I'm 7 years post meno, but I've read hot flashes can last from 8-12 years post meno and even longer. I am going out of my mind with worry with this. For the past couple of months I have awoken every morning at the same time, usually between 6 and 6:30 am with a total body hot flash followed by a strange tingling feeling in my arms and legs. I also suffer from fibromyalgia and anxiety (which is not being helped by this, I can tell you.) I try to do some deep breathing and take a drink of water, but am never able to get back to sleep. This occurs no matter what time I go to bed. I can have either six hours of sleep or three and awaken at the same time with the same feeling. I end up getting up and starting my day trying to take my mind off this or sometimes I end up with those horrible shakes depending on my anxiety level. I have been to my GP who is trying to get my blood pressure under control. I never had a high blood pressure issue before a few months ago. She has no explanation for my symptoms and just prescribes that I take Ativan as required (I'm afraid to take due to dependence) and Elavil at night for sleep (ditto with the avoidance due side effects, etc.). Between my anxiety and this early morning awakening, I feel like every day is becoming harder. My husband fluctuates between being understanding and then annoyed with what's happening with me. Comments like "why can't you figure out what's causing this?" don't help. I get myfascial massage once a week and try to exercise a few times a week. I know I'm kind of combining the hot flash symptom and anxiety (which is another subject), but wanted to present the whole picture. If anyone has had similar symptoms, I'd be grateful to hear from you.
Susan T

Susan, I'm pretty sure your tingling and shaking are from the anxiety. Once you can accept this, you will be fine and it will dissipate. Of course, we can all relate to your frustration over the anxiety itself and the hot flashes. It's pure torture. I'm 58 and I still have anxiety. It comes in waves, usually in the morning, but it does pass for the most part. In the throes of perimenopause, the internal shaking and anxiety were my most dreaded symptoms. I do take Xanax sometimes, which is okay to do, but the more you take it the more you need, I think, so you are wise to limit your Ativan, as, of course, it is similar. I don't think there is a quick fix to any of these problems, but take comfort in knowing you are not alone. There are thousands of women who suffer with this. Best of luck and keep reading Power Surge. I'm sure you will find some helpful hints here.

Meryl, Thanks so much for responding. This morning is particularly bad for me. I think the physical symptoms make the anxiety and fear worse, so its like a snowball. I agree about the medication. I use to be able to take half an Ativan (.5 mg) on an as need basis and it would work well. Now if I take .5 mg it doesn't do much at all. I've only taken a few in several months, so its amazing how quickly these meds can affect you. Its scary. If only they were harmless and a simple dose of a pill could take the anxiety away. I am inclined to think the morning awakenings may be from anxiety like you mentioned, but the fact that they are there everyday at the same time is so strange. I have some problems with my cervical spine (stenosis, etc.) also and thought it might be related to nerve impingement from laying on a pillow, but my neurologist doesn't think my herniations involve nerves and that its strictly muscle tension. It all gets so confusing. I'm so glad these boards are here. I hope you have a good day.
Susan T

Susan, I wake up every morning at the same time as you with a tremendous hot flash which makes my heart pound, my blood pressure soar and anxiety hits. I jump out of bed, race into the bathroom, get under a cool shower, drink a big glass of cold water and that usually sorts me out. Had this for a year, but now I do get good days as well.
Don't worry about it. I was very scared, but then I found that loads of meno-sisters get this!
So now I just laugh it off, get up and get into Power Surge, read e-mails, have a big coffee...watch the sun come up over the sea... Might as well make good use of my early mornings!
Anyway anxiety and hot flashes have always been "my combination"! Always together... must be meno-pals!
Happy surfing and don't let this worry you!
God bless, Jonie

Susan T,

I have learned that sometimes when you have a hot flash, your body compensates by the drop in estrogen by pumping out adrenaline. The adrenaline is what causes the racing heart, tingling and shaking. I go through the same thing with early morning hot flashes. Sometimes my legs will shake for 20 minutes. It was very scary until my doctor explained to me what was happening.

Mauras

Jonie and Maura, Thank you so much for your replies. You have no idea how it helps ease my mind to know I'm not alone in this and that I'm probably not going off the "deep end". When I told my GP my symptoms she basically said that this was not a menopause issue since I'm 7 years postmeno. Her only suggestions were to take meds and see a therapist. Yes, she's young and not menopausal yet. Not that that should make a difference in diagnosing, but Oh Boy, is she in for a surprise a few years down the road! LOL! Of course, she may be one of the lucky ones who breeze through with little discomfort, but then I think those lucky women are few and far between. Again, thank you both!!!
Susan T

Hi Susan!
"....but Oh Boy, is she in for a surprise a few years down the road!..."

