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[Rowan]

This is an excellent youtube by Dr Claire Weekes about anxiety, well worth watching.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XC8S_T3tGE

[warwick01]

Thanks for the link Silverlady

In 1989 I was diagnosed with having a nervous breakdown >:(read a lot of Clare Weeks books at that time. However let me tell the story.......

I had been on the CP from 1977 and although following the birth of my daughter in 1976 had no problems. I did suffer post natal depression after her birth. I never told anyone just carried on as I was scared I would be taken away some where. I can remember suffering phobias, panic attacks, all at the age of 18, I had no one to talk too.

After about 3/4 years of changing my CP things settled and I started to live a pretty normal life. I married, new job and my husband and I decided to try for a baby. I stopped taking the pill and went on holiday to spain. Oh my god what happened next?? I remember having night sweats and a cloud came over me where I just wanted to kill myself, the intrusive thoughts were horid (scary) we managed to get a flight home and my husband took me straight to the GP who gave me traquilsers, never asked about hormones.

I remember starting my period the day after my visit to the GP, then I felt better. The GP wouldn't have any of it and said I had suffered a nervous breakdown.

Fast forward.......... to meno? I'm 100 sure it's hormones that cause these problems in some women.

Sorry for the ramble Wx

[Bette]

I'm right in the middle of the worst anxiety and IBS attack I've had for years and am sure that it's hormonal. I never had anxiety before peri and interestingly it first appeared when I came off the bcp.  I'd started that  in my early teens for heavy painful periods and after a couple of years break went back onto it at 19 as pmt was unbearable (and I needed contraception by then.) The mood problems reappeared in my mid-40s with peri and I had several months between the bcp and HRT when things gradually went downhill with lots of meno symptoms and finally anxiety hit me like a truck. Thankfully it gradually settled as the HRT got into my system but now, 5 yrs later, it's back. Hopefully it's just a blip, possibly caused by dropping my HRT dose (which I've now upped again) but it's really scary feeling right back down again.
Bette x

[Dyan]

Warwick/ Bette for you both.
I'm suffering with anxiety so totally sympathise.

[warwick01]

Dyan - thanks for the hugs

Bette - It sure is hormonal. My opinion is some people (like me) are more sensitive.

The mystery for me is I keep being told I should be on a low dose of HRT at 55 but in my opinion although I'm sure I am post meno as symptoms have increased, I feel I need a higher dose. This is what confuses me??

You will get there

[Bette]

That's interesting, Warwick. When I first mentioned to my (meno and HRT savvy) GP about dropping my sequi dose in preparation for the lower dose conti Femoston, she agreed that it was worth a try but said that ladies often need a higher rather than lower dose when post meno. As with everything HRT, it seems different for everyone.
Thanks for the hugs, Dyan, sounds like we all need a
Bette x

[Hurdity]

The confusion re oestrogen dose arises I think because it depends where it is coming from - your own endogenous oestrogen or externally via HRT.

When you are in your fertile years then oestrogen can be very high at ovulation, but gradually declines overall the closer you get towards menopause. Many women during early peri may well find a small amount of added oestrogen is sufficient to eliminate symptoms including anxiety. However as you get closer towards menopause and your own oestrogen declines, and symptoms increase, then you need a higher dose in order to keep happy and symptom free (relatively).

As I mentioned on another thread, endogenous oestrogen continues to decline until about 2 years after the last period until it reaches a fairly constant low. At this time many women experience a resumption of symptoms and again need to up their dose. Of course these post-menopausal oestrogen levels are still much lower overall, when compared to the oestrogen levels in our bodies when we were fertile, even with HRT - but the HRT dose may still need increasing.

At the same time there is still pressure from the medical establishment to keep women on the lowest dose for the minimum length of time - with a view to coming off it say - at 60. Therefore women are being told to reduce the dose or keep at the same level despite an increase in symptoms!

As always there seems to be a sweet spot where women remain symptom-free, and this is different for everyone and varies according to the type of HRT, so need to take increases or decreases very carefully.

I would say - if any of you feel your anxiety (and other symptoms) may due to reduced oestrogen in your body at this time, then your doctor should consider increasing it (or at least not reducing it!) - taking into account your medical history and age and the overall risks as per this website!

