Anxiety and other symptoms

[MenopausalMayhem]

I'm looking for any suggestions or advice from others who have been down this path ...

For the past couple of years I have been plagued by a stress-related condition that I used to have very occasionally but now seems almost constant. I also feel stressed and anxious in a way that I have never done before, even at times when life (frankly) was tougher than it is now. After some Googling, I am coming to the view that the anxiety is somehow menopause-related (I hadn't made the connection before).

What to do for the best? Will the anxiety subside when the other menopausal symptoms do? Is it worth taking any of the many supplements that seem to be on the market? Do they work?

I will go and see my GP but navigating the appointment system will take some time. Ho hum.

[thornrose]

My experience is that I never suffered from anxiety until I entered peri menopause.

I had almost a year without a period. During that time I suffered night sweats and hot flushes and horrendous anxiety.

I kept waking in the night convinced I was going to have a heart attack. I felt I was watching myself, which is I believe disassociation, I had to check in a mirror to see if I was actually there

My periods have come back and all the symptoms mentioned above have gone. I am convinced the anxiety is related to hormones/ menopause but I'm not sure how.

I have yet to take any supplements but if/when this happens again I won't hesitate to do so.

[Selba]

Very interesting and timely.
I have had a similar thing and have roaches the same conclusion.


I am considering going to my GP to ask about HRT. My web search suggests it is mainly prescribed for relief of hot flushes , but I don't get those.

My symptoms are overwhelming fatigue and low level anxiety .

[bella65]

Can you define what you mean by 'anxiety'?

Many of my friends are meno age but I haven't met anyone who suffers from anxiety at meno. I have one friend who had thoughts about her mortality and became a little more 'thoughtful' about long car journeys and risks, but that was it.

Maybe if you can define anxiety, then you can take some action to help yourself? Are you worried about going out and doing things- or is it more morbid thoughts, or even a lack of confidence?

I think it's important to try to work out what's going on- and whether it's hormonal or a lack of confidence that can hit many people mid life.

Things like meditation, CBT and counselling can help anxiety if it's nothing to do with hormones.

[MenopausalMayhem]

Thank you.

I have been for CBT (somewhat against my better judgement, but I felt I had to show my employer that I was doing everything I could to get well and get back to work). The fact that it hasn't helped much is one of the things that makes me think the underlying cause is hormonal.

I don't want to say much about my symptoms because, despite a name change, I'm concerned about outing myself. But I have a low mood, am very prone to worrying about aspects of daily life and (as I mentioned) a long-dormant, occasional stress-related condition is now almost constant.

Thank you for sharing your ideas and experiences.

[BastardDog]

I have had anxiety problems on and off since I was a teenager. Much more off than on though.

Last year my anxiety became an issue though and didn't subside in response to my normal self help ways of dealing with it. [Wine] Then the night sweats started and the hot flushes. I was only 45 so my meno alarm bells weren't ringing. I was still having intermittent periods, but had noticed skin and hair changes too. I just generally didn't feel myself at all, very out of sorts.

I went to the GP, he put me on HRT and the anxiety, hot flushes and night sweats subsided within a couple of weeks. I still get the odd hot flush, maybe once or twice a week. My hair is back to normal and my skin is probably the best it's ever been. I haven't had a period for a few months, I don't know if the HRT does that or if its part of the natural progression.

My GP said getting "rages" is another common sign, but I didn't have those.

[mercibucket]

please also ask for a thyroid blood test

symptoms include tiredness, anxiety, slow hair and nail growth, night sweats, feeling cold, aches and pains

v v common at our age

also check the result yourself. tsh over 3 is v suspicious, it would be treated in the usa, but not here

[mercibucket]

oh yes, those are other symptoms too, erratic periods, breakthro bleeding, terrible rages and pmt

[bella65]

MM are you able to reveal a little more without outing yourself?

If the issues you have are long term then it's debatable whether it's hormonal.

Why do you say you had CBT against your better judgement? It can be very successful if the client and therapist really click, but it comes down to the client working on their issues and trying to take the necessary steps - did it help at all?

What kind of things do you worry about? I think worry is normal- so maybe you are beating yourself up over things which everyone worries about. I think there is sometimes a feeling that stress and worry is something to be treated, whereas it's actually part of normal life, unless it becomes so bad that someone is housebound or cannot function.

What about your stress related illness? Are you able to give clues- it may well be linked to stress but the answer is to get to the root of why you are stressed. Behaviour changes through something like CBT can work, as can counselling, if you are being held back by irrational fears.

I think it is common for women- and men- to lose confidence mid life, but how much of this is down to hormones, is hard to say.

Do you look after yourself generally- have a good life-work balance, eat well, exercise etc?
Do you have close friends who you can talk to about this anxiety and they can maybe support and help you to get over it a bit?

I don't think there are any supplements that would work- if it's oestrogen deficiency then HRT is what you need.

[MenopausalMayhem]

Thank you again for your input.

When I say I had CBT against my better judgement, it's because in some ways I would have preferred a more 'talking' therapy, but I do try to follow its techniques and it has been of some help.

You're right, of course, Bella, about getting to the bottom of why I am stressed. That is why I think a more discursive therapy/intervention could have helped. But the thing that has just recently struck me is that I lost the ability to shrug off day-to-day stresses (as I mentioned, the stress-related condition had been in abeyance for years but has come back and is now persistent) at pretty much the time my periods stopped and so I wonder whether there is a causal link there, more than coincidental timing.

I am taking steps to improve my work-life balance and lifestyle, but they're pretty good.

[bella65]

How long ago did your periods stop?

I didn't realise you were post-meno. Do you feel able to share your stress related illness here? If it is something like a skin condition, which can be stress related, then these definitely have a hormonal link in many women. The same might be true of something like IBS or any 'gut' condition.

Without knowing what the condition is, it's hard to offer you some ideas and help. Is the condition making you stressed- or is stress making it worse? What do you become stressed about? You may find that even writing it down here on a forum helps you get some perspective.

Have you thought about finding a counsellor yourself and having some sessions?

Have you any other meno symptoms if your periods have stopped? Did you have any?

[MenopausalMayhem]

Hello again.

I didn't really notice when my periods stopped (about 18 months ago, I think) but I still get hot flushes and night sweats. My health problem is a 'gut' one and I think it's becoming cyclical, in that I am now stressing about being I'll.

I had been thinking about finding a counsellor and will revisit that once I've seen my GP.

[bella65]

Do you have something like IBS? If so, there are some new treatments around based on diet.

But if it's made worse by being anxious all the time then the answer is to try to control the anxiety- maybe by yoga, meditation, hypnotherapy ?

If you don't have any real issues why you couldn't try HRT it might be worth trying it for a few months to see if it helps all the problems. You see you can't really prove your symptoms are made worse by the menopause but you can see if you improve by taking HRT!

[MenopausalMayhem]

I am already modifying my diet. HRT is top of my list for discussion with the GP. I have never liked the idea of it (have worried about the side-effects) but think I now need to consider all the options.

[bella65]

if you have worries about HRT please do read the //www.menopausematters.co.uk website and the green left hand menu- about HRT.

Please also see the info on the home page- will try to link for you here - as many GPs are sadly out of touch with new recommendations for HRT and are still prescribing or not on the old guidelines which are now 10 years out of date.

www.menopausematters.co.uk/newsitem.php?recordID=145/BMS-Council-Consensus-Statement-on-HRT