I know this forum is mainly for help with losing weight. However, I have the opposite problem. Since suffering from anxiety six months ago I have lost 15 lbs. For my height and normal weight, this loss is too much and came off too quickly. I'm now left with wrinkled upper arms and tummy...like my muscle mass is disappearing. Not very flattering. I awaken each morning feeling tingling and anxiety along with a total lack of appetite verging on nausea. Sometimes I can manage to force a piece of toast and peanut butter down, but its difficult. I was also trying smoothies made with either organic milk or soy milk and fruit. Lunch is usually questionable depending on how I feel. I keep Ensure in the house for when I absolutely can't force anything down. Evenings aren't too bad if I've taken half an Ativan and I'm able to eat a normal dinner. That is for a different forum (using medications that frighten me) so I mainly want to address here getting my appetite back to where I can start building muscle mass again and look normal. Does anyone have suggestions?

Have you talked to a doctor about your continuing lack of appetite? It seems like a place to start!

Zelma

I can identify with you. When I suffered anxiety I just didn't want to eat. I forced myself but still couldn't eat as much as I needed and the weight came off. Then of course, I worried about becoming underweight (I had reached the very bottom of the normal weight range for my height) and because I suffered anxiety, these thoughts produced yet more surges of anxiety.

Presumably your anxiety results from peri? Forgive me if there's more of a history of which I'm unaware. What I found was that when my anxiety subsided, I could eat normally - much as you find you can eat a normal dinner if you take half an Ativan. My anxiety was related to peri I believe. I won't go into my whole story, but I saw a specialist in menopause who prescribed progesterone cream and a host of dietary supplements, including phytoestrogens. Gradually over a few months the episodes of anxiety I suffered became fewer and less severe until they stopped. Gradually I put on all the weight I lost and now I'm hitting the upper limit of the normal weight range for my height and needing to take some off! I just want to reassure you that it does get better.

By all means see a doctor to discuss your worries. Perhaps he can reassure you that even if underweight, the body can still be healthy. Part of what made it worse for me was worrying about it all the time. Possibly he knows of an eating regime or can refer you to a dietician. Would it be an idea use only very high calorie foods at this time (whilst still choosing mainly healthy foods)? Salmon for example is quite high in calories whilst still being very healthy. When I was going through this I was deliberately choosing high calorie dinners, even if they included lots of cream or butter or things I would normally avoid, as my priority was to put some weight back on quickly. I would also force myself to eat. If I had no more appetite, I would still take several more mouthfuls, mechanically as it were.

I really sympathise with how you're feeling. The doctor may feel that the best route is to treat the anxiety. If the thought of medication frightens you, would it help to discuss this with other women who are also using medication for anxiety and who feel better because of it? Perhaps that would relax you. I also did not like the thought of using medication, although my GP offered it. I did use beta blockers from time to time though, to bring the anxiety more under control when it soared. Perhaps it would help to find out more about the medication. Is your fear that you might become dependent on it? If you could be reassured about this, perhaps you wouldn't be so afraid of using it in the short term. Also of course, exercise helps with anxiety but exercise will also burn calories. When anxious I felt like doing vigorous exercise because my body was so fired up (from adrenaline presumably). On balance, whilst I was worried about becoming even thinner from the exercise (brisk walking in my case) I do think it helped my body and mood overall.

Also are there not particular foods for building muscle mass rather than fat? I have to say I don't know anything about this but athletes concentrate on building muscle don't they? Certain exercise (lifting weights?) also builds muscle. Exercise might relieve physical stress whilst increasing appetite. Perhaps it would be a good idea to consult a dietician?

Also there are other ways to target anxiety apart from or in addition to medication. Exercise is one. Also I avoided certain foods that seemed to cause a reaction in my body and make the anxiety worse. For me this was caffeine, chocolate and white flour as in italian pasta and pastries. I also tried to avoid blood sugar rising and falling too rapidly as this would make me feel physically shaky and trigger anxiety. I also used cognitive behavioural techniques to target the thoughts accompanying the anxiety. The anxiety might be caused by hormonal imbalance, but it still involves anxious thoughts which can be challenged. Now that I don't suffer anxiety any more, I can have the same sorts of thoughts and they won't cause anxiety, I just dismiss them in a relaxed way as I did pre-peri. However when I was vulnerable to anxiety these sorts of thoughts could really trigger a surge or fear or anxiety, so countering them, or processing them through mentally and emotionally helped alleviate the physical anxiety.

All the best.

Thanks Interactive, for your reply. There are so many women with the opposite problem of trying to lose weight, that I had just about given up hearing from anyone. I am 7 years post menopausal, so the peri isn't the issue in my case. I did, however, experience the anxiety at the end of peri, just as I was entering menopause. It took a couple of years to go away. I thought I had put it behind me when it reared its ugly head again this spring. My General Practioiner wants me to go on antidepressants, but I am reluctant to do so without seeing a therapist first. I'd rather find the answer to this without having to use medication if possible. I will be seeing the therapist for the first time tomorrow. I've never been to one before, so have no idea what to expect. I'm trying to do as you mentioned, with consuming food with the most calories, even though they may not be the healthiest. For some reason I seem to be able to tolerate unhealthy things like pizza and cheese ravioli at times. I went to a new obgyn who is awaiting the results of my saliva test for hormone balance. She's not sure what she'll find since I'm so far post meno. But, she said we always produce some estrogen and my DHEA and cortisol level may be out of whack. If so, she'll try some hormone cream. I keep hoping there is a simple answer to this. She also said due to the weight loss that I should try things like Carnation Instant Breakfast when breakfast sounds like a bad idea, or Ensure, and Tropical Smoothies with Whey protein pack added at lunchtime if the appetite is too off. I'm glad that things worked out well for you and that you are feeling better. I appreciate your taking the time to respond to me with some very good ideas.
Thanks you again,
Susan

Hi again Susan

Thanks for replying . Just wanted to wish you well for the therapist tomorrow. I'm sure you'll be fine. Everyone feels nervous about their first therapy session and then usually wonders in retrospect what they were worrying about! When I suffered anxiety badly I started seeing a therapist too who practises cognitive-behavioural therapy. I didn't realise at the time that my anxiety was hormonally related and neither did he, although I hadn't ever suffered anything like it until my periods stopped coming regularly. Nevertheless, seeing him did help very much with the anxiety. I no longer see him.

