Perimenopause with Anxiety, Agraphobia and Panic Attacks!

[ainfante]

Ok ladies, anyone want to join in, join in. Some of us have insurance, others don't. Anxiety with perimenopause can leave us feeling really alone and panicky. So we are going to begin our session here by helping each other on this board get through every pain and agony from perimenopause to anxiety all the way to not wanting to leave your home to panic attacks!

Today, I went out to the store, had to shop for my daughters camp belongings. I was in the store and doing well. First time in almost 4 months that I went to the store and actually spent a good hour or more in there. At times I felt nervous, but just took deep breathes from the diaphram, and for the ones who don't know how to do this, look up anxiety on a search engine and learn to breath from the diaphram. Also know that the body has its own rythm of breathing, so no matter how hyperventilate or tight from feeling as though you can't breathe, you can and your body will always kick in and take over, so don't try to control it. If you have to breathe shallow, breath shallow, eventually your mind will throw your breathing into normal due to the fact it wants to wash out all the carbon dioxide from the body. So breathe and don't concentrate on it. Let your belly expand on breathing in and shrink down when breathing out. Now, I went to get something to eat with a friend and noticed I felt sleepy and my head felt spacey. I began to feel a little panicky and said to myself, okay, if you're going to have a panic attack then I will sit back and watch you. Face, Accept, Desensitize (do not get into your body and what it is doing) and then let time pass. If you have Xanax, keep it with you at all times, just incase you feel a bit jittery after it's all over with. Well, didn't have a panic attack. Made it through.

On the spacey, dizzy feeling or equiliberium, if you been checked out by a doctor and everything is normal, then walk pass this feeling. Just keep walking as if it doesn't bother you. Don't let your body fool you by letting it think it's gotten the best of you, this will cause adrenaline fear adrenaline response and make everything worse or give you a panic attack.

Let's work together, from IBS to acid reflex to pains and anxiety. We can do this, we can share and tell each other what helped us through that moment. Just remember, every perimenopause symptom that is bothering you is being aggravated more by anxiety. Let's work together. Now, if you post and noone has an answer for you immediately, don't panic, we will be on here to help each other soon enough. Just be patient and let time pass.

God Bless,

Andrea

[jacqbu]

You are right we need to stick together and help each other. I think this is the hardest time I have been through. Had a panic attack at 1:30am last night. Woke up and just out of the blue. I hate waking up feeling nervous in the mornings. Anyone else do that? Reading these boards has really helped me because you realize you are not crazy. I started HRT yesterday. Hope it helps plus been taking Zoloft for 2 1/2 weeks.
God Bless,
Jacqueline

[ainfante]

Originally Posted by jacqbu

You are right we need to stick together and help each other. I think this is the hardest time I have been through. Had a panic attack at 1:30am last night. Woke up and just out of the blue. I hate waking up feeling nervous in the mornings. Anyone else do that? Reading these boards has really helped me because you realize you are not crazy. I started HRT yesterday. Hope it helps plus been taking Zoloft for 2 1/2 weeks.
God Bless,
Jacqueline

It take the Zoloft 4-6 weeks to work. It took Prozac sometime to work for me. You might want to pick up the book Hope and Help For Your Nerves by Dr. Claire Weekes. Also her second book, Peace From Nervous Suffering, by Dr. Claire Weekes. These books really help. Yes, you have perimenopause but this will not be enough for you. You need to accept that you have anxiety with it and once you face, accept, not concentrate on the sensitations your body is fooling you with from adrenaline then let time pass. Taking hormone supplementation may not be enough. Also, you might want to read the book called "The Pause". No, you're not crazy and you cannot go crazy with anxiety. IT seems so at times when the mind raises. But you are not going crazy. It's because you are a sensitive person and intelligent and creative that you have experienced anxiety with perimenopause. I would also suggest that you find a therapist to talk to. You will find this to be the most wonderful experience to be able to release. Even if it is just about perimenopause. My therapist and I talk all the time about perimenopause between other subjects. Give the Zoloft more time to work and then also begin to work on accepting your anxiety. Read up on it, as much as you can and accept. This is the beginning of healing from it. Let me know your stages and how you are feeling and we go from there. It's not been easy for me either and these boards are great. KC is going to jump in this too, she liked the idea that we help each other and the more who participate, the better. But what I would like to do, is not just vent about this, but for us to get out and work with ourselves both outside and inside without concentrating heavily on our ailments with peri but to search and share what helped us through that moment. If we have a panic attack, then we have one and share the experience. Then one of us who've been through it can give suggestions on how to accept the next one until there aren't anymore panic attacks with perimenopause and our hormones can relax a bit. I have had many awakening panic attacks. They are very scarey. I have awakened almost for 3 months of so with rage early in the morning or an adrenaline surge where I would be so nervous I just had to get up and pace. I'm not saying that you will never have a panic/anxiety attack like when it is close to your period or hormone changes, etc. Some can't be avoided, but you will learn that you are not crazy and how to deal with them if they were to sneak up on you suddenly. Panic attacks do that. I'm sure I'm not finished with them, but you must ride it through and not run from it or you create secondary fear. Then it becomes adrenaline fear adrenaline. You aren't going to hurt yourself, the adrenaline is only going to pump up so high before another safety kicks in and begin to counterattack it. Let's begin.

God Bless,

Andrea

[twanger]

I understand that we can have panic attacks in peri, but what about generalized anxiety? Some of us have had anxiety at different times in our life, but it seems with menopause my anxiety is now 24/7. Is there anything to relieve this or at least put a dent into it. I hope so.

[ainfante]

Originally Posted by twanger

I understand that we can have panic attacks in peri, but what about generalized anxiety? Some of us have had anxiety at different times in our life, but it seems with menopause my anxiety is now 24/7. Is there anything to relieve this or at least put a dent into it. I hope so.

Hi Twanger, yeap that's me. I'm pretty much generalized now with peri. You need to do the same as you would do for panic attacks. Sometimes you will need totake meds while going through desensitization, but you need to handle it the same as panic attacks and stress.

Andrea