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[rosie17]

Hello Ladies-

I haven't posted much on this site, but read it all the time. I'm in a very bad spot right now and thought I would ask for some advice.

I'm in the U.S., will soon be 63, last period 9-10 years ago. I dabbled with HRT a little in the past, but fear of cancer always made me stop. I now know that the early studies were seriously flawed and I feel cheated that maybe my life would have been a little easier if I had started HRT a long time ago.

Perimopause was very hard for me, it's when my anxiety problems started, but I managed to live a fairly normal life, even got married again after 10 years single. Then about 5 years ago, I began to fall apart. It happened slowly but surely – monthly episodes of extreme anxiety, loss of appetite, no energy, fatigue, etc. My doctor and I decided that a low dose of HRT might be helpful, especially since I have osteoporosis. I have half-heartedly used it, I guess that fear is still lurking in the background.

In the last 6 months or so, things have been worse with anxiety off the charts with adrenaline surges so fierce I almost pass out. When I was at the doctor's office 2 weeks ago, I was having surges and my blood pressure had skyrocketed, something like 179/90. She gave me a prescription for metoprolol 100mg, stating that my heart needs a break from working so hard. My blood pressure has normally been in the low 120s/low 70s. I've been using tiny pieces of Xanax to take the edge off (0.25 mg tabs cut into quarters), and usually one prescription for 30 pills will last me over a year. However, lately I've had to double up on the Xanax to calm myself down.

I have read many times on here that a lot of you ladies take beta blockers for anxiety. How exactly does this work? Do you take the beta blocker every day so the anxiety doesn't happen at all or do you take it when you feel the anxiety coming on? I seem to have background anxiety going on all the time nowadays – for absolutely no reason. My doctor told me I could start off taking half a metoprolol as I'm very sensitive to meds. 

I have a home BP monitor and now I'm obsessed about what my blood pressure is doing, which just creates more anxiety. I also don't want to take Xanax if I don't have to, so was wondering if the metoprolol would be just as good. Maybe cut the metoprolol into quarters and take a quarter a couple times a day? I'm almost convinced that my high blood pressure is due to anxiety plus a lack of estrogen. I'm also determined to keep using the HRT to see if it may help. Any advice you could give would be greatly appreciated.

[AG]

Hi,

I am 48y and have never had a blood pressure issue before until recently when it surged with anxiety and other hormonal imbalances at times. BP fluctuated badly initially and I had no idea that this can be due to more sever peri menopause symptoms. I initially got some blood pressure tablets to take and also monitored blood pressure but I now do this less frequently and for me it is very clear whenever I have some hormone imbalances my blood pressure is affected (not as much now as I do know it is due to peri menopause and I keep calmer about it). A number of other ladies I know all had blood pressure sky rocket during hormone fluctuations and anxiety in particular. Consistently high blood pressure is dangerous but I believe it is also not good to become anxious about BP since this makes it increase on its own. I am a runner and also walk to work and exercise is the best thing I found in helping addressing peri symptoms from my perspective. Also, I recently found that a low dose of magnesium and B6 in particular seems to help in balancing fluctuating hormones. This is not medical advice as I am not a GP but just my perspective. Anna

[rosie17]

Thank you, AG. I know I need to exercise a lot more than I do - mostly I take long walks on the beach, which helps at the time I'm doing it, but then the anxiety comes roaring back. I also developed severe health anxiety through the years - every little twinge in my body floors me.

When I turned 60, I was sure I was heading toward the other side of menopause, but it has only gotten worse, which I don't understand. I've had loads of blood tests and scans and everything is fine. I sat down one day and made a list of all my symptoms and came up with 28. I cry whenever I think of the strong, confident, healthy woman I used to be. This isn't how I pictured my golden years, a scared, blubbering hermit wracked with pain. Most of the positive articles and research studies I've come across always include the words "for women under 60..."

Is it too late for me as far as HRT? Will this help? Anyone else start HRT around my age and get relief?

