Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => All things menopause => Topic started by: tired lady on January 22, 2014, 07:30:56 PM
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Hi ladies
I am really having trouble coping at the moment with scary palpitations during the day and also during the night when they are much worse. My problems started when I turned 39 (I'm 42 now) when I woke up in the middle of the night with my heart racing out of control and I ended up having a major panic attack. It started happening again and again and I ended up at the doctor who said that it was probably anxiety and I had an ECG which was normal. I also started waking up at night feeling boiling hot and started to have the most awful nightmares where I would wake up suddenly and then my heart would pound and I felt really hot. I kept going back to the doctors and mentioning whether it could be perimenopause but they still said it was probably anxiety because of the stress of looking after my son who has M.E. I went back in July this year and my doctor said that because it has been going on so long that she wanted to check my heart was ok so I had a chest x-ray and a 24hr ECG which were both normal but it did show a missed beat and a raised heart rate which happened at night but my doctor said it was normal. I mentioned about whether I could be in perimenopause and she said it could be because I keep waking up feeling hot and she mentioned HRT which I am not really keen on, I wanted to go through it all naturally like my mum. (She also had night sweats and palpitations).
Fast forward 3 years since I turned 39 and I am still having the most awful symptoms at night including waking up feeling hot, nightmares, pounding heart and the one I hate the most when I wake up with my heart doing a massive thud and then racing out of control for a minute and then eventually it calms down but I end up with a panic attack. I have not had a good night's sleep for over 3 years and I am finding it so hard to get through the day because I am so tired.
I am also having scary palpitations during the day including the odd missed beat, double beats and I've had two bouts of irregular heart beat with dizziness both lasting a few seconds and one of them happened when I was out walking my dog. I am in recovery from agoraphobia (as a result of my panic attacks) and this has set me back and I spend the whole time when I'm out walking my dog thinking it is going to happen again and I have to fight against the fear because my dog has to be walked! I mentioned the irregular heart episode to my doctor when I went back in August but she just shrugged it off as innocent palpitations because my ECG was normal.
I was just wondering whether anyone else gets the racing heart at night, it just seems like my heart has a mind of its own and I have not control over it. It is like a get horrible shots of adrenalin a few times a night. I dread the thought of having to put up with this for another 8 years or so until my periods stop it is just so awful. Is it normal to get really bad palpitations during menopause and is there a way of reducing them? I have cut out coffee and now only drink alchohol at the weekends because it seems to bring on hot flushes. I don't know what to do because I really don't want to go down the HRT route.
I would be most grateful for any help or advice, I'm feeling really down about it all at the moment and I dread going to bed now. Many thanks in advance - tired lady :'(
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Yep. Lots of people get palpitations, if you do a 'search' on here you all find several threads! I had problems with leaving the house for 3 months in the 1990s, couldn't answer the 'phone or walk my dog. Make sure that you eat regularly, a biscuit with a cup of tea for example before you go for a walk, this will help keep your blood sugar levels even to stop the nausea and low blood sugar.
My head feels woozy occasionally, probably because I have a disc at the top of my neck which gets nipped ::)
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Thanks so much for you replay CKLD, I will definitely have a look through the palpitations threads on here. I just find them so scary and have ended up with a health anxiety about my heart and spend all day and night waiting for a heart attack to happen because I'm worried that the palps will damage my heart. I just keep trying to remember that the doctor said they were harmless, it is easier said than done though! :)
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It is normal but very unpleasant. I found that once I started HRT the palpitations stopped within a week. They are back with a vengeance now that I have stopped HRT but for the past six years it has been great. Why don't you want to go down the HRT route if you don't mind me asking? Although you say that you dread having to put up with it until your periods stop I am sorry to say that once periods stop the real symptoms of meno can really kick in. Up to the age of 50 (normal meno age) the risks of HRT are negligible it is only after you reach fifty-ish that the risks are a little bit higher. You could have a few years of feeling so much better and then, when you reach 50, you can come off it and decide whether your symptoms still warrant you taking it. You are young to be suffering in this way.
Taz x
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Hi tiredlady.
I too have been getting the awful pounding heart that is sooooo frightening. You are not alone. I try and breath through mine and this really seems to slow it down. Take a deep breath in through your nose and breath out trough your nose slowly. It is terrifying but my GP said it was completely normal when in perimenopause/menopause.
I do know how you are feeling though.
Take care.
Shazzie xx
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Thanks so much for your replies Taz2 and Shazzie, I really appreciate it.
Taz2, I am worried about taking HRT because of the possible side effects and I am on the mini pill (Cerazette) and I don't know how it would affect that. The doctor I saw last said that she would like me to go and see another doctor in the practice that specializes in menopause, she also works at the family planning clinic. She also wanted to make sure that she hadn't missed anything. I just find it hard to get down to the doctors because my 12 year old son is poorly with M.E. and I am a carer for him. I do worry about how many years I will have to endure these symptoms for and I would give anything for a good night's sleep, I have felt quite depressed recently because of the sleep deprivation. I have been warned by other people that I have spoken to not to take HRT but these symptoms are making my life a misery. I really need to get down to the doctors soon to have a chat about it, I will try and make one for when my husband is around so he can look after our son.
Shazzie, thanks so much for your help, I will definitely try the deep breathing. I hope you feel better soon too xx
I completely forgot to put on my post that I also wake up feeling like I can't breathe which is just awful, has anyone else had this too? I had no idea that perimenopause would be this bad, I've never felt so awful in my whole life :(
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You could use the mirena coil for birth control and add in a separate oestrogen in either patch or gel. That would help your flushes and sleep deprivation. Why suffer like this when it's unnecessary. I don't know who has been trying to put you off HRT but they are misinformed and its very easy to scare monger when you are not the one who is suffering.
I had dreadful palpitations and HRT has mostly got rid of them. I find if I do get them if you cough as hard as you can it seems to help. Not a clue why but my GP suggested it.
You need to be able to cope for both yourself and your sons sake so why not go and talk to a sympathetic GP and get something that will give you back your quality of life.
We really don't get any medals for suffering unnecessarily. You don't get back these years so please get some help.
Keep posting and we will help as much as we can.
Honeyb
x
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I had horrendous palpitations in the form of missed beats a few years ago. I attended the cardiology unit at my local hospital and got various tests done. They were registering at over 6000 missed beats per 24 hours. I spoke to a Cardiologist who assured me that my heart was healthy. At that time I was under some strain, which then sorted itself out and the missed beats vanished!! I had an oopherectomy last Thursday and the last couple of days I've felt a spell of missed beats, which I'm assuming are hormonal, but if you've been reassured by the doctor then please don't worry. Our hearts are more stronger than we think. The palpitations don't do the healthy heart any harm, no longer how long you suffer with them. When you stop worrying then they happen less often xx
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Hi tired lady
Sorry to hear about your problems. I agree with the other posters re HRT.
You don't mention periods (I don't know what Cezarette does to these), but just to emphasis that if you are going through early/premature menopause, as well as alleviating your present symptoms, it is really important for your future health to take HRT - to protect your bones against osteoporosis, and your cirulatory system.
There is a lot of information on premature/early menopause on this site - so do have a read - it starts here:
http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/prematuremenopause.php
and there are lots of tabs eg management (of premature menopause) - here:
http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/pm-management.php
Like the others have said - there is no need to suffer.
In the past I know there have been members on HRT and the mini pill.
Hurdity x
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Hi again tired lady - I wondered if you have had your thyroid function checked?
Taz x
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Thanks so much everyone for your help and advice, I didn't realise that I might be going through a premature menopause, and I can certainly say that I have not enjoyed my forties one little bit so far because of these awful symptoms. I thought I would start getting them around the age of 45 but not 39! The heart symptoms were so scary that I suffered a nervous breakdown and almost became housebound with agoraphobia and panic attacks!
I don't really know what my periods are doing because Cerazette causes breakthrough bleeding and very irregular periods, they are certainly not monthly! It is just so strange that I was absolutely fine until I turned 39 and then all hell broke loose!
Taz2, yes I have had my thyroid checked but I think that was in 2011, and the result was normal. I also had a blood test to check my hormones and my oestrogen wasn't low but that was 2 years ago now. Maybe the doctor will check it my thyroid and hormone levels again when I go.
These symptoms are totally ruining my life and have given me such a bad anxiety problem that I have had to stop the things I used to enjoy doing because of the fear of having a panic attack or palpitation attack (that leads to a panic attack). I recently had to pull out of a family wedding because I just couldn't face it. I would do anything to stop the nightmares, racing heart and palpitations.
