Shelb I was going to start a similar post so I thought I would tag on here and Hurdity if you have any thoughts please do post!
So, as some of you know, I returned to Canada and completed a Masters in Social Work! Unfortunately finding work here is a whole other issue and I've also had some mishaps - injured myself working out with a personal trainer and ended up with a frozen shoulder and made my repetitive strain injury worse to boot!
So, that in combination with a few other mishaps has put my body under a lot of stress - and in a month or so I am going to have to make some serious decisions re: work unless some brilliant job materializes here. It's looking like my best option is probably to return to the UK - and that's a bit scary (54 yrs old, 4 degrees, a disability and having to find a job with no support network!).
So I've been getting really awful symptoms of anxiety lately - which isn't surprising given my situation and ever decreasing bank balance. Now I work with the symptoms using mindfulness and CBT and I see a counsellor and a massage therapist ... and I do yoga and meditation and I exercise. But my main issue - particularly in the past couple of weeks - which I have yet to figure out a way to reduce is intense anxiety on waking, often accompanied by severe nausea. It's impacted my diet in terms of how much I can eat and it's been so debilitating this past week that I've spent 3 or 4 hours in bed resting until I can get up. Oh and I often wake up at 4am as well - great eh?!
So I'm still on HRT but I've been wondering about supplements for anxiety - either dietary or herbal. But I'm not sure what is safe to use with HRT? I don't want to come off the HRT (I'm taking estrogel on skin and prometrium - a progesterone - orally).
I currently take an omega fish oil supplement which has vitamin D in it.
And recently I took an anti-nausea pill - 1 tiny one - which helped but completely knocked me out in terms of making me very sleepy - which was not helpful given that it was morning and I wanted to stay awake for a good part of the day - it was 50mg of Dimenhydrinate.
But I've been wondering if there is anything else that might help with anxiety? Trouble is I couldn't find much evidence when I had a quick look on Google Scholar - but it wasn't a proper thorough search.
Some things I've come across - magnesium, passion flower, B vitamin complex, ayurvedic herbs like ashwagandha ... but I'm leary of adding things to my HRT given how I am at the moment unless I know it's going to be helpful.
I did see a Dr at a walk-in clinic recently (God I miss the NHS! And my old GP practice!) and he wrote out a prescription for Cymbalta. But I am highly sensitive to medications and had a really really bad experience with Sertraline back in 2015 - took 2 pills and it took me a week to feel right again! Cymbalta has a ton of side effects and I know that the body takes a while to get used to psychiatric medications but I really don't want to feel worse than I already do. Plus its going to cost more to buy it here. And once on it, you have to taper off it very slowly because you can get discontinuation syndrome (oh joy! - I feel like I've had that since I started menopause!!).
So I haven't filled the prescription yet. But if anyone has any advice on safe combinations of herbal supplements or vitamin/mineral supplements to use with HRT for anxiety symptoms - please post!
Thanks
Life is never dull but always precious!