Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => Personal Experiences => Topic started by: Janey on July 11, 2017, 03:44:19 PM
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:D Hi I was wondering if anyone out there has had bad experiences brought on by HRT tablets as I keep hearing such good things but for me they did not work at all in fact the last one being Elleste Duo brought on Anxiety and panic attacks which I have never suffered with before. Although I'm starting the menopause the hot flushes I can cope with but the panic attacks and palpitations are a different matter I feel I'm going crazy, ive always been a confident woman and now I'm losing all confidence with the simplest of things and thoughts spiral out of control.
Im trying the self help meditation to calm myself down when these attacks happen but with so many too choose from im unsure of which is best can anyone help me get this menopause thing under control?
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Have you spoken to your GP about the over-all effect anxiety has on your daily living? For me it can ruin a whole week :'(
Deep breathing can help. Yoga. Swimming. Rescue Remedy. I have an emergency medication to take when anxiety floors me. I have taken anti-depressant medication since 1988 and Propranolol (BB) since 2002.
Maybe keep a mood/food/symptom diary to chart how you are then you have something to judge symptoms on. Are the anxiety attacks cyclical?
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I have been to the doctors and she took me of the HRT last month and put me on Serpraline 50mg which I thought for the first 3 weeks were working but then last week I was out in a restaurant and had to go into the loos to try calm myself down as the hot flushes came, sweat was pouring from my face and to top it off I started having a panic attack then severe anxiety kicked in with thoughts spiralling out of control, all I wanted to do was go home to bed which is not like me at all.
Ive tried all the usual herbal medication rescue remedy, hot carbush, evening primrose ect and nothing seems to work so I joined this forum in the hope that I could find something that would just calm me down when this happens again as I know it will
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Are you sure it's the hrt causing it ?
Hormones can cause your anxiety
Ie I've been on hrt for nearly 19 years and had no anxiety whatsoever until @4/5 years ago so definitely wasn't hrt but hormones. I've carried on taking hrt but will see gp about a mild low dose AD so that I can hopefully socialise again worry free
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If you have tried various hrts why not to back to the one which helped you the most with your flushes and continue an AD to combat the anxiety and panick,a two pronged attack so to speak. A few on here need to use both for optimum relief.
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Sometimes a two-pronged approach as suggested gives the sufferer breathing space.
Also, eating regularly can ease those sudden anxiety surges which can happen when the body is hungry - I was advised by NAPS to eat every 3 hours, 24/7 .............
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Hi Janey
:welcomemm:
So sorry to hear about your bad experience! Perhaps you can tell us where you are in menopause?
If you are peri-menopausal then your doctor was quite wrong to take you off HRT and to put you on anti-depressants! They are most emphatically not the first line of treatment for menopausal symptoms and the NICE guidelines state this.
If you had never suffered anxiety nor panic attacks before then it is clear the cause is hormonal. What the doctor should have done was to help you try a different type of HRT to control your flushes - not given you Sertraline!
It is important to get the HRT dose and type right before considering whether you need anything else - this is the current protocol which unfortunately doctors do not always follow.
Tell us something about yourself, your age, what your periods have been doing ( before starting HRT) cycle length etc? There are lots of different HRT types and there is surely one which will suit you? Some women find they experience negative side effects from the progestogen in the Elleste and eg find Femoston better tolerated. Also Elleste comes in two doses - maybe your dose was too high/too low ( depending where you are on the menopause journey.
Personally I would hot foot it back to the doctor, and replace the Sertraline with a different HRT type in the first instance, If after a few months a new type doesn't work then maybe time to look again if you still cannot cope. The default position is not that women should need to use both HRT and ADs - although some women do - but this should hopefully be an exception. The absolute first is to settle onto an the best HRT type that you can tolerate and makes you feel the best you can - without other medication in the first instance. Your self-help strategies sound great! Have you looked at nomorepanic website: http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/
Hope this helps and keep us updated :)
Hurdity x
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Please don't just stop your AD without speaking to your GP first. That's never a good idea.
Quite a lot of women need both an AD and HRT to feel well. If you can get your panic attacks under control and feel more settled in yourself then perhaps you would be in the position to look at restarting HRT to help with the meno symptoms.