I spoke to my mum yesterday and mentioned about HRT again but she said that it just holds it back and that I will get a later menopause! My husband is very supportive though and thinks that I should try it, he doesn't like seeing my suffering and I continuously wake him up at night because of my nightmares and racing heart episodes!
I am going to have a look and see when that doctor is at the surgery and try and get an appointment as soon as I can.
Thanks so much again everyone, I don't know what I would have done without this forum, I thought I was seriously ill or going mad! :o tired lady :)
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Oh tired lady, you could be me writing this. I ruined the best part of my 30's and into my 40's obsessed with my heart and used to get exactly the same symptoms that you describe. I also did not realise that I was going through Peri and kicked over into full blown meno, just on my 40th birthday, they say life begins @ 40, but I had nothing but problems from there on, until I discovered the Oestrogel. It changed my life. I was prior to that on the oral birth control pill and it made the palpitations so much worse, the fluttering and missed beats were out of control. Since changing to the gel and taking Utrogestan for the oestrogen part, I have been a new person. I still get the missed beats now and then and the racing happens when I run low on Oestrogen, I too have a phobia about my heart racing out of control, but we need to just give ourselves a good talking too and I look @ my mom, who is well into the 80's and remember her complaining about the same thing and in fact my daughter, who is in her 20's now, is also complaining about palpitations, so the cycle starts again. I would see if you cannot get the gel and a separate utrogestan, just not sure about birth control then, as the gel will not cover you for that as far as I know, but you will be fine, its all part of Peri, the panic attacks, oh my gosh! My heart used to reach 190 beats and I was convinced that I had damaged it. The Dr told me to look @ marathon runners who run miles and miles and whose heart rates stay elevated for hours on end and to relax...all will be well, so I am hoping that you will realise, as scary as it is, you will be fine, but do try and get onto HRT, the transdermal, if possible, it makes a huge difference, all the best, chin up. x
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I'm 39 and diagnozed as perimeno 3 months ago .The doctor just takes 2 blood tests a month apart to test your FSH levels and he will see if your levels are consistent with menopause. Maybe ask for the hormone tests as you have many perimeo symptoms
I've alos had lots of people tell me not to take HRT because of the risks but I prefer to listen to my doctor/HRT consultant.
There are no increased risks associated with HRT use under 51. In fact it is better to take it otherwise yo uhave increased risk of osteoporosis and heart problems. Your body isn't supposed to go through meno and reduced oestrogren levels so young so need to take HRT to reduce any other potential real health risks. I would also rather have a good life now than the horrendous meno symptoms and so far HRT is helping me immensely with that
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Hi Tired Lady
One more thing. I have been on half a HRT Patch. Femseven Conti and I feel so much better on them. I didn't want the tablet form a I take a lot of meds for my MS. The half patch is really working. I was at the point where I was afraid to go to sleep in case I get the racing pounding heart.
Hope you get sorted soon sweets.
Shazzie xx
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Forgot to say I only stared the patch last week.
xxx
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Hi tiredlady - I think I responded to your thread about sleep. I would just like to say that you need to stop listening to people who believe all the scares about HRT and in fact know nothing - your husband is right to encourage you to try HRT. I'm afraid your mother is quite wrong about holding back the inevitable and in fact premature menopause can give very real long term problems as pointed out by Hurdity & others.
I was peri meno from my mid 30s and took HRT for years. I had a break from HRT at 49 which wasn't good and started using HRT again for another 4 years. I'm now 57 and taking another break from HRT and things are settling down quite well - so HRT doesn't necessarily mean you get dreadful symptoms later. I'm now just using local oestrogen to help with Vaginal Atrophy. Your doctor, quite rightly, has been very thorough and is wanting you to see someone about menopause which is fabulous - so many ladies can't get any help with their meno symptoms from their GP. In your case you need to listen to your GP and the advice given from the meno specialist. Keep us posted about your progress - we want to see you get your life back. DG x
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Thanks you so much everyone for all your wonderful help and advice, it has made me feel so much better about things already! The doctor that specializes in menopause only works at the practice part-time which is a shame as there aren't many appointments available at a time that suits me. I am hoping that I will be able to make one for Feb half term which is not far away now but it is possible that she will be away that week because she has young children but I'm going to try and make an appointment tomorrow.
I am quite worried now about the potential bone and cardiovascular problems I could have by not taking HRT, especially as I have a heart health anxiety and I'm now panicking that I've caused some damage already seeing as I have had symptoms for over 3 years!
I'm sure I'm having night sweats although I don't always wake up sweating, just very hot! I go to bed really cold and then at some point I wake up suddenly, usually from a bad dream, and then feel like I can't breathe properly, my heart is pounding and then I realise that my body is really hot. I got my husband to feel my skin once and he was shocked at how hot it was! I have never woken up feeling hot before I was 39 so I'm sure they are not flushes. However, I don't seem to be getting them in the day time thank goodness!
The thing that I absolutely dread is when I wake up with the racing heart, when I get a couple of thuds and then it shoots off at what I think might be well over 150bpm and then I feel nauseous, light headed, panicky with a feeling of doom like I'm about to die. I also panic that my heart won't be able to take it and go into cardiac arrest. I try to do some deep breathing and sometimes go and splash myself with cold water which seems to help a bit. It is a shame that my 24hr holter monitor didn't pick one of those episodes up, although I did wake up from a couple of scary dreams when I had it on and my heart was pounding but apparently my heart was in normal synus rhythm and it was just normal palpitations probably caused by adrenaline! It is always in the back of my mind that I still have some kind of heart problem that comes out at night but I just keep trying to think of my normal ECG!
I will keep you posted on how I get on at the doctors, I am really hoping that she won't say it is just anxiety again which 3 doctors have told me already since this all started! I have been back so many times with this problem and when I first went they just shrugged off early menopause symptoms even though I said I was waking up hot!
Thanks so much again everyone, I'm so glad I found this forum! tired lady :)
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Hi tired lady - I am not sure if I have posted this before - I think I have but can't quite remember where - but it gives a good description of what happens to the body during a hot flush http://www.breastcancer.org/tips/menopausal/facing/hot_flashes Don't be put off by the fact it is from a breast cancer website - chemotherapy can give women hot flushes but the overall feeling is the same.
The way you describe your heart episodes is exactly what happens to me during a hot sweat/flush and is normal although very uncomfortable. I find it really difficult to keep concentration at work when I get one. I first of all get the horrible doom and gloom feeling and then it starts. I usually lose my train of thought and the give away is my steamed up glasses ;D
Taz x
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I had a heart trace for 24 hours done when I was pre-HRT menopausal as it was beating all over the place with the hot flushes. I remember the technician saying "oh, another menopausal woman" when I turned up for it to be fitted!
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I also had a 24 hr heart trace done when I was having very rapid heartbeat in the mornings.
Because I was on ADs the dr at the hospital more or less told me it was panic attacks.
I know it wasn't,I've had those and they are so different.
Had the rapid heart again the other morning.
I was put on some medication for my OCD on Monday (also suffering from depression & anxiety at the moment)and the side effect is rapid heart beat but I'm in 2 minds as to whether I'm having another episode of the meno symptoms which I believe was the cause last time because when I'd got my hrt sorted it went away- who knows :-\
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You neednt worry about damage to your heart already having happened, as taking Oestrogen even now will help to lower your bad cholesterol, if you have any at all, have you had a cholesterol check. Its know that HRT protects from heart disease and osteoporosis, so it will kick in and can only benefit you, you are young enough not to have to worry about heart disease,providing you dont smoke, eat healthily and do moderate exercise and stop worrying, stress is a killer, so my Gran always said, not easy I know but the HRT will also help for that as well.
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Thanks so much everyone for your help and advice, it has been so helpful to me :) It certainly seems like I'm not alone in my scary racing heart episodes!
I am still having terrible trouble sleeping and the last 2 nights have been horrendous. I haven't been waking up hot but I am waking up in the early hours of the morning feeling like I can't breathe with my heart pounding and going faster than normal. I just lie in bed feeling like I'm suffocating it is absolutely awful. I have sometimes wondered whether I could be suffering from sleep apnoea and mentioned it to my doctor a few times but she said that the breathing thing is probably caused by anxiety because I'm not overweight and I don't snore much (I do sometimes according to my husband!) Sometimes it feels like my heart is pounding all night and I'm so worried that I am doing damage to it because of this and I'm utterly exhausted in the morning. I try and calm down, go back to sleep and then it keeps happening on and off for the rest of the night and I'm absolutely
shattered. I am still having the disturbing dreams too.
I still have not made an appointment to see the doctor and I'm still not totally sure about taking HRT because I'm really worried about the side effects, especially those of stroke and blood clots. Unfortunately I suffer from mild health anxiety (mostly about my heart and having a stroke) so I know I'm going to worry about potential side effects. I decided on the progesterone only pill because I was worried about the side effects of the combined pill!
