Perimenopause or Anxiety or ???

Hi Buzz

your not alone... never feel alone... 

i just been to the farmacia for some more B6 300mg as thats changed my life, and i mentioned i felt great since taking them aches, fog, dizzyness, fedup  feelings etc gone, but have a few hot flushes back... so they gave me Folic Acid hahahahahaha... said they cure hot flushes and all menopausal females should take folic acid too, so here we go again, another one to experiement with...  i dont mind though if it helps them, other than that I am hunky Dory with the Vit B 6 and Vit B 12 .... 

try and take some thing to help you, its a long roller coaster and you need to be supplementing and easing the symtoms... 

i am in year 9 of peri and only lately after alot of trial and error on the natural remedy route do i now feel somewhat human again 😀

take care and be strong.. we are all in it together Jay x

Thank you so much, I have to say I never thought you could have so many awful

symptoms. I have some vit B6 and have started taking them tonight I

aM willing to try anything to stop feeling so awful.

I would do anything to feel like my old self again

Hi Buzz

well thats a good start give them a week to stabilise and get into your system, also if this helps natural route.. see below..

Natecal ( Calcium & Vit D 3 Mix ) a must for bones as they weaken, 

Maca good, i also take that,

Estroven Max been taking that for years, but will be changing to Menapol Plus soon, trying another.. as think body got use to Estroven been on it for years..

Vit B6 as you know, Vit B1 i also take but that also stops mozzys biting me here in Spain, good for you though.

I have Vit B 12 too ( injections) can get the melty ones for oral administration ones for the energy..

i take an iron tablet and also this afternoon, when i went to get more B6 and the pharmacist gave me Folic acid as i said I am getting day time hot flushes and they had stopped a while ago, Folic acid is also a B Vit and they gave me a box to try and said they will reduce maybe stop the flushes ..

oh we live and learn...

back to B6 i take 300mg a day, did start on 150mg a day for first month, wow i lost about half a stone, i am not over weight at all, but the peri weight that i had sorta noticed ( nothing drastic) has dropped off me ... they say it assists peri weight gain ( muffin top) and it certainly did for me in a few weeks ... no effort required 😃 good luck hun..

all of us ladies are always at the end of the forum so dont feel alone, i will help anyone if i can had 9 years of it and many different things along the way.. Jay xx

 

Hi Jayneejay,

I am really considering the vitamin B route. I feel so wiped out, with depression, anxiety, muscle and joint aches. Not sure how much to take? 

This is such a physically and emotionally draining time for us all.

Hugs to all!

Hi Kim

well i have put info i got from internet and experts on various websites, it says anything from 100mg to 300mg of B6 ...

i started on 150mg as my tabs are 300mg so i halved to start, now i take the full 300mg daily... never felt better...

Jay xxx

kim

heres some of the info..

For women who suffer with brain fog, and memory issues in perimenopause, low levels of B6 could be part of the problem. Depression, confusion, and an inability to concentrate are all associated with B6 deficiency. Vertigo, dizziness, and heart palpitations are also common complaints from women going through perimenopause. All of these symptoms have been associated with (among other things) a B12 deficiency. Vitamin B6 can also help with stubborn weight gain in perimenopause. It is key in the breakdown and utilization of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins in our diet, and is necessary for a healthy metabolism - both which can help manage weight.

i see if i can find the other bit  jay xx 

hi kim

here it is .. i take the 300mg now as it seems to work for me ...

Supplementing with vitamin B6 is also a good option during menopause and can provide more rapid relief than diet alone. To avoid an imbalance that can result when one vitamin becomes deficient, use a supplement that contains a full complement of all members of the B-complex family. Doses of 50 to 100 milligrams per day help promote general health and wellness. However, during the stress of menopause, your requirements for B6 may increase to as much as 300 milligrams per day, says Lieberman.

good luck Jay xx

Hi. Thanks for all your info - really interesting. An update on my latest. Had b12, iron ferritin and folates - they have all come back as 'satisfactory' which to me doesn't sound as reassuring as 'good'! I checked b12 and that seems to be in the middle of the normal range. But the ferritin is 24  and from what I can make out normal ranges from 22 to about 140 so to me that is toward the lower end of the range. I've seen other posts on here about iron making a huge difference . Anyone have any experience of this?

