What has been your absolute worst symptom of (peri)menopause?

I feel for you. The depression has been extreme for me in recent months though I believe it grew out of the anxiety and panic which grew out of the physical symptoms! When I feel better physically I'm able to begin to see light at the end of the tunnel. It can be bleak. My husband has been a support for me but I just wish I could get back to normal, physically and mentally and just be able to get on with life.

I've been prescribed sertraline but I'm too scared to take them as I've had a lot of digestive problems and don't think I would be able to take the side effects.

Yes, the anxiety and depression (for me comes in waves of several months then disappears) is a tough one to figure best way to check. I have discovered that when I have regular cycles (haven't had one since december 2014) I am totally fine save for a day or two prior. So in my case I know it's hormone driven. But I am terrified of HRTs, so whether they would help in my own case, I don't know, but it sure sounds like they would help. 

I did try Sertaline a while ago when I wasn't having cycles and hot flashes were troubling and doc thought this might help. Looking back, I think it did help out with the sadness yet in my case, the anxiety still loomed. I was on a low dose for maybe 4-5 months tops. Possibly increasing it may have helped, but then the periods started again.....and I stopped the meds.

Most recently I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. I know that this can create an issue for depression and probably anxiety as well. Still have not started treatment for that until the end of month, so we'll see if this helps out, not sure. 

I was told by new endocrinologist that peri/meno and issues with thyroid acting up are not uncommon.

I feel for all of us troubled by the emotional ups and downs caused by unsteady hormones. Many do not get it when you try to explain...I am sick of hearing just think happy thoughts and exercise more.......there are days that simply is not an option. But one thing is constant in my life that does help is a bit of mindful meditation or relaxation when I don't have the energy for much else. Find something or someone soothing to listen to that imparts good thoughts in your head that you can feel somewhat relaxed and uplifted a bit.

I pop the earbuds from the iPod and listen to my favorite soothing person and it does help. I just need to do it more often, some days!

Wishing you both the best,

Annie  xx

Hi Ruthie, please tell me you are doing much better. I'm in Peri and mine started with physical symptoms, followed by anxiety, then depression. I tried antiD's etc but they made my anxiety worse. What had worked for you? Please I'm 2-3 years into this nightmare.

I got on effexor extended release but count the pellets because too much makes my anxiety go through the roof. I lterally started with 6 pellets and now on 28 which works unless on occasions when I have a bowel movement and for some reason have anxiety for about an hour. But I was so bad with symptoms at first I couldnt work or function. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and take levothyroxine and also cyclical HRT oral. It took so many months to start to feel a little better. its almost 7 months and I stil have constant head sensations and presure, IBS and a couple times a month anxiety and depression. I am afraid to be alone and will not fly or travel far from home. I hate feeling this way I used to be independant. I work in my yard, yoga, bike and hike for excersize and it does work and make me forget how miserable this is. I hope you can find something to make yours better. I would have to say I feel 80-90% most days but at first it was 10-20%. I wonder if I will be this way for the rest of my life.

Hi,

do you still have the anxiety with the bowel movements? I get that

I completely relate with how you're feeling and how overwhelming it all is!! I am 39 yrs and have been very scared, full of anxiety because of symptoms I've been having that no one can explain! Mine started with my cycles shortening (used to be 28 days like clockwork)- but for 3-4 months they were like 23-24ish days. That was ok and I didn't think much of it until one night, I awoke with heart palpitations, racing heart and weird chest sensations. Of course the first thing I thought of was heart issues- so after an ER trip, seeing my internist, then cardiologist for holster monitor and Echo cardiogram- my heart looked perfect. Hmmmmm????

I have felt "off", with brain fog and fuzzy-headed (even dizzy at times) and after an MRI and 2 neurologists- nothing was found. One of the neurologists said I have panic disorder. (As we all know, anxiety and depression are actually a common perimenopause symptom).

I've had sleep disturbances- trouble staying asleep and poor quality sleep. Never had trouble in the past!!

I spoke with my GP and she is so sweet and supportive, but didn't mention perimenopause. She gave me Xanax for the anxiety that's gone through the roof and that's it. My blood work looked good-no thyroid issue- etc

The tricky part of all of this, is that we really are experiencing symptoms, so what can you expect but to become increasingly anxious as a result?

This whole thing has left me researching constantly trying to nail down what could be going on!

If indeed I am "healthy", as my dr says, then this has to be hormonal (and likely perimenopause).