I was just wondering whether anyone else wakes up in the night feeling like they can't breathe, I have certainly noticed it a few times when I have woken up feeling hot. I just hate it and I just spend most of the night thinking I'm about to have a heart attack, I just dread going to bed now. I can't seem to get out of the loop of anxiety at bedtime now and I often lay in bed with a pounding heart before I've even gone to sleep and then I know I'm in for a bad night. I just wish I could sort this out and stop feeling like a zombie!
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Hey Tired lady
Thanks for coming to the forum to share your symptoms and seek help hun. I too have very bad hot flushes and had hard nights too.
Now I avoid all alcohol, caffeine, ( I only drink camomile tea) and try to reduce stress ...I have a stressful job home life and two teenagers at home...so also at night my room is cold, I use lavender on my pillow, cotton wool balls in my ears and sleep in very little...I own the anxiety or edge and I call it as it won't hurt me just makes me uncomfortable....and think of positive things like music, the beach or sounds of waves etc......
Hope my tips may help you too hun ...for now I send you hugs xxxx
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Have you considered a mild beta blocker, that would help with the palpitations. As for HRT, take the gel it is bio identical, or the patch and the natural progesterone, you will be fine, try and banish these negative feelings from your mind, you will feel a different person once you have started with the oestrogen.... TBH, it sounds like you are or have developed a bit of a phobia, the oestrogen will help you for that as well and comibined with a beta blocker, a good, happy book @ bedtime, some nice warm milk and honey, you will soon be feeling like a new soul.... :) dont make yourself ill over something that may never happen, your heart has been checked out, you are healthy, as my Dr once said to me..... your poor heart, it gets the blame for everything, he asked me if I had any idea what its like to really be suffering with heart problems, was rather humbling, but I know, panic attacks are horrendous, I found that when I went off the pill and onto pure oestrogen with added progesterone, not progestegin, it
helped tremendousely....:)
Cerazette is a Progesterone only pill, your body is clearly craving Oestrogen, do not deprive yourself of this, see your meno Dr about this and give it a bash for a few months, you have nothing to lose and so much to benefit by it, you are way too young to be depriving your body of an essential hormone, have you had your E2 (Oestrogen) levels checked, you may be in for a surprise, sounds like your levels are very low, causing you all these awful symptoms...
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Hi tired lady,
I am sorry to hear about your struggle with palpitations and sleeping problems.
The ladies here have covered all hormonal angles and it seems you are gng to get that addressed.
The other thing you may want to give a go is 5-htp and vit d combo.
Progesterone depletes the body of estrogen but also serotonin. 5-htp will give that a boost in addition to vit D.
Vit d has to b taken at a higher dose 2000iu daily and 1 htp at 50mg. Both available at Holland and barret or online. I think with this combo you will start to feel better within 2-4weeks.
But obviously oestrogen may also b needed depending on your bloods.
I entered early meno a few years ago, and things got very bad at about 34.
You are too young to suffer like this and your mum, of course means well, but your mums progress through the meno would b different to you.
You also mentioned some hard times with your son, who is not well, so to look after him and your family you need to look after you first, as your family need you.
Good luck, with best wishes
Suz x
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Hi T lady, sorry to hear that you are having a rough time. I remember exactly having what you are having when i was coming up to about 38. Hrt was the only thing that sorted this out and at times i had to increase the hrt if it came back. Although uncomfortable and annoying it will not cause you any harm. I know it is easier said than done but if you can manage to alter your thinking towards it ie dont be fearful, you will not feel as stressed out.
Menopause symptoms can go on for a very long time and hrt can get us through some of the worst effects. Please dont go by what someone else has or hasnt taken to help with menopause, just go with what is best for you whatever that is and get as much help deciding as possible.
Very best wishes Stooth x
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Thanks so much everyone for your help and advice :) I am going to phone the doctors tomorrow to try and get an appointment with the meno doctor. I wish I wasn't on Cerazette (progesterone only pill) so I could see what my periods were up to but it seems to suit me and I definitely don't want another baby!!! I have still been having bad nights, waking up a few times with a pounding heart but luckily it wasn't the full on tachychardia which I absolutely hate! I try and do relaxation techniques before I go to sleep but it doesn't work and neither does warm milk, I still wake up with the pounding heart problem and have nightmares and disturbing dreams. It is as if I don't have any control over it whatsoever!
I was just wondering what causes these adrenaline zaps at night, does a lack of oestrogen cause it? Sometimes I've woken up with a start, like I've exploded and then might heart rate shoots up, it is horrendous! I am dog tired at the moment and I'm tired before I've even started my day and I have to walk my dog for an hour a day. Hopefully all the exercise is good for my heart and bones! At least I have been able to get over my agoraphobia and am able to walk my dog, but I have not been able to go into town shopping on my own since my palps and panic attacks started, I get really panicky in supermarkets and queues.
I'm still in two minds about HRT, on one hand I would just love to get rid of my bad nights and on the other hand I'm worried about any potential side effects and wonder whether I should just ride it out but the thought of putting up with it for another 8 - 10 years is pretty awful. I am really hoping that the meno doctor will be able to help me come to the right decision. Also, I suffer from terrible migraines and I don't know how HRT would affect that. I don't want the whole of my 40's to be ruined, I have spent the first 3 years of them feeling like a zombie and an absolute wreck!
I will keep you posted on how I get on at the meno doctors. Thanks so much again, tired lady :)
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Its lack of oestrogen, go and get the gel or a patch, you are way too young to be without oestrogen, you are doing yourself and your body an injustice, what have you got to lose? The Bio Identicals like the patch and gel are perfectly safe, you are just replacing something that your body is not making for itself anymore but should be, you can quite easily take it up to 55 with no worries, I am sure that it will help the tachycardia no end, the moment that I ran low on gel and started using just a pea sized amount, I would wake up with a racing heart, figured out immediatly what the problem was and am fine again, good luck:)
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Hi Tired Lady
Just wondered how you have been doing with your horrible racing heart.
Mine seems to have calmed down since starting the HRT Patches.
Hope yours are not too bad.
I know exactly how you feel. It's horrible.
Shazzie xx
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Thanks so much Cassie and Shazzie :) Shazzie, I'm so glad to hear that your racing heart episodes have got better since you started the HRT patch, there is hope for me too if my doctor thinks it is the right thing for me to try. Do you wake up in the middle of the night with the racing heart? Mine doesn't race every night thank goodness but when it does I'm absolutely terrified and usually end up with a panic attack which makes your heart race even more!
I had another bad night last night, I woke up numerous times from scary dreams with my heart rate up. I try and calm down, get back to sleep only for it to happen again and again! I have got anxiety (caused by the palpitations and stressful life at the moment) and my doc said that it my sleep is probably being disrupted by both periomeno and anxiety but the periomeno symptoms caused the anxiety in the first place - chicken or egg situation!!
I still have not got round to making my appointment, but I will get round to it eventually, it is just so hard to think of a time when I can get there due to my son being off school poorly with M.E. I always take ages to get round to going to the doctors, I find it rather stressful going TBH! I get anxiety in the waiting room too lol!
Shazzie, thanks for you PM but I couldn't work out how to send one back to you. It is just so helpful to chat to other people who are going through exactly the same as you, I have felt quite alone with it really. Thanks for all your help and support everyone, tired lady :)
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Tired lady, please make that appointment -- you need to do this for yourself. Please pick up the phone. You can do that while looking after your son. Read back your posts -- what would you advise yourself to do??
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That's ok tired lady. Your post has helped me too because I was sure I was going to have a heart attack a few times. I chatted with my dr who is going through the menopause herself and she understands how we feel cause she is suffering too. She said the pounding heart is bringing on the panic attacks which is where the trouble breathing kicks in.
Why don't you make that appt and ask about low dose HRT.
I have only just worked out how to PM let alone how to reply. I would be lost with that too.
Keep me up to date.
Shazzie xx
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Tired lady.
I had exactly the same thing. Completely freaked me out. 2 weeks after they started, I started hrt and can honestly say, I have a few very mild episodes now but nothing like before. I too, thought in was going to have a heart attack or faint - it's a horrible feeling! Just try to do breathing exercises (my cbt person told me to run on the spot to take he fear out of it!) and don't be too scared of trying hrt. There are risks which everything in life, but really the risks are very small - more likely to be run over by a bus I suspect!
Good luck
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Hi tired lady
Just wondered how you are doing.
