forum am now pretty much convinced my anxiety is hormonal. Docs given me CBT, have tried changing diet, deep breathing etc, have also been on AD's for years.

A few months ago I had this random thought: I wonder if my anxiety is anything to do with the menopause?! Went to docs and they checked my oestrogen, progesterone and testo and all came back "normal". So I thought: Oh!

But the thought came back to me recently and I now know my hormones are probably normal for a 52 year old woman (very odd coming into a forum and giving my real age - I normally knock 10 years off ha).

So I'm reading up on it (thankyou MM forum) and am going armed to the docs next Monday. So much great stuff in this thread but the one thing that struck me was the simple "adrenaline rush" explanation. That is just what happens to me. All of a sudden I can be sat there watching TV or in a taxi and wham it hits. I usually have an anxious feeling in my tummy (does anyone ever get so anxious they need to poo a lot? TMI alert: mine is mousse like and can only think it's due to my stomach churning), I get numb arms and hands and sometimes I just get a wave of blackness sweep over me. Urgh.

Corny but it's nice to know I'm not alone. I've been trying to figure out why I've become like this - and it's taken me 3 years to possibly have found an answer.