There is so little awareness on this that women our age think they are going crazy or becoming ill. It has thrown me into a horrible fear cycle because with every symptom, I'm left wondering if it's serious or what the heck is going on?!?

I ordered natural progesterone to possibly try-

I have even taken some of the Xanax just to ease the anxiety. It's ridiculous!!

If only our GP's knew how significant premenopause can actually be (and that it often starts after age 35)- they could relieve a lot if our fears by acknowledging these real symptoms and validating the cause.

The worst thing is dr's saying "your fine" or "sorry, we can't find anything". Clearly, shortening cycles, hot flashes, heart palps, increased anxiety, and just feeling "off" are all real things that mean something!

Why are we all having to self-diagnose???

While reading all of the posts this feels like I'm traveling back to my own journey of all these nonsense and overhelming experience for years...

Please share your experience with natural progesteron 

thank you so much, so helpful to be able to speak to others!

...the self-diagnose thing - so true! I mean, how hard is it for a doctor/gynacologist to make a connection to hormons when a 36-year is walking into their office going bananas & thinking that she was deadly ill (besides having irregular cycles...?and strange skin & hair?and backpain?) - and then to prescribe antibiotics because my fallopian tubes MIGHT be a little inflammated?)...Don't they kind of meet women all day long...?The hormon thing with me was so obvious, but then all other weird symptoms started...Which now have to be checked up on of course...Which really scare me to death.

I am off this pill now and started to take utrogestan from 8th day of my cycle which a friend of my mothers prescribed...After a week I started to wonder if it was such a good idea to take it after all and if the dose was too high, since some of my dizzyness returned..So I started to apply it to the skin instead...After 2 days I started bleeding heavily, went to the gyno where they now found a 2cmx3cm functional cyst on my right ovary...seems to be happening with hormon therapy a lot or when ovulating does not happen properly....oh no, I have the feeling I am going under...Seems to be nothing to be worried about really, but still - I never had irregular cycles, funny bleeds, PMS or cysts or anything before...!And now I have this cyst, and such a heavy bleed...I am wondering if I might have caused it myself by stopping the utrogestan, quite likely...

I am having deja-vu's from being pregnant when I was feeling weird at times, also I seem to be reacting to hormon changes in my body in a strong way - in both of my pregnancies I was suffering from really bad hyperemesis.

Did anybody here have this as well & has a connection maybe made to a reaction of the immune system to excess estrogen or sth like that?I have a lot of allergies & there are autoimmune diseases in my family...

I am sure I need more progesterone, so stupid of me to have stopped it...

Doctors jsut keep telling me to try another pill...

Thank you ladies!

- dry eyes, dry everything! my skin is super dry...i might have to throw away all my expensive facial creams now which don't match my skin anymore...

- breathing 'issues' - i am having the feeling this might also be due to a reflux problem, caused by stress/anxiety attacks, with a light cough and nasty stuff in the back of my throat, went to GP, all normal...on opremazol now..

- constipation, magnesium helps a little!

- cold feet & hands

- tender breasts

- just want to lie down all day & rest...although noticed that swimming, walking, sauna is helping back pain & joints problems a lot!

- allergies worse than last year in spring...

so, here i am at 36 sounding like an old lady...!

yes i know it is early for me - i wonder whether it is just a temporary 'glitch' or really starting...maybe also due to stress...my mother went through menopause with no complications whatsoever in her late 50ies...

xxx

I use virgin coconut oil too. It's so pure you can also use it for cooking. My hair has become very dry so I rub it on before blow drying as well as using it for my skin. It smells lovely too.

I can relate to so much of what you say. I have auto-immune issue and wonder if the hormone changes trigger allergy type symptoms. For example, today the fatigue/fluey feeling is awful with stinging eyes and sinus problem. I just don't know what to think sometimes.

i think there really is a point in that!

...a few days ago i made a fresh carrot juice ( i used to be terribly allergic to fresh carrots, not in pregancy though, but the last two years i could somehow eat them...) and ended up with a really bad allergic reaction - my eyes completely swollen. haven't had this in years...went to the pharmacy for some cetirizin, which helped - interestingly that evening i didn't have any joint & muscle pain anymore...took it the next day, too - no pain. slept really well, too...that was when i actually started googling for a connection, and found some interesting info on some US sites...will see if i can find them again!

Alesa x

Susanne. Please tell me you are better? I'm 35 and going through this hell. What has helped you? I hope you are better. Would appreciate any info. Suffering terrible.