HRT - sick of constant anxiety

[FamilynotMaiden]

I'm now 45 and have always suffered with anxiety due to past trauma. It tends to manifest as health anxiety which is still my biggest anxiety (changes of menopause all in my head are something serious which is incurable etc). Examples - change in bowel habit for a couple of days, needing to wee more; the list goes on. I also have significant White Coat Syndrome.
I've had enough and now wondering if HRT would help?
Hope I'm not being daft, but please could someone explain the process. Are blood tests / blood pressure readings taken etc? These just serve to increase my anxiety!
Thanks so much all x

Blood tests unlikely as you’re 45 (recommended for under 45s) but I did have my blood pressure checked at first appointment and 3 month review.
I’d recommend downloading a symptom checklist and have a think about what you’ve had over the last year or two (some of my symptoms definitely came and went). I suspect that if your only symptom is the anxiety they might not prescribe HRT easily. The symptoms are so varied you might find that your hormones are the cause of many of your health worries!

Have you considered anti-anxiety medication? It definitely helped me when my anxiety was so bad I couldn't even get out of bed without having a panic attack. HRT helps me most with sleeping and temperature regulation.

@unsync Thank you 😊 I was on Imipramine about six years ago but that med was because I was pregnant and then breastfeeding. It helped for sure, but the sweating was something else!!
I'm not keen on HRT so you're right - I should possibly try an anti-anxiety med first. I have suffered with health anxiety for many, many years but the changes of peri are making it so much worse.
I am also self-employed which I think adds to my anxiety as I literally - literally - can't afford to get sick.

HRT has helped me, though the first time I tried it my anxiety got worse and I had to come off it. I then had a hysterectomy (2 years ago) so I no longer need progesterone so I thought I would give oestrogen another go but the patch rather than the gel (I tried gel the first time). I started on the smallest dose and have now gone up to 50mg and my anxiety is now much better. I no longer get up every night to pee, my brains not as fuzzy and I am sleeping better. It’s probably taken around 6 months for things to settle down and it can take a while to get the right dose but it’s been worth it. You can always give it a try and stop if you have any side effects or feel it’s not working?

I found it easy ish getting a prescription, I did have a blood test but my gp concentrates more on symptoms. My bloods didn’t really show much. I had my blood pressure taken, other than that most of it’s been done over the phone based on symptoms.

I also take magnesium and ashwagandha which has helped.

I had Venlafaxine SR. If you take it as prescribed and at exactly the same time every day it is great. It enabled me to lead a relatively normal life.

Coming off it is difficult, but done slowly, totally achievable (just in case you Google it). Most of the criticism is about withdrawal, but I had no problem as I took about a year to titrate down.

It was definitely worth taking, it was a game changer for me and allowed me to get things in place that means I am now free of anxiety.

@Moonlightfrog Thank you. So pleased that things have settled down for you. I am massively struggling with sleep which is so hard as I work ft, and not helped by our 5 yo who has literally - literally - never slept through for one night in her own bed!* *
I also have two other much older children - one at uni and one doing GCSEs this summer so the stress is real!!
I swear things suddenly got worse when I had emergency surgery following an ectopic pregnancy about 3 years ago and one of my fallopian tubes was removed...but that could just be coincidence as I was 42 at the time?

I was sterilised when I was 40 and things went a bit down hill after that. I had a hysterectomy at 42 but kept my ovaries and was told they looked healthy but I am pretty sure I was perimenopausal before my surgery. I am now 43 (almost 44), I was worried about starting HRT but it has helped my symptoms. I still have the occasional wobble which I have anxiety meds for (propranolol) but since upping my HRT I haven’t had to take any.

Hi OP,

I've just come on to find threads for advice as I have a doctors appointment this week as what I suspect are peri symptoms are really starting to ramp up lately. Especially bouts of anxiety. I'm also 45. It's beginning to get me down.

My anxiety is mainly work related. I feel useless at my job and can't switch off.

I wonder if anxiety medication is what I need at this stage, rather than HRT.

Watching your thread with interest.

I am about to start hrt in the hope it will help my health anxiety which certainly does seem to be very common in peri. Praying it will help as I can't take ssri meds due to bad reaction and cbt didn't help much.

To add the only check they did was blood pressure and I warned her about my "white coat hypertension". Sure enough by BP was a bit high, but she was happy with it.

I was similar, 41 and random anxiety, panic attacks, lost confidence driving etc
started HRT and I feel so much better

I’ve just come across this thread. I’m 44, perimenopause has been a bitch to me with anxiety and paranoia (I honestly convinced myself DH was having an affair with more than one of my friends and that my friends were all ignoring me and going out together because they hated me. It was awful). HRT has honestly saved my marriage and my friendships.

I do also have health anxiety so yeah I convinced myself the changes were random deadly stuff. It wasn’t great. But HRT has helped there a lot too.

