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[TropicalVon69]

Dose anyone else feel like their heart is shrivelling up....maybe its due to this constant anxiety.......woke up this morning at 6 with anxiety...tried to walk it off in the house, went back to bed and now waking after 8 it feels even worse.......its my daughters 9th birthday on Wed and cant even focus on that......taking my dad shopping today and the thought fills me with dread ads not working...just want to scream....I have diazepam but need to drive...dont know how muh longer I can take this to be honest

[westie]

Hi Tropicalvon

You poor thing, just wanted to send you a big hug.

This anxiety thing is just awful isn't it. Definitely the worst symptom of this meno journey. I am like you, waking in the night with heart racing and terrible anxiety. Have read that it can be due to a drop in blood sugar during the night so for last few days I have had a banana ( don't laugh) before I go to bed with a camomile tea and a couple of Kalms. Early days but It does seem to be helping.

Sometimes like you I feel life is just so overwhelming and things that I used to do without even thinking are just a real effort.

I don't think there are any magical solutions to all this I just wanted you to know that you're not alone. Am sure there will be other lovely ladies willing to share their experiences too.

Take care

W xx

[mmbecks]

Hello - I just wanted to let you know that I've woken up this morning with terrible anxiety as well - heart racing and feels like it could almost develop into a panic attack (overall sorts of things from deadlines at work, to having to tidy up the house which is like a bomb site, to how on earth am I going to manage Christmas!)  I'm afraid I don't know anything about Diazepam but hopefully others on this forum will and can help......I know it's not the same but I did use sleeping tablets quite a bit at one stage and honestly found that they made me feel worse the next day.  Does anyone out there know whether HRT helps with anxiety?  You are not alone.

[TropicalVon69]

Hi Westie......yeah banana at bedtime did make me lol...I did have weetabix before bed last night and a banana at 6 this morning.but didnt seem to help......worry about my daughters and the effect Im having on them...I used to take them out all the time and now we seem ti have an unhappy household which is messy...(used to be organised) and Im either anxious or crying....Hi MM...I'm also worried about doing Christmas and worried about my teenage daughter as shes quite withdrawn.....right now I feel like a total failure as a mum and no dads on the scene to help.....youngests dad  died and eldests dad is an alcoholic.....thanks for the replies...it means so much to know other women understand

[TropicalVon69]

MM would love to know if Hrt would help too but still have periods and dont know if will be prescribed it  XXX

[Machair]

I am 100% sure this is due to hormones. I know this as I have had patches of it - not all the time and not related to life events or outside stresses.

Typical scenario for me when it happens is that I wake at 5am in a pool of sweat, get up feel panic stricken, full of adrenaline and have an urgent need to use the bathroom for bowels. Now not many talk about this but I think it should be mentioned, as I have a friend who also gets this in perimenopause and we have supported each other. It can be very difficult to manage in situations such as holidays or if you have morning appointments. It isn't IBS- it is related to adrenaline surges caused by drops in oestrogen which are most pronounced in the early morning between 5 and 6am.

Balancing blood sugars does help. I have a sugar monitor and keep a check on levels anyway as I like to make sure I'm not going diabetic.

I know it is hormonal as sometimes it disappears altogether and I don't feel at all anxious. On a bad day it can render me close to a toilet all morning which is very hard to cope with. I had this on an early morning flight last year when I had to rush to catch it. I woke up knowing it was going to be a bad day and it was.

These are the symptoms of menopause that are rarely talked about. This is why this forum is vital.

[mmbecks]

Machair - that is really interesting! I definitely get all the symptoms you describe.  I am taking oestrogel and Utrogestan and really hoping that it will improve.  Is there anything we can do about the blood sugars - I wonder if that would help?

[Machair]

I have CFS/ME and I have to make sure I don't use glucose to keep going when I am in a relapse so balancing blood sugars are key. It also helps with the fight or flight symptoms we see in menopause. You have to eat enough protein. Almonds going to bed are good because they help with this. I think the best place to get help for this issue is in the article here.http://alexbarton.co.uk/nutrition-and-cfsme/

I know this article is for patients with ME, but a dysfunctional autonomic nervous system occurs in the disease and the symptoms can be similar to what we see in menopause.

I have a blood glucose monitor and I check my levels every so often to make sure they are rock steady. It is quite interesting to do this as you can see the effect on the glucose of eating certain foods, and it can help to aim for a steady normal level day and night and to avoid the morning panic as levels fall at dawn. This can result in panic which on top of menopause anxiety from hormonal drops is dreadful.

[TropicalVon69]

Thanks for your input Machair.....doea anyone know if you can buy hrt treatment anywhere?

[Kathleen]

Hello ladies.

I am another one who feels that anxiety is the worst symptom of the menopause. I also get the early morning surge of adrenalin and my bowels are always affected. The last few weeks I've been feeling brighter and calmer but today I'm on edge again, the only possible reason is hormones.

TropicalVon  I am sure HRT would be available to you even though you are still having periods. There are many knowledgeable ladies on this site who can advise you but if I were you I would definately make an appointment with your GP.

Take care, you are not alone.

K.

[TropicalVon69]

Hi...I have an appointment on thursday but not sure if I can wait that long to be honest....the doc did hormone tests in June which were normal but did a home test kit and said menopausal a couple of weeks ago.....Thanks Kathleen some all of us, I am just at the end of my tether and only been a few months...God please help us  XXX

[Taz2]

Hi Tropical. There is no reason why you couldn't be prescribed HRT while still having periods. I started HRT at age 53 while still having fairly regular ones. I agree with Kathleen that you should ask your GP if you feel this would help you.

Taz x

[toffeecushion]

get up feel panic stricken, full of adrenaline and have an urgent need to use the bathroom for bowels. Now not many talk about this but I think it should be mentioned, as I have a friend who also gets this in perimenopause and we have supported each other. It can be very difficult to manage in situations such as holidays or if you have morning appointments. It isn't IBS- it is related to adrenaline surges caused by drops in oestrogen which are most pronounced in the early morning between 5 and 6am.


These are the symptoms of menopause that are rarely talked about. This is why this forum is vital.

I am so glad to read this, if you know what I mean.  I am like this a lot, not just first thing in the morning.  I feel very edgy and jittery, like an adrenalin rush and I need to go to the toilet, then I start to calm down.  Is this really perimenopause?  I would love it to be but haven't read anything about it online.

[mmbecks]

Machair - I'll print the nutritional advice at the link you've given - really helpful, thanks so much. 

[Machair]

To be of more help have a look on Amazon at the book Menopause For Dummies and use the "search inside" feature. Type in Adrenaline and look at page 35 in the box. This section explains the biology behind the symptoms. It is incredible and exactly what we are suffering from and why.

I did buy the book but I let it go as I am not keen on most of it - the bit I read on page 35 was all I needed to feel normal and the wonderful ladies on here helped too!