I agree a trip back to your GP is advised.
Keep posting and let us know how you get on.
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What other Hrt have you tried,and what were the symptoms you had on it to make you change type ?
As Mbrown001 says don't just stop your sertaline,speak to your gp first,if indeed YOU do decide to do this. Maybe if you can get your anxiety symptoms under control you will be in a better place to start from. Many find that HRT alone does not address psychological issues as the balancing act to match our own hormonal patterns are very hard to mimic and get right especially in peri when ones own hormones are popping in and out. No doubt that Hrt is brilliant at combating hot flushes,protects heart and bones but it isn't a panacea for everything or indeed everyone. Anxiety and panick attacks etc are truly horrendous and if you have never suffered from it ,as I hadn't,you can t believe how debilitating and overwhelmed you feel can you ! Hopefully you can get those issues stabilized before you start off trialling more hrt. It's grim trying each type for a couple of months whilst feeling that way,I know been there,worn that T shirt 👕 !
Hope you feel better soon ,let us know .🌹
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Good post Dazned.
I totally agree that if you have never suffered from anxiety and panic attacks then it's impossible to truly understand. You really have to , as they say....walk a mile in that persons shoes.
HRT has never helped the phycological side of things for me. In fact they started two years after.
Getting anxiety under control is the singularly the most important thing for me simply because if I'm calm and in control I'm in a better place to deal with everything else.
Also as Dazned says HRT simply isn't a panacea for everything.
Let us know how you get on.
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I have nothing to add ........
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HOw do i know where I am in the menapause I had bad periods stopped the marina coil and had a Baloon Abrasion in Jun 14. since then I have had about 8 periods in 3 years the last one being Nov last year but now im starting these panic attacks.
Ive tried a couple of HRT tablets and nothing stops the sweats and my last visit to the docs last month the doctor told me the HRT was not suitable and this was causing the anxiety and she put me on an antidepressant called Serpraline 50mg I know its only over a month in but when im due a period the panic attaches and anxiety are ruining my life my husband dos'nt know how to help when im so emotional then I think he will leave and things spiral out of control its ridiculous but I cant help the way im feeling.
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Maybe keep a diary like I did. I had a wallplanner type thing,each day I'd quickly not down things like appetite,mood,energy levels etc. Don't get too obsessive though. ::)
Is there a pattern that emerges ? Try to eat little and often as CLKD suggests,even if you don't feel like it ,it really does help with anxiety. When you start to feel an episode coming on try to do something a bit energetic,brisk walk,vigorous hoovering,whatever. Use the excess adrenaline if you can. I realise sometimes it's just not possible though if you've already become overwhelmed. Then you can show your gp what's been happening,book a double appointment ,it will probably be a few weeks before you get one by then you should have something concrete to talk about. If you feel the sertaline isn't helping say so. Citlopam is a good AD for flushes some say. If you decide that you would like to try a different hrt maybe ask for a patch but in the meantime whilst trialling it ask about something to help with the anxiety on an ad hoc basis,i.e. Diazepam. I know some won't agree but I am never without mine .I have had a strip for ages now as thank goodness I don't need them anymore but it's like my safety blanket I know they are there ! ;)
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You can't help the way you are feeling, regardless of what is causing the sweats/anxiety/panic - :bighug:. HRT can take a while to find something that suits. In the 1990s I used 5mg Valium as necessary - usually prior to an Event that I had to attend and if necessary, another during that morning. The GP has given me another drug since which works so I take it when floored. It kicks in within 25-40 mins. and because I know that it works for me I don't have to worry that I will become addicted.
My peri came without me really realising, intermittent periods followed by them stopping and then I had flushing across my shoulders for a few months every night after my bath. The insteps still itch at times though >:( ::) ........
Many GPs still go to bed thinking that a lady isn't menopausal unless she has hot flushes >:( - and have no idea how anxiety can take over daily living.
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I would stick with your AD for now. It takes a while to settle in but that should address the panic attacks and anxiety. Be patient and let it do its job.
