My anxiety seems to trigger a total loss of appetite, especially early in the day. I know I should eat breakfast, but literally have to force something down my throat on those bad mornings. Sometimes its just half a banana or a few spoofuls of yogurt. Most mornings when I awaken I begin to feel my body get very warm and have to kick off the covers. Its like an engine starting up after being at rest....very strange. This triggers that anxious feeling and I have to get up right away. As soon as I'm up and moving around the "heat" part subsides, but the anxious feeling remains. Has anyone experienced similar symptoms? I long for those mornings of waking, stretching and thinking, what a great night's sleep, and what a wonderful morning! Peace of mind is a thing to be treasured.
Susan T

Susan, I think these symptoms are very common. I know when I am under stress and full of anxiety, I can't eat either. What you are describing is exactly what I felt a few years ago when I was in the throes of all of this. It gets better, trust me, but it can return in waves now and then, especially when triggered by a stressful event.

Where are you in Florida? I have a house in Bonita Springs.

Yep i experieniced these symptoms and lost 25 pounds trying to force my self to eat mornings was hard. And waking up hot and jittery was another thing. Hang in there it will subside. Hugs Lizardlover

I feel like that to, when i wake up it feels like morning sickness, i can only eat at about 11 am, the only thing is that i can drink fluids early but not eat food.

when i first started this 5 years ago, i lost 30lbs in a momth brcause i couldnt eat either. i was so anxious and panicky. i had to force a piece of bread down my throat and take a drink of water to wash it down. i ended up buying some "ensure" drinks and i drank 3 of those a day for a month. it was all i could do. i still get that way now when the anxiety hits, which seems to be more often these days after having it go away for awhile. when im anxious or scared about something i still have to force myself to eat a few bites thru-out the day. its a stressor in itself for me. i also wake up with that morning sickness feeling on and off. very weird.

Two things which may help you as I have experienced this too really badly:

- try making a smoothie in the morning. I found it easier to digest than toast or cereal i.e. you can just drink it down and it's doing you good too!

- go for a brisk walk as soon as you can after getting up, preferably up a hill to to burn off the adrenalin. It may not last all day but it really does ease that anxious feeling. If you can't walk try any type of exercise, anything to get your heart pumping.

Hope this helps. I am also really struggling with anxiety.

Yep i have experience it i lost over 20 pounds due to anxiety and yeah i had that really hot feeling of anxiety while in bed to where i have to get up. and once i'm up i feel yucky and depressed and anxious. I feel good in evening though really strange. Lots of luck Lizardlover

[quote name='lizardlover42000' date='Aug 13 2007, 10:26 AM' post='182284']
i just realized i reply already lol

Golly...I am just the opposite. When I am anxious I eat everything that does not eat me. Not sure which one is preferrable but from my overweight point of view I wish anxiety had the opposite affect on me

Yep...me too! I lost 25 lbs. in about 2 months. I'm normally about 40 lbs. overweight, so although this was a "good" thing, it scared me to death! I just had no appetite. Was shaking all the time...freezing cold and shivering, under the blankets with my bed buddy heated up and a heating pad on my feet and back all the time. Had to force myself to come to the table and eat anything.

Glad to report, that was only 2 winters...summers were fine. I'm now back to being 40 lbs. overweight. I'll take the weight over that mess anyday! I'm doing very well now...but for about 2 years, I thought was was truly loosing it! IT passes!

I am having the same trouble with anxiety/nervousness affecting my appetite. It somewhat frightens me because i am already a very petite person so losing weight isnt really an option. Does anyone know of a way to increase appetite? I feel like vomiting every time i try to force myself to eat.

Jen, I wish I knew of a good cure for the lack of appetite. Today was a bad anxiety day for me again. Started out with the jitters and shakes, but managed to get down a smoothy I made with a little skim milk, banana, little bit of yogurt and blueberries. Lunch was out of the question. My husband requested spaghetti for dinner (gulp) and I managed to prepare it, but only took a spoonful for my own dinner. I'm slim also, so this weight loss is getting out of control. I do keep some Ensure around for those days when eating is impossible. Trying to take supplements like magnesium, calcium, CoQ10 and fish oil, but even getting those down is a chore. I finally broke down and took half an Ativan (.5 mg) an hour ago and am getting some relief. I just don't know if I'm hurting myself more by allowing the anxiety to exist all day and then take the med as a last resort. I've been online all day confusing myself with various natural methods of curing anxiety and it gets overwhelming. Between that information and the scary info about meds becoming addictive, its enough to cause anxiety just by reading it all. Today I discovered the blood pressure med I'm taking can also have anxiety as a side effect, and I have mitral valve prolapse, which can be another cause of anxiety. So its like, where is it coming from. Which came first, the chicken or the egg?? I'm getting worn out and just want this to end.