Hello Mooma 😃

I agree with what you say, satisfactory is a funny expression isnt it..

with what you say, i too if were mine would think like you, on the lower scale.

as for iron.. i take half a tablet everyday, have done for a while now, they did make a difference for me at the beginning, they may change your stool colour and better absorbtion with a bit of Vit C ..

we lack so much in menopause and per menopause, just looked at my results the last ones i had ...  mine were 66.00 my results show normal range is 10 - 150ng/ml ... ( mine are done in spain and they always give you a read out of results) Jay xx

Thanks  Jay,

thats a huge difference isn't it 10 - 150? And presumably each person is different so difficult to say what 'normal' should be. My friend had a reading of 4 and was so ill. At 24 her doctor said he still wanted her on iron for at least 3 months. She still has problems. From what I can see on the internet most women seem to say that they they feel better on a level of about 40 and many sites say optimum level is 40-60. Think an iron supplement may be in order. Might help the dizzy fuzzy head and lack of concentration. Haha. Thanks again. Xx

hello mooma, can i ask you about your dizziness and fuzzy head any other ladies.  I 've been suffering with this almost daily for 2 yrs but mine feels like my eyes are being twisted in their sockets which makes me feel dizzy then i can feel nauseas as if i've been spun round and the fuzzy head seems to be with me all the time. I have several other peri symptoms but these two make me anxious and they stop me doing what i would normally do in life so they are debilitating. You mention iron, i take a multi vitimim created for menopausal times and that has iron in but only a small amout, do you think more will help. also let me know what your dizziness is like please. sending you a comforting hug x

Hi Mooma

well I think I would be giving iron a try if i were you, you dont have to take too much, as too much can be bad.. worth a try, it may buck you up no end, 24 is pretty low i think, i am 66 reading and still halve an iron tab, my new ones are 80mg but i take 40mg... if it made me feel yuk i would of just not taken it, but before i took the B6 etc i just added iron and it seemed to buck me up, so its got to you... worth a little experiement isnt it...

jay xx

Hi Anxious Face, bless you sweetie, 

in my early peri, i often felt dizzy, disorientated, and fainted 3 times, it does get better honest, had to eat little and often to keep me balanced ..

always had a bag of almonds with skins on natural ones in by handbag incase i felt i needed a boost while out, i ate loads of them in early peri ...

its hard to say about iron unless you just experiement with it with what makes you feel good or better, i have done this for years with stuff, until now i feel so much better... i have the right balance of naturals and vits now... B6 is the best yet for me... all i get now is hot flushes in day, they seemed to of returned, my anxiety has gone, i been out and about today on my own, no worries, infact I am even getting my spirit back which is good... its been 31 degrees here today so maybe that doesnt help my feeling hot spells 😮 take care hun Jay xx

 

hello jay its so nice to hear your feeling good again after all you've been through for so long. As you know i have low blood sugar so i have to eat something every 3hrs but i still get this horrid dizziness which is driving me mad. I feel i cant plan anything cos ill get dizzy and not be able to do it.  I go to my mother in laws whos 85 on a Sat afternoon and she has more go in her than me, i dont know how you cope with hot flushes in that hot weather in spain.  love hearing from you jay we all rely on you.  take care too hun x

Hi Anxious face... hahahaha oh i can cope i love spain, still lie in sun, weather hot or not, my flushes dont happen in sun, weird its when i am sat still i notice... just part of it all another stage i suppose,been 10 months now since last period so we shall see if i am meno or weather another period creeps in.