I'm also waiting for my doctor's surprises in a few year's time!!
I'm nearly 5 years postmeno, so I understand your frustration!
And we all know how wonderful and healing it is to find meno-sisters who understand!
Keep smiling and we'll get there!
Hugs, Jonie

Hi Jonie, Hope you had a good night. I spoke to a friend of mine last night who happens to be a nurse practioner psychologist and she suggested that since I had such a bad day yesterday that I take half an Ativan just so I could sleep. She doesn't believe in meds long term, but said sometimes we have to just let our bodies rest for a night so we can regroup and focus the next day on using the natural methods. I didn't want to do it, but since I was really in a bad way last night, I took it and did sleep well, til I woke this morning with the same hot flash and tingling. At least it was 7am rather than 6! And she taught me some deep breathing exercises with visualization to do before I got out of bed that helped calm me some. Last night was awful right after dinner. It was like a full blown panic attack. I went on the boards and was surprised to see that I had been posting in the anxiety boards back in 2001 with some of the same feelings. At that point I was just about 55 and just recently meno. So I guess I'm really about 6 years post now. So I do know that the feelings did go away for a long time, but now here I am again. This recent bout started around April and who can figure why? I thought I had seen the last of it. My friend also mentioned that our bodies have a biorythym which is why the heat and tingling wake us at the same time each day. And that our bodies have many different hormones that can get out of whack, not just estrogen, so if this continues I may look into finding an endocrinologist to see if something is going on in that respect. I have MVP too and I guess that can cause a person to wake with the tingling. Wish there could be an easy answer to this without having to play detective. You mentioned that you can look at the sea where you live. I live in Florida and also try to make frequent drives to the beach to relax.....only a few minutes away. I don't think I could ever not live by the water.
Have a good day!
Susan

Hi Susan!
Actually I took a a tranquilizer for 2 weeks running, one morning, one evening to try to break the awful state of anxiety, panic, insomnia and a long etc I suddenly found myself in - 4 years post !!!
I'd only had an odd flush now and then and had wondered what all the fuss was about!
Actually those tablets helped a lot, then I found PS. Found I was not dying and since then I'm much better! I'm taking all this with a sense of humour. I'm pretty much at home, but am making the most of it, painting my flat, trying out new hobbies, researching things I didn't know much about, reading, writing, researching the family genealogy, spending hours on the phone with friends...,spending hours on the internet...
Well, doing all those things that had interested me, but that I hadn't had time to do. Might as well make this meno-land an interesting one. Getting depressed isn't going to help!
I'm sorry all your symptoms have returned to visit you! But at least you know that they'll go again... that's good, isn't it?
Didn't know this could happen, I don't find it a very comforting idea...
I'll end up with loads of hobbies and no more rooms to paint...
Anyway, dear veteran Power Surger , I'm glad you've found your way back here again - you're probably having a good time meeting up with "old" meno-sisters!
Hope this meno-visit is a short one for your sake!
God bless, Jonie
PS. Like your signature!

I am having hot flashes like crazy, day and night. I had surgery and now I am going through menopause at the age of 45. My periods stopped in january. I am so worried about skin changes. I have always looked younger and now I am afraid to look old. I hate the hot flashes. They are very intense and many times a day now. I just started to take Flaxseed oil pills to hopefully help since I saw that on tv. Has anyone had any luck with this?
Melanie

For some reason this post intrigued me this morning. I too wake with a "rush of adrenalin" in the morning, anywhere from 3 AM to 6AM. It makes my stomach feel like I am on a rollercoaster (fluttery), along with muscles burning/tingling, then a hot flash will normally follow within 1 to 15 min.

I have a theory on mine...

#1) Post menopause really doesn't begin until you have officially been without a period for 1 years time. So if last Aug 31st was my LAST period, I could say that today I officially began menopause. Everthing prior to this date was peri (really pre).

#2)During the time period that your hormones begin to fluctuate wildly (it seems about the same time frame before menopause as after) we seem to have spurts and surges that cause such symptoms that we are so "in tuned" and sensitive to every little feeling our bodies have! (thus the term "peri", meaning on both sides)

#3)The time (for me, it was 2 years, off and on) right before my periods really began to space out were by far the worst time for jittery-ness and emotions going off the wall...since then, it's calmed down. Either my body has gotten used to it or I am not as fearful of what it's doing.

#4)I've now gone 20 weeks without a period (previously had gone 23 weeks, then boom, 2 more sputterings, now 20 weeks!) and I'm beginning to really feel better than I have in the past 4 years! There IS a light at the end! (still have this blasted muscle tension though)

#5)I can choose to put my life on hold during those years waiting for something awful to happen, or I can keep busy and maybe overlook some of the symptoms b/c I'm just too busy to stop to coddle myself. (Oh, there's been MANY a day that coddling was the only way to get through the day!).