Hurdity x

[Bette]

Thanks Hurdity. I'm very lucky in that my GP is quite happy for me to continue with HRT as long as it's right for me (when I first went on it she told me that she has patients on it in their 70s.) It seems to me that one of the (many!) strange things about HRT types and doses is the fact that Femoston (possibly the best tolerated tablet form) comes in higher doses for peri than for post meno  which is what led me to think that it was a good idea to try a lower sequi dose in preparation for going onto the conti version. 
Bette x

[warwick01]

Hi Hurdity.........thank you so much. I wonder if you have a medical backgoround? as you often give advice with a clinical explanation.

I personally find this site more informative than any medical proffesional I've seen.

Bette - interesting to get your GP's thoughts on this??? mine unfortunatly is lovely but not upto speed on meno stuff!

W

[Rowan]

I should have added that I posted the Claire Weekes link on anxiety not because it was connected to menopause or hormones.

Anxiety, panic disorder, health anxiety etc. can  affect anyone, at anytime and at any age, that's why I posted the link on the health section.

[Bette]

Sorry if I took your thread off-topic, Silverlady. I'm just so caught up in my anxiety atm (and tbh feeling quite desperate) that I just saw the thread title and posted. I did look at the link and found it helpful though, thanks.
Bette x

[honeybun]

I like the way Clair Weekes deals with anxiety. It's old fashioned but very relevant to what I feel.

I did have one of her books from the library and I think I will go and get it out to read again.

Thanks for the reminder SL.


Honeyb
x

[Rowan]

Dr Claire Weekes suffered from anxiety and panic disorder herself, her books and tapes are invaluable for anyone wanting to understand the illness.

Another recommendation is Charles Linden he also over came his panic disorder and anxiety. The course is expensive but include six CDs and a thick very informative book.

As far as I was concerned the panic eliminator CD alone was worth its weight in gold, I overcame my panic disorder without drugs, it wasn't  to do with menopause or lack of hormones, but caused by life events and being over whelmed by them. Health anxiety was a problem too including my partners.

Facing fears (that what anxiety is) doing something about it and realising that it won't harm or kill you is the key, distraction is another coping mechanism that works, it may sound too simplistic but it gives the brain something else to think about and helps the "old brain" to reset itself.

I do have the coping mechanisms now, I know what is going on, if I do have lapse I know it will pass. 

Just an after thought, Reiki self healing helped me too and I still do it nightly in bed before sleep of if I wake in the night with tummy discomfort.

[Hattie]

Thank you for the Charles Linden recommendation - i am looking this up online in a minute.

Someone on another forum has said that changing the subconscious mind has helped him heal from nerve pain -he stopped taking all drugs for pain relief.

Nerve pain is reduced by distraction but i find only temporary.

Sorry didn't mean this to go off subject again - i am beginning to have more faith in self healing than anything else at the moment.

Hattie X

[Hurdity]

Hey no-one should apologise for posting anything anywhere as long as it's relevant - topics wander about and as they get longer may just refer to the title rather than the original post!! 

I quite agree about trying to face fears and anxieties whatever the cause silverlady - it is a good habit to try to get into if possible, rather than succumb and be forever fearful as it is so restricting. As we have discussed on here hormones can play an important part in how we can cope with the worries and stresses of life events and especially as we approach menopause which is why both approaches can pay dividends. Try to sort out and treat the hormonal problems appropriately, and also find ways of dealing and coping with the anxieties that one experiences.

Talking of distraction - I was in a steam room (first ever experience of this for me!) with my daughter at the weekend in a London health club/gym place that my son is a member of, and a woman came in and lay down on the bench and started talking about ways of dealing with anxiety - this was because there was a freezing cold plunge pool beside the steam room.

She talked about two ways of dealing with anxiety - the first was to place your forehead in icy cold water - can't remember how long for, and the other was to doodle - hence the distraction. It sounded interesting but somewhat amusing idea - that you might be in a supermarket - or wherever you might feel anxious and suddenly whip out a pad and start scribbling 

warwick - not medical - but science degree and research, and I've just read a lot and I'm interested - all the info is out there. I try to give links where appropriate but not everyone wants to go back to sources!

Self-healing - I like it - with a little help from hormones too!!

Hurdity x