Panic attack,premenopausal or something else

[Mamebea]

I'm in my late 40's and recently had blood tests. All came back normal except the hormones one. I am still having periods but I can feel a slight change in cycle months and I panicked about everything, I've diagnosed myself with many things. Lately another symptom is palpitations, fast heart beat and it's freaking me out. I've had a heart murmur for years, more than 20 and regular checks throughout my pregnancy and no issues.

Last pregnancy was 8 years ago. I've a!ways had mild palpitations and anxiety but this is off the scale now. was out earlier and thankfully got home and settled with a cuppa. GP booked me in for ecg this Tuesday. I saw him 10 days ago and he thinks it's either hormones or tachycardia, but will get me checked to be sure of course, but I'm worried it's making me worse. Waiting 10 days for an ecg, I thought anything heart related would be sooner. I feel like I've hit a mid life crisis. There are dressers in my life. 3 young children with adhd/asd issues and also other stuff. I'm currently googling again and it made me panic. I feel like my body can't relax. I have to wait for this ecg and it's making me worse.

My first symptom of perimenopause at 43 was a racing heart in the middle of the night jolting me awake and then taking hours to calm down and sleep again. HRT solved that.
But I only realised when the night sweats also started.

Palpitations and health anxiety were the two biggest symptoms I had. Magnesium really helped with the racing heart and with hindsight I really wish I had fought for HRT, but had an incredibly unsympathetic (female) doctor who told me I was addicted to the hormones and just had to go cold turkey.

I started taking magnesium 2 nights ago. It’s been horrid today.

Wow, cold turkey on hormones!! I think my anxiety is off the scale and not helping

If you’re not on HRT you need to be. Didn’t the doctor suggest it?

@thefamilyofthings What did your doctor mean about being addicted to hormones? Sounds bizarre and that you were being denied proper support.

@Alalalala This was a few years ago, and she was a horrible doctor who made me cry more than once. And acceptance of HRT rather than anti-depressants or anti anxiety meds is has changed enormously. But, clearly, I am still bitter about it!

@Mamebea During peri I was on high quality supplements (not oxide) + the spray at night + epsom salts in the bath. Don't underestimate how much you need.

Might just be oestrogen depletion -I used to wake up with palpitations until I started HRT

Suggest a trial of oestrogel and utrogestan

No, he just he thinks it might be hormones but I’ll send me for an ecg. Would he suggest hrt based on just faster heart rate and palpitations? My hormones level just showed I’m in peri menopause so I can’t imagine that alone would trigger this fast heart and palpitations. I’ve been stressed at ones, but I do manage to calm myself down.

Worth investigating but if heart is ok then HRT might be your answer. Some GPs prescribed HRT based on just 1-2 symptoms, others make it harder, you'll have to see how yours is.

Yeah, it might be worth asking. In the morning it’s all ok and much lower but as I go through the day it does beat faster and definitely be checking it. He said after ecg a heart monitor for 24 hrs. I had tachycardia during my first pregnancy and it was horrible. Aside from extreme anxiety and stress I need to rule anything else out as it’s making me worse.

OP you sound like me over the last few months! Had a severe episode last year where my heart hit 189 BPM and wouldn't go down so went into hospital via ambulance. I've been referred to see a cardiologist but only as a just in case - my ECG's were clear afterwards. They don't know if it was just a huge anxiety attack. I have palpitations regularly now and can't drink any alcohol or I'm up all night with a racing heart. GP feels I may be peri and so has given me the progesterone only pill - apparently this will help if I am peri! Since that episode was he suffered extreme anxiety, mainly health related. GP has also given propalonol which I take when I'm feeling terrible, like today 🤦‍♀️ Can you see if they'll give you some of that to help? I do feel for you, it's not a nice experience to have all of these symptoms.

Yes, thank you! It’s horrible isn’t it. Today has been worse, yet it’s the weekend. Can’t figure it out, I should be relaxed. I will ask on Tuesday. I’ll do all the checks for everything else All bloods are clear except hormone one.

Hey OP, good idea to do all the checks but if I were you I would start HRT regardless - palpitations and anxiety are very definitely meno symptoms.

@thefamilyofthings Some doctors are bloody awful! Sorry to hear you were let down like that.

Yes, maybe a good idea. I can GP. Just worried of side effects. I had a good morning and afternoon, mostly, and then started up.

I'm 48 and was having palpitations and dreadful anxiety last year. I also had horrific joint pain and felt like an old lady. I couldn't get words out of my mouth correctly, was literally joining two words together to make a new word (loilet = loo and toilet combined as an example) and it felt like my brain was swimming in soup. I couldn't remember anything!!! Then the bladder incontinence!!! Oh my god!!! I was wearing thick pads to go outside.
Then I started HRT and it's all gone!!!
Transformed!!!
So yes, you probably need HRT. You're the right age.
Oestrogen protects your heart and blood vessels.
Do you have a Mirena? If so, you'd only need the oestrogen as a top up. I have Evorel 50 patches at the moment which I've settled into.
If no Mirena, you'd need both progesterone and oestrogen.
I went privately to a menopause clinic but to be honest, if you have a great female GP on the NHS, save yourself the £250 consultation fee!! You end up with the same stuff in the end!

Perimenopause is more likely to cause sudden symptoms because your oestrogen is going up and down like a rollercoaster for up to ten years until you go through menopause.
A blood test won't prove anything about your hormone levels because it's only testing that one minute and your hormones change levels every few hours. Most menopause doctors take your lust of symptoms and say, "Yep, you're peri, start HRT".
ECG is always a good thing to do to check everything though too.
Best of luck and I hope you get the right solution for you.