Shazzie xx
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Please let us know whats happening, I had same symptoms and had written my will several times over ( in my head) however HRT and thyroid meds sorted it all out, also try lots of very fast breaths in and out of your nose for as long as you can manage , ( you must make the diaphragm move up and down so quite vigourous) that will make you breathe deeply which helps,
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Suzyq this site help me when I was going through my palp phase, I had all the tests and everything was normal, the site belongs to a retired Cardiologist.
http://palps.chemicalforums.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl
Have you a paper bag handy when you find it difficult to breath
http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/ate/mentalhealth/205625.html
Don't be put off by the title, it just tells you how it works, it is a very good method for panic attacks too.
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Also try coughing or making yourself sneeze.
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Thanks everyone for your replies, I will definitely have a go at the breathing techniques. I have still been having bad nights and last night was dreadful although I blame it on having a curry (homemade) and a couple of small glasses of red wine in the evening - always a hot flush trigger for me! I had bad dream after bad dream and then woke up from a very scary one (I was told that a family member was in hospital having had a cardiac arrest) and then my heart rate shot up really fast and started to race so I went to the bathroom and splashed my face with cold water (I was also feeling really hot) and my heart rate started to go down again. The think that freaked me out was that when my heart rate first shot up I could hardly feel my pulse, it was so fast! I just wish I understood what was happening, is it the scary dream that causes it or am I having a night sweat or adrenaline overload and that causes the nightmare in the first place! I spent the rest of the night with stressy dreams and continuously waking up so I feel terrible today.
I am still scared that I have some sort of heart problem but it is so strange that the fast heart rate only happens at night, it is something that happens during my sleep. However, I do get missed beats during the day, especially after eating. I think I would be able to cope better if I knew exactly what happens in my body to cause the fast heart rate. Does a lack of oestrogen cause adrenaline rushes at night, and if so why does it happen?
I am definitely going to make my appointment with the meno doctor tomorrow, hopefully there will be a time that suits me and half term is coming up and my husband is around then.
Shazzie and Suzyq, how are you both doing with your night time palps? It is just such a horrible thing to go through and so scary. I never even thought about my heart beats until this happened and now I concentrate on them all day long and just wait for the next palps, I hate it. :(
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Hi tired lady
Spicey foods really make my palps worse. Apparently we should stay away from them. Easier said than done eh?
My palpitations are much better since I started the HRT. Only half a patch a week so a low dose. I still get them a little bit but nowhere as bad as before.
You make sure you make that appt tomorrow and get yourself sorted.
I am sure it is all to do with hormone levels going all over the place. You will feel better when you have had a nice long chat with your meno dr and that will help the palpitations. I too have been having bad dreams.
Good luck tomorrow and let us know how it goes.
Hope you have a better night tonight.
Shazzie xx
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Hi Tiredlady,
Just wondered how you have been.
Shazzie x
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Hi Shazzie
Thanks so much for your message :) I'm not doing too badly at the moment, my night sweats and racing heart episodes have settled down at the moment, I think my hormones are still fluctuating at the moment! I have had a good look around on the internet about HRT and other natural methods. I have seen some good reviews of Vitabiotics Menopace Night and I have ordered some to try for a while to see if it eases my symptoms. If I don't feel any benefit from it I am definitely going to go and see the meno doctor.
I have mild health anxiety and I am just really worried about the side effects of HRT, especially those of the potential for a blood clot or stroke. I know that if I take it I am going to keep panicking about any pain in my leg which could be the start of a blood clot! However, if my symptoms get out of control and will go and have a chat with the meno doctor and maybe she will be able to reassure me.
I have still been having disturbed nights but for the last week it has just been in the form of disturbing dreams but I also have bad anxiety and a lot of stress at the moment with general family life (an 18 year old doing A levels, my younger son who has M.E. and a poorly father-in-law) which doesn't help matters!
I'm so glad the the patches are easing your palps, have they stopped the racing heart episodes? I have definitely found a link between waking up hot and my heart racing.
Keep in touch,
tired lady :)
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Glad that you are feeling better. I also tried the a la naturale route but realised that i was doing myself more of an injustice as i was too young to be without hrt, the gel is totally safe and none of those nasties will apply whilst you are still under the age of 50, however, I respect your decision and wish you well, hope that you soon find some relief, anxiety in itself alone can be so debilitating..x
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Hi Tired Lady
So glad you are feeling a bi better. You sound happier.
My racing heart has completely stopped since taking Menopace, Magnesium and I use half a HRT patch. Feel much brighter in myself too.
I cut the patch in half and change it once a week and it seems to be working well.
Good luck with the Menopace and I hope you feel even better on it.
Shazzie xx
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Thanks Cassie and Shazzie :) I received my Menopace Night tablets today so I'm going to take my first one tonight. I'm sure it is not a quick fix though and that it is going to take a while to see if the really make a difference. It is good that they contain chamomile for relaxation and also Vitamin D3 and magnesium for my bones. I have not ruled out some form of HRT though, I'm just going to see what happens with my night sweats (I've had the odd real sweat but mostly just feeling very hot) and racing and pounding heart at night. If it gets really bad again and I can't cope, I'm definitely going along to the meno doc to talk about it!
Shazzie, I'm so pleased that you are feeling better at the moment, it is great that the HRT and Menopace seem to be helping your symptoms. Keep in touch with how you are getting on and I hope your palps stay away!
Night sweats and palps aren't my only meno symptoms though, I've also had trouble with my bladder which seems to have got weaker over the last 3 years and it wasn't good before either, especially after having 2 children! It doesn't seem to empty properly and it leaks quite a lot. I go to the loo before I take my dog for a walk but it will still leak while I'm walking. I also have to go in the night and I go so many times a day now which is really annoying! I've tried doing some pelvic floor exercises but they haven't helped yet.
I've also had a lot of trouble with feeling morbid and I'm struggling with the fact that I'm heading for the menopause and that my child bearing years are nearly over. I don't want any more children but it is that horrible feeling that I'm getting older. I don't know whether anyone else has feels like this too?
Thanks again for your help and advice everyone, I'm just so glad I found this forum, it has helped me so much :)
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Hi tired lady.
Re your bladder. Although you probably feel embarrassed about it and are trying to do pelvic floor exercises you really do need specialist advice if you are leaking while walking the dog. From experience I know that this will not get better on it's own. My GP referred me to a local NHS Continence Clinic where they assess your bladder to find out what is causing the problem and give you detailed exercises to follow. This link might be useful http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/incontinence/Pages/Gettinghelp.aspx
Better to do it now than wait.
Taz x
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Thanks so much Taz for your help and advice and the link. It certainly seems that I need to go and get this sorted out. When I go and see the meno doctor, I will tell her about my bladder problems as well!
I've had a really bad couple of nights waking up from horrible nightmares with my heart pounding. Last night was really bad and I kept waking up feeling like a couldn't breathe and having dreams where I was suffocating. I was awake on and off with anxiety for most of the night. However, I had been drinking some red wine with my hubby (well it was Valentine's Day) and I'm often worse when I've had alchohol. I've been taking Menopace Night for 2 days and so far I haven't noticed a difference in my sleep but I know it is early days. At least I know I'm getting a good mix of vitamins and minerals from it even if it doesn't improve my sleep! I still wonder whether I have sleep apnoea sometimes but my doc has ruled it out and just said that the breathing thing is anxiety.
I don't have any problems breathing during the day unless I get a full on panic attack but it only seems to happen at night and it is to do with my sleep. I really hate it and always think it is something to do with my heart and then I start panicking. I'm so fed up with it, I just want a peaceful night's sleep for a change, it has been like this for over 3 years now! Bloomin' perimeno! >:(
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Hi tired lady
Sorry haven't been on for a few days as my computer was playing up. All ok now though. Sorry you are still suffering. I am sure the Menopace will kick in soon. It is bound to take a few days. I am also taking a Magnesium tablet every day cause loads of people have told me that they help palps. So far so good. Not sure whether it is the HRT patch or Menopace or Magnesium that is helping but it is definitely much better. Are you taking magnesium? There is 100mg in the Menopace but the recommended amount is between 300 and 500mg.
I can't remember if I have mentioned it but I have MS and my bladder hasn't worked since diagnosis. I self catheterise 4 times a day and have to get up in twice in the night to self catheterise. I really hope you get some sort of rest from it all soon. I bet you are really fed up. I remember when I was getting he palpitations at night I would wake after a really bad nightmare and then the palps would kick in. It is strange that a lot of us seem to suffer the nightmares too.
Take care of yourself and try and keep saying to yourself "this is natural and nothing to be scared of". Easier said than done I know.
Shazzie xx
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Do you think you might benefit from some counselling or some CBT via your doctor? Has it been offered?
You do seem very anxious and this is most probably not helping your pounding heart and poor sleep pattern, as well as your fear of taking what is a very safe form of treatment- HRT.
