I'm interested in finding out if there is a link between PCOS and panic attacks. I know that the hormones are linked and the doctors don't believe me but if I can find others who also suffer with both it might give me some clout with the medical professions.
OMG YES CLARE. I have heard this as well. I was dx last Oct or Nov with PCOS. But I have had "generalized anxiety disorder" since 2006. Please let me know what further research you find/do. I would love to know more. I am a firm believer there is a link between the 2! I am slowly coming off my anxiety meds since I have been on them for over 7 years...I wish they had a cure for anxiety and PCOS. Do you know of any helpful educational material discussing ideas to help with anxiety when it comes on? I know there is no real cure...but I have heard stay away from yeast, etc. exercise, try to eat right, add meditation not just cardio to your exercise routine, to help balance your body, etc. Take care!
Hi Juls. I have been suffering from panic attacks for 11 years, about the same time as I was diagnosed with PCOS. I have tried many things. Am about to move onto level 3 counselling (although I hold out not a lot of hope!). I have contacted a university that does research, with no hope either. The adrenal gland is the problem but as of yet the levels of adrenaline aren't measurable in the brain. I was wondering that if the hormonal imbalance caused by the PCOS could be more controlled by something like the pill but apparently I'm now too old! I will still pester the medical profession with all this but they don't want to confirm or not any of my ideas because there hasn't been enough research into the link. If I find out anything I will post again.
That sounds great! Thank you. I have had counseling with 2 therapists in the past. Only for a total of ~5 visits. I hope it helps you get some insight on how to handle or deal with your symptoms. I myself am on a waiting list at this time to see someone to manage me as I come off my anxiety meds. I am hopeful in finding out educational material and therapist's insight on the situation as hopefully she has met others with the same diagnosis or issue. Cheers to living life and being worry free!! Amen! Definitely keep in touch!
I just found this site after having what seems to be a panic attack, will fill you in briefly as I can with my history. had been a bit of a problem child from as early as I can remember, 1 of 5 siblings and had always been the worst & most problematic, put this down to other problems that occurred during my childhood which probably didn't help. worst teenager ever!! met my wonderful husband at 16 years old & life was perfect! we had nothing but we didn't care, just glad to be with each other & from then on, nothing bothered me, I was the most chilled out easy going person you could ever meet, absolutely nothing bothered me! briefly on the pill & came off at age 17. age 22/23 approx was refered to fertility clinic, found cyst in my right ovary & told prob there since periods started age 11 which would explain why they were always so very heavy & painful.two unsuccessfull attempts at ivf, very very disappointing but still carried on forever hopeful & planning for the next try. trust me this is very brief, if I told you even half of what I've been through in life so far you would wonder how the hell I've coped but I took everything in my stride, shrugged my shoulders & knew that everything would be fine (much to the annoyance & confusion sometimes of my husband who wondered how I could be so calm & relaxed)! then a year & half ago I decided to ask for the cyst in my ovary to be removed, which was agreed my the specialist at our clinic & a laparoscopy was planned. two months before it was due, I began vomiting on the 2nd day of every period. it was only ever on the 2nd day but each time it was worse & felt like I couldn't breath, I just put it down to eating too much & the pain. I told this to the specialist before my laparoscopy. anyway after the procedure, I woke up & immediately felt sick & burning hot, like I was infected all over my body, especially my face & couldn't pee.didnt bother me so much as was told the cyst had been removed & they found a little bit of endo which they also removed. was told I couldn't go home until I passed urine which I wasn't able to do so they had to put a catheter in which then gave me a urine infection. many anti sickness inj & 2 days later, I got home with a letter for my gp for antibiotics for urine infection, however next day I was at local casualty with the sickness,dizziness & burning hotness again, she told me I had an ear infection & sent me home with antibiotics. cut a long story short, this went on for 6 months each time an extra infection, urine,kidney,ear,throat with symptoms getting worse tingling in hands & feet, very bad palpatations, difficulty breathing & when I went to get my stitches removed, the nurse asked me twice if I was sure I wasn't pregnant, my tummy was so bloated I looked 6/7 months pregnant.also found out the specialist lied to me about the cyst being removed, it was still there. finally got an mri cause I thought they infected me during laparoscopy & was diagnosed with pcos in left ovary. also diagnosed with b12 deficiency & low iron. its a year & a half on & I can't count how many of these panic attacks I've had, dizziness feeling like I'm goin to pass out, sickness, diarreha , palpatations , bloatedness, turning burning hot & not being able to breath,.get a lot of ringing in ears, & feels like ear infections, hotness all over, blackness under eyes & just look & feel like crap. I have been in denial that these were panic attacks as I am so laid back normally, I never ever had any problems like this before, was always healthy looking & although had really bad period & cyst pain, I always managed to cope with it well. I cant believe that this torture has all been down to pcos. so yes, I know for sure that panic attacks are definitely linked to pcos and its really crap!!!
