Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => Personal Experiences => Topic started by: tink on February 19, 2013, 11:34:48 AM
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Hi everyone,
I was advised by my doctor to seek out this web site and it has helped a lot.
I am 45, and am peri-menopause, my worse symptom is anxiety, I have been on HRT Evorel 50 for 4 weeks and felt great after two weeks but anxiety returned with avengence this weekend, I was supposed to go to the hairdresser today but couldnt felt so sick trying to get ready, so have taken a diazepam and gone to bed to see if it takes the edge off.
I need to take ds to his saxophone lesson later so hopefully the anxiety will start to calm down.
I am also on Prozac which I started at Christmas when the anxiety got really bad and before HRT my GP has recommended putting up the HRT to 75 so hopefully that will help.
I have also started taking lemon balm and Bachs but doesnt seem to be helping
I would love any advice as to how to cope.
I have been trying the 321 method and concentrating on my breathing as well. :'(
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Hi tink - welcome to the forum and it is heartening to see that you arrived here through the recommendation of your doctor.
When you say "Evorel 50" do you mean Evorel sequi which has Evorel 50 patches but also a second lot of patches containing progesterone to be used in the second half of the month? If so then it could be the progesterone element causing your anxiety to rise especially as you felt better during the first two weeks of oestrogen only HRT. The progesterone used in Evorel is norethisterone and this is well known for causing PMT type symptoms and anxiety, low mood or depression in some women. I was on this for a while and my partner used to call the second half of the box "Mr Nasty patches"! It can take a while to settle though so after the first three months are up you would have a better idea of whether it suits you or not.
There are other HRTs available using different progesterones so don't lose heart.
Taz x :welcomemm:
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Hi Hunny
has anyone mentioned Beta Blocas? They are brilliant for anxiety
I had palpitations a feeling oif utter terror and dread they work brilliantly xxxxxxx
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Hi Taz 2, suzi Q
I have had a mirena fitted at the same time as starting Hrt. But doctors tell me eveything should have settled by now hence the reason he wants to increase to Evorel 75.
I have read that a lot of ladies take beta blockers so might mention this to GP is things dont improve with the increase in HRT.
I have Multiple Sclerosis and take so many many medications that i am always frightened to start more.
I cant believe how debilitating this anxiety is.
Thanks for your support
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Welcome to the forum from me too.
I have just stopped taking Evoril Conti to see if it helps my anxiety. If you have a coil the I guess you are getting your progesterone from that. Perhaps that does not suit you.
As Suzi mentioned BBs can be helpful. I take those and they Do damp down the anxiety. I would advise taking a very small dose. My GP gave me 40mg and I was ill.I am now on 10 and that is strong enough for me.
Browse around and join in. There is always someone here to help.
Honeyb
x
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Hi
I am worried by the amount of medication you are on and stopping those medications can cause the symptoms you started taking them for...
I have found the best thing for anxiety for myself is high intensity CBT.
Smudgesmum xxx
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welcome tink. I remember having a mirena fitted in my 40's and using everol patches but mine was 100mcg to treat the anxiety and mood and i found that dose very effective. You could try going to 75 first and you would need to give it at least 4-6 weeks. Good luck x
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Hi Tink,
Welcome. I may not know enough about Hrt but if u have mire a already why do u need a combined Hrt? Miranda already has progesterone and if u take another one with progesterone surely u r overdosing the body on progesterone.
Progesterone is responsible for depleting serotonin levels which affect cortisol and therefore u get into anxiety etc.
May b raise the q with ur doc.
Also if u have so many meds to take may b ur body is finding it hard to cope now with all the extras. It may b an oversimplified way of looking at it but too much of anything is never a good thing.
Relaxation techniques, yoga,Pilates meditation or therapy/counselling is a good place to start for some non-medicinal ways.
Xxx
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Hi tink - welcome from me too
I agree with smudgesmum - I would not want to take any more medication than you are already on, especially with MS, and some of these may be reacting with each other to make things worse. Also do you think the Mirena could be making the anxiety worse - depression and similar symptoms can be one of the side effects? It uses a synthetic progestogen. Why did your doctor prescribe this - was it because of heavy bleeding?