Have you looked into the stats for blood clots etc? I just wondered if that might help you be less anxious? Worst case- for women aged 50-ish, it's something like 1 clot per 10 000 women not on HRT and 2-3 for women on HRT ( but using HRT as transdermal is safer so these figures could be even lower.) And for someone your age the risks are virtually non-existent.
Another idea is to look into meditation or other types of breathing techniques which you can practise to help make you feel calmer. I think you can buy meditation tapes.
I hope you find something that helps.
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Thanks Sarah 2 for you help and advice :) Yes, I have had a course of telephone CBT for my panic attacks and anxiety which was about 2 years ago now. It did help me a bit with my agoraphobia but unfortunately it didn't really help me with my night time symptoms. I think I have got bad anxiety but the anxiety started because of the racing heart at night and the night sweats. I also have a lot of stress with my son being poorly with M.E., and my 18 year old son doesn't know what to do after 6th form so it is quite stressful in the house at the m Ioment which doesn't help!
I also didn't have health anxiety until my palpitations started - I thought I had a serious heart problem because I didn't know what was wrong with me! I didn't think that periomeno would hit me at the age of 39, I thought I might start having symptoms in my late forties! I think I've probably a double dose of anxiety, one from the perimenopause and the other from the fact that I am a carer for my son and I'm heartbroken over his M.E. He used to be a sporty boy and now he is housebound and can't walk anywhere so it is just so heartbreaking.
I've had some really bad nights again, I'm waking up a few times a night, usually from bad dreams with my heart pounding. I also feel very stressed when I lie in bed before I go to sleep because I dread the nightmares and my heart is pounding before I have even gone to sleep! I try and do relaxation exercises, I get off to sleep quite quickly but then I'm disturbed all night and in the morning I feel like I've had no sleep at all. Last night I had this awful nightmare about a huge tornado approaching our house and I was shouting at everyone to get in the understairs cupboard. My dreams often start of benign but then turn nasty in the end and then I wake up with the pounding heart. What on earth has gone wrong with my sleep, I slept like a log before I turned 39!
I was hoping to get to see the meno doctor this week but I couldn't get there because there has been too much going on with appointments for my son and my dog had to go to the vets on the day that the meno doc was there because she had hurt her paw. I'm always sorting out everyone else in the family first and then have to put myself last because that is what mums do! I will get there eventually!
The difficult thing is that I know I have anxiety and I often wonder whether my symptoms at night like the pounding/racing heart and waking up feeling boiling hot might just be due to anxiety and not perimeno - I don't want to take HRT if it is just anxiety. Would anxiety cause me to wake up feeling boiling hot? I'm so confused as to what is happening to me, I just don't feel myself anymore, I feel like I've turned into a completely different person sometimes :( I just want to feel my old self again :'(
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Have you had a blood test to check your hormone levels? I am convinced you need hrt, surely trying it for a 3 months cannot do any harm:)
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I agree with Cassie. Have a hormone test. You cannot do your best for others if you feel like this! Ask a friend to help and get to the docs - I know it's hard to ask for help but you shouldn't let things get too bad.
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I think you should defo go back to the docs, you need some support either hormones if in peri menopause or cbt or tablets to help with the anxiety. I wake up with racing heart sometimes since being in peri menopause and I often get what I call heart flip flops of an evening, when this all started I saw cardiologist had monitor, heart scan all was fine. Hormones can give really unpleasant symptoms as can anxiety. You're not alone x
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Hi Tired Lady
Sorry you are still suffering.
Just want you to know that my HRT patches have really helped. (Been on them for nearly a month now). I actually sleep all night without waking with a pounding heart. Please think about it again as they really do help. I am also taking Magnesium, one tablet before bed.
I hope this helps.
Shazzie xx
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Hi Tired Lady,
I have had similar problems. Lots of ectopic beats, making me feel dreadful. I had a full cardio work up and all was well, structurally normal heart and ectopics benign. This reassured me a lot but I still hated getting them and so went down the hrt route due to hot flushes and anxiety. I am on Femoston 1/10 and it has been fantastic. My ectopics stopped within a few days of starting and are now few and far between. I feel so much better. I am having a few symptoms again after 3 months but I guess this is due to my own peri hormones kicking in.
I hope you can get the reassurance you need too and please don't be afraid to give hrt a try. It might make all the difference.
Take care,
Sally x
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Thanks so much everyone for all your help and advice :) I did have a hormone test done which was normal but that was a couple of years ago now. I am hoping that when I eventually get to the meno doctor that she might do another one to see if I am perimeno, but I've heard that it is unreliable.
I have been having really rough nights and now barely have enough energy to get through the day! Sleep is supposed to be restorative but my sleep is so bad that it just makes me feel ill and I feel exhausted from waking up with a raised heart beat and the anxiety that goes with it, not to mention the horrible dreams! The worst thing is that it doesn't happen just once a night, I wake up with palps and bad dreams or feeling hot a few times a night. I don't think I've slept through the night for 3 years now! :o I once mentioned the possibility of my having a sleep test when I went to the doctors but she didn't say anything about it and said that it can't be sleep apnoea because I'm not overweight, but I've read that you can have it if you are of a normal weight and it can be caused by other things such as enlarged tonsils which I have got after some bad bouts of tonsillitis when I was younger. Something is seriously disturbing my sleep and I just want to find out what it is because I'm terrified that I'm wrecking my heart with all the palpitations that happen at night, there must be something going on I've never had problems with my sleep before.
I've got a major anxiety about my heart still because of the palps, and I'm absolutely sick of waking up with my heart going weird. It doesn't even help that I've had a 24hr ECG because although I had a few heart poundings when the monitor was on I didn't get any of the horrendous irregular heart beat episodes or the scary heart racing really fast episode so I don't feel completely reassured.
I am very interested to read how many of you have relief from your palps by taking HRT, it gives me hope that I could get rid of mine too if I am in perimeno and that is what is causing them. I really need to sort this out because it is ruining my life and I absolutely dread going to bed, so much so that I have sometimes contemplated not going to bed at all!
Thanks so much again everyone and I will endeavour to get down to the doctors and get myself sorted out, I just don't want them to think I'm a hypochondriac, I've been backwards and forwards to the docs about this problem for 3 years now! The fact that it is not improving makes me think that I might well be in perimeno.
tired lady xx
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Have you thought of seeing a cardiologist who can do the full workup, echocardiogram, ecg, holter monitor, this will at least put your mind @ rest once and for all, I was also in your boat once and after having these tests at least I could see on black and white that my heart was normal and that they were benign, then you know to move onto plan b and to either get beta blockers which help and maybe some hrt as well..
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Thanks Cassie, I was hoping that my doc might refer me to a cardiologist but because my ECG, chest x-ray and 24hr holter monitor were normal (holter showed 1 ectopic beat and few raised heart rate episodes during the night due to my bad dreams) she said that my heart was normal and that it was either anxiety or perimeno or a combination of both that was causing the problem. She said the ectopics are benign but I'm just still concerned about what is going on at night and I live in fear of getting an irregular heart beat episode where my heart goes a bit mental for a few seconds and I feel a bit dizzy. I also mentioned that episode to my doc and she didn't think it was anything to worry about.
It is just a shame that the palps have left me with a terrible health anxiety about my heart. I'm hoping to get to the docs soon and I will mention it again and say that I don't feel reasurred by the tests that I have had done. I think the trouble is that it was only a 24hr test and of course I didn't get the really scary palp episodes when I had it on!
Thanks so much again for your help and advice :)
tired lady x
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I really don't mean to sound harsh here as I know how you feel as I had palpitations myself before I started HRT.
You are going round and round in circles and getting more and more anxious. If you don't do something positive then you will continue going round and round.
Almost every person who has replied to your posts has told you that HRT really helps. That itself should give you encouragement in two ways. The first being that palpitations are very common and the second being there is an answer.
It is of course a personal choice but we are assuring you there is an answer.
Please go and see your GP as you deserve a good quality of life.
Honeyb
x
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Thanks Honeybun, you are right, I am going round and round in cirlces and getting myself in a complete state, my husband has said the same thing to me too lol! I promise I will get to the meno doctor as soon as I can but unfortunately she only works mornings and I don't have anyone to look after my son so I can get down to the surgery. I don't have a very good support network around me sadly. However, my husband has got a few weeks off work soon so I'm just going to try and hang in there and then make an appointment in about 3 weeks' time when he is off.
I'm so grateful for everyone's help and advice, I know I should have gone to the doctors sooner but I'm in a difficult position with my son having M.E. and being stuck on my own all day. I think I'm going to get some magnesium supplements which a few people have suggested on here to see if it helps with my palpitations until I can get to the doctors. My heart poundings at night have been pretty bad but I am under stress at the moment and I don't think that helps!
