Hi everyone - I am new to the group and wishing all of you well. I am 52 years' old and, according to blood tests, am post-menopausal, although it has only been three months since I last spotted. I woke up in the middle of the night on July 13 and have never been the same since. Chronic dizziness, heart palpitations, nausea, tingling, numbness, and panic attacks. Since that time, I have been to the ER (heart is fine), an ENT, a neurologist, two OB/GYNs, primary care physician, psychologist, psychiatrist, and acupuncturist. (I am seeing a cardiologist later this week.) I tried 20 mg Prozac for 12 days and had to stop because it made me so sick (no sleeping/eating for two days). Xanax and Clonozeapam made me more anxious and dizzy. I had to stop working but need to go back very soon as not working is not an option. I do not drink or smoke, and I exercise regularly. I also take vitamins, although I am hesitant to take Relizen or other such menopausal supplements because of potential side effects. Anyone else experiencing this and how are you coping? I want my life back; the anxiety is much worse now because of the uncertainty as to when this is going to end. Thank you so much for your help!
Hello Karen I’m having some of the same issues. I have insurance but just don’t go to the doctor much gives me high anxiety of them finding something bad wrong with me. I do go on a regular basis for lab work due to taking medication for under active thyroid. I haven’t had blood work done to see if I’m premenopausal but pretty sure i am been almost a year since i have had a period and i will be 51 in December. I never post much on here but i do enjoy reading others experience with this dreadful time in a females life. Sometimes i wonder how the heck can all these awful symptoms be part of going through the change it’s SCARY! I deal with hot flashes, i crave sweets, fatigue. But the past couple of weeks i been dealing with dizziness and tingling in both hands it’s freakin me out. For about seven years now only my left leg ankle foot swells. I mentioned to my doctor back when it started he thought maybe it was because of my thyroid issue but since being on medication 7 years it still swells . I mentioned it to him my last visit a couple of months ago he was just like idk maybe you need to go to vain doctor UGG... no pain just swells very noticeable!! And it doesn’t help that i drive a school bus for a living.. i hopethings get better for you i don’t have any good advice but i assure you their will be someone on here that does.
I am experiencing anxiety, tiredness, leg pain, dizziness too. Im also 52 yrs old. Have missed two periods.
Hello Karen
Welcome to the forum, I'm sorry you feel so awful at the moment. Unfortunately it really can be like that, and it just becomes about having support, and strategies in place to get you through. My crash came in March, and like you the anxiety is really difficult to cope with. There's a list of 66 symptoms on the forum, which may help you to recognise which ones relate to menopause and hopefully allay some of your fears. I'm taking bhrt, and it has helped significantly but its not an exact science and so my dose will need to be adjusted. I'm not sure whether you've given any thought to hrt but it's worth considering if your symptoms are too tough to manage. There are loads of posts which will show that you're not alone with this, even though it can feel like you are. My advice on coping would be exercise (cardio is best), yoga, mindful meditation, plenty of fresh air, slow everything down and just be good to yourself, get a good gynae who can support and advise. I don't know how long it lasts, I'm not even thinking about it. Best to just get a strategy in place to help you cope whether that's holistic or meds and take it as it comes. Overthinking and catastrophising seems to come with the territory. We are always here for you Karen.... Just breathe ♥ xx
Hi Donna - thank you so much for your reply. I am so sorry you are experiencing these symptoms and I completely understand your frustration. My thoughts and well wishes are with you! Take care.
Hi Karen,
What your experiencing is the downward spiral of lost hormones. Estrogen, Progesterone and Testosterone the main biggies. Not a pleasant feeling along with all the side effects that slowly creep in. You will probably notice your hair, skin and nails starting to change, and not for the good. Your weight no matter how hard you try seems to not go away. Sleepless nights, hot flushes and anxiety are all part of this craziness. I went through peri menopause for 10 years before my periods ended when I was 55. When the periods ended all heck broke loose and I didn't like what I was seeing or feeling. I read more stuff than I've ever read about menopause and hormone replacement. I suggest you do the same. I am on bio identical hormones consisting of estrodial, estriol, progesterone and testosterone. It is what gave me peace of mind, my sleep back, no more hot flushes, no more anxiety, no dryness down below, and overall gave me my life back. I am 58 now, feel great and will be on bio identicals from here on out. Finding a good doctor that knows what their doing, runs adequate lab work and looks and listens to your symptoms is key to success. Most general docs just don't know enough about menopause and what it does to a woman. They just haven't gotten the training past medical school. That's why they start ordering all the tests, that ironically all come back "normal" and then opt for choosing anti depressants because surely the woman is going nuts right? This is wrong. Our bodies are not starving for the lack of anti depressants they are starving for our hormones that so cruelly get taken away from us at this stage of our life. Past reproductive years its natures way. Problem is we live longer now than we ever have so if a woman goes into menopause in her 50's and lives to be 80, 90 or 100, that's a lot of years to feel miserable and quality and happiness in life are so important. Some women may get lucky and not have any problems after menopause but I think most will say well into their menopause they are still having difficulty sleeping and still having hot flushes. My own mother at 80 was still having problems sleeping, needing a fan blowing on her all night and having hot flushes. She had a hysterectomy at 55. That's 25 years of not feeling "yourself". I have no regrets. Good Luck.