After that if you are still getting the flushes and sweats then....and only then you can address the HRT. There are lots of choices and if you want then I'm sure you would fine one that suits.
It's really one thing at a time. If you throw everything at it at once then you won't know what's working.
There is really no rush. I understand you want to feel better yesterday....as did I. But these things take a bit of time.
Listen to your GP, they are not all rubbish....and then take it slowly from there.
Pick and choose what you will from our advice and posts but don't be swayed either way. You have to do what feels best for you.
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HOw do i know where I am in the menapause I had bad periods stopped the marina coil and had a Baloon Abrasion in Jun 14. since then I have had about 8 periods in 3 years the last one being Nov last year but now im starting these panic attacks.
Ive tried a couple of HRT tablets and nothing stops the sweats and my last visit to the docs last month the doctor told me the HRT was not suitable and this was causing the anxiety and she put me on an antidepressant called Serpraline 50mg I know its only over a month in but when im due a period the panic attaches and anxiety are ruining my life my husband dos'nt know how to help when im so emotional then I think he will leave and things spiral out of control its ridiculous but I cant help the way im feeling.
Hi again Janey
You haven't said how old you are but if you've had an ablation then it is tricky to know about your cycle - so all the more reason why your doc should go on your age and symptoms in deciding what to prescribe. If you have been suffering flushes and sweats, as well as the mood changes and palpitations, then HRT is the first line of treatment
I agree that keeping a diary is a good idea so that you will know how your mood changes with whatever cycle you are still having.
I need to repeat that you were not given the choice ( between HRT and AD) but told that HRT was not suitable - and that your doctor was quite wrong in doing this.
Unless there is another reason for your sweats ( have you had other blood tests as a baseline, diabetes, thyroid function etc?) then if the HRT didn't eliminate them, the dose wasn't right. In your case the doc should have suggested you try a patch which women often find absorbs the oestrogen better than a tablet. Alternative as I suggested in my previous message, a different oral HRT like Femoston. Which other one did you try?
I would like to quote you the MM post from a couple of weeks ago on their Facebook page:
**Antidepressants are not recommended for first-line treatment of menopausal symptoms such as flushes and low mood, yet are often offered by some GPs. Some antidepressants can be used if HRT is unable to be taken for medical reasons, but only after full discussion and after ruling out the use of HRT.**
Your doctor is doing you a disservice by not fully exploring other options with you and just taking you off the HRT. The right dose of the right HRT almost always works for fluishes and sweats and can lift mood and anxiety. It is sometimes more tricky with peri-menopause with the hormonal fluctuations but hopefully it would enable you to better cope with anxiety that might occur.
Since some ADs reduce flushes and sweats - it is much better to take HRT first at a dose that eliminates them - rather than ADs - because then you might not think you needed HRT and you would be denying yourself the health benefits. Also if you are likely to go through menopause at under the average age of menopause of 51/52 then you should take HRT to help protect heart and bones.
I also like one of the recent MM tweets from the recent conference of the British Menopause Society:
Kathy Abernethy: "We need the look at the #menopause more broadly, rather than simply as a cluster of symptoms to get through" #BMS2017
I appreciate your wanting to control the panic attacks but your doc hasn't given HRT a chance yet! The other alternative is the newer type of contraceptive pill which can help to control mood swings and is a bit like HRT - called Qlaira. By the way if it was the HRT that brought on the anxiety and panic attacks then surely you don't need an AD anyway?
I am wondering if the progestogen in the Elleste also could have been factor - the synthetic progestogens can have side effects in some women - what dose of Elleste was it?
I'm not sure why the others have suggested you might have been considering stopping the AD without talking to your doctor because you didn't say this and as far as I can see nor did anyone else. In your position I would think about the different hRT options, research one that you would like to try, and still go back to your doctor and ask for proper treatment and choice and ideally to swap the sertraline for a different HRT.
I hope this is helpful and do ask if there is anything else you need to ask.
Hurdity x
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:D Hi Thank you for all your help just knowing others out there are experiencing the same things makes me feel less isolated and im not going mad.
THANK YOU X
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You are very welcome :)
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That's good :)
You're definitely not going mad!!!
Hurdity x