Anxiety

[burntoutnurse]

never suffered with it before. But now seems to be my main life focus,

anxious about EVERYTHING

I can’t take hrt due to blood clotting disorder,

but the anxiety is debilitating 😭

I turned to sertraline which resolved the anxiety

Have you been advised that you can't use HRT by a menopause consultant @burntoutnurse ?

If you've assumed this without a consultation, it may not be correct.

(There are loads of posts here from women who think they can't use HRT because of XYZ, when in fact they can and they're basing it on out of date info, rules that only apply to the Pill, or GPs who aren't experts)

Most HRT now as long as it's transdermal, doesn't change clot risk - so unless you've had one consultation or ,maybe a 2nd opinion as well, it's worth finding out.

If you have had these consultations, NICE guidance is to try CBT for mood and anxiety. You won't get much on the NHS but there are private CBT practitioners.

If that's out of reach there are some really good self-help books that teach you CBT, like Mind Over Mood - a classic for anxiety.

I haven’t really had anxiety before but this past week I’ve also experienced debilitating anxiety. I’ve been signed off work due to it, which is something I never thought would happen.
Replying mainly just to say you’re not alone.
My Dr is has arranged various blood tests so I just need to wait to see what comes back.
I hope you find something that helps you.

Get thyroid/iron/B12 checked. Make sleep your priority, take magnesium glycinate before bed. Cut out alcohol. Look at your diet and exercise. These little things will help. How is work? This is when I dropped a day.

Have you asked your GP for HRT? Are you menopausal? If you are in the age range and have other symptoms, then HRT is the first line treatment- no blood tests needed if you're over 45.

I have a mirena coil and haven’t had a period since 2012, so not able to tell from that way. I had hot flushes and night sweats back in November/December but then that all stopped.
I’m 42 which is why the Dr said she’d rather follow out all various blood tests - even though she said for menopause it’s not very accurate even if I was.
So blood tests for Iron, thyroid, diabetes and some other things that I can’t remember ( I was too busy crying feeling guilty about not being at work 🙄)

Essentially what I took from our conversation is that she’ll likely put me on HRT once bloods come back if these feelings haven’t passed. But I’ve been told to call back sooner if I need to.
It’s tricky as work is hard at the moment and has been since September and home life is quite tough going in some respects. But it’s been like a snap in brain from feeling ok to major anxiety and panic.

Thanks for you advice

Ah okay- so you're quite young.

HRT isn't a one-way street. You can try it for 3 months to see how you feel and if it's not helping the 'rule' is try a slightly higher dose. If it's still not helping, then you know it's not what you need.

As you have the Mirena it's really simple- all you need is estrogen on top of that for HRT.

The best thing is to try estrogen gel so you can easily increase or decrease the dose yourself ( the range is 1 to 4 pumps a day.)

Good luck :)

I’ve been referred to a haematologist

Work is horrific atm. I work nights so struggle with sleep anyway. I’ve applied for another job though on a less stressful ward.

I have a health issue for which I’m waiting on scans and tests for (a lump I found) so this is adding to my anxiety atm

Okay.

This is something where you may also need a menopause specialist.

Sometimes, haematologists may not be up to speed with modern HRT, whereas menopause specialists (the best ones) will know about blood clotting issues and HRT.
Re. your anxiety, I really would suggest you try online CBT help as well as reading some self-help books with exercises to work through.

Mind over Mood is the 'Dummies range' book and really good.

Agree with previous posters who recommend trying to. Stay hydrated, reduce caffeine and alcohol, eat a balanced, rainbow diet, get outdoors for a walk even if it’s just 15 minutes, rest when you can (as sleep at night can be tricky) and generally try to be kind to yourself.

Medication-wise Alprazolam helps me the most. On prescription.

Exercise isn’t possible atm, I have a lump at the top of my thigh and it’s painful to just walk. Awaiting a scan. Not really helping my anxiety.

im not a big drinker of caffeine or alcohol anyway :)

Yes I can imagine that would be a worry, and also frustrating to have pain from walking. I hope you can get a scan asap, as well as something for your anxiety.