[CLKD]

Betablockas supposedly stop anxiety surges.  I take 20mg Propranolol at night.  However, a friend has the exact opposite reaction, it makes her hyper for 3-4 days after 1 dose of 40mg 

One is not aware of a high blood pressure.  Maybe buy a home monitor and use at the same time daily, make notes?  Oh, see you've done that  [nearly midnight here].   B4 eating is important.

How long does the 'Xanax' take to work for you?  I have an emergency tablet which I know works within 20 mins. so I don't need to take any more.  It either knocks me out so that I sleep or it calms me.   Cutting back means that the body isn't getting the correct measured dose which encourages sufferers to take more .......... when are you feeling the worst?

[rosie17]

Xanax usually takes about 30 minutes or so to work. Like I said, I cut my 0.25 mg tabs into quarters and previously 1 of those little pieces (0.0625 mg) would do the trick for me. Lately, though, I've been having to take 2 pieces (0.125 mg) to calm me down. There isn't a time of day that's worse for me...it seems to hit me at different times. My husband and I just went shopping and I was fighting off tears and anxiety the whole time.

It could be that I'm in the middle of one of my "pit of despair" moments, as I call them. Every single month for the last 5 years I have 4-5 day episodes where the anxiety and stomach-in-knots feeling are so overwhelming that I can't function. Then it goes away and I'm 'normal' again. Just like when I had PMS years ago, but much, much worse. Maybe this is just an extra long episode that I haven't come out of yet, although they've never lasted this long. It makes me wonder if my body is still having hormone fluctuations...is that possible after all these years postmenopause?

I don't really like Xanax as I get a hangover effect with slight headache. That's why I was asking about the beta blocker - does it work as well as Xanax or something similar? I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the HRT will kick in and I won't have to depend so much on something to calm me down.

[Wilks]

Hi, sorry to hear you're feeling so awful. I'm not a medical doctor and don't want to tell you what to do, but I do know a lot about medication through my job. If you're getting high blood pressure it would be worth trying the beta blockers. You take them every day rather than when you feel an anxiety attack coming on. Plus, Xanax is addictive so I would steer clear of that for anything but very occasional use.

[Burchers]

Hi I'm 47 and I was hit by crippling anxiety 2 years ago. I to can have it constantly in the background. My gp put me on the beta blocker Propanol 40mg 3 times a day.

I'm also sensitive to medication and also suffer with Colitis.
Some Beta Blockers are slow release and work throughout the day mine are not that's why I take them three times a day.

They do help .
I think my problem is my AD is not suiting me and that's why I'm not getting the full benefit of my HRT.
My doctor wants to try sorting one thing at a time.

Hope you feel better soon xx

[rosie17]

Thank you so much, ladies! I can't tell you how many times I've been stressed out by a symptom and found relief on this site when I read about how many other women are going through the same thing...it's been a real lifeline.

I took my first dose of beta blocker this morning and will see how it goes. My doctor told me I would only need to use it temporarily - she knows how long I've suffered with anxiety and just wants to relieve some of the strain on my heart until I get the anxiety controlled. I'm also using L-theanine and SAMe for mood control, along with hibiscus tea and olive leaf extract to help my blood pressure.I also put my BP machine out of sight so it doesn't haunt me. I'll bring it out every now and then to see how my blood pressure is doing.

I found a copy of "Hope and Help for Your Nerves" by Claire Weekes that I'm going to study. I sobbed through the first 2 pages because she was describing my life at the moment. I think this will really help. I've heard nothing but great things about her books and CDs.

Wilks, I too know a bit about medications as I spent over 20 years as a medical transcriptionist and medical records editor, probably the main reason I'm suspicious of doctors and meds....just throw a pill at whatever symptom develops, then prescribe a different pill to counteract the side effects of the other pill, and on and on.

But I'll give the beta blocker a go, along with the HRT that I recently started. Maybe I'll get through to the other side yet! Again, thank you all so much - you're great!!

[Wilks]

I'm suspicious of certain meds too! Especially when you end up taking meds to address the side effects of other meds, and so on!

[CLKD]

I have to take my meds for Life  .  If they work why change the regime?