If you can possibly do so I would try to get help from a meno-specialist maybe at a meno clinic because your doctor does seem to be offering a lot of medication to help you to cope, but I understand why as you have to cope with your family responsibilities. Maybe as Suz suggests try some non-medicinal ways to help with the anxiety rather than the meds?
Btw Suz - tink is not on combined HRT - she is on Mirena and Evorel patches (oestrogen only) from what I understand.
Good luck tink and hope you manage to sort out what's for the best.
Do come and ask anything on here whenever you need to .... someone will always be able to help
x
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Hi everyone
thanks for all the advice, i am on mirena and evorel 50 (oestrogen only) at the moment. I have been attending the pain clinic so they have given me a lot of relaxation and cbt exercises to do as well which do help a little.
Tried taking lemon balm but it made me feel sick and gave me diarrhea so have stopped that.
will start evorel 75 tomorrow when i am due to change patch and hopefully that will help.
I feel I can't cope with the anxiety as it stops me going out, DH is brilliant and so are both my boys being 15 and 19, but I had my second panic attack on the plane to California in June and am terrified it will happen again. we are booked to go to Vegas for our 25th wedding anniversary this year in June.
I keep trying to stay focused on daily tasks but its horrible when I can't do something simple like going to hairdressers.
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Hi again,
Just one more thing, it was after seeing a specialist at a meno clinic that I was put on HRT, GP started me on Prozac over Xmas as she didn't think it was peri-meno, but specialist thought it definately was, they fitted the Mirena as I was bleeding all the time and having flooding which I had never suffered from berfore.
I also had night sweats, flushing and had completely lost all confidence just before june which is when the panic attacks started.
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So your GP thinks you are too young for meno symptoms >:( ???
:welcomemm: without betablockas I wouldn't function. It took years before my GP even thought to prescribe them >:( :-\ but now, since 2002, I feel so much better and can cope with most events. The intense deep rooted terror was awful.
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Hi Tink
Just wanted to say hello, and say that I totally identity with your post on anxiety as do many of the ladies here. Along with physical aches and pains, this was my worst symptom of peri/menopause. Personally, I am not sure if it was meno itself or the HRT that made my problem worse. I suffered mainly from waking anxiety, palpitations and *severe* panic attacks as soon as I opened my eyes in the morning, which are apparently all to do with raised cortisol/adrenaline levels linked to these fluctuating hormones. The anxiety is incredible and I found it hard to cope, or to describe how bad it is to my GP. It is a terrifying feeling of fear, impending doom and being out of control. I get a nervous butterfly stomach and feel unsettled and worried all day about nothing. I can last until about 3pm, I always feel better in the evenings, and don't suffer so much with it when I am out of the house as I know other people do. Because it is linked to adrenaline beta blockers do seem to work well as they block this chemical.
Just wanted to post to say you are not alone, as I know how scared I was when I kept having these anxiety attacks, I thought I was going off my head. It IS menopause, and you are not alone! I hope you get relief soon. Chin up.
x
Edit PS here is another thread on the subject
http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/forum/index.php'topic=15459.0
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Welcome to the forum from me too.
I have just stopped taking Evoril Conti to see if it helps my anxiety. If you have a coil the I guess you are getting your progesterone from that. Perhaps that does not suit you.
As Suzi mentioned BBs can be helpful. I take those and they Do damp down the anxiety. I would advise taking a very small dose. My GP gave me 40mg and I was ill.I am now on 10 and that is strong enough for me.
Browse around and join in. There is always someone here to help.
Honeyb
x
Mine gave me 40m INderal I take half for a couple of days 2x a day then I go down to 2x1/4 that worls for me
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Hi Lesley 998
thanks for the encoragement,
i will give the new patches a go and if not then try beta blockers,
I have rearranged my hair appointment for a week so heres hoping i make it :-\
My main concerns are my son is playing in a piano concert on the 2/3/13 and we have rugby tickets for the Scotland vs Wales match on the 9th of March and i'm scared i wont be able to go.
my anxiety fluctuates sometimes its in the morning in which case I can't go out during the day, and if I am particulary fatigued it can be horrendous at night, all i want to do is sleep :'(
Thanks for all the advice ladies it is really helping to give me hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel :)
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How is your diet?
