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[Dandelion]

Before I started HRT, when I was in perimenopause, I used to wake up with cortisol rushes, a physical unpleasant, anxious feeling in my stomach area, the type you get when you think of something scary.

My GP and me reduced my oestrogen last year to 25mcg due to bleeding.
These horrible feelings have only appeared this year.
Could it be that my oestrogen levels have gone down, even though I am 56 post meno?

I take utrogestan also.

[Dotty]

Hi yes your levels of oestrogen may have fallen. x

[jaypo]

Hi there,I'm not on HRT but at age 59 I still get the occasional cortisol rush,just came through a week of it this month but it has stopped again, I think it happens when there's another drop in oestrogen and it takes a while for your body to adapt,hopefully it won't last too much longer for you but yes,it's the pits,the horrific anxiety and for me,very low mood,blimey,how long does it take before we come out of it all?

[Dandelion]

Hi yes your levels of oestrogen may have fallen. x

Thank you.
I would like to ask my GP for more oestrogen, but am a bit nervous of asking her to increase it as I have bled on the higher dose, I have small fibroids.
The 25mcg borought back night sweats when I went on it last year, it's only the last few months I have had cortisol morning dread, any other suggestions?

[Dandelion]

Hi there,I'm not on HRT but at age 59 I still get the occasional cortisol rush,just came through a week of it this month but it has stopped again, I think it happens when there's another drop in oestrogen and it takes a while for your body to adapt,hopefully it won't last too much longer for you but yes,it's the pits,the horrific anxiety and for me,very low mood,blimey,how long does it take before we come out of it all?

Sorry to hear that you get them.
Do yours feel like "morning-dread-feeling-in-the-stomach-area"?
Mine do.
I started peri at age 42 and I did not think of menopause at such a young age.

I woke up in 2010, one morning, still not knowing I was in peri, with a "morning-dread-feeling-in-the-stomach-area" feeling, that there was an issue with the leasehold on my flat, due to me not having the flat surveyed when I bought it in 2000.

When I "checked-the-lease-document-out-to-put-my-mind-at-rest" I found that a huge skylight in the roof was not on the plans, yikes, catatrophising about fake-fears is bad enough, but this was real and more problems have been drip fed to me since.

Sorry for tangent, my mum advised me not to get my first old house surveyed, I did not know she wanted me to stay at home with her, (ulterior motive) as autistic people cannot tell ulterior motives, so, I took her advice.
I can't blame her, had I of not told her I was buying that house back in 1991, I would have got a survey, but as she is a homeowner, I assumed she knew what she was talking about. Mother knows best is a saying of hers.

I never got my next, newer house surveyed, or this flat, I am going through meno nightmare and leasehold nightmare at the same time, I must be tough as old boots.
The leasehold has been worse than the meno, I lost 7 stone, Weight I could not afford to lose.
I'm a bit tubby, (within BMI) with bingo wings and a belly, but I'd rather have bingo wings and a belly, and be within BMI than skeletal, as friends thought I would die.

I hate it when well meaning friends say things like:-
"That stress would give me a breakdown" "I couldn't cope with what you have" as it feels like they are saying "Your life is really scary"

Menopause wise, although mine's lasted 14 years and started at age 42, I see a light at the end of the tunnel, I pray there is a light at the end of the leasehold tunnel, as I am too old to be worrying about financial security, I love my creature comforts, I am roughing it a bit here. I feel too triggered to go into detail, I have tried to tackle it with help and it just resulted in me losing that 7st and shutting myself away for several years, wondering how I would cope homeless with agoraphobia.

Again, sorry for digressing.

[jaypo]

Yes,in the stomach,like butterflies when your nervous about something,I'd no idea what it was and when I went to the Dr,he gave me omeprazole,typical!! Another Dr that didn't have a clue

[Dandelion]

Yes,in the stomach,like butterflies when your nervous about something,I'd no idea what it was and when I went to the Dr,he gave me omeprazole,typical!! Another Dr that didn't have a clue

Isn't omeprazole for acid reflux?
I don't see how that would help the cortisol rushes.
Yours sound like mine.
I don't get them every day.

[jaypo]

Haha,yep,that was my point,that Drs don't have a clue when it comes to menopause symptoms and no,omeprazole didn't help in the slightest.
I used to go running and loved it,then these butterflies would start up in the mornings and I just couldn't understand them,I kept thinking,I'm not nervous about going for a run,so why am I getting these? Of course now I know what the are,they should subside,mine did,when they started again,this time, I knew what it was,thank goodness for this site 

[Pippa52]

Hiya - I had these symptoms too and my heart goes out to you they are horrible.  The anxiety and panic attacks were awful along with lots of episodes of very fast heartbeats.  I am now back on my original HRT which was unavailable for a long time and 8 weeks in the symptoms have all but gone.  My oestrogen blood level was off the scale low at 69 so the Meno consultant said she was not at all surprised at the symptoms I was getting.  I am slowly increasing the dose under her advice but seemed to have reached a good place at the moment.  Am having another blood test in 3  months to check oestrogen levels.  I hope this helps to know this and it does sound as though your oestrogen levels may well be too low as well.  Low oestrogen affects cortisol levels and also can kick off fast heartbeats along with the joy of hot flushes etc.  I hope so much you get to feel better soon. x

[ange63]

I'm 59, 5 years post meno and started with worst meno symptoms just 9 months ago...   this discussion may explain some of things I am experiencing that I cannot seem to manage.   cortisol rushes.    can they also happen for a moment and its like flicking a switch off/on momentarily?  this happens to me daily now.   Tried HRT but not done well on it so far - made things much worse and introduced new symptoms that were dreadful.     