I will let you know when I've got my appointment and I am definitely going to go I promise!
tired lady x
tired lady x
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Good idea tired lady.
I take 300mg just before I go to bed and I sleep so much better and am waking with the alarm clock for the first time in ages. No palpitations either.
You can pick them up from the supermarket.
Let us know how you get on.
Shazzie xx
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Hi Tired Lady
Just wondered how you are doing. OK I hope.
Shazzie xx
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Hi Shazzie, I'm not doing too well at the moment, I've still got problems with palps at night, nightmares, anxiety, night sweats and waking up feeling like I can't breathe properly :( I've had trouble getting to the doctors as the doctor I want to see is always booked up so I'm hoping to get an appointment on Monday by phoning early in the morning - the surgery always keep a few appointments available on the day. I'm hoping that she might offer me a blood test to see what my hormones are up to. I really don't like going to the doctors because I always get really bad anxiety there, especially when I'm sitting in the waiting room and normally my heart starts pounding! I've had to fight panic attacks off in there before, it is awful trying to look normal in front of all the other people when you feel like you're about to faint or worse!
How are you doing, are you still feeling better on your HRT patches?
I will keep you posted on how I get on at the docs.
Tired lady xx
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Hi Shazzie, I'm not doing too well at the moment, I've still got problems with palps at night, nightmares, anxiety, night sweats and waking up feeling like I can't breathe properly :( I've had trouble getting to the doctors as the doctor I want to see is always booked up so I'm hoping to get an appointment on Monday by phoning early in the morning - the surgery always keep a few appointments available on the day. I'm hoping that she might offer me a blood test to see what my hormones are up to. I really don't like going to the doctors because I always get really bad anxiety there, especially when I'm sitting in the waiting room and normally my heart starts pounding! I've had to fight panic attacks off in there before, it is awful trying to look normal in front of all the other people when you feel like you're about to faint or worse!
How are you doing, are you still feeling better on your HRT patches?
I will keep you posted on how I get on at the docs.
Tired lady xx
Hello Tired Lady
I also think that if you try HRT you will not regret it.
Mine doesn't get rid of all the anxiety and flushes, but I have been using magnesium and that has really helped, I only ever feel hot and sometimes slightlly sweaty when I wake up now.
Also, the magnesium will help you feel less anxious and I have a strong feeling it will also help your palpitations a lot, so that you will feel less anxiety about going to the doctors.
I think it takes about 800mg of magnesium to stop anxiety and you have to look on the back of the tin to see how much elemental magnesium is in each pill. For example, my magnesium pills say 1250mg each, but, there is only about 141mg actual magnesium in each pill.
I was taking three a day but I now take six and it has made a difference to my anxiety.
I would even go so far as to say, it works as well as taking a diazepam, only it doesn't have the horrible daytime drowsiness side effect diazepam has.
If you get certain types of magnesium though, they can give you the runs.
Avoid magnesium oxide, as that has a very poor absorption rate.
I started on the magnesium citrate powder, but it gave me smelly gas and loose stools, so I went onto the magnesium malate.
Magnesium glycinate is the ideal for not causing loose urgent stools, but it is a bit on the expensive side, whereas the malate was a bit cheaper for me.
I hope that helps.
I've been taking it for about a month now and I wouldn't be without it.
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Sorry you are still suffering tired lady. HRT has been a life saver for me. Give it a go. Also the Magnesium has really lifted my mood and is helping me sleep.
I wouldn't even think that you are going to have a heart attack when you wake with palpitations as I am sure you would have had one by now if that was going to happen.
Let us know how you get on when you see your meno dr.
Good luck sweets.
Shazzie xx
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Everyone has their favourite magnesium, I use Magnesium Citrate, it is readily absorbed into the bloodstream, more then other magnesium.
If you are struggling with palpitations, Magnesium Taurate is recommended.
I take both alternatively.
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Thanks so much everyone for your help and advice :) I'm pleased to say that I have managed to get an appointment with the meno doctor, and I'm going next Monday afternoon so it is only a week to wait. I've put up with it for 3 years so far so I can wait another week! I had another bad night last night, woke up with a sweat, got back to sleep and then woke up suddenly feeling hot with my heart rate up, I think it must have been about 100bpm. I went to the bathroom and splashed myself with cold water and managed to get back to sleep but had a very weird dream! I'm sure I've got the palps at night because I'm overheating, however I don't seem to be having any flushes during the day yet which is a blessing.
I'm slightly confused about the magnesium supplements, the one I've got is from Tesco and it is 300mg of magnesium oxide. I'm not sure whether it is the right one for me. There is a good health shop where I live so hopefully they will have a better selection in there than Tesco's.
I am finding it very difficult to cope during the day due to my seriously disturbed sleep, I feel like a zombie most days. I'm looking forward to talking about it with the meno doctor, I will let you know how I get on. Thanks so much again for all your help and advice, the forum has been such a great help to me because I've felt on my own with this and it is not the kind of thing that you like to talk to people about!
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tired lady I am sure your local health shop will help you, personally I would not take magnesium oxide, its more of an anti acid, I have found
magnesium citrate is best for sleep.
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I second that magnesium oxide is not the best.
Only a very tiny amount of it is absorbed.
I liked magnesium citrate but my bowel didn't.
Its a bit happier with magnesium malate but I would prefer magnesium glycinate, except it is too expensive.
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Hi Dandelion,
Do you mind me asking what brand of Magnesium Malate you take? I am going to docs on Friday to make sure that I can take Magnesium without affecting any of my other medication i.e. thyroid. I think it will be OK if I take them at different times but better safe than sorry. My symptoms have all gone with my Evorel Sequi patches but I am left with some anxiety which I hope will be helped with Magnesium x
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It all depend on what you want your magnesium to do, magnesium malate may help with fibromyalgia and increases energy.
This would be a good supplement to tale along side Boron.
http://www.livestrong.com/article/488777-malate-vs-malic-acid/
Apples are a good source.
Some people have a sensitivity to Malic Acid.
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Hi everyone, I had my appointment with the doctor that specializes in menopause this afternoon. I got really bad anxiety in the waiting room so by the time I got in to see the doctor my heart was pounding away and I must have appeared a bit of a nervous wreck and stuttered my way through the consultation!
I explained all my night time symptoms and she said that it could either be anxiety, perimenopause or a combination of both. She said that it was probably to early for menopause symptoms because I'm 42 but I'm going to have a blood test next Tuesday to check my hormone levels. She thinks they are going to be normal because hormone levels fluctuate so much in perimeno but I'm hoping it might show something otherwise it just shows that I'm a nervous wreck! She has prescribed me some beta blockers to see if it helps my night time heart pounding and racing and that will hopefully stop the adrenalin rushes which I'm getting every night. I've got to go back in a month to see how I'm getting on to see whether I want to try some oestrogen or not. I told her that I was worried about the side effects and she asked me if I had migraines which I do, really severe ones (one or 2 a week with nausea) so it is possible that HRT might not be suitable for me.
I'm still in the dark as to whether I'm in perimeno or not, but would anxiety really cause me to wake up feeling boiling hot with my heart pounding and then when I splash myself with cold water my body starts to cool down and my heart rate goes down as well? She also mentioned my having CBT again, but I'm really not keen on this, I found it didn't really help before and I don't have time to get to the appointments because I'm a carer for my son who has M.E. Is it right that doctors keep putting physical symptoms down to anxiety all the time? I've got anxiety because of what is happening to me at night, I feel really ill when I get really hot at night, it feels as if my body has gone into some weird state but I feel completely OK during the day!
I will keep you posted on how I get on with my beta blockers, I'm really hoping that I might get a good night's sleep for a change when I try them!
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Thanks Cassie, I was hoping that my doc might refer me to a cardiologist but because my ECG, chest x-ray and 24hr holter monitor were normal (holter showed 1 ectopic beat and few raised heart rate episodes during the night due to my bad dreams) she said that my heart was normal and that it was either anxiety or perimeno or a combination of both that was causing the problem. She said the ectopics are benign but I'm just still concerned about what is going on at night and I live in fear of getting an irregular heart beat episode where my heart goes a bit mental for a few seconds and I feel a bit dizzy. I also mentioned that episode to my doc and she didn't think it was anything to worry about.
It is just a shame that the palps have left me with a terrible health anxiety about my heart. I'm hoping to get to the docs soon and I will mention it again and say that I don't feel reasurred by the tests that I have had done. I think the trouble is that it was only a 24hr test and of course I didn't get the really scary palp episodes when I had it on!