i can deal with the hot flush or two, it was the anxiety, feelings of doom, aching body and the lack of enthusiam that were worst for me, and now thats past by... i have a rowing session each day and dumbells out now..

all i can say is early peri is hard and so many different things get you but we just have to keep positive its all natural process and we have to try and get through it.. its all the imbalance of hormones that effects us ... as you know.

have you considered upping the B6 ? i take 300mg a day... it could help..

have a good weekend.. Jay xx

Hi Jay,

You mentioned body aches in the beginning of your peri. Can you please explain how you felt? I have started with the body aches, and joint pain. It is getting really hard to deal with. Days like today I just want to curl up in bed and cry. But, I don't. I keep pushing along. Then best way I can describe how I feel...my body aches like I have the flu. My joints ache when moving any part of my body. Feeling this way makes me feel so depressed and anxious!!

Hugs to all.

Kim

Hi Anxious face , I can sympathise with the dizziness. Mine has taken several different forms. I originally had a lightheaded fuzzy feeling which made me feel uncomfortable in shops, busy places. I needed to hold on to something when queuing. 3 yrs ago I got a bout of vertigo on waking. It happened two days after coming back from holiday. This was diagnosed as labyrinthitis and lasted about 6 wks but I was left with the constant brain fog and a little dizzines. After a few weeks my dizziness returned and I was unable to lie down as I felt dizzy as if I was on a boat in rough seas. Made me feel sick. I could sit in a chair and feel as if I was rocking. It continued for a number of months but no solution found. I also developed head pain at this time which has lingered. Last November the vertigo returned. I have since discovered through lots of research that this is BPPV. I did some exercises and the vertigo went away almost immediately but I was left feeling generally dizzy and having to lean against the work tops etc to do stuff. This passed in about 2 weeks. Right now, my head feels tight and fuzzy and I often feel a bit disorientated and unable to think clearly. Personally I think that I have been unlucky in that I've had a few different things causing the dizziness and they have all got mixed up together. I think the current issue is probably a mixture too of migraine/headache induced dizziness along with hormone fluctuations and also a TMJ problem I have which can also make you feel dizzy. Wouldn't be at all surprised if all of the issues causing the dizziness are caused by meno stuff. Have you had your bloods checked and have you been checked for ear problems? Would be good to rule those out first. I've been loads of places and nothing shows up so at least I know it's not serious but it is still very difficult to deal with. Don't ever give up with trying to find a solution. I am currently changing my diet to an anti inflammatory one to lose weight and hopefully balance hormones and calm down whatever is going on. I am going to start a small amount of iron now I have my result as I don't think that can hurt either. Sorry this is so long but wanted to give you the full picture. Keep looking for something that helps you. Xxxxx

Hi Kim

well it wasnt just early peri joint and body pains, its still been a problem until just lately and been almost nine years, when i statred peri i bled for 21 months hardly a free day, this did vary flow wise from heavy, normal, and just spotting but it lasted a constant 21 months, during that time i had three faints, had no energy had jelly rag doll legs and felt quite poorly... 

since, i just got sparce periods, but achey body, even queing to pay in a supermarket i felt myself leaning on the trolley... i am 49 years old and this started at age 40 to 41...

i also found that when i did have a period ( just before) like my last one 10 months ago, i had migraine for four days solid, day and night and felt soooo sick then the period came, this pmt got very bad before a period came, i dont get many periods had two in 2013 and 3 in 2012, none in 2014.. 

