Question Regarding Anxiety and Perimenopause/Menopause - Menopause Message Board

jitteryme · 09-09-2005, 10:47 AM

Hello. I'm new here. I am 46 years old and am pretty sure I am in perimenopause. I still get my periods regularly, but I have started experiencing other symptoms such as anxiety, heart palpitations, feeling warm at night and breast cysts.

The anxiety kind of hit me out of the blue. I am not taking any meds, and I feel like it may be under control right now. My question is this. As I get closer and closer to real menopause and more and more of the hormones leave my body, will the anxiety get worse? Has anyone had any experience with this? I'm hoping that this is as bad as it will get and am hoping that I am not overly optimistic in my thinking.

Thanks for your replies.

sassy040 · 09-09-2005, 08:10 PM

Make Your Doctor Check Your Hormone Levels. Try Hormones Before Antidepressants. I Take Paxil, But No One Checked My Hormones First, So Now I Have To Take Paxil, It Is The Only Thing That Works For Me.

Sassy

jitteryme · 09-10-2005, 08:57 AM

Can anyone else share any experiences with this? I've read through many of the messages on this board and it seems that lots of people have been going through perimenopause and menopause for several years. Can you shed some light on whether the anxiety stays at a constant level or gets worse as you progressed into full menopause?

I am really trying hard to be prepared and to do my best to handle this without meds. I haven't had my hormone levels tested, but my thyroid levels were just fine. I won't be able to take HRT because of a very strong history of stroke in my family and I would rather not take anti-depressants. I tried Lexapro last month for 15 days, and it made everything a hundred times worse for me. I feel much better without the Lexapro than I did while I was taking it. I am seeing a psychologist to help me deal with the anxiety, and right now, he doesn't feel I need meds. I am just trying to be prepared for what may lie ahead.

Thanks.

molly123 · 09-10-2005, 09:30 AM

Hi jittery,
No one will be able to pinpoint how long anything will last for anyone because the whole peri trip is different for each women. I cruised thru my 30's and 40's without any symptoms other than insomnia at which at that time, I never even made the connection that it was even peri related. In fact, I've never even heard of peri-menopause! My symptoms hit me like a ton of bricks the year I turned 50. It came on suddenly and pretty much all at once. The symptoms were overwhelming and completely unbearable!

I too hated taking anti-anxiety meds out of fear that it can be very addicting. Eventually, I was put on Paxil CR and felt better almost immediately. I never wanted to go on an AD either. But, when I was feeling bad 24/7 and all the tests in the world came back normal, I was desperate to do anything (aside from taking HRT). It has been two years now and I'm feeling fine now but I also made my 1-yr mark of not having a period this June so right now I'm in post-meno.

The Lexapro might not have been right for you. There are many other ADs out there and you have to try a different one sometimes. Many of us on this board are taking some kind of AD because there is nothing else that works. I recommend you get the books "The Pause" and "Before the Change." You have to start taking lots of vitamins and supplements, exercise daily too. You are smart to get a head start on all this..stay around on these boards too...there's a lot of info here!

There is no test that will show that you are in peri-menopause - your hormone levels will probably be normal at this time. You won't see a change until you haven't had a period for at least 6-9 mos.

P.S. Unless you have some issues, I wouldn't waste my time seeing a pysch. Also, most drs. don't have a clue as to what peri-symptoms can do to some of us! They think mood swings and hot flashes are the only things we get!

molly

SRMom · 09-10-2005, 11:25 AM

Hi jitteryme:

I'll be 46 next week and it sounds like we are sharing similar experiences, however I've had anxiety problems for ten years (maybe I've been in perimenopause for ten years??). I also suffer from menstrual migraines, terrible menstrual cramps and, lately, irregular periods. I too hope that this is the worst, but from what I've read about menopause, it's a whole other set of uncomfortable/painful symptoms. I've had a few hot flashes in the last couple of months, but they weren't that bad...I actually laughed through one of them because I couldn't believe how hot I was all of a sudden.

Anyway, here are my suggestions for you. For your palpitations, you can ask your doctor for a beta-blocker. I took Atenolol and it worked wonders, and even helped keep my anxiety at a manageable level (I had no panic attacks when on it). I have breast cysts also, even a couple of biopsies, but they are benign. They mostly hurt around my period, so I take a diuretic and Aleve to help with the bloated feeling. I take an over-the-counter diuretic, but you can get better ones from your doctor. They make you urinate more, but overall you feel better without the bloat. My experiences with antidepressants were horrible, like yours, so I don't want to go that route again. My gynecologist has suggested taking Sarafem for PMS/PMDD, because I get really cranky before my period. It is the same drug as Prozac, but you only take it for a few days out of the month. It has the potential to have the same side effects as the Paxil-from-hell I took for a month. I have chosen not to take it, but it is an option. If I get pain with muscle tension from stress, I sometimes take a muscle relaxer called Soma, usually only at bedtime. For anxiety, I take Xanax, but usually only when I think I'm going to have a panic attack or sometimes when I have PMS to help keep me from screaming at my family. They are so understanding...I don't deserve them, but they know it's not my fault and I go back to being normal after my period. I tried taking a low-dose birth control pill to regulate my period/mood/cramp/headaches/etc., actually two different kinds, but the side-effects were horrible (more migraines and I gained weight, to mention a few). I take other things for my migraines, but you didn't mention that so I won't go into that.

It seems like your biggest problem right now is the anxiety. I can't say if it will get worse or not, everyone is different. My anxiety is always higher around my period. If there are really stressful events (like the holidays, or my sister's divorce, for example) my anxiety skyrockets and I need to take more Xanax to get me through. I try to eliminate stress whenever I can (shopping online instead of the mall, for example), solve whatever problem keeps me up at night and that helps a lot. So, for me, anxiety is intermittent or cyclical.

Sorry for the long post. I hope you can find some relief. The people here are a great support and have wonderful suggestions, so you've come to the right place.

Best wishes

-SRMom