Menopause Matters Forum
General Discussion => New Members => Topic started by: sed on July 14, 2020, 12:23:06 PM
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I am new to this forum and hoping for some reassurance and comfort. For the past 14 weeks I have been experiencing awful anxiety symptoms, physical symptoms being the worse. After two blood tests I have been told I am in menopause and have been prescribed HRT. Has anyone had this experience and have the HRT helped them? I am just exhausted with worry and don’t know if I am holding on to these HRT only to be disappointed that they won’t make a difference. :'(
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Hi Sed. :welcomemm:
Glad you've found us. We're all in the same boat on here.
Sorry to hear your struggling.
The HRT does work, although, it could mean you have to find one that works for you, but hopefully, the one you have will do that. We don't know until we try, if that one is for us. But stay positive.
It may take a few weeks to kick in and make you feel better, but then other ladies have noticed a difference within a few days, we're all different.
Anxiety is the pits, I had it bad before my hrt kicked in.
What hrt did you get? I'm on Femoston conti, as I'm post meno. ( pills)
I'm sure someone will be on to offer advice soon.
Take a look at our different threads, 'this n that' is a good one, you may even get a laugh, were a great bunch and often laugh at ourselves. Join us, it may take your mind off your anxiety for a while.
Good luck, let us know how your getting on.
Jd xx
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Hi! Tell us more about yourself? Age, children, ageing parents; do you work, have hobbies - we talk about most things on here.
:welcomemm: If you put the name of the HRT into the search box you will see threads: make notes ;-)
Browse round.
How was your anxiety when you had regular periods? Mine was bad in the few days prior but stopped when the bleed began = hormones.
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Thanks for coming back to me so quickly.
I am 50 years old and have two children 27 and 17. I am so confused. When my anxiety really came to the forefront was at the beginning of lockdown. Never physically felt it before (it may have been there but never so bad). Thankfully I was working from home when it first started and actually thought I was dying of something...I don't know. Breathlessness, achy muscles, dry mouth of which all I know is anxiety. I have had two chest x-rays and now the second blood test. The first blood test about 10 weeks ago suggested I was perimenopausal - the last blood test revealed my hormone levels were suggesting I was menopausal (I can only listen to the dr). He has put me on Femoston-conti 1mg/5mg tabs initially for 3 months to see how it goes. I am not sure it is to get rid of anxiety but to help (I hope) with some of the horrendous symptoms that I am having. I do have hot flushes and have had insomnia for about 3 days but seems to have corrected itself (fingers crossed).
I am a legal PA and have had difficulties working - work have reduced my hours to help me cope at the moment. Just want some peace.
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My last period was in March and before that it was in November 2019.
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It's The Change - does what it says on the tin. Menopause is 'end of menstruation'. Peri is when strange symptoms may cause problems, some find keeping a mood/food/symptom diary useful.
It is suggested that 1 should continue with contraception until 2 years after the last period B4 50, also 12 months without a bleed tends to suggest menopause. Mine periods waxed and waned for 2/3 years ::). You're getting the gaps then ::) so you begin counting from March ;-)
As oestrogen levels drop so muscles may become lax = aches and pains and the body may become dry: inside and out :o : skin, deep in the ears, nostrils, eyes, vagina ...... do read the threads about atrophy.
If the anxiety is the worst symptom than discus an anti-anxiety medication to help - some ladies require it along with HRT. Maybe try Bachs rescue remedy mouth spray and yoga. Do you have hobbies?
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I use to love to walk, sit in coffee shops, read a paper, watch a movie online in the cafe but now, I don't feel I can do it. My muscles are weak and I feel breathless at times. Just scared to go out without being in a car when my husband is home. I am getting CBT now - week 4. Not sure if it is helping yet - right now I will try anything. Just seems strange that anxiety, peri or meno have come down on me all at once. Just tough.
