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[Tempest]

Hi, ladies

Just popping by because I've recently been advised about the phenomena that IS auras!! I know a lot of you think you may have developed non stop anxiety, but the 'aura' as it is known is a particularly rotten little devil that you may not be aware of!

These are feelings of 'uneasiness' that happen before a hot flush is due, and can also happen without a flush happening at all! Why do they happen? Who knows!!! I've been tracking mine and now I realise that I DON'T suffer from unrelenting anxiety, it's a definite phenomena! Now I have been able to 'track' these, it's given me a great deal of peace of mind (and yes - they do even happen on HRT)!

Try tracking yours - you may be surprised. If you know what they are and don't react to them so much it may just help you to know that you're not going insane, it's just part of this whole menopause rollercoaster.

Hugs,

Tempest xxx

[Taz2]

That's interesting Tempest. Have you got any links we can read? I've only heard of Auras in relation to migraine before. I get these but I also get the horrible feelings just before a hot flush (caused by a sudden increase in adrenaline I believe) but this is totally different from the migraine aura.

Thanks for posting about it.

Taz x

[Kathleen]

Hello Tempest.

I think the 'uneasiness' that you describe has been referred to by other ladies as a feeling of dread that comes over them before the hot flush begins. I experience these as a kind of power surge and in the section on emotional symptoms my trusty meno book talks about 'subtle sensations such as trembling, fluttering, unease and discomfort with more severe feelings of anxiety or panic arising with little provocation'.

Since this blooming meno lark began I would say I have constant anxiety but in truth there are times in the day when it just disappears and I feel normal, sometimes even relaxed before another episode begins. Annoyingly whenever I wake at night I feel calm but the horrible feelings always return in the morning.

It will be interesting to see what other ladies make of your comments and of course the 64 million dollar question is how do we rid ourselves of the rotten things!

Take care.

K.

[Annie0710]

I bet these are the adrenaline rushes I get when I'm dropping off to sleep! Can't be anxiety as I'm almost asleep

This does make sense although I've not had flushes I've heard women say they can feel 'funny' immediately before one x

[nearly50]

That's interesting,   it reminds me of how I felt on the two occasions I've fainted. Horrible feeling.

[Elizabethrose]

Hi Tempest

I've only heard of auras in relation to migraine too. I experience some sort of adrenal surge before a flush hits: during the day I just 'know' a flush is building but at night I wake very suddenly and am completely and totally awake before the flush hits. It can leave me awake for hours but thankfully I don't get the horrible sweating that some women experience or anxiety.

I had a conversation with Menomale about this but her posts were removed so I can't point you in that direction I'm afraid. I read that just as our 'heating thermostat' is affected by peri/meno so too are the adrenal glands thus the release of adrenaline at odd times. My moods are not affected by these surges but I know some women suffer terribly with anxiety which this surge seems to cause so at night they can wake and feel wildly anxious.

Menomale had posted some links detailing this. I'll see if I can find and post any relevant info, I did investigate her links so I may have a record of them.

Do you suffer with migraine Tempest? It appears to be quite common that silent migraine are aggravated by peri: that's aura/prodrome symptoms without the migraine headache. Irritability and a feeling of uneasiness, along with a million other weird and whacky things, can be a symptom of prodrome. If I wake feeling like a bear with a sore head I know I have a migraine building. For those with silent migraine, if not recognised and diagnosed, the symptoms can be very confusing and alarming. Not all auras are ocular which most people would associate with migraine. x

[Mojo61]

Hello Tempest.

I think the 'uneasiness' that you describe has been referred to by other ladies as a feeling of dread that comes over them before the hot flush begins. I experience these as a kind of power surge and in the section on emotional symptoms my trusty meno book talks about 'subtle sensations such as trembling, fluttering, unease and discomfort with more severe feelings of anxiety or panic arising with little provocation'.

Since this blooming meno lark began I would say I have constant anxiety but in truth there are times in the day when it just disappears and I feel normal, sometimes even relaxed before another episode begins. Annoyingly whenever I wake at night I feel calm but the horrible feelings always return in the morning.

It will be interesting to see what other ladies make of your comments and of course the 64 million dollar question is how do we rid ourselves of the rotten things!

Take care.

K.

You've described my symptoms to a T Kathleen! Been like it for a year now except for 2 weeks in October when I went on holiday to Lanzarote and it completely disappeared, and I mean completely, after the first day or so. It stayed away for 2 weeks and it was absolute paradise, like winning the lottery, but as soon as I got back to the UK it returned overnight. I couldn't believe it as I really thought it had gone for good.

[Elizabethrose]

Hello Tempest.

I think the 'uneasiness' that you describe has been referred to by other ladies as a feeling of dread that comes over them before the hot flush begins. I experience these as a kind of power surge and in the section on emotional symptoms my trusty meno book talks about 'subtle sensations such as trembling, fluttering, unease and discomfort with more severe feelings of anxiety or panic arising with little provocation'.

Since this blooming meno lark began I would say I have constant anxiety but in truth there are times in the day when it just disappears and I feel normal, sometimes even relaxed before another episode begins. Annoyingly whenever I wake at night I feel calm but the horrible feelings always return in the morning.

It will be interesting to see what other ladies make of your comments and of course the 64 million dollar question is how do we rid ourselves of the rotten things!

Take care.

K.

