Anxiety / panic? Gone on for weeks now

[Cbpoppy]

Hi All
I originally had some threads going about this & had lots of amazing answers..
Really frustrated as I'm still going through this at around 2 months now 🥺
So all started weeks ago watching tv & having a head surge. Like adrenaline surge. All night waves of these, pins & needles. Saw Doctors next day said blood pressure okay, ecg ok, nothing seemed off & had full bloods which again came back all ok.
2 weeks on & off adrenaline surges in head and fuelling anxiety. Then 1 night had a severe what I believe to be now panic attack. Woke from sleep, adrenaline surges, pins & needles, feeling very faint, panic, contemplated A&E. Lasted hours.
Nxt day more head rushes & an even bigger attack again lasted hours..
In & out of doctors that week, no explanation really, kept saying bloods ok, vital checks ok.
I was so fed up & couldn't believe how bad the head surges were daily & nightly I paid for an MRI, that all came back clear. I paid a phlebotomist for a much detailed blood report & they did so much but again nothing came up as odd. Vitamins all good, hormones, thyroid etc..
After all this I felt a teeny bit like the head surges had calmed a little, not much but had the odd okay day or night but then it would always come back. The doctor mentioned hrt but I tried the estrogel but my god i felt even worse those few days so stopped. So unsure wether it is peri, I'm 44. My periods are regular, hormone test taking twice are very good & I have no other symptoms. I now believe this could be severe anxiety/panic. My doctor is looking at trying me on an ssri. The thought of going up on medication fills me with dread & wander!
I'm just so confused how I could feel this way now for weeks. Ive barely been out the house. It's constantly like foggy headed, off balance, adrenaline surges, pins and needles, just feeling awful basically. Sleep on and off which isn't helping. These feelings wake me from sleep alot too!
Why cant it just vanish? I'm now waiting on a holt monitor to check heart also. My heart rate to be fair seems fine, as does my blood pressure all the time. Also to add these last couple of days I've been getting not only the awful adrenaline doom type surges but like a high type whooshing feeling through my head too, so fed up now :(

had full bloods which again came back all ok.

Okay isn’t the same as optimal. Our hospital lab report actually prints ‘normal range but treat if symptomatic’ on B12 results that are the low end of normal range. Interestingly the normal range for B12 has changed in some areas and advise treatment if below 180, in some areas it’s still classed as normal at 150, even if the reference range was the same due to the same test equipment used. The upper normal rage is around 800 iirc so being 600 rather than 180 would make a huge difference.
Same with ferritin. It can be marked ‘normal’ as low as 20, but needs to be above 70-80 for healthy hair growth. That can cause anxiety.
Low vitamin D can cause anxiety and tingling but often isn’t even tested these day. It needs to be above 75 for bone protection but is marked as normal if 50, that’s if you can get it tested.
Folate is another that can cause issues.

Get a print out of your results or look on NHS app if you have it to check your levels against the lab reference ranges.

Peri symptoms are horrendous though and can cause a lot of similar issues, I’d start taking magnesium and consider retrying HRT, try an alternative one, annd keep trying, until you find one that suits. It could make a huge difference. The anxiety I had before my HRT kicked in was horrendous, I was an absolute basket case.

There’s a reason women in the past were locked up in mental asylums with ‘climacteric insanity’ before HRT existed.

Hi lovely
Thanks for youre reply.
Sorry when I said bloods as okay I should of said Normal..
Everything was normal.
My b12 was actually high but not a problem the nurse said at 180
Ferriton was 80
Vitamin D 75

I had a phlebotomist come around house.

My estrogen appears really good on tests and had 2 now at different cycles.
Ive tried patch & gel estrogen and everytime its really agitated me.
My progesterone was what were on the lower end 0.2 & 0.3 at different cycle points so maybe I'm missing that bit.
My cycle is regular 28 but lighter & shorter now at 3 day periods.
I also find i feel better after ovulation until period rather than period to ovulation so maybe this points to progesterone?
No other symtoms just maybe peri anxiety?
I'm so bamboozled Xx

I’ve had this all through perimenopause and menopause. Whooshes of anxiety so bad that it wakes me up. Even when I’m not feeling anxious it just comes over me. Feels physical it’s so bad. Could you be perimenopausal?