Thanks so much again for your help and advice :)
tired lady x
If the BETA BLOCS havenmt worked it maybe they are to weak I was put on INDERAL 40m
2 a day for a month and they stopped with in days the rest as they say is crap
Panic fear im 60 in June been over and done since I was 42 I went over at 36/7
I still have to resort sometimes to BETAS and still have 1 or 2 hot flushes a week
YOUR NOT ALONE OK I dont know if HRT is what u need I never had it?
But dont put things off make an appt NOW get hubbie to have a SICKIE dont wait for a few weeks Hey know aboiut suport IM in Ozz came here at 28 with a hubbie and a 9yr old
We have always had no support as in family BUT our freinds have become LIKE family
Cant u have a girls night or go to the Cinema with a pal get out I know the more u tihnk
The worse it gets ME thats the tired thing isnt it my pals got it here shes even resorted to having her mercury filllings removed she had 5 out 3 weeks ago and has the final 5 out tomorrow Cant a freind watch ur son? If hubbie CANT take a day off. THIS NEEDS to be sorted asap 42 isnt too young far from it more and more ladies pop up on here 40 and under
Somne GPS and people seem to think u have to be fair fat and 50 well sorry I was size 8
36 and dark haired hehehehehe Taz will tell u u can have high meno bloods one day low the next I think TAZ says its the most unreliable test ? Of course with al;l thats going on u will be stressed to hell want to scream one thing follows another till our body says ENOUGH xxx
Hi ladies
I am really having trouble coping at the moment with scary palpitations during the day and also during the night when they are much worse. My problems started when I turned 39 (I'm 42 now) when I woke up in the middle of the night with my heart racing out of control and I ended up having a major panic attack. It started happening again and again and I ended up at the doctor who said that it was probably anxiety and I had an ECG which was normal. I also started waking up at night feeling boiling hot and started to have the most awful nightmares where I would wake up suddenly and then my heart would pound and I felt really hot. I kept going back to the doctors and mentioning whether it could be perimenopause but they still said it was probably anxiety because of the stress of looking after my son who has M.E. I went back in July this year and my doctor said that because it has been going on so long that she wanted to check my heart was ok so I had a chest x-ray and a 24hr ECG which were both normal but it did show a missed beat and a raised heart rate which happened at night but my doctor said it was normal. I mentioned about whether I could be in perimenopause and she said it could be because I keep waking up feeling hot and she mentioned HRT which I am not really keen on, I wanted to go through it all naturally like my mum. (She also had night sweats and palpitations).
Fast forward 3 years since I turned 39 and I am still having the most awful symptoms at night including waking up feeling hot, nightmares, pounding heart and the one I hate the most when I wake up with my heart doing a massive thud and then racing out of control for a minute and then eventually it calms down but I end up with a panic attack. I have not had a good night's sleep for over 3 years and I am finding it so hard to get through the day because I am so tired.
I am also having scary palpitations during the day including the odd missed beat, double beats and I've had two bouts of irregular heart beat with dizziness both lasting a few seconds and one of them happened when I was out walking my dog. I am in recovery from agoraphobia (as a result of my panic attacks) and this has set me back and I spend the whole time when I'm out walking my dog thinking it is going to happen again and I have to fight against the fear because my dog has to be walked! I mentioned the irregular heart episode to my doctor when I went back in August but she just shrugged it off as innocent palpitations because my ECG was normal.
I was just wondering whether anyone else gets the racing heart at night, it just seems like my heart has a mind of its own and I have not control over it. It is like a get horrible shots of adrenalin a few times a night. I dread the thought of having to put up with this for another 8 years or so until my periods stop it is just so awful. Is it normal to get really bad palpitations during menopause and is there a way of reducing them? I have cut out coffee and now only drink alchohol at the weekends because it seems to bring on hot flushes. I don't know what to do because I really don't want to go down the HRT route.
I would be most grateful for any help or advice, I'm feeling really down about it all at the moment and I dread going to bed now. Many thanks in advance - tired lady :'(
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Hi Tired lady
I'm glad you got to see a meno doctor. Having followed your thread I really get the impression that you are basically 'rung out'. Whilst you may be suffering with early peri meno symptoms, the extremes of your palpitations and night time problems really show 'high stress'.
Stress is a major cause of all kinds of health issues and CBT can be helpful but it does depend on whether you get the right person helping you and it can take a long time to be beneficial. I do understand the time issues of fitting CBT into the schedule and it takes quite a bit of strength and determination to apply what you learn - which at the moment you don't have as you are toooo exhausted.
I think this doctor is proceeding in a very sensible way and it may take time to find the right drugs or possibly HRT to relieve your symptoms.
I would just like to suggest you read a book that many, many people have found helpful and my GP recommended - it's essentially a self help CBT that is easy to build into your life and can have quite quick beneficial results.
Mindfulness: A practical guide to finding peace in a frantic world [Paperback]. You need to break the cycle of anxiety - I am finding I get fewer headaches since I started practising the exercises in this book - the strategies are really quite easy.
DG x
Click here to buy on Amazon: Mindfulness: A practical guide to finding peace in a frantic world (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/074995308X/menopausema0e-21)
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Agree with all DG has said, in 2008 I started with anxiety and then panic, due to post surgery stress, palps included ( had all the tests that the NHS offered and found my heart was normal)
The only thing that helped me were two people Claire Weekes and Charles Linden ( I bought his method and though expensive, it worked, especially his Panic Eliminator CD)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlMdc_osnpU
and a free download
http://www.anxiety-central.com/index.php/page/index.html/_/articles/forum/how-to-recover-from-anxiety-by-dr-cla-r68
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Thank you so much Dancinggirl and Silverlady for you help and advice, I really appreciate it :)
I have not been getting on at all well with my beta blockers, in fact they have made me feel so awful that I have only taken two of them! The first night I took one I woke up in a fright feeling boiling hot but my heart didn't pound or race due to the effect of the beta blockers but I was so hot that I had to go and splash myself with cold water. I also felt a strange buzzing feeling in my head and felt a bit light headed. I managed to get back to sleep but the next day I felt absolutely awful, I had no energy at all even though I had slept longer than I normally do - I think that was down to the beta blockers. I then read the potential side effects and scared myself so I decided not to take one for the next few nights. I then woke up each night feeling hot with my heart pounding and on one of the nights it started to race really fast and I went to the bathroom in a panic, splashed myself with cold water and then went back to bed and tried to calm down but it took a while for my heart to back to normal.
The next night I decided to try a beta blocker again but woke up again feeling really hot with a horrible buzzing feeling in my head, a bit like tinnitus. However, again my heart wasn't pounding but I felt really weird and spaced out and in a way the anxiety is more intense when my heart isn't pounding along with it. The next day I felt absolutely awful, I had no energy and basically felt like a slug!
I'm really not happy about taking the beta blockers, I'm too busy to feel like a zombie all day and I don't like the way they make me feel dizzy with my head buzzing everytime I move it! I am just wondering whether the fact that I'm still waking up boiling hot and sweaty even when taking the beta blockers means that I am having perimeno symptoms rather than just pure anxiety. The beta blockers are just stopping the symptoms that are being caused by something and I think I am having perimeno night sweats, just like my mum did - she didn't get any hot flushes during the day it was all happening at night!
I am supposed to be going back to the doctors in a couple of weeks to say how I've been getting on with the beta blockers and it is going to be embarrassing to say that I've only taken 2 but they just make me feel so awful! She did say that I could try some HRT in a low dose to see if it helps but I have to admit that I'm worried about the potential side effects of those too. It is true that I am wrung out at the moment, it is a stressful time for me with a son who is doing A levels and preparing to start university and another son who is poorly with M.E. I am really hoping that my blood test results are going to show a change in my hormone levels because I will find all this a lot easier to cope with if I know what is causing my distressing night time symptoms.
I was just wondering whether anyone else has had trouble taking beta blockers and ended up with some nasty side effects from them? I'm really not sure if I want to take anymore of them :(
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Tiredlady I only took one beta blocker, that was enough, never again. I felt like my body weighed a ton and everything seem to slow down.
It might be a good idea to try a low dose HRT, you never know it might be the answer, and if it doesn't work then you just stop it.
The side effects are just that potential, most ladies are fine, especially if you start off with a low dose.
Be brave and go back to your doctor and ask if you can try 3 month trial course of HRT.
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At the risk of sounding like Polly the Parrot... get some HRT! Ask for the gel and the Utrogestan, you can still use the Beta Blockers but you clearly need HRT... nothing else to it, if you dont try, you will never know...
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Folks, this is an ancient thread from 2014, but I just want to flag something up!!