Hi meno-sisters!
I also am a very petite person and was losing too much weight because of anxiety and nausea.
I took a tranquilizer for 2 weeks just to get out this downward spiral and get some food into myself. It worked for me.
I also found that food with strong smells would actually make me vomit.
I couldn't cook because of the smell.
For some months I lived on fruit and salads, crackers and coke.
I found that eating very tiny portions spread over the day was the only way I could do it.
I'd try to distract myself when eating, like watching TV or reading, to try to forget how I was feeling!
So my advice would be, yes, take the tranquilizer for a short spell to let yourself relax again and enjoy life - and food!
Fighting it daily made me exhausted and depressed, that pattern had to be broken.
Hope this helps, but probably you need to experiment and see what works best.
Good luck!
Jonie

Jonie, Can I ask what you took for your tranquilizer and the dose? Were you able to just stop entirely after the two weeks were over?
Susan T

Susan, I took and take when needed Lexatin 1,5 (Bromazepam).
I live in Spain, so you'll probably have to google the above to see what it is in the US.
I would take one in the morning and one at night and in the second week I reduced it to one at night.
(I think I read somewhere that it was taken off the market in the UK, though I might be wrong, and I don't know why)
I find it works in about 20 mins. It doesn't make me feel sleepy and I have no side effects, I just feel gloriously normal!!
No, I had no problems stopping it and now I just take one if I find myself getting too anxious (dentist!!) and find I can't get out of it with breathing, praying, relaxing, cleaning, dancing (I used to dance ballet, and find the exercises focus my mind and help me forget the anxiety).
Hope this helps!
Jonie

Thank you Jonie, So sweet of you to reply so quickly. I'll look up the med online. Don't think I've heard of it, but it sounds like a benzodiazapene. I took half an ativan (lorazapam) last night and it relaxed me a little; at least enough to fall asleep, but still woke through the night with hot feelings and tingling arms. I went to walk this morning for 40 minutes and am hoping the exercise will help me avoid having to take another half. I just really hate this anxiety thing. And its so obscure....I don't even know what I'm anxious about....Its like I fear the anxiety itself and it just wraps around me like a vise. I keep telling myself I'm strong and can beat this, but it sure takes the wind out of my sails.
Susan T

Glad that helped you a little - we sound so alike - I too don't know what I'm afraid of, it's just there.
Actually the Lexatin doesn't stop the flushes and I also continue waking up a couple of times during the night with them, but they're not as strong and I go to sleep again after I've done that meno-exercise of sheet on sheet off a couple of times...
And yes, we are strong and we will beat this!
God bless, Jonie

Oh Karen, I really feel for you. I'm post meno and have been going thru this since April. I couldn't believe it when I weighed in at 121 lbs. yesterday at the doctor. I haven't weight that little since I was married 39 years ago! Anxiety is such a strange thing. And people who have never been through it have no idea how debilitating it is. The Ativan still works pretty well for me, but I only take it as a last resort and only since April. My doctor wanted to put me on an antidepressant, but I refuse. She had me try some samples of Paxil in 2001, when I was still in peri which I used for only a few weeks since it made me feel strange. I had to taper off even though I had used it for such a short time. It sent me into an anxiety tailspin that took a couple of years to recover from, so I will never touch an antidepressant again. In the chat room here the other day, some women recommended a book called "Hope and Help for Your Nerves" by Dr. Claire Weekes. Its an old book (1969), but it really hits the nail on the head about anxiety and the feelings it produces. Its in paperback and is only $7. This might be helpful to you. Oh, also I started making myself some smoothies in the mornings. I seemed to be able to tolerate them if I sipped slowly. You can put in skim or whole milk, fruit and maybe even some protein powder or whey. Sip thru a straw. And I keep Ensure for emergencies. I wish you anxiety free days ahead very soon.
Susan T

This is an old post, but I'm resurrecting it because it fits me. Just wondering if any of you are still out there and what your update is. I've had the nausea/trouble eating for just about a year. I haven't lost any weight because I MAKE myself eat enough calories to maintain. Mornings are especially bad for me, too. I can't eat solid food because I feel such "morning sickness", but I can get down some Carnation Instant Breakfast or yogurt. By lunch, I can usually get down some solid food. (I keep some Ensure on hand just in case.) By dinner, I can usually eat a meal. Sometimes, the nausea eases in the evening, but not always. I have lots of burping and stomach gurgling. These gastro symptoms are my main peri problems. I also have insomnia (last night I woke up at 2:30 and couldn't get back to sleep, finally got up at 6:30 to get ready for work - during those 4 hours, I had 3 night sweat episodes and had to go to the bathroom 3 times - so much for a good night's sleep), occasional brainfog(especially before noon), lethargy, irregular periods (have had only 3 in the past 12 months) and lots of health anxiety. I'm 51, all of this hit me like a brick wall 1 year ago. I was absolutely fine before that. Can anyone relate? Will I ever get better? I feel lousy about 80% of the time.

