I have been reading this forum in for the past few days and am so grateful for it. Knowing I am not going crazy and am experiencing something that is all too common has made things easier to cope with.

I am 45 and my periods have started getting much lighter in the past few cycles. I am having lots of anxiety and panic and no longer feel like I am ovulating--I used to get a clear cramp at midcycle like clockwork. I have also been losing more hair and my recent vaginal and bladder irritation was diagnosed my my GYN as a lack of estrogen in the area. I have terrible weepy PMS for the first time in my life. I started Celexa a month or so ago, which I took before with good results. I am also just starting a low dose BCP and have topical estrogen for the vaginal issues.

I am having terrible last all day anxiety on the verge of panic that comes and goes. I am hoping the BCPS and ADs will eventually help me. I have xanax for short term use, but like the rest of you am nervous about taking it too much, though I used them before years ago and had no trouble getting off them.

I usually wait til I am crawling the walls before I will take one (.25 mg), and this seems like throwing a glass of water on an inferno. I know with pain it is much better to get ahead of the pain and take medicine before you are in agony. Is this true with BZs as well? Is it better to take one when you start to feel an episode coming on?

Some background: I had numbness and tingling and shakes and anxiety and insomnia and bladder/vaginal irritation when I was 38 and breastfeeding for a year--like a practice perimenopause--all resolved after a few months--so at least I had an early clue this time that my hormones were at work.

Thanks for any advice!

Welcome Sissy!! You have found a wonderful haven here. I can't tell you how relieved I was when I discovered this site and realized that what I was going thru was fairly "normal"...even though I had never felt LESS NORMAL in my LIFE!!!

Regarding the Xanax, although I personally used Ativan, I believe they are very similar....Ativan has a longer half life and will stay in your system for 10 - 12 hours, whereas the Xanax is faster acting but only lasts 4 - 6 hours. Both certainly have their place, and whichever one works for you is the one to use.

During my worst time, while I was waiting for the anti depressants to kick in (Paxil, in my case) I used Ativan daily. I took a smallish dose...1/2 mg, usually twice a day. I did this for 2 months....by then the Paxil was working and I only used the Ativan situationally. I started BHRT after I had been on Paxil for 3 - 4 months because I didn't feel I was quite "right" yet...still had issues!! After the BHRT I rarely ever used the Ativan.

Fast forward to today....I have been weaning off the Paxil and think I was going a little too fast and have used the Ativan a little more lately than I had been. I also discovered that I don't tolerate progesterone well, and have been trying different methods to find the one which works best for me.

I guess I am saying do what you need to do, in order to feel well...but don't expect that what works today is going to work in 6 months. Be vigilant.

Oh also, yes, I believe you should take the Xanax BEFORE you have the huge anxiety or panic rather than after....your anti depressant will start working in a few weeks and you will notice you don't need it anymore, or so often.

Of course you will get the lectures about how addictive it is, and it IS!! No doubt about that...however, if you do not increase your dosage and use it responsibly you should be fine. In the two years since my meno nightmare began I only ONCE had to take an entire 1mg Ativan at one time....and that was dealing with my daughter at the police station after a crazy man had threatened to kill her and himself, all the while STABBING HIMSELF in the throat and chest...bleeding all over her and everything. THAT required a whole Ativan!!!! Otherwise 1/2 or even 1/4 will do the trick.

Thanks for the great advice, Floater. By Monday night, I had spent two days feeling like I wanted to crawl out of my skin, couldn't stop pacing and was panicking about how I would ever cope with feeling this horrible for the next five plus years (I'm 45). I took a couple of xanax over the next few hours that night and felt SO much better and have not needed one all day today. I guess there is no reward for needless suffering and breaking the cycle of panic is smarter than toughing it out for days. I took my kids to the county fair today and enjoyed it!

