I'm experiencing chronic dizziness, nausea and panic attacks, any advice?

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 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.