Hi Meno sisters,
This happened to me last year too. Too much anxiety, couldn't eat, lost weight, made myself eat...small amounts, more anxiety. Doctor tested me for a bunch of stuff - all negative. So for what it is worth, here is what I did. The doctor told me to take a lorazepam in the morning and at night for a week. Then for another week. To STOP the cycle of anxiety. And it worked.
Towards the end of the second week, I truly was feeling better. I had no problem going back to taking the lorazepam on an as needed basis. And I can split the tablet to meet my needs if I have to. So, keep trying to eat, small easily digested meals. Use the lorazepam as your doctor told you to and keep reading here on these boards. The cycle of anxiety has to be stopped.

Sciencelady...all my mighty bad symptoms hit me at age 51, too.

Now at 52, I have gained seven pounds without trying. Go figure.

Be kind to yourself.

janeann

Dear Jen
Am also a small framed person so when I was first Menopausal could not even choke the food down me.My sweet daughter,15 at the time would sit beside me trying to feed me small bites with a spoon.Even the smell of food sickened me.Eventually,I was put on an AD.I did not like the idea but after about one month there was a slow improvement.

Also used Zanax,as needed for anxiety and this did help.However,in many ways I have changed my way of eating and this has also helped.Have cut out sugar completely plus caffeine and sodas as these made me sickly and also upped the Protein and downed the Carbs.

Please do get help soon as it is a serious sign when you are unable to eat And there are lots of natural Herbs and Supplements which help if you prefer a more natural route..

See your Doctor as soon as possible and please keep us posted.

God Bless You
Elizabeth

Dear Friend
There is no such thing as an old Post because symptoms can drag on,then abate and come back with a vengence.

Are you thinking of HRT if only for a small amount of time because I have to be honest it does help take care of many of these nasty symptoms.Anxiety is the number one cause of loss of appetite and this coupled with loss of Estrogen gives way to hot sweats and insomnia..

You are a very well educated Lady so why not treat it like a Science Project and get the solutions.Zanax does help anxiety and is not addictive if used carefully and just when needed.You are going through an especially tough time so kick back tough.

Remember it is your emotional well being at stake here so either try natural Herbs and supplements or go for the Medication.None of these is a Life Sentence and you can always wean off when the time is right.

All the Best

Elizabeth

joyceveronica - You are so diligent in responding to posts and supporting all of us. We really appreciate your thoughtfulness. I'm taking it that you have been through much of this? Are you better now? I'm going to an OB/GYN appt. next week (first time, with all of this). Yes, I am certainly open to any medication that will help me feel better. I've spent the last year with a GI doctor, as that is where I thought my problem was. Although he was very thorough and tested me for everything, I'm still not feeling better, so now I'm convinced that my problem is not GI. I have too many other non-GI symptoms now ( night sweats, lightheadedness, insomnia, very irregular and slowing periods, to name a new). There is just some chemical that is not right in by body. Every once in awhile (like once a month!), it will kick in and I'll feel like my old self - no nausea, dizziness, lethargy, full of energy, good nights sleep. I've just got to get that back. You're right - I'm like a science experiment, a difficult one at that. I guess I just have the fear that no one will ever be able to help me and that brings me all kinds of anxiety. I'm a high school teacher, too. I love my teenage students - they have no idea that I'm feeling awful. I muster up a smile and some bursts of energy and patience for them. I have two college aged children and a wonderful husband. I try not to complain too much because they must be sick of hearing me, plus I don't want to worry them. I used to be so active and love doing lots of things. Now, I'm happy to just sit in front of the TV and knit. I guess I'll probably get through this some year. As one person said on these forums, take it day by day, even minute by minute.

Dear Friend
I respond because have been to Hell and back and would never like you to go through that suffering.

And yes things do get better and in many ways am much better than before.

So keep us posted my friend and you are not complaining just saying it like it is..

God Bless,my dear

Your friend
Elizabeth