Panic attacks and trouble sleeping

[Mummytron]

Please tell me I'm not going mad.
I'm awake it's 3 am and I haven't been to sleep yet. Had what feels like a fast heart beat and panicky. About 90 beats but really thumping out my chest. Every time I doze off I jump awake and it's scaring the crap out of me. I'm a week from being due on and in Peri stage.
Please help

But you are still here right? Panic attacks are awful, apparently they never last longer than four hours (oh joy!) but they are physically exhausting and wipe you out. You have to go back to doctors, there are drugs out there that can help if it is your hormones playing silly buggers with your body.

With me it was originally pregnancy hormones both during and afterwards that set off my panic attacks. I was treated and recovered.

Then perimenopause started it up again, a very rude consultant at the hospital my third admittance as an emergency bluntly said its the menopause. Which after a battery of tests it was found to be. I was wired up with a machine for a week, had an echocardiogram, four years later I am still here.

Same here
I have been put on sertraline for other issues, and although side effects in first week have been unpleasant, the palpitations and flushes have subsided. Blessed relief.

Mighty- as you said side effects at first not great, for me was like early pregnancy nausea. But once my body adjusted was such a relief. It is a misconception that SSRI`s are only for depression.

Hormone and thyroid bloods all ok

Glad those came back ok. What next mummytron??

Nothing I guess.

Mummytron Fri 23-Feb-18 21:15:04
Nothing I guess.

Well if you can bear the effects which disturb your sleep then carry on as you are.

I hate it. Totally terrified.

:) go back to the gp.
get the anti anxiety meds.
sorted.

Agreed furlined, when you finally get the right treatment, you wonder why you put up with it for so long.

Thing is I don't think it's anxiety related. They're not panic attacks but more like I've been shocked by one of those machines! I'm told it's a hypnic jerk or something

Perhaps ask gp to refer you to cardiologist so you can have a thorough check carried out on your heart. That should help to either find a fault and deal with it or give you reassurance that your heart is healthy so the palpitations are not life threatening.

Hi Kahlua
I recently had a check because of the palps. I was told I have diastolic dysfunction which is where the heart doesn't relax after pumping. She knew I had palps but she didn't say it was because of that and even suggested it might be hormones. She will re scan in a year so it can't be anything major x

Went to GP today. Checked heart and blood pressure and all ok.
LH level was 1.2 and FSH was 1.5. Checked these as they were both just below normal range but doctor says they were ok.
He said the jumps I get are ectopic beats and can be hormonal

Glad to hear all tests were ok. Did he give you any tips on how to manage the palpitations?

Just to avoid wine, caffeine, chocolate...kill me now!

Mummytron Tue 27-Feb-18 18:00:35
Just to avoid wine, caffeine, chocolate...kill me now!

It is good advice. I do have wine if it is lunch time, two small cups of coffee a day, one after lunch, one after dinner. Chocolate more that two individual ones or squares and I know I am going to suffer when going to bed. I dont have cheese either that sets me off. Dont eat late either unless it is something simple like a sandwich.

Don't get me wrong I'm not a bad eater/drinker. I sometimes have a latte at lunchtime as a treat. Chocolate is occasional and wine perhaps at the weekend. With arthritis I don't get many pleasures in life so to cut it out completely would be hard.
It seems to me that all my symptoms are hormonal but that's the only thing they won't treat. Been told to take evening primrose oil, star flower etc

Mummytron it is tough, especially when I see others having fun. But those episodes which put me in A and E a few times are not worth repeating, they scared me and my family so much. I was not able to take hrt for medical reasons otherwise I would have had it like a shot. I went privately to a cardiologist in the end to discover that there was nothing wrong but my hormones. Oh he did say to lose a bit of weight lol. Which I did.

Mummytron - why won't they treat your hormonal symptoms? How old are you and do you still have very regular periods? HRT is the thing if your periods are irregular and especially if you are under average menopausal age, but if it is mood swings connected to extreme pms prior to peri-menopause proper, then the CCP can help especially the newer types that are similar to HRT. These are talked about on Menopause Matters and some ladies find that once their cycle is suppressed other symptoms ( including the palpitations etc) disappear or are lessened.

I'm 42. My mum and sister went through it by 45. Doc still says too young. Consultant wouldn't see me as they said I was probably entering perimenopause. Periods went a bit strange as in had them every 3 weeks and have missed one but seem to be fairly regular now (about 24 days) I get insomnia, Palps, headaches, irritability, anxiety and my periods are horribly heavy and shorter. So things are definitely changing and have been like this for 3 years

welshmist How did you end up in a and e?

I’m 42 too and on hrt. I had regular periods too but too severe symptoms. I changed a lot of gyns, the noisesence “too young” makes me 😖. My last gyn gave me immediately hrt and his diagnosis was based on my symptoms.Why not to give our body what it needs? Why you suffer?

I'm at a total loss. Have enquired privately but can't really afford it

I worked in a place that looked after the elderly. I was so bad one day with palpitations in the office a nurse came to look at me, she called the ambulance. Another time I was so bad at home OH called the ambulance, the paramedics decided I needed to be admitted. My BP was way up and my heart rate erratic both times.