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Thanks, you're still in perimenopause. I think your doctor should have prescribed a sequi (sequential) treatment, not conti (continuous). I don't know much about HRT, though. I'm sure other members will help you.
Thanks - I think I should get a second opinion from the GP
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I agree - it sounds like you should be on a sequential HRT rather than continuous - have a look as this link which is available on this website, print it off & show it to your doctor:
https://www.menopausematters.co.uk/perimeno.php
Hope you get it sorted.
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thank you - I will ask to speak to another GP at our surgery - I will let you know how I get on.
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Hi and welcome. Meno hit me hard and I had many of your symptoms. Went from energetic to lethargic. Went from healthy to feeling like I had some terminal illness. It really can hit some women so hard. I developed social anxiety, I think it started from feeling faint if I had to stand for long times, supermarket/pub etc and before I knew it I was too scared to go out. I have been on oestrogen hrt for many years but the only thing that has helped my anxiety is adding in testosterone to my hrt . Stay with us as someone else said it may take a while to get the right hrt and dose before you feel better but there’s some really knowledgable women here who can help guide you x
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Have you had a full blood count, Thyroid function and VitD levels tested recently. We should't blame meno on all our symptoms ;-). For me low VitD levels were weeding for 20 mins. then needing to sit still for 2 hours :-\. Medication sorted it.
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Yes, back in April :-\
Last year I had low vitamin D so drs orders it’s a vitamin I have to take all the time.
I agree we shouldn’t always point to meno. Just ticking all the boxes. My anxiety is frightful and suddenly appeared at the same time as meno symptoms :-(
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Anxiety is awful. ...... and breath. Be kind to yourself. Don't take on too much at a time. Half a day, review.
Eat little and often which can help ease symptoms. Even in the night ;-)
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Anxiety is a pretty awful symptom and I have had bouts of it on and off, and I agree that lockdown has not helped matters. Thyroid function disorders can also contribute to anxiety and it may be worth getting a full thyroid check (TSH, T4, T3, antibodies). I also noticed that what can help is reduce/cut out caffeine and doing some exercise with even a brisk walk being good. I hope you are feeling better soon. Things do get better again and the right do or HRT can help.
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Oh lockdown was a boon for me. Boris told me I wasn't allowed to go anywhere so I didn't have to make excuses to anyone ;). Of course the weather from mid-Feb really helped and I was relaxed.
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Really struggling today. Had one good day yesterday and bang right back to sitting in my room with my laptop....Mornings are the worse for me...I wake and do a mental body scan, how do I feel? By 9AM, here comes the symptoms, day ruined. I sound so negative I know, but this whole meno, HRT, which one do I take, which one don't I take is such a big confusion. I am waiting for an appointment for a second opinion on the conti or sequential. Dr says your hormone levels are imbalanced and we recommend HRT. I accept I am 50 and my body has changed but fear I can't cope with these physical symptoms - aches and pains/stomach churns, breathlessness - it's insane. I am so low and scared that this is me for the next year or so.
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Hey, yes I have been on the pill about 15 years ago. Tried the Coil for about a year or two after that and then had it removed because it became bothersome (continuous bleed).
GP has prescribed Femoston and said he will check in 3 months. Just want this to work so badly I don’t know if I am setting myself up for a disappointment. :'(. Today I have been flat out and off my food because I feel nausea (maybe anxiety maybe side effects to tablets)...so confused
So glad I have this forum...sometimes offloading to the family just stresses them out which doesn’t help me..I have their support but hard to offload to my husband and children so hide away - just don’t want them to worry about me
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Hi Sed.
You sound like me when I was at my worst. The anger aswell, I never thought I had it in me.
The whole 'feelings' I used to get, and couldn't explain them. Made me feel really poorly.
The anxiety was particularly bad. I thought I was about to be locked up. I was going mad!
