Horrific adrenaline

[Clusterfack]

Struggling these last few days with sudden, horrific adrenaline. I would say anxiety but i'm not anxious about anything. It starts when i wake up and doesn't really go, i feel jittery and can't concentrate on anything, everything seems hard work.

I'm 47 and i'm not on any HRT, I spoke to my GP who was reluctant to go down that route, she suggested some talking therapy, which i would happily do if i was anxious about stuff.

Could this be hormonal? It has happened to me before and usually lasts a couple of weeks, though i've never noticed a pattern to the time of month that it occurs. My tracker says its ovulation time atm so surely i should be happy and bouncing etc etc, whereas this is just godawful.

Any suggestions, tips, experiences out there? Thank you 🌼

Why are you so sure it's adrenaline?
How do you get to that conclusion?

It sounds like classic anxiety and the treatment if you are in peri menopause is HRT.

It's not up to your GP to decide you can't have HRT! The basis of the NICE guidance is that it is the patient's choice, having discussed risks and benefits.

You need to go back and say you have read the NICE guidance, you have the psychological symptoms of peri meno and want to try HRT.

If she won't help, see a different dr.

Your GP is an idiot. Talking therapy ffs.
Sounds like a peri menopause symptom.
I get very similar.

I had it too, both the anxiety and the same kind of adrenaline surge as I get on fairground rides which I hate. bit shocked that a woman GO would not know this.

sorry not GO, GP

It's a myth that female drs are better somehow at menopause than male drs.

My consultant gynae is a man and he's the most brilliant dr for all women's health issues, especially menopause!

Either go back to the GP or see another one at the practice if you can. You absolutely should have HRT as all the research shows that the benefits out weigh the cons

It feels like adrenaline as it seems to come in surges, like when you're scared of something - it also has that effect on your head where you can't think straight as you're in some sort of fight or flight mode. Except there's nothing to be scared of.
Apart from possibly going mad, or that's what it feels like.

Your GP needs to read up and keep current. Adrenaline surges happen by the same mechanism as hot flushes, they just show up differently. I was having what you describe, fight or flight style anxiety attacks, every 20 minutes. I couldn't concentrate on anything, constantly waiting for the next one.

Fortunately my GP was hugely switched on to peri-menopause and said women should be prescribed it earlier, at the first sign of symptoms, and while you don't need blood tests in order to prescribe, it's useful to take a baseline of other things. Mine ruled out anaemia, high blood pressure, diabetes and thyroid dysfunction.

Oh, and HRT has absolutely kicked the rolling waves of anxiety into touch. I'm on a much more even keel now.

I think meno can up your general anxiety levels without you necessarily noticing and then it doesn’t take hardly anything to tip you into fight or flight. I don’t notice I feel more anxious but have experienced the things you mentioned. Hopefully HRT will help and it’s possible you’re more sensitive to caffeine etc if you’re already in a heightened state of baseline anxiety.

I get these at night - they wake me up so I know it's different from awake type of anxiety. Just feel a sense of doom and then my brain searches for some reason for the anxiety. I haven't had so many since I started hrt, but they go in cycles so...

I’ve had this too after getting covid in December - it’s a long covid symptom. Have you had covid recently?

I had this too. HRT has stopped it.

Yes it's absolutely a symptom. It is adrenaline but it doesnt necessarily mean you're anxious about something. It just produces the same kind of feeling. HRT can help of course but I had huge benefits from taking sage complex. Took a while to kick in but made the heat and adrenaline surges much less intense.

I am 54 and have been on HRT for about a year, all was great but!!!!
I had Covid in February, in the last 6 weeks I have experienced very scary bouts of anxiety.
Dizziness, fear, dread, heart racing etc and then extreme tiredness afterwards. I am currently working from home due to this and hope it passes soon as I need to get back into the office.
I’ve been to the doctor 3 times in 3 weeks, blood tests etc all clear. They have prescribed a very low dose of beta blockers to halt the adrenaline and slow things down. I have only been on them for a week and not sure yet if they work but will update.
if only we could move the clock back and feel in control for a while.

@Rachel2022 When a woman is on HRT that was helping, the normal practice is to increase the estrogen and see if that helps.

I am always surprised on this forum at how GPs reach for new meds rather than adjusting HRT.

You need more estrogen, not beta blockers.

I'd ask for that and see another dr.

I wake with this every single morning. Huge adrenaline surges and fear. I also experience derealization, crashes of crying, panic attacks. I'm never ever tired. I can't nap. I sleep about 5 hours a night.
I am emotionally numb. This started when I was 40 and had my second child. I am now 42. My doctors say aggitation depression. How do I know if its that or could it be peri? I tried estrogen but I caused wndoe

Didn't mean to hit post there!

I tried estrogen but it made anxiety and crashes of crying even worse.

Don't know what to do. I've tried meds but they also made me worse. I can't live like this any more.

I get this as well. It’s horrible. Small things that I am not anxious about can tip me into it.

I'd suggest getting your potassium checked by your GP & get a copy of your results

I get this, initially fobbed off as peri/menopause, but I actually had chronically low potassium. They only spotted it when it dropped lower still & then looking back it had just scraped the low end of range for over 8 years. I was given a potassium drink & I suddenly felt the calmest I had in years

Vitamin B12 can play a part in this too

I could have written this post. It's awful. My GP said she's seeing loads of it post pandemic. The after effects of two years of complete stress and anxiety manifesting physically, even if you're not actively worrying about anything.

I'm on HRT anyway and have propranolol for when it's bad.

Thank you. I'll ask about potassium.
I can't take b vitamins they make me more energised and wired.
I have too much nervous energy.

@hareandrabbit its been a year and a half of it and I feel I'd rather not wake up than experience it again.

So you have this despite being on hrt?

What did your doctor suggest?

Sometimes if I wake aeound 4am in panic I take a low dose diazapam. It puts me into a light sleep where the adrenaline rushes just keep happening - I can feel them and the dread that follows. It's like my brain/body doesn't want me to be asleep. The diazapam does nothing really.

I honestly don't know how to go on.

B12 is different to,other vits & taking it might not help anyway depending on the cause of any deficiencies.

That reaction to b vits in general though suggests you need your B12 checked too. I have hereditary pernicious anaemia, but not diagnosed until post menopause. I need B12 injections. Taking a complete B supplement used to make me feel awful too as b vits use up other b vits to work & it messes up the balance further with a supplement

@RockinHorseShit think I had it tested before and was fine. I'll do again. With anaemia woukdnt I feel tired? I am the opposite. I can't even nap.
I also experience derealization and everything looking and feeling too bright and sharp. The extreme end of anxiety.

@Treetops12 The trend now is to use talking therapy like CBT or counselling to try to control these emotions. Have you considered finding someone locally to you to help?

Or maybe yoga?
Mindfulness?
Apps like Headspace?
Meditation?

I'd be looking at things like that rather than drugs or vitamins.

Worth a try?