perimenopause, anxiety and hyperthyroid similar symptoms

[catgotyourbrain]

Sorry I posted this in general health but no answers:

I've had anxiety ramping up massively over the last few months and weeks. Lots going on in my life (elderly parents, dementia, kids with SEN, work drying up due to Covid, caring responsibilities, reassessing life, moving house a year ago). Have recently gone back on Fluoxetine as it did help me a couple of years ago.

So I've had more and more physical symptoms which I'm having trouble pulling apart as some are definitely caused by anxiety, but possibly not all. I'm 47, no idea what periods are doing because of Mirena coil, but guessing some of these symptoms are perimenopausal.

Basically: Hot sweats and flushes from 3am onwards. Feeling hot and cold simultaneously and cycling through burning/freezing skin. palpitations, shaking. When I get up in the morning I am shaky and trembling, feeling faint, and a ball of fear and terror. I spend all early morning with thoughts racing through my mind - overanalysing and catastrophising. I can't eat in the morning now as I'm so wired.

The doctor has given me propanolol for the anxiety, which I can hardly feel (took 2 10ml tabs this morning). The doctor asked for a blood test and we talked a bit about HRT, she also mentioned ruling out hyperthyroid as 'your symptoms match that too'. I've just looked it up and it's the same symptoms as perimenopause and what I am experiencing! the NHS says:

" nervousness, anxiety and irritability
mood swings
difficulty sleeping
persistent tiredness and weakness
sensitivity to heat
swelling in your neck from an enlarged thyroid gland (goitre)
an irregular and/or unusually fast heart rate (palpitations)
twitching or trembling
weight loss"

I have most of that except the swollen neck. Anyone had this and can reassure me Its 'just' anxiety? A close relative by marriage has Graves disease and I know its not nice!

Gracious, you do have a lot on your plate, from all angles too.

I have lots of the same symptoms as you and mine have definitely improved with HRT. I have just found out that my ferritin levels are really low too and that causes lots of those symptoms as well so it’s hard to tell what is what.

Perhaps a good plan would be to start with a full blood test, ask for ferritin levels as well as all others just so you can check everything and rule lots out....

That could have been me. I'm now in the menopause and certainly better than during the peri stage but the feeling of hyperness remains. It impacts on my sleep very badly and it's now been 4 years.

Like you, I wondered about hyperthyroidism, especially as I had high antibodies at the time of peri, but got tested again and thyroid function tests came back all normal.

It's the menopause sadly. In some it comes out more in hot sweats. Fir be, it's the sense if being hyper all the time but worse at night, tinnitus which is unbearable at times, and the inability to get into deep sleep.

I didn't ring her helped when I tried in peri. I'm considering trying again but I can't tolerate the progesterone so would need to look into a reduced regime with regular monitoring.