Hi Losingtheplot
I also had the very bad mornings, I'd wake with fear and dread with no apparent reason until my mind found something to attach it to. That sudden waking and dread / panic seemed to me linked to hot flushes / adrenaline surges and I must say, my hot flushes didn't go until I started the hrt. That said, despite the early side effects of citalopram., I did very soon (within days) get a feeling of calm wash over me from about lunchtime onwards. It's a bit of a conundrum as to what to start first, but if you think your anxiety in the morning has a hormonal origin, then you may be best to start with the hrt first and ask the GP for a beta blocker to take the edge off the mornings until it kicks in.
You have my sympathies though, I used to dread going to bed as I always felt better in the evening and knew that once I slept and woke up, I'd feel awful all over again. Will you update once you've been to the GP?