Hi Kathleen,

I think you posted at the same time as me and I missed your comment. Menomale had posted some links which I read that led to other studies, one of which suggested that the adrenal glands were affected by blood sugar levels. It was implied that frequent and very regular eating patterns could help 'manage' the surges. I suppose eating little and often, concentrating on slow release carbs. These surges only cause a problem to me when I'm sleeping as they wake me dramatically and it's impossible to return to sleep. I've been eating a slow release carb just before bedtime which has helped enormously. I still wake before the night flushes but am able to go back to sleep now. If this helps me at night, could eating little and often help you with these surges through the day I wonder? Worth a try?

I've tried searching for the studies and links Menomale had posted but can't find them - sorry my brain isn't up to much today. x

[Yahana]

This is fascinating.  Thank you Tempest and everyone.  I experienced migraine auras during perimenopause with zigzag colourful lights and partial loss of vision; missing parts of people's faces etc.. but I haven't had one since being in menopause (touch wood).  However all the things you all describe - the rush of adrenaline, waking up at night before a hot flush, the momentary feeling of unease are things that I have been experiencing for the last couple of years (now 55 and 3 1/2 years post meno) - feelings that would fit into what you describe as the weird and whacky things of prodrome Elizabethrose - perfect!  Thank you!  In fact I was wondering about this very connection the other day, as I've noticed on a couple of occasions that after having had a really bad day with those feelings I've felt the same kind of exhaustion afterwards that I used to feel after a migraine. 
Very interested in the idea of keeping the blood sugar stable - I had been starting to join the dots on that one too... I have been carrying dried fruit and nuts around with me for that reason. Will try it out more and notice how it goes.  Thanks very much.
Tempest, it's great that knowing about it makes you feel better.  It really helps I know - takes some of the fear away.  I've been reading your posts and am really glad to hear you sounding good. All the best xx

[Elizabethrose]

Yahana, there was a recent thread about silent migraine that may be of interest to you. menomale's posts are missing so it may seem a little disjointed. This is the link to it.

http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,33983.0.html

[Hurdity]

I agree with stabilising blood sugar - and as a sidetrack to migraines - when I get one although I feel somewhat nauseous (not severely ) I crave carbs/sugar which I normally eat in very small amounts.

In terms of blood sugar levels generally - it would be wise for all peri-menopausal women to change their diet to stabilise blood sugar levels - it stands to reason that it is bad enough having to cope with physiological and emotional changes due to hormonal fluctuations without having to contend with others that we are able to control more easily.

On other threads women have complained about feelings of faintness, jitteriness etc and several of us have posted about blood sugar. Your body will thank you for controlling it in the long term and especially if you are overweight.

I know I talk about this quite a lot on and off but it involves cutting out sugar as much as possible from your diet (apart from some fresh fruit and maybe a little juice or occasional small treats) as well as refined carbs - eg potatoes, rice, pasta, bread, biscuits, sweets, cakes, sugary drinks, and if you do eat high carb foods - make sure they are slow release like wholemeal bread, wholewheat pasta, muesli etc - and even better start to cut them out of meals completely and replace with low fat protein, beans, nuts, veg, yogurt etc.

Sorry Tempest this is probably completely off topic but I really think all women should be doing this if they suffer at all from mood swings or any strange feelings - apart from using HRT or other cycle control mechanisms - we can't do so much about the cycling hormones but we can at least make sure our energy centre and metabolism can function as best it can without unnecessary insulin spikes, blood sugar surges etc.

I'll get off my soap-box now   

Re adrenaline and stress - it goes without saying to try to make sure one's life becomes less stressful if possible and learn ways to relax without letting things worry you (easier said than done I know for some people) - so that less adrenaline is released.

I have read that oestrogen and progesterone also have differential effects on blood sugar and the changing levels of both of them are often noticeable in terms of hunger and blood sugar....I think for some women more than others (eg me!).

Hurdity x

[lorrapaw]

I get this a lot. I sometimes even wake up with it. I thought it was just anxiety as i suffer from depression and anxiety.

[Tempest]

Sparkle, this too! I've found a partial cure for this. Good old fashioned......HORLICKS. Yes, it works! The old stuff, which you mix with milk and has the added vitamins. Not the 'instant' variety. The waking shakes are no where near as bad! And yes......I KNOW it contains a BIT of sugar, but hell - if it works! Our Grandparents can't have been wrong.......😊😊

I'll put some links up to info. on menopause 'aura's' as soon as I can gather together the best ones. This is definitely nothing to do with migraines, and are referred to as 'aura's' in the literature that consist of feelings of uneasiness/anxiety/dread. So, it's normal for menopause! No less scary, absolutely horrible but NORMAL none the less. Which just goes a wee way to making us feel slightly less bonkers. Maybe.😉😉

And I still miss Menomale - she used to post some good links on some of the more unusual menopause stuff. I hope she's still out there, and doing ok......Sending you hugs Menomale if you're ever quietly dropping by and reading this. xxxx

[Tempest]

Skimming through our own MM archives I found this thread which discusses this phenomena, and also links to other related threads so I thought I'd start with this as it's pretty comprehensive......

http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/forum/index.php'topic=14483.0

I personally think this subject should be 'stickied' - it would save a lot of newcomers a LOT of added anxiety as I see this posted about so often, mostly with a heading of 'Am I Going Mad'? Or similar. 

[Lizab]

So what is to be done for it? To me, it's different than low blood sugar, though easily confused. I put on a bit of extra weight stuffing my face every time it happened until I figured out it had nothing to do with hunger. I've always needed to eat proteins regularly or had ill effects. I do seem to be more prone to low sugar effects at certain times in the cycle, whether it's during progesterone phase or estrogen only, I haven't noted. But the "aura" can really hit anytime. Do antidepressants/anti-anxiety meds help? And do they vanish when post-menopausal?