Hi Karen - I feel for you, I really do, it’s a nightmare - One thing that was suggested to me by a naturopath is to take a really good Probiotic (Gut/Brain connection). Also take magnesium, (calming) a good Stress Vitamin B vitamin & Vitamin D. Really try to get into meditation...there are plenty of meditation apps out there, I personally like Mindspace. A little trick I have learned that if I am actually in a panic attack, I reach for a handful of ice or drink cold ice water. The cold makes your brain focus on the cold rather than your panic attack.
Getting regular Acupunture has also helped me & of course any kind of massage is so helpful.
I have experienced ALL of your symptoms & then some & drs don’t know what we are talking about - I would always suggest getting “checked out first”, but understand this is part of the journey. I have chosen to do this without HRT or anti depressants or anti anxiety RX’s because I am super sensitive to RX’s and couldn’t even tolerate birth control pills when I was young. However, that said, you should do & take whatever is going to bring you comfort & well being. Be well -
Well said Jude! 🤗
Hi Karen! Welcome to hell! I am 41 and got hit out of nowhere at 40...July 5, 2017...to be exact! I was out for breakfast and thought I was having a stroke. Spent the rest of the year with a bunch of other weird stuff, ER visits, a million drs appts...Tested up, down, inside and out! Also, acupuncture, naturopath...ugh! Tests All clear. The only thing it shows is BPV ( inner ear vertigo) and of course anxiety. fatigue and vertigo awful the past few months, however, my periods are very light and closer. My bloods have come back post meno a few times. Tests are not accurate until 12 months of missed periods. I stopped working last December, I am self employed, I love what I do, but the vertigo is just too much. Hard to drive with a spinning head too, I have been on Lexapro for the past 3 months...once I got past the side effects... it has helped the anxiety a bit...but not the dizziness. I have weaned myself off. Going back to dr tomorrow and gyno after to figure out a different plan. I take a multi vitamin, vitaminD, omega3 and lysine ( my immune system is awful since perimenopause). Nothing has really helped. This has thrown me for a loop too. I do not drink, smoke, not overweight. Some women are years post meno and still having symptoms. You’ll be glad you joined this forum. There is no symptom too weird that another women hasn’t experienced 😀
I agree! At 41 and family history of heart disease...I am not a candidate for HRT, but I am considering getting back on oral BCP. I cannot help but notice, all my troubles started within a month of stopping long term use if them. But, of course... I have flipped my lid too in the drs eyes! I gave his anxiety theory 3 months on Lexapro...just weaned myself off...if this is all anxiety an AD should have made a difference... I should be dancing around now...but I am not! 😆
Thank you, Lou. I am so sorry that you are going through all of this. I am absolutely overwhelmed by your support and the support of all of these wonderful women, and I only posted an hour ago.
Thank you so much, Sassyr12a. The support and empathy alone are helping me. I appreciate your reply so very much. Take care, Karen
Thank you so much, Debra. I hear you - I am super sensitive to medications. I can handle my daily "vitamin regimen" with no problem (calcium, D3, magnesium, multivitamin, Omega 3 Krill Oil, magnesium, probiotic), but could not handle the Prozac and am now too afraid to try anything else. I've heard some women take over the counter Bonine or Dramamine for anxiety; would be interested in knowing if others have tried this. I am predisposed to have anxiety, but was able to manage it until I woke up in the middle of the night in July with a massive panic attack. Just comes out of nowhere. I am not thinking of anything in particular to trigger it.
Take good care.
Karen - I am so sorry you are going through this! I joined this forum when it all hit for me June 11, 2018. My hormones crashed and the scary symptoms started. I should say that I did not join this forum until nearly a month of reading and reading posts on this forum. I lived on this site for days on end trying to educate myself while in a pile of despair wondering what was happening to me. I knew I needed to get on here to give my thanks to these women (they were and are a Godsend to me!) as well as reply to other women experiencing the same things.