Also, Bachs flower remedy can help. I use the mouth spray, one squirt onto the tongue before anxiety strikes in situations I know might be a trigger. I have walked from many events for which we have paid Good Money for tickets :-\ ::) .......... the more important the Event the less likely I am to be able to go. So I don't book ahead now .........
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Hi CLKD,
my diet is normal somedays but on others terrible, I have lost a stone in weight since xmas which I didnt need to loose, I look terrible.
after reading the forums I have started trying to eat every 3 hours even if its just a banana, or some soup.
GP prescribed anti- sickness pills but i'm too frightened to take them incase they make me feel worse.
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You sound like I felt when I was at my worst ::) - didn't dare eat or drink in case I felt worse than I already did, however, it was pointed out to me that my body was *hungry*. However, food could not pass my lips :'( ........ then I got it into my head that I would die if I didn't eat so eating was the only issue in my brain ......... I was paralysed on the settee, staring at the walls, worrying about what I had to eat and when ........
Which anti-sickness med have you been given? I am sure that your GP won't give anything that will interfere with what you already take, if you are worried take a list to the pharamacist for a chat? Ginger biscuits can help ease off nausea.
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they're called metoclopramide.
but i definately relate to the worry, of not eating will make me weak and I will get ill and end up in hospital.
having had MS since I was 17 I hate hospitals.
I had my first panic attack in May whilst I was in hopsital with suspected menigitis, turns out it was severe migraine due to dehydration and lack of food, I had been ill for 3 days with a virus, but on reflection think it was the start of the peri-menopause. so i do worry about not eating.
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Metoclopramide is great and should give you no problems at all.
This is what they give you before an operation to stop you being sick when under aesthetic.
I have used it off and on for years. It pushes food through your stomach quickly. The only side effect you might have is going to the loo a bit more often.
Don't be afraid to take them they could be just what you need.
Honeyb
x
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:thankyou: Honeybun. I found that grazing helped: dry biscuits, lots of tea, yoghurts, dried fruits and nuts. Nibbling so that the dreadful nausea went away :-\
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Hello tink, sorry to hear you are feeling rough. I have just started on theanine which is an amino acid, in itself the main constituent in green tea. It's only day one so I'm not going to claim a miracle cure but it does come with many testamonies on Amazon. Check with your pharmacist if it's okay for you with other meds first of course. I also had a long session of hypnotherapy yesterday for phobia/anxiety but again too soon to report back in much depth although I will do in due course. One thing she did say to me though that struck a chord was about relaxation.I said that I have 'tried to relax' and she says that it is counterproductive to do this as it just causes one part of you to fight against another, it's the 'trying' that does it. I do try and meditate but can't seem to switch off - she added that all this 'listen to your breathing' advice was good for Buddhist monks but maybe not for us busy Westerners. It's not easy to turn off thoughts that are circulating inside your head - believe me I KNOW :-X - but taking yourself in your mind to somewhere that you like does help. Advice advice of course, easy to give and hard to do. However, the theanine is supposed to increase the alpha waves in your brain which are the quiet ones (the betas are the busy, noisy ones, hence perhaps beta blockers?) I'm not sure but it sounds logical doesn't it? Sorry this is a bit rambling but I hope some of it helps, I can all too easily identify with the anxiety thing, been there and wear the t shirt frequently :-\ Take care and good luck - loads of stuff on here and great people :)
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Hi tink,
Your story sounds so familiar, anxiety is so debilitating and wears you out. My gp prescribed me mirtazapine, an anti d to help with anxiety. From day 1 it calmed me down, stopped the shakes and allowed me to catch up on much needed sleep. I still had blips for quite a while and even now cant say things are perfect but a huge improvement on how it was. I've also been on hrt for 18 months. Not sure if this is any help to you but hope you'll start feeling better real soon. Its a horrible time and you need lots of support to get through. :hug:
Take care, big hug
Delilah x
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Hi everyone,
Once again thanks for all the advice, I keep trying to tell myself that it is only the hormones and that I am able to function, very difficult though.