#6)For me, it got better as slowly as it came on. I now find that there are many days that I lay my head on the pillow and "thank God" for a great day with energy and no tears! Something I didn't do very well 3 years ago.

These are just some observations I've noticed about my own journey this past 5 years. I know it's not over yet, but here's how I look at the way estrogen (and other hormones) are released in our bodies and why we feel good sometimes, then at other times, we feel horrid. Even those of you that have the early morning shakes when you awaken...

~Think of hormones being released like a bottle of lotion or soap with a pump!! When it gets near the bottom of the bottle, even sometimes when there is still 1/4 of the bottle, you can press the pump and nothin comes out. You know the drill...you pump about 4 times, nothing comes out, then you pick up the bottle and shake it, then smack it back on the cabinet to distribute the lotion or soap again and pump it harder! MAYBE you'll get a little squirt, maybe you'll get a full pumps worth, and maybe you still won't get anything. This is kinda what it's like with our hormones as we age. While there are other organs in our bodies that continue to make these hormones that we need to live, the main pumping station is "empty" and it's pulling from other organs. Every once in awhile, the main station wakes up for a final "smackdown" and we feel good for a few days. Then, it's back to trying to pump and nothin. So, as silly as it seems, I am looking at it like that and when I wake every morning with that adrenalin rush that wakes me and makes me feel shakey and yukky, I just think of it as my pump just got pumped and nothin came out, so I leap out of bed and IGNORE IT!

Off I go...I have things to get done! Like Jonie said, staying busy seems to be key in going through this gracefully.

Joyful Heart - I LOVE your analogy of our estrogen being like an (almost) empty lotion bottle! What a creative way of looking at it. I'm up once again as my husband sleeps in because my motor (tingling) set in once again very early. I'm trying to be more positive and not worry so much about this sensation. One nice thing is to be up early and enjoy the peaceful mornings. And I can get out for my walk before the Florida heat of the day sets in. My problem is to keep the imagination from going crazy with thoughts of "scary" reasons as to why this feeling is happening. From now on I'm going to try and remember that darn lotion bottle!
Have a wonderful weekend.
Susan T

I'm 53 and had a hysterectomy 1 yr. ago. I started having hot flashes while still in the hospital. Because I have 2 good friends with breast cancer, I decided to go "natural" with changes to diet & exercise and vitamin supplements. I am doing somewhat better -- but a glass of wine or a good laugh or stress at work can all trigger a hot flash. The worst for me, though, is that EVERY TIME I awaken, I have a MAJOR hot flash with the tingling in my arms & legs, and from my scalp to crotch, and I am all sweaty. I can take a nap or fall asleep watching tv and it happens, as well as maybe once or twice during the night and EVERY morning I wake up that way. It passes within 2 - 3 minutes, but how I long for the days when I could fall asleep and just wake up without all that going on!

p.s. I highly recommend the "Chillow" -- really helps cool off your head if you have a hot flash during the night.

Hi Rebecca, A friend of mine who is a nurse practitioner, claims the tingling occurs after waking because it has something to do with our "biologic body rhythms". Whatever it is, its not fun! I've had three days this week without waking with the tingling and hot flash. And this morning it was the hot flash alone without the tingling, so I'm hoping this does go away sooner or later. Sometimes it seems peace of mind is very elusive for us women. Waking feeling refreshed is something I guess we all took for granted. Such a simple thing, but so precious to us now.

Hi

I know exactly what you mean. After I have a hot sweat/flush I also get the tingling sensation. It feels as if I have ants crawling under my skin. Very creepy.

Chris

Hi Chris, Yes, its a strange feeing for sure. I now have been waking with nausea added to the mix. Last night it even woke me several times through the night; I kept taking sips of water. I've even started keeping crackers next to my bed. I really hate this. I just seem to start off every day with anxiety due to this. I try to get up and walk around, go outside and get the newspapers, put on the coffee, etc. and act normal, but this is getting really old. A friend has referred me to an obgyn who has her own practice that specializes in peri and post menopause issues using bioidentical hormones, so I'm going to give her a try. I've been reading that the lack of certain hormones can contribute to a lot of the feelings I've been having. Basically, the progesterone seems the culprit when we're post meno. I want to be able to throw away my Ativan (which I take only when I absolutely have to) and get on with a normal happy life.

The feeling of ants crawling is called formication (with an M) and it's pretty common in perimeno. There are lots of posts about it on the board called "Your Skin: Dryness, Itching, Vaginal Dryness, Disorders, Discomfort". If you do a search for formication, you'll come up with lots of posts.

That was one of my worst meno symptoms.