I'm so sorry to hear all the stuff that you've had to go through. I'm still fighting to be heard by the medical profession. One day I hope we can all help each other and win this battle. I'm still on the list (apparently near the top!) to see the next level up to sort out my brain and panic attacks. When I get in I'll update to see if they can help, but after having suffered for over ten years, I doubt it!
I know how you feel, its bad enough trying to find a good doctor who really listens to you & actually cares without all the months of waiting! I feel sorry that you've suffered with this for 11 years though. I wish you the best of luck & hope you find something that helps. just curious wether you have tried any anxiety meds or the metformin that a lot of others seem to be trying & If so, how did you get on with them? also if your pcos affected your ability to conceive? I understand if this questions, is too personal to answer.this is the first forum I have ever been on, been reading a lot of them & trying to gather & compare everyones experiences. also are you in the uk?
Hi capricorn2010. I have been on metformin before quite a few years ago. It seems to help some people but I came off because it helped me put on more weight and gave me stomach cramps so thought better of it. I've been on anxiety tabs before but it just masks the problem and doesn't always help. Sometimes the the side effects aren't worth it! I am in England. Without sounding too personal too, I haven't used protection for about 20 years and still haven't got pregnant. That's not to say that it's not possible. I knew someone who has PCOS and has four children. It's basically luck of the draw. I am soon going to put a small survey on this site and hope that you will help me. If we all clump together maybe we can get some more answers? Thanks
hi clare, I've read a lot about people who are taking metformin, most of them say it is a miracle drug & have fallen pregnant but that it does make them awfully sick & I agree that the anxiety meds just mask the problem. I am feeling very optimistic since visiting my doctors last week, I have recently moved to a new area & we have found a very nice, caring, intelligent, irish doctor who is way ahead of us & who we don't need to insist & prompt with everything. she agreed that all these symptoms are caused by the hormones, it's not anxiety or depression etc & that anxiety meds are just masking the symptoms, she has referred me to a gynaecologist in a different area & is testing all my bloods (testosterone etc) & will wait for results from gynae before making a plan. I will help anyway I can, just tell me what to do. do you want me to answer the survey too? have had a quick look, its good idea & see you have had a couple of replies already. can I ask how long you tried the metformin for? just let me know what you want me to do. thanks clare.
Hi capricorn2010. It's great that you seem to have found a sympathetic doctor. I was on metformin for about a year but me and sickness don't go together very well so me personally I had to stop it! I would like to to do survey if you could? I'm trying to make the doctors sit up and listen. There's not been very much research gone into PCOS in great detail and would to force the issue into more research to help others. I did go to a gynaecology for about two years but think they have learnt a bit more since then. Thanks for your help.
Clare
no problem! & thanks for all your info & answering my nosey questions! 
Yes ladies, you all are right. PCOS and panic attacks are intertwined. It has been proven clinically Anxiety rates are higher among women with PCOS.
There are several possibilities one that PCOS causes chemical changes in your body that result in anxiety or, two, Having PCOS can cause anxiety/depression with all the symptoms we suffer. These symptoms include infertility, irregular menstrual cycles, abnormal hair growth, weight gain, acne and other skin conditions, sleep disturbances, and more.
Usually Metformin works very well, but very sorry to hear that it didn’t help you out really. Improvement in diet (keeping in mind insulin resistance that is often main culprit behind PCOS) and regular workout has been found by many women to alleviate the intensity of their symptoms. Thanks Clare.
Luis
Yes! I completely relate to this. I generally find just before my period and on the first day of my period I am almost bed bound. Feel so anxious, dizzy and queezy. The intense cramps are an added bonus too! I've been to the doctors a few times to discuss my anxiety - never have they related the 2. I suppose I'm lucky in the sense I only get my period once in a blue moon so dont have to go through this ordeal all the time!! There must be something to help though - I am desperate!!! =(
my panic attacks and anxiety also started around the time I was diagnosed with PCOS
Hi. An update. I basically begged the last doctor saying that it is all the PCOS fault for my panic attacks! Well, she has now put me on testosterone tablets and so far I think it has calmed me down a bit....will update more when I've been on them for a while. Good luck to you all
I'm not medically trained, but i have PCOS and i suffer from panic attacks. I always assumed that the panic attacks went hand in hand with my depression, but i know if you're worrying about your pcos, or your hormones are extremely unbalanced, that might contribute towards it.