The poster (tired lady) was on Cerazette/desogestrel and complaining of low estrogen symptoms. Probably all she needed to do (as for me!) was to stop the desogestrel.
Desogestrel suppresses your ovaries considerably, right down to the early follicular stage and estrogen levels. The effects of this can imitate menopause/peri-menopause.
If anyone appears on the forum and says they are on desogestrel/Cerazette/Cerelle (same things), tell them the cause could be their POP... They may not need HRT yet.
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That is really useful Joziel thanks for posting it.
I had tried Cerzette briefly, way before I started HRT. It made be feel dire - really aggravated my MS.
I scuttled straight back on the low dose combined pill that I was on.
Normality (or what passed for it) was restored ::)
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Yes, I think it is a rubbish pill. I was totally fine on Norgeston (levonorgestrel) - which doesn't suppress the estrogen levels quite so drastically.
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For people with migraines that is one of the few pills they can take. I was on another pill but they had to change it to desogestrel due to migraine. Also I think it may be one of the only pills that is not affected by weight. For many others they cannot be taken if the person is over weight.
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Flossie, migraine sufferers and people who are overweight can't take combined pills (with estrogen) but they can take any of the progesterone-only pills.
These include:
Levonorgestrel
Norethisterone
Desogestrel
Desogestrel is not the only POP or mini-pill.
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Flossie, migraine sufferers and people who are overweight can't take combined pills (with estrogen) but they can take any of the progesterone-only pills.
These include:
Levonorgestrel
Norethisterone
Desogestrel
Desogestrel is not the only POP or mini-pill.
I did not realise this. Thank you very much for explaining it to me. It is great you have now found a pill that suits you.
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I haven't ;D I'm only on utrogestan at the moment because it looks like I am hyper-sensitive to estrogen and just can't tolerate it.
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I haven't ;D I'm only on utrogestan at the moment because it looks like I am hyper-sensitive to estrogen and just can't tolerate it.
Oh no! I am sorry for getting that wrong. How rubbish. :(
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Nothing is straightforwards for me ;D
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Hmm, interesting. I got taken off norethisterone and put on desogestrel about 18 months ago in an attempt to suppress my periods and control hormonal migraines. Periods eventually stopped but migraines did not. Then earlier this year noticed minor peri symptoms and went onto HRT - GP thought the HRT might help with migraines too. Then diagnosed with VA a couple of months ago.
GP did a blood test and said I am in peri but still fertile. I like the desogestrel (no period since March but possibly also the onset of the peri symptoms) and I think since I have been on the HRT my migraines are maybe decreasing slightly in intensity and frequency. So am a bit loath to change anything as there is no migraine medication that works for me. However if the deso is causing the VA I would stop it in a heartbeat. I'm seeing the GP again in a couple of weeks so will ask about it.
I should add, at my last appointment we discussed whether I should be doubling the deso because I've been switched to Evorel 50 (from sequi) and a single deso a day isn't enough progesterone apparently, but haven't made that change yet as I wasn't sure about it. And am even more confused now.
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I also meant to say, I'm so sorry joziel that you are struggling. Figuring out this stuff seems like a black art to me sometimes and I am beyond angry that women's health has been so neglected in this area so that we have to try and suss it out ourselves.
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Hmm, interesting. I got taken off norethisterone and put on desogestrel about 18 months ago in an attempt to suppress my periods and control hormonal migraines. Periods eventually stopped but migraines did not. Then earlier this year noticed minor peri symptoms and went onto HRT - GP thought the HRT might help with migraines too. Then diagnosed with VA a couple of months ago.
GP did a blood test and said I am in peri but still fertile. I like the desogestrel (no period since March but possibly also the onset of the peri symptoms) and I think since I have been on the HRT my migraines are maybe decreasing slightly in intensity and frequency. So am a bit loath to change anything as there is no migraine medication that works for me. However if the deso is causing the VA I would stop it in a heartbeat. I'm seeing the GP again in a couple of weeks so will ask about it.
I should add, at my last appointment we discussed whether I should be doubling the deso because I've been switched to Evorel 50 (from sequi) and a single deso a day isn't enough progesterone apparently, but haven't made that change yet as I wasn't sure about it. And am even more confused now.
I am confused too. I did try taking 2deso daily but could not tolerate it. I am fine taking 1 but 2 gives me severe depression.
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Nicodemus, desogestrel actually gave me migraines ;D
I'd never had them before in my life and after a year on desogestrel I started to get them - without aura. I didn't make the connection with the deso though, and neither did my useless GP (really not clued up on women's issues and hormones, a bit dismissive) - he just gave me sumatriptan. I found that sumatriptan worked great for the migraines but gave me heart palpitations (I seem to have a heart which is a bit sensitive to drugs!) so I didn't take it and just struggled along with a Cephaly device (a TENS machine you put on your forehead, for migraines). I went on like that for about 8 years...
Then I stopped desogestrel and started HRT - and I haven't had a single migraine since. At that point, I didn't know if the migraines had stopped because I was replacing estrogen (and desogestrel had suppressed my estrogen - so they were caused by low estrogen) or whether there was something else in desogestrel which had been causing them.
However, I got an answer to that because I had to restart the desogestrel whilst also being on HRT (because I got an endo flare up). So then I was on desogestrel AND HRT. And with estrogen from the HRT, I still didn't get any migraines....
So I concluded that the way that the desogestrel had caused my migraines was via causing low estrogen. (Sorry that was a v long explanation but I feel like this last year I have done little else other than try to figure out my health ;D ;D ) I doubled my utrogestan to 200mg daily and was then able to stop the desogestrel again, so I'm not taking it now.
I also had VA, beginning with scratchy prickly discomfort in my vulva and a glue-like discharge (interspersed with a watery one). Since starting local estrogen all that cleared up in a couple of weeks. I had constipation, flatulence, brain fog, couldn't concentrate, night sweats, weird weight gain (like could eat an apple a day and put on weight kind of weight gain!) and more. Every symptom that exists.
Like you, my FSH is still low (4) (I assume that's the same as what you mean by your GP said you are still fertile after blood tests). It was only when I read Lara Briden's book 'Hormone Repair Manual' that I realised this meant I should still be cycling and producing my own estrogen.
I also had zero sex drive or libido on desogestrel. I tried so hard but it just wasn't there. I just gave up that part of my life because I thought I 'had' to take desogestrel to control the endo. I've got that back now.
So basically, I was on desogestrel for 9 years and it led to really low estrogen symptoms which mimicked menopausal symptoms. All those symptoms resolved immediately I started taking HRT - whether I was on deso or not - which supports the idea they were caused by low estrogen rather than some other aspect of deso. My FSH was only 4 so I should still be cycling if it weren't for the desogestrel and we can conclude that the deso was the cause of the low estrogen.
To support that, my estrogen levels about 7 weeks after coming off deso were 233pmol with a 50 patch (ovaries still waking up), then at about 12wks off they were 453pmol - on a 37.5 patch. Showing that the ovaries were now making more estrogen again, since desogestrel had released them... Now I've come off the patch I don't seem to have any of my low estrogen symptoms back yet.
So - I don't actually think I am properly peri yet. I mean, I might benefit from cyclic progesterone (as Lara Briden recommends) but I don't think I need estrogen yet. (Which is good because I appear to have major issues with taking estrogen which isn't my own - and I don't know what I'm going to do there.)
I think desogestrel is a RISKY thing to be taking if you are a peri woman who wants to be maxing out her own estrogen. And I think GPs should be much more aware that it can cause this low estrogen state which mimics menopause. I guess you could just override it by taking more HRT estrogen, but there are probably many women out there on HRT who don't really need to be yet - it's just that the desogestrel is suppressing their own estrogen.
As for what you should do, if I were you, I'd switch the desogestrel for utrogestan....
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Ah, I see, thanks. I have had migraines for more than 20 years so the deso isn't causing them. I was just wondering whether coming off it might stop the VA for a bit but if I did so I would still need some form of contraception (though VA is pretty effective!) and don't want Mirena (nor anything else that can't be stopped immediately) so my options are pretty limited.
I do need to ask about the blood test - I was in a lot of pain from the VA when we discussed it so didn't ask about numbers or anything.
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Nico, ask what your FSH was and also what your estrogen was.
If it’s desogestrel causing this, your FSH will still be low (so you are not menopausal and still potentially fertile) but your estrogen will also be low….
My stupid male GP didn’t test for estrogen because he said the desogestrel would interfere with the result. Which is true. That’s exactly why we needed to test it :-\
As for contraception, there are other POPs besides desogestrel which don’t suppress your estrogen so much. Levonorgestrel for eg…. Or norethisterone.
But also we are not very fertile in our 40s and natural family planning methods can work really well. Or condoms!