also during early peri i had bladder sensitivity, the urge to go wee all the time, this lasted a few years, felt like i had cystitus all the time too, also thrushy symptoms, i had bladder camera, all okay, i did have follicular cysts in early peri, that would not disperse for a while, they did eventually and surgery was not required these grew to the size of satsumas... i was assured they would go when my next period came, but not having regular ones this was a wait and a half, thinking i may need surgical removal, but they did go on their own luckily... also early peri after a hair wash i seemed to lose alot of hair in plug hole, although looked okay on my head 😆 this has stopped now and my hair is lovely... also each month even though no period came i would feel more achey, very sensitive get hurt easy, and tearful ... very tearful at times, take things to heart... this has passed now, for the moment, dont know if it will come back or not.. i still get achey but nothing like i did before taking Vit  B 6 Kim, very important, changed my life that one, anxiety no more, feeling low gone, my partner works overseas and i live alone in Spain, so i dont see my partner much, maybe every three or four weeks for a couple of days so could feel low about it.. but i am fine, the B6 has made me think clearly, eased everything, and made me feel postive about everyhing.. it says it does and its worked for me... 😑 been on it 2 or 3 months now 300 mg daily, wow what a diference... today i am getting ready to go out for the day, before, no way wouldnt want to, today cant wait ... Jay xx

hello mooma, thank you for sharing, I can relate to a lot of how you feel, i too feel dizzy in shops and queuing is a nightmare and i get disorientated and cant think straight. I,ve had blood tests, balance test, brian scan for my tinitus to see if i have a tumour, tilt table test and appear clear so like you i should rule out anything serious, i do however have a brain tumour in my pituarty glan since 2005 which contributes to my many headaches and low blood pressure but since 2012 the dizziness and off balance feeling came out the blue with what i've since discovered are peri menopause symptoms.  I've resently had 3 bowen sessions were they aligne by skeleton, the theropist thought my dizziness etc was down to being exposed to too much electric ie. flourescent lights, computer, mobile phone, TV, microwave, cordless phones etc.  But i work full time in an office with all these things so i'd have to give up my job and then who knows if i'd feel better?? (bit extream) I've not had vertigo but i do get a slight spinning sensation which makes me feel sick.  You have been so unlucky and reading your post i feel guilty for feeling sorry for myself.  What is TMJ?  I was thinking of trying iron since reading your and jays corrispondence.  Thanks again Mooma take care and keep going x

Hi anxious face,

no don't feel guilty at all - all the things we are feeling are really real and each has its own difficulties. I completely get how you say you can't think straight. I was always a real 'coper' but now I get panicky over the smallest things. Sometimes I end up in tears for no real reason. TMJ is your jaw joint. I have had a mouth guard made by my dentist in case I am clenching my jaw at night but it doesn't seem to be working at the moment. At lot of the pain I get seems to come from that area. I have read recently though that a lot of women seem to get problems with TMJ at meno as there are oestrogen receptors in the jaw?! So it appears that it could be another meno symptom. I used to work with young children and had to give up my job as it all became too much but if you can keep going then I would - it all takes your mind off things. I try to keep busy and constantly research and try new things. I recently had a patch of hair loss which is apparently an auto immune thing so I'm hoping that the dietary changes will help with that and hopefully the other things too. Fingers crossed. Starting the iron tabs today. Big hugs. Xx

Yes like you i was a real coper and used to shrug little illnesses off and get on with it but this peri has taken over me and i seem to have lost that coping.  I really struggle at work some days but i'm trying to keep my job as long as possible but when i cant think straight i too get panicky.luckly i'm my own boss at work but that brings a lot of responsibilities which i struggle with these days but i'll keep going as long as i can cos if i was at home i'd think about how i was feeling 24/7. Poor you with the jaw problem that can't be nice for you.  Let me know how you go on with your diet changes and iron.  We have a health food shop in the village so i think i'll call in and ask some advice. hugs back x

Hi moons what exercises did u do for vertigo .All the best 

Hi. I'd pretty much worked out that my vertigo was down to BPPV which is when calcium crystals get stuck in the wrong place in the ear canals. I'd also worked out from my symptoms that it was left sided BPPV so I did something at home called the 'semont manoeuvre'. You can also do a home 'epley manoeuvre ' but that appeared a bit more complicated. It wasn't pleasant as it induced the vertigo so I made sure someone helped me with it. I did this three times and it went after the third. If you google BPPV and also semont you will find plenty of info, but it will only work if it's the crystals that are causing the problem. If you are unsure which side then your GP should be able to help you confirm this. Hope this helps.xx

