I've already found this board to be a wealth of information. Thought I'd take a shot at explaining my situation to see if those in the know have any ideas.
I started feeling bad last July. Heat in back and chest, general malaise---just felt horrible. Went to the doc and my thyroid was way high, so I'm put on anti-thyroid med. A couple of months later I"m tested and it's way low, so I'm put on synthyroid. A couple of months later I'm taken off everything to see what the thyroid is doing. Along the way I've explained to the doc. that I think I may be in perimenopause even though I'm only 42. My periods have become more frequent (I'm on the 3 week cycle) and I feel soooo bad during them. I never had a problem much with PMS, but this has become PMS major.
After being off the thyoid med I'm registering normal, so the doc. who doesn't think perimenopause has anything to do with this puts me on Effexor (I'm having quite a bit of anxiety at this point, can't sit still, sleep disturbances). I took one dose of the Effexor and within 8 hours it was like I had taken 500 hits of speed. I have never felt such anxiety, panic and a feeling like I was totally losing my mind.
Now it's June and I'm still having these symptoms. The doc. has had me on valium since February. It helps, but it feels like it's just barely keeping the symptoms at bay. Plus, I refuse to take a dose any higher than necessary as I don't want being a valium junkie to be another problem. But if I drop below a certain dose of valium all the symptoms come raging back making me feel like I did the night I had the reaction to the Effexor. The last time it was tested my thyroid still showed in the normal range.
I still have the same symptoms I started out with (frequent periods, heat in the back and chest, horrible PMS) but since I took that Effexor now I have extreme panic, anxiety and racing thoughts to go along with everything else. Has anyone heard of a reaction to a SSRI exacerbating Perimenopausal symptoms? I still believe in my heart that there is something hormonal going on here. My doc. pretty much is out of ideas and is sending me to a psychiatrist to try and figure this out.
Any thoughts, ideas or experiences would be appreciated. The best to you all and thanks.
What kind of doctor are you seeing? Go to a gyn/ob doctor if that's not who you are seeing. I'm 42 and just started hormone therapy. I'm like you I felt it had to be hormonal. The gyn dr. said from my symptoms it is perimenopause.
I've already found this board to be a wealth of information. Thought I'd take a shot at explaining my situation to see if those in the know have any ideas.
I started feeling bad last July. Heat in back and chest, general malaise---just felt horrible. Went to the doc and my thyroid was way high, so I'm put on anti-thyroid med. A couple of months later I"m tested and it's way low, so I'm put on synthyroid. A couple of months later I'm taken off everything to see what the thyroid is doing. Along the way I've explained to the doc. that I think I may be in perimenopause even though I'm only 42. My periods have become more frequent (I'm on the 3 week cycle) and I feel soooo bad during them. I never had a problem much with PMS, but this has become PMS major.
After being off the thyoid med I'm registering normal, so the doc. who doesn't think perimenopause has anything to do with this puts me on Effexor (I'm having quite a bit of anxiety at this point, can't sit still, sleep disturbances). I took one dose of the Effexor and within 8 hours it was like I had taken 500 hits of speed. I have never felt such anxiety, panic and a feeling like I was totally losing my mind.
Now it's June and I'm still having these symptoms. The doc. has had me on valium since February. It helps, but it feels like it's just barely keeping the symptoms at bay. Plus, I refuse to take a dose any higher than necessary as I don't want being a valium junkie to be another problem. But if I drop below a certain dose of valium all the symptoms come raging back making me feel like I did the night I had the reaction to the Effexor. The last time it was tested my thyroid still showed in the normal range.
I still have the same symptoms I started out with (frequent periods, heat in the back and chest, horrible PMS) but since I took that Effexor now I have extreme panic, anxiety and racing thoughts to go along with everything else. Has anyone heard of a reaction to a SSRI exacerbating Perimenopausal symptoms? I still believe in my heart that there is something hormonal going on here. My doc. pretty much is out of ideas and is sending me to a psychiatrist to try and figure this out.
Any thoughts, ideas or experiences would be appreciated. The best to you all and thanks.
I have not heard of an SSRI drug interfering with perimenopause. I would imagine that having to deal with hyperthyroidism at first, since I once had that would definitely make you panic. Then you dropped low and went to synthroid. sounds like you a hormonal inbalance, going up and down from the thyroid and then the Effexor. The SSRI drugs can have these side effects. To see a Psychiatrist would be good. Your periods can go off balance with any thyroid problem, that's why docs like to check that first before giving a perimenopause diagnosis. Yes, at your age you can definitely be perimenopause, absolutely! It almost sound like you have thyroid storm, which I'm finding that your thyroid hormones are still in normal range. Also too, you could have developed a fear during the med process and this is what you could still be living through. I'm not a doctor, but have anxiety and know exactly how you feel. Perimenopause can give you anxiety alone. Please stay in touch with us and let us know how you are feeling. I would also visit the thyroid board and explain to them what has happened to you. They have some great people on there who can assist you.
I haven't heard that SSRI can interfere with peri. It seems like the Effexor isn't working for you and you're probably experiencing a lot of its side effects. I would stop taking it b/c it isn't making you feel any better. Sometimes you have to try different ones to see what works for you. See if your dr. can put you on something else so you don't get the anxiety.
My dr. first put me on Wellbutrin - made me feel worse. Later, I asked my dr. to let me try Paxil CR after it suggested to me by a woman dr. who was a friend of my sister's. He let me try it and said that if that didn't work he would try me on Effexor. The Paxil CR worked for me no side effects and I felt better overall within a month. So, if I were you, tell you dr. to let you try something else (and I'm not suggesting that Paxil CR will work for you - each person reacts differently to these SSRI). Also, 42 isn't young to be going thru peri. Take care and really hope you feel better soon!!
Hi, you can definitely be going into Peri - read all of our symptoms in the other thread. I too have major anxiety and panic attacks, along w/ chest pains and take xanax for it. I'm not a junkie with it - I just know I need one in the morning and one at night and I'm fine. I've heard stories of people freaking out on SSRIs. My ex husband, for one, said after he took prozac and paxil he felt like he was doing tons of cocaine. He was WHACKED - VERY paranoid, couldn't sleep and I know they say it takes weeks to help but he was on it for a few months and was edgey all the time. You might just be one of those people who get that effect. I know my mother cannot take benedryl or any kind of antihistimine - it riles her right up - she bounces off the walls. I'm the opposite - makes me pass out cold. I was given Paxil but only tried it for a few days with no results. I like my xanax. Took benedryl last night for some hives I got eating something and the xanax as well - boy talk about passing out!
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