Holly Cow Floater ,, I would have taken the bottle .. and some tequila ,, hope the psycho didnt make it

Hi,
It is scary taking the first xanax, I remember looking at the bottle many times before using it. Let me tell you, when you need it, take it. It is he best thing I ever did for myself. i have learned this, when you are at the beginning of panic, take it then, if you wait too long, it is harder for it to work and takes longer to calm down, I have gotten so bad, that I needed two to do the trick,. I take .25mg when needed. I dont' need it much, I am on bcp's and the week on the off hormones I get very anxious and need one for a few days and then I stop when I feel better. I have even gone a whole week using one or two a day and stopped without a problem. It calms the mind and body alike and that is better for you then what the stress can do too you. I try to remember what someone once told me, "if you were a diabetic and needed insulin, you would take it, high blood pressure, take meds, etc,. so why fight this one?"

i hope this helped and that you are feeling better.

Hi Sissy,
It is very nice to meet you! I hope that you will be feeling much better very soon!
I know how stressed out about taking the Diazepam (valium) I was when I was at my worst a couple of weeks ago and logging on here was the best thing that I ever did! Just reading all the ladies" stories is enough sometimes to put my back on track. I was to the point where either I took the pill myself or my family was going to have no choice but to take me to the ER and have them make me take something to stop the panic frenzy that was ripping through my veins at the time and had been for a good week. Thank God I had the support from everyone here to get the courage and take a chip of my pill. I did this for two days and it helped enough to break the panic long enough for my mind to regain some normal thoughts on how to help myself. I also listened to Bronwyn Fox's download on regaining the power over panic and I also prayed non-stop and by doing all three I have been feeling much better. I believe that we are all doing the best thing that we can for ourselves by seeking out answers, support and friendship from the amazing women on this wonderful website during this "time of change". I feel sometimes like some beast going through metamorphisis, like an internal battle is going on and at the other side of this we will all emerge as calm, blissful beings....that our we will all have had a mental breakdown and not give a damn anymore, lol! Just kidding!! But, there must be some reason that the women I see who are in their 60-70s all look like they are doing better than I feel that I am! lol...hang in girls!
Hugs,
Meg


And WOW Floater, I am so sorry that you went through such a tramatic experience with your daughter and that creep!!! Post Traumatic Stress much?! Wow, I am really sorry all that happened.

Thank you for your replies, ladies. It does help so much to be able to learn from all the wonderful women on this web site. My friends don't seem to be having these problems (at least that they talk about) so having this network is a true blessing. On Monday I was literally pacing like a caged lioness all day and after bravely taking a couple of xanax that night I am happy to say I have had several much better days since without needing them. I tell my husband my body and mind feel like the weather is ever-changing with storms blowing in and out without warning or reason.

It is amazing how it can change minute to minute. Once you are moving along feeling fine and then, bam!! tense and anxious and can't seem to calm down. You have no idea why or where it came from, it just happens. It is not fun, but it is normal. Hang in there.

I agree with enough. Take them as soon as you feel panic/anxiety coming on and just knock it out. When I was using the xanax often it was very difficult to make myself take a pill, I guess I was ashamed or whatever. Finally my husband could just about look at me and tell what was happening and he would go get my bottle, hand it to me and tell me "take it"! He was right, there was no sense in me suffering and torturing myself like I did.

anyone take ativan for a year or longer and wean off of it ok? ive heard horror stories about how hard it is to come off of it and its pretty scary. im just trying to prepare myself for when the time comes, hopefully soon. im hearing really good things about the vivell dot patch and how it takes the anxiety away so im debating on whether to wean off the ativan and try the patch.
on the other hand, im 7 years into this and in the past year since i started to take the ativan every day, i feel like my life has gotten so much better and now my periods are coming farther apart andmy headaches are getting less painful... i think i may be getting close to the end and i dont want to mess things up at this point. im not using any hormones at all. any advice? thanks, sue

Did anyones anxiety eventually get better to the point they didn't need BZs at all? Just curious...

Heck up until about say 4 or 5 months ago, and used it in years. Heck my current rx is from 5/2008, and still have some left. I do believe we will get the point that we don't need them. How long, well that I don't know. I have many great ladies respond to me that they USE to have these symptoms and that they do finally go away...