Thanks I hope yours has gone away I will try you advice thank you this is just so unpleasant . C

Yes it has gone now. Still get some dizziness but not vertigo. Have you investigated inner ear problems? It's definitely worth doing some research. The Dr doesn't always realise how awful it makes you feel. Let me know how you get on. Xx

Hi Jayneejay...did u have headaches and and shake at times and have your muscles just tense up and have to really work at just moving at times..i think im gunna try b6 to see if i can get rid of brainfog..have found out im low on vitiman d so ive started that and it helps with some of the fatiuge..i feel better but wonder if b6 will help with the other issues?thank you so much for all the info you put on here sure helps to calm my nerves at times...thank you to all you ladys..your all amazing and always try helping if only with kind words!!Love and hugs to all...

Hi Laurie, yes i did have all that, see my reply above to Kim i tried to explain my early years experience... i had more than shakes, i had three faints, one while in a large store and woke with paramedics and a policemen going through my mobile... I was given B6 years ago by my doc, but never really took it properly back then as didnt know the benefits and he didnt really explain, but wish i had as the last three months have changed my life, if you are low on vit D ? how did you find that out ? 

my doc also years ago in early peri told me to take Vit D and Calcium for my bones, and i take Natecal a mix of both ... can be bought easily..

i also have Vit B12 for energy and B6 as we can lack both in peri and meno, and i feel tonnes better, aches gone, brain fog gone, anxiety gone, i have my old spirit back and theres no stopping me ... been 10 months since my last period and in ninth years of peri so had the lot, I am aged 50 this month ..

try and get some Busy B tabs or B6, apparently the busy B have a good amount of B6 in aswell as all the other essentials... and Natecal for your Vit D3 and Calcium, we can get crumbly bones after menopause and we need to protect them now,,, 

take care sweetie.. Jay xx

 

I went to a dif doctor and she said she wanted to check my vitamin d cause of some of my symptoms...came back low...now i want to get rid of the brainfog so i can be able to drive when and where i want.. im hoping b6 helps with that..thank you so much...

Hi laurie, thats good that you got checked and know...

not heard of Vit D checks before, Only vit B12 blood tests, hence asking..

hope you get sorted and feel alot better soon you will i am sure 😃

Jay xx

Yes i thought it was crazy when she said it but glad she checked it now..my b 12 is ok..i just keep trying dif things and someday i will figure out what helps and what doesnt..all i can do since drs are more lost then we are with all this...lol...hugs

Hi laurie, i understand, i have spent 9 years of natural and this and that, just wish i had the B6 sooner .. or my old UK doc years ago had of explained how good it is for peri, i just didnt really bother then... but now its changed everything, another lady on here tried it and said her life improved too, my anxiety, aches, feeling grim, and useless, brain fog and aches, all gone, I am amazed... i use to get i. a right old state and wouldnt venture out alone, now theres no stopping me, i dont take the busy B mix, i just take the stronger B6 that i get here in Spain from the farmacia, i have B12 too and B1 as thats stops mozzys biting you, mozzys hate Vit B1, normally they eat me alive, but on B1 i hardly ever get one bite ... 😀..

do try the B6 and let me know if it improves your wellbeing, i think it will, i started with 150mg daily ( half a tab) then took the full 300mg daily, also weight fell off me too, not that i need to lose any, but it helps with any stubborn weight too 😀... Jay xx

Hi Buzz

How are you getting on? I hope you are well and got some answers to what was causing your symptoms. We are not alone x

Dear Sandy, had a very similar experience to you.Was diagnosed with vestibular dysfunction of the right side.But I think its an overlap of symptoms.Physio helped with the dizziness but the nausea is still there on and off and I think this is hormonal.I think I am perimenopausal and will probably have to go back and speak to the GP.Thanks xx, at least I know there are others which have had the same symptoms as me.