The "experts" say that about 20% of us have a very rough time with the change (peri/menopause). My mom had a breeze of it! All she could remember were a few hot flashes, her periods were heavy for a bit and then wa la! Done! Not so much for me. I have had so many of the symptoms listed on the 66 symptoms list her on this forum. LIke many of the women on this forum - I went nonstop to Dr's appt's, the emergency room, urgent care etc thinking there was something seriously going on and of course. all clear. I've had EKG, CT Scan's all the bloodwork etc. I have palpitations, tingling in my body, numbness, pain behind my ear, joint aches, the LIST GOES ON - anxiety and depression feelings! This was all NEW NEW NEW - all of it - NEW for the first time at 49 and right around the time my first period was missed. Now I'm irregular, having night sweats and hot flashes more regularly than I've ever had before.
Many of the women usually try to go through it all natural with maybe some additional vitamins etc, or they try HRT or BHRT or anti-depressants or anti - anxiety. I am trying a "natural" over the counter progesterone cream that you can find at Whole Foods or online through Amazon. Since June I've read about 5 books and anything I can get my hands on online for reading and educating myself on the options. You are not alone, Karen! It is a scary place those first few days and weeks until you start looking into all of your options. I am SO much better - SO much better than I was in June and July. I ordered a saliva test kit online and had it sent to my home and then sent it back in for my hormone results. I was extremely low on progesterone so that is why I am supplementing with the cream. My depression and anxiety attacks/intense hot flashes have lifted since starting this cream. I will never know if my hormones were starting to level off and that is why I am so much better - or if it is the cream? That was the main reason I started the cream was for those 2 symptoms! One thing to also note, unfortunately, is that a lot of the women on here have had really crummy experiences/reactions from their doctors. I think a lot of us could say we had to become our own advocates - another reason I sure do love and am grateful for the education, support, wisdom and encouragement this forum has given to me! Take care, Karen - you are not alone!!
Donna. I am the same way about going to the doctor. I get so stinking scared. If she recommends a test, I will probably pass out right there. I am 46 and in Peri. I have alllll kinds of horrible symptoms. I do have the numbness and tingling in my hands when I wake up, but I think it’s from my neck..
Awe Karen. I get it. I have been through the nausea. Haven’t experienced it lately. My newest thing is heart pounding when I am trying to go to sleep at night. Just curious, what did the neurologist say?
I agree with you, for that reason I didn't opt for AD or antianxiety drugs. I did start low dose birth control pills, it helped but maybe I need to up the dose. I get very very light periods. Wish it would end already and get my life back. We are warriors, keep fighting,
Keep the chin up, we will come out of this with flying colors. 
Jude - this is such a great post!!!! I have read it at least 5 times! It puts into words SO much of what I feel and what I've been thinking and considering! You have also inspired me with your experience on the BHRT. I started with an over the counter progesterone cream and am having marked improvements; for that I am grateful. I am going to reassess how I feel at the 3 month mark on this cream...I am open to the bio identicals as well. Thanks again for your post, Jude.
Karen - if you have a chance to do some research on Hot Flashes and Night Sweats (the ones that wake you up in the middle of the night) - they have the exact same symptoms of an Anxiety Attack/Panic Attack. I didn't know any of this until I started this in June!!!!
I assumed a Hot Flash or a Night Sweat would include sweating or being warm - NO - you can have these all day long and in the middle of the night with our without sweating.
They can have physical feelings and emotional feelings with each one and can last as short as 1 minute up to 30 minutes for each one. My first intense flash sent me to the ER. I am starting to understand after 3 months of this what it is and when it's happening to me. It's a physical manifestation of the hormones plummeting - nothing triggers it - just the hormone fluctuations for me. It's so hard to get used to.
Hi 2chr2015 - glad the nausea has subsided! I know heart palpitations are a common symptom; they are so scary and I am sorry you are experiencing these, too. The neurologist, while very experienced, had a horrible bedside manner. He performed what I believe to be the "standard" exam, I.e., various balance testing exercises, looking in my eyes, checking my reflexes, etc., and attributed all of my symptoms to my anxiety. I had had an MRI in 2012 for migraines that came back normal. While he put in the order for a new MRI, he did say he could find no issues from my exam and recommended I take the Mirtazapine a psychiatrist I saw had recommended. I will not be trying that medication, based on my bad experience with Prozac and all of the not insignificant side effects with the drug. So frustrating... Most likely will not go forward with the MRI.