Anxiety "spikes" in perimenopause

[Youshouldbestrongerthanme]

I've always suffered with anxiety (usually manifests as health anxiety e.g. something is seriously wrong with me).
I am now 45 and convinced I am in peri - shorter cycle, heavier periods, some hair loss, itchy scalp (and ear canals?!!!) and particularly bad anxiety mid-cycle.
For example, I'm now on Day 16ish and have abdo pains today. Which of course means there is definitely something really wrong.
I couldn't sleep last night - partly because of the niggly pains, but also because my mind was telling me something terrible was going to happen after 1 am (in light of Trump's posturing). I had to check my phone at 1 am and then had the racing heart etc.
I did speak to my GP about being in peri - it took a whole month to get a an appointment - but she was very dismissive and said I could not be in peri as I wasn't really having any hot flushes.
Didn't help with my anxiety which Is always there, but very clearly peaks mid-cycle.
My stomach still hurts and it's hard as I'm a teacher so currently off with a rather needy 5 yo of my own!
Any advice would be massively appreciated.
I feel so alone.

Speak to a different doctor. My anxiety has also increased massively during peri. I’m 51 and still have regular periods, no hot flushes but a whole range of other symptoms. I don’t want HRT but I do now have anti-anxiety meds and this has helped enormously.

@Reportingfromwherever Thank you - I will do. Just that it will be another month of waiting. Does your anxiety peak and trough or is it always pretty much the same?

I am very similar op and my anxiety has peaked as well. Am back in my anti anxiety meds (duloxetine for health anxiety-works brilliantly) and am on hrt. Feel back to normal six weeks on. Have never had hot flushes.y periods went stupidly heavy aged 46 for a year then got lighter. After I had mirena coil. Stopped altogether in Nov but restarted with hrt.

Anxiety was terrible before I went onto HRT. It did reduce but I had to increase my oestrogen again for there to be any real significant reduction.

I would speak to a different GP.

BTW, itchy ears aren’t worst!

@Haggisfish3 Thank you. My periods are slightly heavier but not too bad. I'm not on any contraception as husband has had a vasectomy but touch wood periods currently OK.
Do you get more stomach issues at all? I feel like trapped wind far more often than I ever did.
And I'm definitely heavier in terms of weight but not so worried about that.

Not especially stomach issues for me but they have never really been an issue for me.

Please don't feel alone. I developed terrible anxiety recently, culminating in a breakdown at work. I suspected peri and asked to see a doctor specifically about it being my hormones. She offered me HRT to try and within days, I felt so much better and so much like my old self. I'm still experimenting with the dosage, but it has definitely made a difference. Some doctors appear to know very little about the menopause, it just happened that I dropped lucky and saw a decent one on that day I went in. I should also add that I have never had hot flushes nor did I dry up like an old prune, as I had been led to believe I would. The anxiety was the biggest and most problematic symptom for me.

To be honest, I’m not sure as I haven’t tracked it this way, but I think it’s fairly steady. BTW I have appalling IBS which may or may not be linked to both per and anxiety. I’m now on meds and a low FODMAP diet and this has really helped.

Your GP is very badly informed. It’s entirely possible to have some menopausal symptoms and not others! I had various changes to my menstrual cycle, dry skin and dry eyes, etc long before the hot flushes started.

Awake at stupid o’clock with anxiety due to peri so this is definitely a thing. My doctor is also being really unhelpful. Said that periods should be lighter during peri and as mine aren’t it’s probably not that. I’m just desperate for something to make me feel better as it’s now so bad I’m not sure I can continue working. It’s ridiculous how hard we have to fight for something so basic.

@VashtaNerada It's so hard, isn't it? I'm a teacher but with a 5 yo of my own so these two weeks have been so difficult as she is demanding of my attention all of the time. It's not been a break 😞

@VashtaNerada I've seen you on two threads now, I really want you to go back to the doctor's and just refuse to leave without a hrt prescription ❤️

Strongly remind them that their guidelines state they must treat you based on symptoms. Print the list of peri symptoms out, tick yours and take it to show them. Tell them directly that you cannot leave without hrt, which can always be stopped if it isn't right.

Hrt protects us from dementia, from broken bones due to osteoporosis. It can save us from going under with stress and fatigue. Please get angry, get pushy and be demanding.

It is SO bad that we have to resort to this, but I have a strong feeling it will change things for you.

@Acutissima - thank you for caring. They’re saying that it would be dangerous to put me on HRT without doing a hysteroscopy first. And there’s a very long waiting list for one. It’s very much been presented to me as if this is normal practice and is entirely in my own interest so it’s quite hard to argue back!