It sounds a good move to have approached an Ob Gyn and had your hormones tested. I remember now responding to you on another thread where you discuss this, sorry not to have realised earlier! Certainly for my part, I only felt completely normal again moodwise when I started supplementing with natural progesterone plus some other supplements, including phyto-estrogens. I've seen posts from others on this board (as no doubt have you) who have started hormone supplementation some years post menopause and found relief from it. I wish you every success therefore with the course of treatment prescribed by your Gyn.

I'm sorry to hear the anxiety recurred when it seemed you had settled after the menopausal transition. It would be interesting to know what's happening hormonally for you. Wishing you all the best.

If you're really getting underweight might want to talk to your MD about a prescription appetite stimulant - like Megace or even Marinol. Sometimes weight loss can perpetuate itself and get out of hand (not related to any eating disorder). Keeping some weight on may help you while you're working on the underlying cause(s).

My MD prescibed Androgel topical testoseterone in hopes that it would improve my appetite, lean mass, libido AND help manage my blast furnace hot flashes, but it wasn't covered (for women) on my insurance. I couldn't afford to pay for it myself and the manufacturer's patient assistanve program also wouldn't approve it for me - because I'm female. On Friday the 26th I began taking human growth hormone - not bogus OTC HGH ordered from some online "life extension" quack site, but Serostim® (somatropin), prescribed to me by my MD. I was fortunate to be able to get it through Serono's patient assistance program. Any MD can prescribe it, but it's rarely covered by insurance and the out of pocket costs are prohibitive.

I'm a bit over 5'8 and weigh 107 lbs... I just have no inclination to eat as much as it would take to gain good weight. The goal with the HGH is specifically to increase lean mass, but HGH is also sort of a "master hormone" and I'm eager to see was the effects might be on my other menopausal symptoms. I've only taked two doses, so far, so nothing to report yet!

Dear Susan,
I seem to be in the same boat as you. I am post menopause and still have the high anxiety. Especially waking still. I never was a very big girl so I think this menopause is much much more difficult if you are thin. I am sick most of the time still and have a really hard time trying to keep my anxiety in check so I can eat more. Panic attacks have been a ritual for me now for some 5 years now or so. I thought all these symptoms quit once post menopause........like others the sad truth is 2 weeks every month of diblilitating, depression and the such. I will keep you in my prayers and know that their are others like you still trying to find a way to just live normal. I would love to hear from you though. Feel free to email me anytime. Samplegirl@aol.com
Betts

Yes...anxiety and panic can make one feel that eating is the last thing one wants to do. Also, the adrenalin is coursing around the body, raising the pulse and giving us a right old workout as if exercising.I take low ( 10 - 20) mg inderal ( beta blocker) to block that adrenalin surge from continuing. I take them only rarely which is OK. High dosages shouldn't, be stopped suddenly. It doesn't prevent, anxiety or panic..but it stops it continuing. It works after about an hour. Might seem to be of not much use but when that ongoing adrenalin rush ..in the past, has lasted days..even weeks..I'm very glad to get rid of it ! Protein in the morning also helps. I don't know if a protein drink would help if you can't face say..scrambled or poached eggs. It might. I also fel better because I know that I don't now have to suffer anxiety/ panic attacks which are continuous and seemingly won't reduce at all. I hope that you find a solution to your problem soon and that you will then feel much, better. It is possible to do that. I've spent rather a lot of time lying down with a duvet over my head so every sympathy, to you. X PS I was also giving myself low blood sugar by not eating enough, eating regularly enough and not having some protein especially am. So the low blood sugar caused anxiety and panic, too. I'm up at 7.30 am now, making scrambled eggs and some bacon or mushrooms or an ounce of low fat cheese in the eggs..all done in the microwave in 3 mins. I make myself eat it. Felt better after a day or so. I put a nugget of butter in as well...just until I've got properly better...but am not eating fats for the rest of the day except maybe some olive oil on salad. Carbs simple ones.. bring weight gain but I've found that sugar ups and downs give me panic or anxiety attacks. Comlex carbs are OK though, of course.

I am another in this category. I gained some weight in peri (size 4 to size 8). But immediately lost it at meno. I also suffer from anxiety & have little appetite. I make it a rule never to weigh myself & try to be happy with whatever size I am. I think most women obssess to much about their weight. If you really want to gain some weight I think body building or exercise is a better way.

I suffered with this for many years anxiety took my weight instantly, you will not gain any weight until you get the anxiety in order first. I burnt of calories easily and always looked under weight, i never had an appetite i could go all day without anything then have a meal in the evening,i did try a milk shake from the chemist that people take when they have been ill has everything in it and helps build you up, i used to take them with ice cream in alot of calories may help to stop you losing anymore, i wanted to add this isnt for body builders for muscle building its weight.

I have put on alot of weight now quit smoking and cant stop eating, do you smoke as that also blocks the appetite,