Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => All things menopause => Topic started by: Dandelion on November 09, 2013, 12:48:00 PM
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Hi
Please could somebody help.
Why are my adrenaline rushes when waking, gettign worse, and anxiety during the day please?
My sweating has also come back, when I get anxious I get hot, and when I exert myself, I get more sweaty than other people.
I am thirteen days into my HRT.
I take Femoston and have just started it, the monday before last.
It's the type with 14 white 1mg oestradiol only pills and 14 grey oestradiol and dygesterone pills.
I am due to take the first grey dygesterone and oestradiol pill on Monday.
My last oestradiol pill should be tomorrow, and because I forgot to take one last Tuesday, and didn't realise until 24 hours later, there should be two white pills left, the forgotten one, and tomorrow's one.
There is only one white pill left, however, so, it looks as if I have not only forgotten to take one, I may have also taken two in one day, and not noticed.
The pills started to 'half-way-work' a day or so after I started, but things have got worse this week.
The anxiety is making me too scared to go out and it made me too scared to get out of bed this morning.
The problems is not with my meds and I never got PMT.
Should I go back to my doctor and get the 2mg oestradiol/dygesterone pills please, as the 1mg doesn't seem to be enough.
Thanks
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Oh Dandelion.
Again, you have to give your HRT a chance to work. I do understand that you want it to be perfect now but as we have all said before it takes a while.
Not sure what else I can say apart from repeating myself again.
Honeyb
X
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You need to wait for the HRT to work Dandelion. I would think that the "halfway" working was just a coincidence to be honest.
As Honeybun says you need to wait at least three months to see if this HRT works for you.
Taz
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Try taking the tablet at night and you may find this helps with morning anxiety. Also you need to just observe and make a note your symptoms for 3 months while your hormone levels are adjusting and then let your GP know if things haven't settled. They can then make the decision as to whether you need to up your dose.
I took Femoston 1/10 for 6 months but then I found myself getting a bit teary so I then started on 2/10. I think it takes between 3 and 6 months for you to really know how HRT is working for you, even if you do feel a bit better at first.
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This was one of my symptoms even though on my patch, I found it much worse when going bouts of anxiety and stress, it has gradually faded away now.
http://doctorkatend.com/have-you-been-waking-in-the-middle-of-the-night-since-menopause/
Besides HRT make sure you have adequate Vitamin C and a good multi B supplement to support the adrenal glands.
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DANDELION:
Taking HRT is not a quick fix....some things may get better quickly, some worse. ALL the hormones are sort of interconnected and there are feedback loops that get activated when the hormones change....This takes time for the body to adjust naturally. That is why 3 mo trials are suggested.
Flushes happen when hormone levels change.....not just when they are going down.!!!!!! Taking 2 hormones as you are doing is changing your other hormones also.....so an increase in flushes could be expected.
Your hormones will be changing for a while as your body adjusts. Every time you take a pill your levels change some. Please try to think of the flushes as helping your body at this point instead of something that is negative. You must try to wait this out longer, OK!
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Patience Dandelion, patience. You are expecting the HRT to be a quick fix for everything. Stay with the HRT - we are all telling you the same so we can't all be wrong.
You are telling us about sweating when anxious or exerting yourself - this is a very normal response and this sweating may not be meno flushes. I think you so focused on the HRT and looking for problems, you are making it worse. You described some strategies you were given to help with anxiety in another thread and you need to use these now.
As KatieLiz suggested, keep some notes or a diary to help. If need be, start a thread on this site where you do a post, either everyday or every 3 days, telling us how you are doing. Even if we do not always respond with feedback, you have this reference to look at, print out and hopefully this will help you to be more objective. Hope that helps. We're here for you. DG x
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You're like me: medicine = cure but sadly it don't work like that. The body hasn't got where it is overnight so will take 2/3 months before you notice that it has settled.
How is your diet? Adrenaline surges can be caused by low blood sugar so you need to eat 24/7!!!
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It must be hard to read posts that can't tell you what you really want to hear but hopefully Dandelion will realise we all wish her the best outcome and respond to all the reassuring replies.
Honeyb
X
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It's the drag of feeling ill/tired/down/listless and the despair that often goes with those issues. Add to that the awful surge as I wake up :-\ ..... the rule of eating every 3 hours and having biscuits by the bed for after the landing trek to the bathroom and back helps me alot
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Hi everyone.
It is actually reassuring to know that I have not given it long enough.
I can wait, it's worth waiting for.
It's better than it not working and having to go back to the doctors again, cos its a right hassle getting appointments etc.
Thanks also, Katie, for the tip about taking the medication at night. I've taken today's but I will take tomorrow's at night before bed.
That adrenaline is horrible to wake up to, I'm sure you all know.
I'm keeping a daily record of my symptoms and where I am in my cycle etc.
I take vitamin C daily, to keep colds away, it stopped me getting a cold last year, even though my flat was freezing.