CLKD, I have started carrying around some ginger snaps and trying to snack on bananas, at the moment mornings and early evening the worst.
I wake up feeling as though I have drank 40 cans of red bull, then the mind starts working overtime, I have tried Bachs but I cant say it has helped.
new patches tonight so here's hoping :-\
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hi everyone,
just keeping you up dated this website has been a lifesaver for me. I am feeling a lot like myself today, was able to go to the hairdresser last thurs, plenty of ginger biscuits and water. I was also out for a wee while on Sat.
started Evorel 75 on Thurs and feeling great so here's hoping.
What I did discover is that I seem to have my worse panic attacks at the same time of the month, ???
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Hormonal then! Which is why eating correctly ALL month through, not only when you remember, might be helpful. Nibbling is OK!
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tink, reading your last post brought back my early days of meno when increasing my patch made me feel so good! glad you are feeling better x
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Hi everyone,
heres an update have been on evorel 75 for 1 month now and thought I was over the worse had 3 and a half weeks feeling great, but had a blip on saturday whilst at my brothers once again at the same time of the month, i also have really bad flushes at this time. Is this normal, will it settle or is it just something I will have to live with. I am feeling very upset today and have had hardly any sleep.
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Hi tink
Sorry to hear you have been having a rough couple of days but glad that you are feeling much better the rest of the time.
The thing is while you are still perimenopausal your hormones will still be fluctuating and I presume as you have the Mirena you are not having any bleeds? This means you won't know when your natural cycle is through your periods, but of course you are still feeling them because of your moods. So your own hormones are breaking through the hormones you have added - and this will continue to happen from time to time but hopefully gradually less frequently until you have reached menopause.
So taking HRT when you are peri- won't usually completely eliminate all symptoms - such as low mood etc like pms - after all we have them all through our fertile years - but it should make you feel much better for most of the time. As long as you recognise this and go with it, you will know you will come through it so you should feel better - hopefully....
Maybe if your oestrogen levels drop very low then possibly you may benefit from an even higher dose - not sure how old you are - but I would give it three months on the 75 mcg as recommended.
Do hope this is only a minor blip for you and sleep well
Hurdity x
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Hi Hurdity,
thanks for the reassurance, its true having the mirena fitted I have been spotting constantly for 2 months so dont know when my period is actually due. I am 45 years old. I keep thinking what if this last for years I wont be able to cope. I never suffered from pmt or heavy periods before, guess mother nature is making up for it now.
Its the physical aspects of the panic attacks that I cant cope with, sickness and diaorhea. embarassing when you are visiting people :'(.
This website has really helped though, so once again thanks everyone :)xx
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Hi Tink: I am a new member as well. I am a high energy level kind of person but I also deal with anxiety and rage feelings. My doc a few years ago gave me a low dose of Xanex to try. I'll tell you what, it is a miracle drug for me. I only take it when I need it. At the most, maybe 2 days to a week out of the month. I have the lowest dose and I take a 1/2 pill. If I take it on an empty stomach, within 20 min all is well and everyone gets to live. haha. I know a lot of people get addicted to this drug but if you use it as a tool, you will be fine. I sleep like a baby too even if I took the pill in the morning. It can be effective up to 24 hours. Hope this helps.
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Hi Doxi,
I have diazepam 5mg which I was given at the start, I will try taking half a tablet if I get a blip again. GP frightened me at the start by saying I could get addicted so have only ever taken them when things were truly unbearable. Hopefully these blips will only occur once a month and I can control it for a couple of days with the diazepam.
great tip about taking it on an empty stomach though as normally it takes about 45 mins to kick in
tink
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Hi again tink
Do you mind my asking why you had the Mirena fitted because I think it can cause anxiety and those sort of side effects in some women? However if you are only getting those feelings roughly monthly then it's prob OK for you and it's just the hormone dips that I mentioned. At least with the Mirena you can take quite high dose of oestrogen as I understand and it will protect the womb lining.
Hurdity x
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My anxiety is constant this morning after months of feeling OK :-\. I know I have a drug I can use but don't want to succumb yet. DH keeps telling me the reasons why it happens and how I can get out of it, if only it were *that* easy :(. I have taken more responsibility in recent days <sigh> and am so glad that I turned down yet more 'chores' last week.