Can I recommend propranolol. I had very similar symptoms to you and this has been a game changer for me. It stops the horrible symptoms in their tracks and I am starting to get my life back.

If it's anxiety and you're worried about starting an ssri, ask your doctor for propranolol first. You can't have it if you're asthmatic that's the only thing.

I don’t think this is true. I’m asthmatic and have propranolol.

I found taking a magnesium supplement really helped my peri related anxiety. It is take strange, perfectly fine, no worries etc and then out of no where a flood of anxiety. I was waking up with a massive sense of doom.

Could be coincidence but both had stopped since I’ve started with magnesium.

@Luna6
Yes I may well be..
As I say I'm 44.
I've tried hrt a few times though and I struggle with the estrogen patch or gel.
Even gel at half a pump makes me feel awful so if I am I think its going to be antidepressants or anti anxiety meds to help for now.
Periods are regular and I have no other peri symptoms apart from if this anxiety is that xx

@Whentosayitsover
Thank you so much for the reply..
Really interesting you say about propranolol as I had a chat with the doctor Friday & said I was struggling with HRT & he said his not even sure if I am in Peri or if this is due to Peri and said try Propranolol upto 3 times a day 10mg..
He said can take to stay calm or take if the feeling starts to calm it..
Do you take daily to keep at bay?
Or just as it appears?
Sounds a good drug from the research I've done.
Also as you say maybe it means I won't have to go onto an SSRI.
It's definitely more an anxious/panic then depressed x

@JamesWebbSpaceTelescope
Tthank you!
I've heard so much good about Magnesium & I'm not taking any supplements so definitely will try this.
What do you take? When do you take it?
I try fairly hard with my diet, I don't drink alcohol anymore either. Xx

I buy magnesium glycinate from amazon
Take 450mg of elemental magnesium.

Dont get a magnesium blend as some magnesium keeps you awake, whereas glycinate sends you to sleep. It's marvellous stuff.

Btw you keep mentioning oestrogen, what progesterone were you using? The mirena has calmed me down so much, whereas utrogestan caused more anxiety.

@Justputsomeyoghurtonit
Thanks for the reply. I really need to try magnesium..
Well this is the thing, I've never got to the progesterone part..
The estrogen always makes me feel so awful I dont get to the 14-28 progesterone part
So I have no idea?
Alot of ladies I've spoken too have mentioned me actually just going progesterone only to see..
When I've had hormone blood tests which is twice now.
1 after period & 1 on ovulation day my estrogen has been high, infact after my period when estrogen is normally on the floor mine was 600!
1300 ovulating so people are saying maybe I'm adding something i dont need whereas my progesterone was 0.2 & 0.3

Then start the progesterone at the same time!

It doesn't matter when you start it. Pick a day and then take it every month from the same day of the month.

Is it possible that you are so nervous about taking the HRT at all that you are causing yourself to panic as soon as you use It?

For me, the oestrogen patch was such a blessed relief at age 44. I've never been so glad of anything. Then once the mirena went in, it was like I was a new woman. No more anger or worry or endless sobbing.

You know that blood tests are not accurate for menopause. No consultant will test your bloods to ascertain peri meno.

HRT is prescribed on the basis of symotoms.

Hi @Justputsomeyoghurtonit
Unfortunately not with the panic about estrogen hrt, I was actually really looking forward to seeing it work. Everytime its try it makes me feel awful. It's like a jittery high feeling and keeps me awake or wakes me up early. It made my surges feel even stronger so I stopped again. I'm meant to be on a continuous estrogen & 14 day progesterone which as you say i can tweek..
I'm just a bit put off the estrogen bit now though..
I guess if my periods were horodous and hot flushes etc I'd be trying harder bit at the moment its the anxiety/ panic side and the doctor is now saying maybe anti anxiety or ssri is a better option and add hrt if doesn't fully work.
I had an illness last year that knocked me for six and I'm wondering if everything has got on top of me and led me here.
It's always so hard to know xx

@Cbpoppy i can't remember from your other thread if you have tried counselling?

I had 9 months of counselling after some difficult times after surgery last year and it really helped.

If you have private healthcare, they often have a mental health option, so Bupa paid for my counselling for up to 20 sessions and then renewed it for me.

Google it for yourself lol