[discogirl]

Before I started HRT, when I was in perimenopause, I used to wake up with cortisol rushes, a physical unpleasant, anxious feeling in my stomach area, the type you get when you think of something scary.

My GP and me reduced my oestrogen last year to 25mcg due to bleeding.
These horrible feelings have only appeared this year.
Could it be that my oestrogen levels have gone down, even though I am 56 post meno?

I take utrogestan also.

Hi Dandelion,

I get cortisol rushes and they are horrible.

Did you say you are 56 post meno? I'm 57 post meno.

Started HRT 25th august. Do you know what your estrogen levels are? Got mine done 30th June and my oestradiol was then <19;

Might be a good idea to get yours checked xxx

[Dandelion]

Haha,yep,that was my point,that Drs don't have a clue when it comes to menopause symptoms and no,omeprazole didn't help in the slightest.
I used to go running and loved it,then these butterflies would start up in the mornings and I just couldn't understand them,I kept thinking,I'm not nervous about going for a run,so why am I getting these? Of course now I know what the are,they should subside,mine did,when they started again,this time, I knew what it was,thank goodness for this site 

Which hormone got rid of your butterflies?
Due to bleeds, I had to reduce from 50mcg oestrogen to 25mcg oestrogen and only the night sweats came back, but now I wake up, and feel anxious as soon as I realise I am awake, which is morbid.
I would love to wake up feeling like I want to greet a new day and wonder what hormone shortage stops that?

[Dandelion]

Hiya - I had these symptoms too and my heart goes out to you they are horrible.  The anxiety and panic attacks were awful along with lots of episodes of very fast heartbeats.  I am now back on my original HRT which was unavailable for a long time and 8 weeks in the symptoms have all but gone.  My oestrogen blood level was off the scale low at 69 so the Meno consultant said she was not at all surprised at the symptoms I was getting.  I am slowly increasing the dose under her advice but seemed to have reached a good place at the moment.  Am having another blood test in 3  months to check oestrogen levels.  I hope this helps to know this and it does sound as though your oestrogen levels may well be too low as well.  Low oestrogen affects cortisol levels and also can kick off fast heartbeats along with the joy of hot flushes etc.  I hope so much you get to feel better soon. x

Maybe it's low oestrogen that caused anxiety, just a guess though.
I can't raise my oestrogen back to 50 as I bleed.
I wonder if phytoestrogens help, there are supplements, but I feel like I am mucking about with brain and body chemistry.

[Dandelion]

I'm 59, 5 years post meno and started with worst meno symptoms just 9 months ago...   this discussion may explain some of things I am experiencing that I cannot seem to manage.   cortisol rushes.    can they also happen for a moment and its like flicking a switch off/on momentarily?  this happens to me daily now.   Tried HRT but not done well on it so far - made things much worse and introduced new symptoms that were dreadful.   

What hrt did you try?
I had to tweak and change at first, fempston did not work, I did not absorb the oestrogen part of the pill.
They wanted me on 25mcg patch, whereas here said 50mcg was starting dose, I had a hassle but had to go right upto 100mcg.
I only reduced under medical supervision to 25mcg cos of bleeding, I was ok on 75, bled again, ok on 50, bled again, now 25mcg brought back night sweats and anxiety, and I can't go up, as I will bleed again. Might try phytoestrogens.

[Dandelion]

Before I started HRT, when I was in perimenopause, I used to wake up with cortisol rushes, a physical unpleasant, anxious feeling in my stomach area, the type you get when you think of something scary.

My GP and me reduced my oestrogen last year to 25mcg due to bleeding.
These horrible feelings have only appeared this year.
Could it be that my oestrogen levels have gone down, even though I am 56 post meno?

I take utrogestan also.

Hi Dandelion,

I get cortisol rushes and they are horrible.

Did you say you are 56 post meno? I'm 57 post meno.

Started HRT 25th august. Do you know what your estrogen levels are? Got mine done 30th June and my oestradiol was then <19;

Might be a good idea to get yours checked xxx

Yeah I am 56 post meno.
Cortisol rushes have just come back, even though I reduced oestrogen over a year ago.
I don't know my oestrogen levels, I have not had bloods taken for years re hormones.
I can't go above 25mcg, as I bleed, even if they were low, I'd need to go back and forth to hospital for checks.