I am also starting to wonder that once the hormones get out of whack, then starts the anxiety cycle, and I honestly believe (but don't know just a theory), that what happens next is even on those days that our levels are okay, our mind is still in that "flight or fight" mode. It's like it has been programmed, and that takes a little longer to reestablish a since of calm, and peace. What I am doing now, instead of fighting thru the anxiety at night (that's when mine loves to come play ), if I feel little anxious for say for 15 mins to 30 hour, then I will just take the Ativan. Hoping that the less panic I deal with, will also help my brain "reprogram" itself in panic mode.... Don't know if it's going to work, but I just got so tired of "fighting" anxiety, that I rather just try and relax. This week I had to take Ativan twice. Some nights are fine, other nights just a little anxious.

Hi Becca ,, I agree ,, I only need the xanex a few days a month ,, I think if we do this then when our hormones calm down we are ok .. Acutally I think that those that use them are probably better off,, if you dont take them I think like becca said even when we should be feeling calm we kind of create our own anxiety ,, you know ,, so afraid we are going to feel anxiety that we feel anxiety about being anxious .. (makes me dizzy) .. but I do believe that perhaps some of the ladies here that say they have anxiety 24/7 need to break that cycle with some anti-anxiety meds then see where they stand .. once you can get a grip and see the pattern we are all better off ..

I have never taken xanax so I don't know a thing about the drug.

I did just read that Michael Jackson took 10 a night and that he had before taken anywhere from 30-40!!!! GEE WHIZ

No wonder he died ... I take 1/2. I got this prescription in May and have only taken maybe 3 total, it helps with other symptoms also ,, body aches etc. It takes years to develope a tolerance/addiction where anyone could take that many. But he was unusual.

I'm going with the majority here. If you feel it, take it. The only exception I can think of might be that weird morning anxiety that often subsides after you get you and settle into the day a bit.

(Sweetie, I'll be 45 in a few months and have normal periods. Have been dealing with the anxiety for over a year. Thought I had completely lost it. You're not alone.)

Just wanted to add that I took the Valium twice when I was really not doing well at all with the anxiety and panic attacks, rapid heartbeat, palpitations etc, went on Progesterone for 4 days, thought it made me worse so I stopped using it and began using Natural Calm magnesium powder mixed with hot water, 1 tsp 3 x day and I have been doing much better, no jolting up with the attacks, no palpitations, no headache and a major improvement in anxiety level. This is cycle day 24 for me and so far I am doing pretty darn well, maybe a little sleepy but I am enjoying the calm feeling and especially noting that I am not "checking" to see how I am feeling as often at all.

Praying for our peace,
Meg

Dear 'sissy'
I have never been without anxiety except for a few weeks when am perfectly fine.
However,I have a Prescription for a small dose of Xanax to be used as needed.
I have never upped the dose and as I say I might go for ages without needing it.
Unfortunately my ,domestic situation can be very difficult so I will take the Xanax if necessary.
To my knowledge,there are many people who have weaned off Benzos.,when both they and the Prescribing Physician felt the time was right.
The secret is to do it very,very slowly and see how everything goes.Never ever try Cold Turkey as your symptoms may return even worse than before..

Wishing you lots of luck
Warm Wishes
Elizabeth

Dear 'Fried'
How very sad.
Am surprised that the Doctor who was working with him did not intervene.That is a tremendous dosage.

It is amazing how famous people can often have lots of advantages but many of them pay a high price.Of course they are only human and the pressure must be tremendous.

Xanax must only be used when prescribed by a Physician or Psychiatrist and the patient must be monitored carefully to avoid over=dosage and mis-use.

Warm Wishes
Elizabeth

You have a wise husband!
There is no reason to suffer and drag oneself through life.
The time does come,to those sensible ladies like ourselves who use it with caution,when they will be able to either wean off very slowly or maintain an as needed basis.
Anxiety is a sneaky little Devil but if kicked in the pants often enough will eventually get the message!

Warm Wishes
Elizabeth

Eliabeth
Well put. Anxiety is such a monster for most of us here and we need to reconize it when it starts to creep in. I had a good week and today it just creeped up on me for no reason. I still do take a half of klonopin at night time before bed but only a quarter during the day if needed, It may be one of those days.
hugs char

Just wanted to report that I am feeling much better and have not needed a xanax in a week (In my case, I think my low dose BCPS and SSRI are kicking in). I think I am realizing that just because I may need xanax from time to time does not mean I will have to take it forever or all the time. I have been reading everyone's wonderful advice here with gratitude.