But, things do get better. I know it's a pain waiting to see if the HRT is going to work, but I'm sure it will. And if not, there's others to try. I'm on Femoston conti, and it's turned out to be the best one for me. I'm 55, 5 years post meno. I tried a number of different ones when I turned 50. Took a while to find one that was best for me, but I did. You just have to keep fighting, and know that one day, it WILL get better. Hang tight, keep going, deep breaths, and keep posting, talking is one of the best things, especially to people who know exactly what your going through. Take care. xx
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Hi Sed
:welcomemm: from me too.
Sorry to hear about your symptoms.
Just to add my thoughts too. As already said blood tests cannot determine your exact menopausal status - just a rasied FSH level tells you that you are peri-menopausal. Your age, cycle and symptoms are the guide, according to NICE , and blood tests are not needed - apart from to determine other cause of other symptoms like thyroid etc as you have had.
Please do not suffer - HRT will make a huge difference to your life once you are settled on it. As the others have said you should be taing a sequential HRT not a continuous one because your last period was recent and the one before also. You are likely in late peri-menopause judging by the frequency of periods. Do read the information on this site about HRT which goes into it all. (Top tabs - menopause, treatments etc).
Now a thing about continuois combined HRT. It won't do you any harm to take this but two reasons why not advisable at this stage. First if your cycle is sporadic then you will get unpredictable bleeding after you've ovulated because HRT does not suppress the cycle. This can be annoying. If you take cyclical/sequential HRT then the withdrawal bleed will usually be predictable (not a proper period) although sometimes when your cycle kicks in you may get a bit of bleeding at the "wrong" time.
Secondly starting off with cyclical HRT helps you work out if the preparation is right for you. This is because you take two weeks of oestrogen only - the hormone that women want and need at this time and which best controls the menopausal symptoms, and then you can tell how you feel once you add the combi part of the pill with the progestogen in it. In your case this would be Femoston 1/10 or 2/10. Best to start with a lower dose and increase if you feel your symptoms are not well controlled. This has a well-tolerated progestogen in it.
Ant-anxiety medication is absolutely not indicated in your position. The NICE Guidelines are quite clear that HRT is the first line of treatment for menopausal symptoms including anxiety if this is caused by menopause and you are better off getting the hormone levels sorted first. If you have depression (not anxiety) after all of this or which occurred at other poibnts in your life then ADs might be considered. Menopausal anxiety is best dealt with through the means you are already trying and others like hRT which hopefully will work for you! Eating a good diet, excercising, losing weight if needed, reducing alcohol etc are all ways to improve your health and well-being without the need for other medication.
If you don;t want to bleed then the Mirena coil might now be a better option. Although some bleeding is expect at first, once you are menopausal this should not happen and the progestogen will protect your womb. Then you can take oestrogen in the form of patch, pill, gel or spray at a level which sorts out your symptoms.
Unless your doc had a specific reason to prescribe Femoston conti rather than a cyclical HRT s/he was wrong so do read up about it all so you know what you;re talking about. Some docs are not especially knowledgeable about HRT and menopause....
Good luck and do get back to us if you have any more questions :)
Hurdity x
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Hi Hurdity and thank you.
I have an appointment lined up on Tuesday with my GP to talk about points you have raised. So helpful and so knowledgeable ;)
It’s 3:30Am and I am awake again. Is it normal for the muscle in my arms and legs to feel out of control? Just limp. Waking up feeling nauseous and so emotional - I have cried buckets over the past few weeks. So tired 😓 they can put a man on the moon but we can’t find a tablet to just stop this immediately like a painkiller or a course of antibiotics - it’s awful 😓😓
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Sed,
I just want to give you a big hug as I can relate to how you feel. I have had bought before and the latest has been over the past week. I prefer to hide away but make myself go for walks etc.. love S x
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Hi sed. Another newbie here too. I'm quite an anxious person anyway, but mine is definitely worse now. I was thinking about HRT but my mum started on it many years ago and not long after she had a mini stroke. so I can't shake that off. Now I'm suffering myself, I'm quite torn. I hope you get some answers. :)