I think there is yes!
I started getting anxiety and panic attacks at 18 yrs then was diagnosed with PCOS at 22yrs. Just before a period (or when I should get one) I get increased anxiety and some mild depression. As soon as my period starts, it is gone, just like magic! At other times, if I have missed a few periods and my hormones are unbalanced, I am anxious all the time..
Hi I know this thread is a year old but hopefully someone will read my post!
I was diagnosed with pcos when I was about 23/24 and not long after I began suffering from anxiety attacks and depression... I was put on antidepressants. When I wanted to start a family I was put on metformin and clomid and I noticed that I lost lots of weight and began to feel much better... I didn't conceive but I did with ivf treatment. My scans confirmed my pcos. I've suffered a lot with palpitations, shakes, dizzy spells, irritability ect and I definitely believe that pcos is the cause and I think it's down to being insulin resistant, a side effect from pcos, hypoglycaemia causes the same symptoms and it's all down to blood sugar levels. Metformin levels out your blood sugar levels therefore reduces the other symptoms... This is my take on things and I've been back and forth my gp and I keep getting fobbed off.. But I know that it's down to pcos.
Hello. I am now 36 and my gynecologist has always seen polycystic ovaries in the regular internal ultrasound scan I do every 1-2 years. I do this checkup since I was in my early 20s. However I do not know whether I have PCO syndrome or whether I only have PC ovaries. As my gynecologist has never given importance to it, so have I. But now, I really see a connection between my PC ovaries and my anxiety and panic attacks. This is a summary of my health during the last years.
-Till 2010 I was taking oral contraceptives during many years (c.a. 10) to prevent the acne caused by my PCO. During this time I had anxiety problems, but they were not too strong.
-About a month after stopping with the pill I had my first panic attack. It coincided with some personal issues and I have always related my attack to them. But now I start to relate it with my hormones…
-After several panic attacks I started with medication against anxiety (ketazolam and paroxetine), and I got better. After several months I stopped with ketazolam too fast and I got panic attacks again, so I started with medication again. I got better and I stopped very slowly. When I was just taking ¼ of paroxetine, I got pregnant and I stopped with medication. I have to say that I had no problem with getting pregnant (fortunately)
-During my pregnancy I had no anxiety, although I was very stressed and worried. I had no problem during the pregnancy such as high blood pressure. After having my baby I had no anxiety for 2 years despite having too much pressure at work. I have always experienced a relaxing effect when breastfeeding. This and the fact of having no anxiety during the pregnancy have made me think about a hormonal origin for my anxiety. I started having my period 7 months after the delivery, but they were not painful.
-Last summer, after several weeks very stressed at work I had a strong panic attack. I just thought it was because I overdid during too long time at work and with my baby, which is true. But at the same time, I realize now that there was hormonal imbalance related. 2 days after the attack, I had the period, and it was really painful, not like the previous ones. I am still breastfeeding (and still relaxes me) but less often of course than at the beginning.
-From then, I had other panic attacks and I started again with medication (diazepam and paroxetine). I am feeling better after 4 months with medication but still not completely. I have observed that I have more anxiety some days before the period and also during the period. So I am really thinking that I have PCOS and that my anxiety has a hormonal origin related to it. After reading this forum I believe more in that.
How can I know whether I am correct and my anxiety is related to a hormonal imbalance? How can I know whether I have the PCO syndrome or only PC ovaries? If that is true, maybe I should take another type of medication. I have also read that PCOS can lead to other important problems (diabetes, heart attack…) if it is not well treated.
About other symptoms, I am not obese but I do have a bit too much hair, but not extreme. I have still acne. I’d really like to find a specialist on this in Spain (my country) or in the Netherlands, where I live.
Have you found more information about research on this topic?
Thanks for your advice!!!
Hi Clare,
I know this post is old but I wanted to say I've been wondering the same thing. I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was 14, now 36 and was told at 14 that I would never be able to have children. I had my first daughter 18 years ago and shortly after she was born I started having really bad anxiety, since then I've had two more children ages 16 and 4 and my anxiety has only gotten worse. I have horrible panic attacks with agoraphobia. I've asked all my doctors and all they can say is that they do think my hormones have something to do with my anxiety but can't offer any help but a hysterectomy which may cause more anxiety, there is no way to tell beforehand. I take an antidepressant and mood stabilizer but they don't help very much. The week before my period my anxiety is 100 times worse and my moods are off the charts. I defiantly think there's a link between the two, I just wish there was some sort of help for all of us suffering from this.