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[Helenabyr]

Hi,

I have just been advised to start my own thread as I am new so here goes. I am 47 years old and have always struggled with some anxiety issues in the past. I had postnatal depression with my second child and can feel a bit down from time to time. However last year things became awful. My symptoms began with hot flushes and irritability however I put it down to a very stressful job dealing with young people with emotional issues and I had just completed a 2 year postgraduate course in mental health. I then became unable to sleep but only on work days. either I was awake at 4am and couldn't get back to sleep or I couldn't sleep all night - sometimes for up to 3 nights. If I'm honest I just wanted to kill myself - I felt hopeless and this all happened so quickly I didn't know what to do. Eventually I was given anti depressants after many visits to the Doctors and I took 6 months off work. During this time I made so many adjustments to my life to make sure I would stay anxiety free (mindfulness, yoga, i've always exercised, acupuncture, changed jobs and my hours)  and up until last Friday I felt I had cracked it. then out of the blue I woke up at 4am and couldn't get back to sleep and then up all night long on Monday with a massive panic attack that lasted continuously throughout the night. I then found this forum and wondered if my symptoms are in fact the Menopause? how can you tell?  IO have spent the last year thinking I have a mental heath issue but maybe that's not the case? Anyway I went to the doctors and have been prescribed HRT which I cant take until my next period so I am just hoping and praying that this works. To be honest I am tired of fighting this battle and am exhausted. do any other women have the issue with work and find work much more anxiety provoking now or is it just me? has anyone got any hope for me re taking the HRT? I look forward to hearing form you xx

[Hurdity]

Hi Helenabyr

 

Sorry to hear about your extreme symptoms.

When you say how do you tell if it is menopause: over the age of 45 if a woman is experiencing flushes and sweats and her cycle has gone awry - and varying in length each time or skipping periods - then that alone is usually enough.

In the last reproductive stage before peri-menopause starts - many women experience worsening pms symptoms and some unfortunate women also start to get flushes and sweats at this point - even when periods are still regular. You haven't mentioned periods but because you are wondering if it is peri-menopause approaching I presume yours are still regular?

The fact that you also mention PND sounds like it could be hormonal. You might be interested to read about the work of John Studd who has published papers on reproductive depression and treated women with hormones rather than psychiatric drugs. http://www.studd.co.uk/depression.php

If your anxiety/depression symptoms and issues are hormonal then adding oestrogen rather than anti-depressants should be the first line of treatment.

Do try the HRT - which type have you been given? Hopefully it will help you through this phase.

Sometimes women find that it does not control the cycle sufficiently so some gynaes prescribe the newer birth control pill (QLAIRA) which is similar to HRT and only has two tablet free days so avoids the oestrogen crash of conventional Pills which have a pill-free week.

You will find plenty of help and support here so keep posting and let us know how you get on

Hurdity x

[Peri-wrecked]

Hi Helen,
Well your post is very interesting. I saw in your post a mention about quitting smoking and possible link-I quit smoking almost 2 years ago (30th of march) and quit birth control May of that year and in June 2015 panic attacks struck along with very little by the way of periods...... I had various tingling in fingers for a year and many other things but I was never given meds not even offered any for anxiety and I didn't realise it wa anxiety to be honest-I thought my worries were within reason for having numb hands etc.
Anyway that went on until June 2016 when I woke up shaking from head to toe and I had no idea what was happening!!! Tried cbt first, then anxiety was which totally flipped me over. Tried 3 altogether and now I'm refusing them. The one I was on the longest (3 weeks) caused more harm than good. I think I was allergic to it but my psychiatrist said I needed to keep going that it was my anxiety causing the reactions!!!
 I too believed mine was hormonal but I was too scared by then to try birth control. Now since January my periods are now coming every 3 weeks and I'm in agony with back pain and joint stiffness etc. I'm seeing gynaecologist again tomorrow as when I saw them in November they said my periods would come back etc and no worries I'm young etc.  I am only 34 (35 in 2months town) and all I keep getting is I'm too young and I'm depressed and have major anxiety!!! Well I can tell you I was perfectly fine before coming off birth control etc. Maybe I had few down days but always bubbly etc.
Doctors don't listen to their patients anymore!! They think they are more superior in knowledge. But I can tell you this you know your own body!! Psychiatrist wanted to go into my past etc to find a reason for my anxiety and I swear they messed with my head so bad. They were drawing crap from every where!! Now admitedly me past had it's ups and downs and yes I cried over them from time to time and I would sometimes have the 'what if' moments but they wanted me to believe all this rubbish and I did doubt myself. Even my family doubted me. I lost my job and I won't lie but I felt so low...... I felt nobody heard me. But I did my own research and found this site and others like me and I know that I'm not imagining my pains and aches and I know I wasn't depressed when this happened-in fact I was the happiest I'd ever been when this stuff hit me. So, my advice is change doctors-don't mentions anxiety etc-because as soon as you mention that they stop listening to you. Explain to doctor you think you are in peri etc and ask for help other than anti depressant as you are sensitive to meds.
I'm not 100% myself but hopefully I will get there soon.
And you will too. All the best.

[Helenabyr]

hi Hurdy,

Thanks for your reply, I have been given Elleste Duet. I am still having periods but before I began acupuncture they were very irregular they have also become much lighter and for only 3 days a month now so they are definitely changing.

Thanks for all the information

Helena