Thanks also for that link. The info on it is interesting.
Thanks, andius re the info on the flushes, I like trying to see them as a good thing.
Each pill I take, I try to see it as getting better and better.
The sweating I get on exertion and anxiety is much more sweating than I used to get in these states, before peri menopause, but this thread has reassuraed me to stay the course and good things will come.
I don't need to be going on 2/10 right now as it will probably be too strong for me.
I'm still using the CBT, but I would rather not be so anxious as to having to wear the tools on me, in readiness for anxiety attacks, instead of keeping them in my bag for the odd anxious moment.
This thread has told me what I wanted to hear, absolutely.
Now I am happy to sit back and wait it out.
I do eat frequently, but maybe I need to change what I eat. My budget is very limited so my diet is restricted by that, but I will swap biscuits for kracker-wheat, hahahhhhah.
Thanks again, this thread is very valuable to me, and bottom line = me, reassured.
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Well Done! Sometimes we need to be told what we already know ;)
Snacking foods:
Dried fruits and nuts
Bananas
Grapes
RichT biscuits
Hot soup with a roll - home made can be cooked in batches and frozen for later use
Oxo cube broken into hot water - soothing
Breakfast bars and snack juices like the cylists use - not cheap but one doesn't require many for a boost
Keep well hydrated
Pancakes - quick fix, tasty and mixture keeps a couple of days in the fridge
Diced chicken with vegetables, stir fried in a pan on top with rice/pasta - again tasty and pasta is slow release ;-)
REMEMBER: the important thing about a diet is to eat eveyr 3 hours so that the blood sugar remains even - a sudden dip can cause anxiety surges .......... whcih can then stop us wanting to eat ......... ::)
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Something just occured to me this morning.
Since starting the tablets, I have stopped sweating in bed, but I still sweat excessively when I walk anywhere.
I don't think that this is a co-incidence.
It only just occured to me today.
My fear is that the 1/10 will only work to stop me sweating in bed, but given my replies above, can I confirm that even though the tablets stopped me sweating in bed straight away, that this is not the only thing they will help me with?
Many thanks
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Dandelion. The HRT should help with most meno symptoms. The sweating you are experiencing during the day may not be menopause related. I've been finding this very mild weather we have been having is making me sweat more, especially when I go into over heated environments like shops. Do remember you are peri-meno so your own hormones will still be working away in the background and giving you variations in the way you feel.
The first thing I noticed was that I was more comfortable at night so sleeping better. This may be why you are waking so full of beans in the morning? You're so used to being sluggish in the morning, feeling good seems odd?
I used to get hot flushes when I was taking too much oestrogen so I definitely wouldn't increase dosage yet. The oestrogen levels will increase gradually over the next few weeks - you store a certain amount in your body fat.
Our bodies are not machines A car can be tuned to tick over nicely, add the right oil and petrol, change the spark plugs etc and off you go. Our bodies are so complex and we are bombarded with so many conflicting elements we all have to respond to things differently.
Try not to worry - I know that's hard. Take care. DG x
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Dandelion. The HRT should help with most meno symptoms. The sweating you are experiencing during the day may not be menopause related. I've been finding this very mild weather we have been having is making me sweat more, especially when I go into over heated environments like shops. Do remember you are peri-meno so your own hormones will still be working away in the background and giving you variations in the way you feel.
The first thing I noticed was that I was more comfortable at night so sleeping better. This may be why you are waking so full of beans in the morning? You're so used to being sluggish in the morning, feeling good seems odd?
I used to get hot flushes when I was taking too much oestrogen so I definitely wouldn't increase dosage yet. The oestrogen levels will increase gradually over the next few weeks - you store a certain amount in your body fat.
Our bodies are not machines A car can be tuned to tick over nicely, add the right oil and petrol, change the spark plugs etc and off you go. Our bodies are so complex and we are bombarded with so many conflicting elements we all have to respond to things differently.
Try not to worry - I know that's hard. Take care. DG x
Hi Dancingirl,
Thanks for replying to my post.
I am not waking up feeling full of beans in the morning.
I am getting adrenaline in my stomach and feeling very anxious.
Please could I have clarification.
Thanks for infoming me about my own hormones working as well as my HRT. I now appreciate that my own hormones are working to their own cycles, (anything from 18 days to 43 days)
So, my body may well be making it's own progesterone, whilst I am taking the oestradiol only part of my femoston pills.
I still sweat after walking anywhere, even in cold weather.
Saturday was very cold here, and after a five minute leisurely walk to the town, (not overly wrapped up) and a slow browse around the market stalls, I was lathered, it was running down my back.
I used to sweat in bed, even with a fan. The tablets stopped me sweating in bed, although I do still need the fan on. This sweating effect went the day after I started my tablets and has not returned.
Thank you for informing me that the oestradiol will build up.