@Tarkan Same.here - the paranoia at times is real!! I've always had health anxiety but I am literally convinced that every change or pain means I am dying; it's a horrible way to live. I'm struggling to eat and constantly needing the toilet for example; then my head is telling me this is because I'm seriously ill.
Scared of being intimate atm with my husband in case of cramps afterwards, for example, which will spiral my anxiety.
I have booked an appt with a GP (earliest is a telephone appt early Feb) so any advice how to get though until then will be most gratefully received.
@Fuckitydoodah How did you get on at your appt? Hope it went well 💐

I thought I’d got off lightly with the menopause - my periods just stopped and I only had one hot flush. I didn’t realise that the insomnia and chest pain levels of anxiety I was experiencing were also part of the menopause until I did some reading around the subject. HRT did the trick for me. I really don’t think I could have managed my work and family commitments/stresses without it.

@OhOneOhTwoOhThree Agreed - it's the anxiety that is horrific for me. I am coping with work as it keeps me busy, but struggling when I'm at home. I want to be a present mum to my 5 yo but it's hard when all I can think about is every new symptom.

I just had a telephone call with my GP and was prescribed HRT over the phone no bother, I was 43. No blood tests, they went on my symptoms. Did offer me the choice of anti-depressants but I went with HRT. Have to say I've been on it for two years and my anxiety has not decreased at all.

Just had my (waste of time) telephone appt with GP that I waited over a month for. I definitely am not perimenopausal at 45, despite a number of symptoms, because I am not ticking the "hot flushes" box.
She wants me to have a BT to check thyroid and vit D (not going to have as I know it's neither of those things!)

This doesn’t seem good advice, I’m 43 and went to to my GP with possible perimenopausal symptoms wasn’t too sure I came back around 50/50 with the symptoms mainly anxiety, brain fog, dry eyes irritability and just don’t feel myself
and she did do bloods, consulted menopause clinic and they agreed to start me on HRT which I started yesterday- I believe you need to speak to someone who specializes in menopause not just basing it on hot flushes which to add, I do not have

Ask to see a different one.

Gosh what an ignorant GP! Not all women get hot flushes in perimenopause and they really are the final symptom for many. I started getting hot flushes as my periods stopped so right at the very end.

Ask to see a different doctor or see if you have a menopause expert at your practice. I’d be tempted to complain as the GP in question is clearly not up to date and could be denying lots of women in need HRT if she’s only giving it out based on hot flushes!

@Delatron Yes you're right and I'm going to put in a complaint. I told her about my anxiety (especially mid-cycle), my insomnia, my self-doubt re work abilities, change in periods and more (sensitive info), but she simply was not interested. Very dismissive and zero empathy. I last consulted with a GP over five years ago so it's not as if I'm a "frequent flyer" so to speak.
She told me to contact NHS Talking Therapies which I did - I have to wait 6 weeks for an initial telephone appointment.

This is awful! I am late peri but have never really had hot flushes but have had pretty much every other symptom, including health anxiety. I've been on hrt just 10 days and noticed a difference almost straightaway (see the thread I started). My anxiety has dialled right down and I'm confident this could be the end of my crippling health anxiety. I did talking therapy but it didn't really help much, and certainly not as much as hrt! Go back, see another GP, and lie about the flushes if you must!

Good luck x

That’s so awful. Sorry you have had such poor service.

I had insomnia for years - it was completely down to perimenopause and the minute I started HRT I finally slept and now sleep very well. I used to wake up in a panic in the middle of the night! Anxiety was awful too.

Like my doctor says - it doesn’t have to be permanent you can just try it for a few months and see if it helps. There should be zero issue with you getting it. Hopefully you can see a more sympathetic doctor.

I started HRT specifically due to anxiety and depression, aged 41

i didn’t have much of the other ‘classic’ perimenopause symptoms, was still cycling regularly - but my mental health was horrific.

it was especially worse after ovulation, until my period

I had never been anxious prior to that, so it was all very distressing. I wanted to take my own life.

HRT has worked MIRACLES for me. Started on 25mg patch estrogen and within a few days I felt a tiny bit better, but the real changes kicked in after 2/3 months.

I strongly recommend you find a menopause specialist GP - I found mine privately at Myla health, had a consult via zoom.

I’m now on 75 mg patch & rectal progesterone 200mg in second half of month.

Honestly I’m not sure I’d be here now if I wasn’t taking it xx

All of can say is i fought through 5 years of going back and forth to GP with severe anxiety, put on multiple anti depressants and anti anxiety meds; had talking therapies and MH contact. None of it worked. I was seriously pre menopausal and reached the end of my tether last year at 50. Finally got HRT 10 months ago. My anxiety symptoms are 90% gone; hormones or the lack of them can never be underestimated. My life has completely changed but the battle I had to go through to get what I needed absolutely exacerbated my anxiety.