Hello there, Im 53 and 5 years post meno and been having major, life limiting symptoms, but they are so varied that GPs don't know what to do with me. The last (male) one quite nastily told me to go and google Health Anxiety, and shoved a prescription for antidepressants at me.
I am really struggling here, i can hardly function at all and i do believe that most of it is hormonal.
I had anxiety prior to meno but had been put through a fake menopause 20 years earlier with zoladex for Endometriosis, this triggered panics, then I was put on seroxat for stress and had such a bad reaction to it that Im now terrified to the point of phobia of antidepressants! I cannot get this through to GPs. The anxiety state caused by that seroxat didnt just calm down when it went out of my system, it was so terrifying that I found myself with an anxiety disorder overnight.
I had done lots of work on anxiety in the 20 years between that experience so panic attacks don't scare me per se but the symptoms im having now are just horrible. I'm a trained holistic therapist who used to treat people for anxiety but the GPs are treating me like I know nothing about it and am just "getting a bit worked up"
When i was 47, I stopped smoking and I believe this threw me straight into menopause as i never had another period since.
I use cbt techniques and try to think positive, but these last few years have been absolute hell. Bearing in mind i am someone who is used to anxiety symptoms, the things i am experiencing now are quite wild in their severity and nothing ive had before. I'm not sure which part of the forum to reel off my many strange symptoms but i could sure do with some insight.
I was refused HRT when i first went into meno and have never taken any. The GP said our surgery wasnt prescribin it to anyone because of the risks. Not sure whether that was correct... Ive never been referred to a gynaecoloist, endocrinologist, the GPs who tend to sigh in exasperation when i wont take the same kind of medication that threw me into the worst anxiety state you could imagine! I have nerve tingling and burning pain, fought for referral to neurologist who found nothing, loss of taste and smell, oral specialist said it was menopause and to ride it out.
I believe I have some reactive depression but i think the original cause is hormonal. I have wild mood swings, with my mood being ok, then dropping to depression in a second or a feeling like im going downhill on a rollercoaster. (im not bipolar) This also happens at night occasionally so i think it is cortisol. Ive been feeling hot and feverish like i have flu for weeks on end?? Brain fog is disabling, honestly. Feel totally alone with this, people have suggested that I just try an anti-d but this phobia is so strong that i know i couldnt actually sit there and take it. Plus i cant afford any more weight gain.
Could this really all be down to menopause??
Should i try HRT?
hellllp