I woke up scared to get out of bed today. I went to bed at about seven last night. When I feel like this, I just want to stay in bed, wrapped in my duvet, I hate feeling so vulnerable.
I don't mind waiting, if it means the meds will kick in eventually, so long as I know it's the right thing to do.
When I realised I hadn't mentioned in my first post, that the night sweats went straightaway, I thought it may change the answer, but if it doesn't I am cool with that.
Many thanks again. :)
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Dandelion it maybe that you are suffering from a form of anxiety and panic which could be a separate issue, this site and forum really helped me when I was going through panic attacks and health anxiety
http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/
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Oh Dandelion. Your anxiety is ruling your life - I'm concerned this is not being addressed. Can you get some therapy for this? I fear that HRT is not going to fix everything for you - just some of your physical symptoms. silver lady is right - find some help with the anxiety.
Do have friends you can chat with. Is your doctor a good support for you? Keep posting us. DG x
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Dandelion it can appear in different guises for no reason you can pinpoint and it can feed on itself, as Dancinggirl says you must get help.
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You could give your GP Surgery a ring and ask for a call-back to discuss your worries. It is OK to stay in bed when we feel ruff. I got through depression until meds kicked in by getting out of bed, dressing, trying to eat breakfast and laying on the settee under a blanket. I knew I was avoiding issues but was unable to do much else. Try not to over-think your medication regime, try to let the meds 'do their work', hard I know - DH tells me 'If only you took your own advice' ::)
The brain can take over and our worries grow and grow and :-\
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Oh Dandelion. Your anxiety is ruling your life - I'm concerned this is not being addressed. Can you get some therapy for this? I fear that HRT is not going to fix everything for you - just some of your physical symptoms. silver lady is right - find some help with the anxiety.
Do have friends you can chat with. Is your doctor a good support for you? Keep posting us. DG x
Hi Dancinggirl
Thanks for your reply, but reading it did make me feel a bit sad.
Why don't you think the hrt will help my anxiety?
What was it that I said that made you feel fearful the hrt won't help my anxiety?
I thought you said my hrt would take a few months for it to kick in.
I've read other menopausal women have really bad anxiety and their hrt eventually helps it.
I know some women's hrt does not cure their anxiety, but, surely it is too early days for me to class myself as one of these unfortunate women.
I do have non-meno based anxiety but not as bad as this, and I am managing that side of things.
It's just this menopause based anxiety that is bothering me.
I am on medication and have a care package which is working fine for me.
Thanks.
I'll come back and reply to the rest, meanwhile thanks so far.
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I'm pleased to hear you have a good care package. My concern is that you seem to have great anxiety about the HRT and the affect it is going to have on you. The HRT will hopefully help meno symptoms such as flushes, night sweats and prevent loss of bone density and vaginal dryness & atrophy. If you are just anxious about these symptoms then the HRT all probably help. I am just concerned you are focusing on it so much and you should be applying your strategies for dealing with anxiety to the HRT treatment. If after a few weeks, if you are still getting sweats and other meno symptoms then you will need to talk to your doctor again.
I'm sure I am not alone in hoping you will find that your meno symptoms will come under control very soon and you will feel calmer and able to get on with life more positively.
Take care. DGx
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I'm pleased to hear you have a good care package. My concern is that you seem to have great anxiety about the HRT and the affect it is going to have on you. The HRT will hopefully help meno symptoms such as flushes, night sweats and prevent loss of bone density and vaginal dryness & atrophy. If you are just anxious about these symptoms then the HRT all probably help. I am just concerned you are focusing on it so much and you should be applying your strategies for dealing with anxiety to the HRT treatment. If after a few weeks, if you are still getting sweats and other meno symptoms then you will need to talk to your doctor again.
I'm sure I am not alone in hoping you will find that your meno symptoms will come under control very soon and you will feel calmer and able to get on with life more positively.
Take care. DGx
Hi Dancinggirl
I was just scared because I took your last post before this, to mean that the hrt isn't working for me.
I have got a lot of other stressors, but I am applying the info from the care package to these, and it is making life easier than if I wasn't doing so.
What bothers me is the physical feelings of anxiety that are intrusive.
I also really do hope that my femoston does start to take care of the remainder of my sweats and the anxiety/depression, because life is too short to be spending it suffering these horrible physical intrusive feelings of anxiety that pounce on me shortly after I have woken up.
Thanks
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:hug: You are being very proactive. Keep strong. DG x
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Dandelion - make sure that you are eating 'correctly' [see previous post ;) ]
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:hug: You are being very proactive. Keep strong. DG x
So, is it still a case of giving the hrt chance to work?
If so, I'm happy to wait.
Thanks
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Stay positive and hopefully the HRT will help you. DG x
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Your body doesn't get where it is suddenly! so HRT will take a while - 3/4 months perhaps - before you begin to notice that you feel 'well' again. Little steps ;)