For me it comes back in an instant! If Valium etc. are used 'as a tool' then you are unlikely to become addicted. I tended to use it before an event, i.e. going to visit family ..... which meant a long journey both ways and having to sit in company. For hours ::). 5mg the night before and 5mg at breakfast helped for years.
Off to find the Rescue Remedy mouth spray ..........
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Hi CLKD,
Sorry your having a bad time at the moment, thanks for the reassurance about the diazepam. I can symapthise with you about not wanting to succumb to drugs all the time. I take my hat off to ladies who get through this on their own.
I fell a bit better today, but its the constant searching to reassure myself that I do.
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I also have diazepam and take one on a need to basis. I got a prescription before Xmas and have only used 5.
If used on this basis there is no danger of getting hooked.
I do however use my beta blockers every day.
Honeyb
X
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I take my beta-blocka every night. If I need extra I take it at breakfast. This morning ::) ........ never did find the rescue remedy, had lunch instead ........ still feel that lurch in the gut though >:(
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Yep, I have diazepam as well :) haven't taken any so far this year but would if I had to and may have to resort to them over Easter. Had to smile CLKD at your comment about taking it before going on a family visit, it's ironic isn't it that these events are supposed to be enjoyable but we all seem to end up dreading them? :-X But I so know what you mean.
Something else I've discovered recently - I have recently taken up a new hobby and been connecting with people on FB. People who all look sorted and full of life. Yet, over a period of time, slowly slowly people are starting to admit that they are suffering with depression, anxiety or have other, shall we say, "life problems". I have admitted my anxiety. No-one judges and they are a truly lovely bunch but it only goes to show how many people are struggling with stuff. It's so easy to think "it's me, I'm a nutter" but that's not true. ::) Men, ladies and not just of menopausal age. I'm beginning to think that the "sorted ones are those in the minority :) :)
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Life makes us deal with daily situations in different ways. Sometimes I can deal; others I am housebound with anxiety. Friends dropped off as they couldn't understand why I could on some days, on others I was unable to socilaise. They didn't wait around and soon closed the gap which I had filled in the group. My C.mas card list halved in 3 months :-\ ......... and not one phoned to ask DH if he needed any shopping/support/etc.. >:(
Now I know what to avoid. My psychologist told me not to avoid but I do. It's OK. That's how I deal. When I am OK I can get on with things, if my stomach lurches as it did on waking this morning :-\ - then I avoid. It's self preservation really!
I think we are such a judgemental society. It is safer for people around us to tow the line, makes us all the same I suppose. But it doesn't allow for variations.
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I read a very interesting article in the Sunday supplement of the Sun Tel a couple of weeks ago about a lady who has suffered with depression and anxiety all her life. She said that she had had 10 odd years of therapy but for some people, anxiety will always be present and for her, a drug called paroxetine, was her lifeline. Like you CKLD, some days she was okay and some days not. I'm a bit like this but am learning not to beat myself up about it, and sometimes avoidance is the only thing that works. I hope you are feeling better today :)
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I am like CLKD and sometime I avoid and sometimes I manage to go or do. I love diazipam and have a packet in my bag untouched for 12 months but I know they are there. Once a month I get like I need them so bad but I resist as have an inbuilt fear that I will get hooked as for me they were wonderful last year and no other drug came close to giving me that inner peace. I have a friend who uses them as a tool and she thinks i am nuts not to use them but thats my fear getting the better of me.
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Hi everyone,
here's an update, the panic attacks are better, only had one minor blip whilst at my brothers about the same time of the month as February's melt down around about the 24/25, however I have noticed that around the beginning of the month that my anxiety starts to build, but doesn't develop into a full blown panic attack.
For about a week I am back to waking at 3.30 with anxiety, which is with me most of the day, this goes away after about a week, before serious melt downs around 20-25th :'(. These are almost always followed by a hot flush or sweat.
I am going to see my meno-specialist on Monday, my mum thinks that the patches may not be controlling the hormones enough so will discuss on Monday. Mum tried everything before she had an implant fitted which she said made her feel brilliant.