Please help - debilitating anxiety in perimenopause

[PopRay80]

Morning ladies. I’m 43 and going through this horrendous perimenopause. I feel like it’s ruining my life 😢
I’ve never had anxiety before but this was one of the symptoms that made me go to the GP to ask for HRT as I knew it was hormonal.
I’ve been off work for about 3 weeks now and don’t know how I am supposed to work with such crippling anxiety and tiredness.
I wake up at around 4am every morning and the anxiety hits. I have a really tight chest and my brain is in overdrive.
I have been on HRT (gel and utrogestan) for around 10 days (prior to that I was on Evorel Sequi patches for 2.5 weeks, which made me feel worse) and desperately want to know if anyone can tell me if this will help with this debilitating anxiety??
Please let me know if HRT will help with anxiety as I’m desperate.
I’m SO unhappy right now and can’t cope with this 😢

Thanks ladies. I was given Escitalopram last year for a few weeks but it really didn’t do anything for me so I came off it. I felt better off it but since then I’ve stopped absorbing HRT patches and anxiety/low mood became unbearable, hence the mirtazapine. Considering it’s supposed to help with sleep and appetite it hasn’t worked for me 🤷‍♀️ Still waking at 4:30 and unable to go back to sleep 😩

That’s similar to me. I’m not sure if my close friends have experienced this because I’ve not asked them but I’ve told them about mine.

I think if you were anxious when younger or had PMT then apparently peri and menopause amplifies this.

For me I find it’s good to talk things over with friends but also take time for me, whether that’s exercise, time alone etc.

I had the worst symptoms as all of you describe. I’m not a tablet taker, however. I’ve ended up on Bolton 2.5mg HRT, Bromazepam 1.5 to sleep and control the 5am anxiety, amilodapine 10mg for anxiety induced high blood pressure. Pristique anti depressant, which also deals with the urge incontinence, bisoprolol 5mg morning and a low dose in the evening, amytriptaline 10mg in the morning for anxiety. I now rattle, but am certainly 90% improved in 3 months xx

Do you take the amitriptyline in the morning? Doesn't it make you sleepy?

For those of you who experienced issues with the progesterone, what answer did you find? I had to stop taking HRT as the utrogestan made me suicidal, and am lost as the anxiety is so bad now. I am loathe to try the mirena coil, as if I react badly I would have to wait weeks where I am to have it removed. Plus given how dreadfully painful I find smear tests, I know it would almost certainly hurt getting it fitted / removed. Still having periods (every two weeks) so know my body is producing progesterone, and wondered about just using the oestrogen gel? Can’t get an appointment with the menopause specialist at my gp surgery for love nor money.

Yes in the morning. It’s only 10mg, so no I don’t feel sleepy on it. X

@Menopausemadness1 that's great. Does it help your anxiety? I take 30 mg for sleep each night, but it doesn't do much for anxiety unfortunately x

Hi yes it does. In combination with bromazapine 1.5mg at night (which is a low dose benzodiazepine) because my most severe anxiety was at 2-5am in the morning. It’s stopped that so now I sleep well and don’t feel the impending anxiety as I start the day then the amytryptaline takes over for the rest of the day. X

I take Duphostene as the progesterone element and I take it daily in the smallest possible dose. My specialist said taking it daily and taking the estrogen daily would stop the up and down mood. It is better but I still wake up anxious and am about to ask about a hysterectomy. It really is the only solution if you need estrogen but cannot tolerate progesterone.

@AllTheChaos i had to have my mirena out as the nurse dislodged it when she was doing a smear.

Anyway, I rang GP, told her I'd been feeling faint for days, she said the coil had moved against my vagus nerve and had me in the same afternoon to take it out.

So have one put in (mine took 3 months to settle), then if you don't like it, lie to get it out.

Sertralin has helped me with awful anxiety after I couldn’t tolerate HRT. It’s effective for PMDD apparently so think it’s helped. Has seemed to increase night sweats though. I really wish it was easier

@PopRay80 How you going now OP?

I use a wild yam cream from Holland and Barrett for the hot flushes and night sweats. It really helps!

I’m feeling much, much better. Have been on the HRT and Escitalopram for a few months now, which has massively helped.

Thanks for this. One of the worst aspects for me has been feeling alone and like I’m weak for not coping like everyone else.

I’m 4 weeks in to HRT patches and a higher dose of antidepressants. I have good days and bad moments. It’s slow and frustrating. I need a lot of reassurance. Counselling has helped.

💐 to everyone suffering out there. It’s a relief to know I’m not the only one.

xxx

This.

I could have written this word for word!
It's a relief to know I'm not alone.

Xxx

It DOES get better. I feel SO different now after HRT, antidepressants and listening to ‘Disordered’ podcast!

Accept any help going. No one wants to be unhappy Xx

Bookist just reading your contribution is reassuring that there is some specialism, hope and understanding out there, thank you. Awake at 2.30am nightly and having the most awful anxiety. Peri is so much to deal with.

So very glad to hear you are much improved. That's really good news op. 🙏

@PopRay80
That's so good to hear! I didn't see your thread when you posted but reading it just now I was thinking 'you need antidepressants!' So glad it has worked for you.

How are you feeling now @PopRay80 ?

@PopRay80 Do you mind me asking what Antidepressant you were given? I was given sertraline in April. After about 8 weeks I felt better but this only lasted for6 weeks. Dose increased by GP but I still feel awful. I’m so scared I’m never going to get better 😔

Feeling much better thanks. HRT and antidepressants have really helped.

I’m on 20mg Escitalopram. In the past I have been on Citalopram and Sertraline. I’ve found Escitalopram to be the best for me.
I was on Escitalopram for about 3 years and, stupidly, came off it summer last year!!
Now happy to be back on it!!

Update

I'm 6 weeks in to HRT patches, and my antidepressants have been increased 3 times to the max dose. I'm glad to say that I'm really feeling like my old self again. Hope I'm not jinxing it!

To everyone still in the depths of depression and despair, keep going. You WILL get better and recover. It just takes time. You are not alone, and it's all a very normal part of the menopause which isn't really talked about.

Counselling has helped, and I've just started on an NHS weekly online menopause seminar over 6 weeks, which was surprisingly helpful. Can recommend.

Thanks to everyone who has written on this thread. It's really helped to hear about your experiences and know that I'm not alone.

💐