Anxiety is so bad, I feel like I am going mad!

Posted , 12 users are following.

Hi, I have been perimenopausal for 6 years now (since I was 39) back then i was having very long heavy periods and then missing a period on occassional months so my GP send me for a blood test which confirmed my hormone levels had dropped so I was entering the change a little early.  At the time I was on citalopram anti depressant which i had been taking for many years.  Then just over a year a go i had to come off of the citalopram due to it causing me a heart problem which is very rare but once off of the citalopram my heart went back to normal. 3 months after finishing the citalopram i started getting very tearful, dizzy and hot flushes. At the time i thought i was getting depressed again, but my GP said that the citalopram had been helping with the symptoms of perimenopause. My situation at the moment is that I am unable to take any antidepressants as I cant get on with any of them and the 2 i did get on well with made the heart condition return!  So now I am scared to take any medication. The last 6 months i have been suffering with terrible anxiety which has got so bad I have lost my job due to it.  Heart palps, feeling like I am going mad, sense of doom or dread, hot flashes, then feeling chilled to the bone like I am going down with flu, my joints ache and crying for no reason or for silly reasons, oh and dizzyness and ringing in my ears.  I've had 3 periods in the last year.  I also have no sex drive.  Can anyone relate to these symptoms and are they all down to menopause??  I have had bloods tests all come back normal apart from the hormone fluctuation, I'm waiting to get the results back for a 24 hours ecg check on my heart and the MRI scan i had last year came back normal ( i had the MRI done on my head due to the intense dizziness i was feeling.  I am taking a multi vitamin and a natural form of HRT.  Any advise or help would be welcome, especially on the crippling anxiety which is the worst for me at the moment.  Much love to all of the women going through this at the moment!!

0 likes, 21 replies

21 Replies

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  • Posted

    Hi Julie, you are definately in full swing of the menapause in my opinion

    and I think I should know, I have had it all and still getting symptoms at

    56 and postmenapausal.😕

    All I can say to you is you will get through it. I can't take any meds as I

    have high bp, so I have learned to cope with each symptoms as it is thrown

    at me.

    Whichever route you choose to go down (HRT?) Stay positive and you

    always Have the support of us ladies.

    Hope you are feeling better soon, all the best😊

  • Posted

    THIS IS ME!! I have all same things and had all same tests. the constant unstable dizzy feeling is making me crazy! i hate to leavr the house sad my anxiety is so bad. i think its causing off balamce. i started low dose xanax 2 weeks ago and was feeling great but now xanax isnt lasting as long and i get this weird feeling and i can feel it in my teeth wjen my body wants more xanax. this scares me after just 2 weeksm but when i take i feel sooo much better. i feel screwed either way sad i pray the amxiety part doesnt last long. i have kids and its ruining my life.

    • Posted

      Hey Kim. I had the same problems with the anti anxiety meds. Benzodiazepines are really easy to become dependent on. Very hard to get off. I finally just quit taking them and now just try to talk myself out of the anxiety the best I can. The more you do it, the better you get at it. God bless you. I hope this gets easier for all of us.
    • Posted

      I've come off of anti depressants and i have no desire to go back on them due to the side affects which i had with them.  Its been 3 weeks since i started taking a natural form of HRT and I feel that my anxiety is very slowly starting to ease, will keep you updated. xx

  • Posted

    All these suggestions are great and I'm going to try them too since I'm going through peri. I agree about stopping sugar. It really does help diminish my anxiety. Also getting out in the sunshine for brisk walks and fresh air. I've been thinking about getting a sunlamp, for rainy/winter days or when I can't summon the energy to go for a walk. I've read it helps with depression and anxiety.

    I can also vouch for diazepam - I only take 1/4  or 1/2 of a pill, 3 or 4 times a month, and it takes the edge off scary or intolerable moods. It's wonderful. You should only take it rarely though because it loses it's effectiveness if you take it regularly for some reason. 

    Beware of caffeine if you struggle with anxiety and crying. Cut it out completely if you can. It just intensifies irritableness, anxiety, and feeling emotional. 

    I also wanted to suggest Taurine, an amino acid vitamin, for daily mood stablizing. It has helped me so much and is really subtle. It doesn't make me feel anything - I'm just significantly calmer when I take it. I take 500 mg. in the morning after breakfast.

    Best wishes. Julie! You're not alone!

  • Posted

    Thank you for all of your replys! I don't feel so alone in feeling the way I do now! I have tried to reply to each of you but for some reason I am unable to?! Take care and best wishes to all of you lovely ladies! xx

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