Hi cazz23,
Sorry to hear you are suffering.
I had never experienced anxiety or panic before the menopause so when I had my first "surge", as Kathleen so aptly calls it, it was utterly terrifying.
The anxiety comes and goes (with my hormones) and, so far, the panic episodes have been much less frequent. Both experiences are just horrible, but I have learnt the hard way to just strap myself in and tell myself they will pass. And they do.
As the other ladies have said, the timing of this menopause phase in life is not good as we have other external stressors to manage. For me, I became the family carer for my mother who was diagnosed with Alzheimers at beginning of Covid when I was her bubble (just me). She is now in a carehome and after 5 years of the literal madness, I can say they have been the most stressful years of my life. Throw in palliative care for my F-I-L who died at home a year ago and my own & husband's health scares, I think it all exacerbates the hormonal fluctuations, symptoms and stress.
For me the higher dosages of HRT made the anxiety worse and I am much better on a lower dose.
Sending you best wishes X
