Since April of 05 I have what I think is a hot flash. At first I thought I was having a heart attack - I woke up early morning felt nauceous, then I started sweating and I started feeling really weird like have butterflys in my stomach and if that wasn't enough my heart started pounding like crazy!! I grabbed my keys went out the door and all of a sudden it stopped!! Just like that!! After that I just thought maybe it was the effects of the alcohol from the couple of drinks I had the night prior - even though I have drank before but never had symtoms like this. Then sure enough a week later it happened again. I panicked and went to my doctor - she sent me to a cardiologist - found nothing wrong with my heart - then ran blood test - everything normal - my obgyn ran harmone test - normal again - then my regular doctor came to the conclusion I was depressed and having mild anxiety - put me on anti depressents and bang I felt worse - so i went off of them and stop going to all the doctors that couldn't find a thing wrong with me!! Nothing happened again until just last week - the same symptoms again!! My period is exactly the same as when I was 16 yet I still feel as if I am having hot flashes and I am going through periomen. - even though no one will confirm this - I am 45 years old - very healthy - work out religiously - eat right religiously - have great sex life - but something I can't put my finger on tells me something is going on!! Please has anyone had these awful heart pounding sweating hot flashes. What is with the heart racing like i've ran a marithon - It scares me!!

You are certainly not alone leonemarie. I've had exactly the same thing and I've read about the many people who have here on this site. I too can't tell the difference between a hot flash and an anxiety attack so I hope someone else can enlighten us both. I was also given anti-depressants which made everything much worse. I understand from everyone here that it can take awhile to find the right one.

I was lucky that my hormone test did show very low estrogen. However, in peri your hormones go up and down so if you tested while up - who knows? When I first started in peri a couple years ago I just had severe hand shaking. I helped that with progesterone cream. You can learn more about that on this website.

Welcome! I think you'll find there is a lot of information and support here.

Yes, Leonemarie. I felt nauseous, hot, anxious then would have this burning feeling which moved up my body. Once I got use to these feelings and recognised that it was a hot flash, the anxious feeling was less.

This morning at the supermarket, the girls on the checkout were asking me about the Estroven I was buying. One lady said her Mum,who was in her mid60's had recently been taken off HRT and had been ill for the two months since and was frightened about these symptoms (as we discuss here) as she thought she'd got some serious disease.

There must be a lot of frightened ladies out there who are worrying that something awful is happening to them!

I am in the same boat. I can't tell if it's an anxiety attack (which I do get), or a hot flash.

For example, I used to wake up totally drenched in sweat, and shaky, sometimes even a bit dizzy. A few times, I was so sweated between my breasts and behind my knees I had to change my PJs. Then I got chilled, and finally it subsided. I attributed this to anxiety because it was a very stressful time in my life, I was certainly having anxiety attacks, and I didn't think I was old enough for perimenopause (early 30s). Oddly, enough, as the stress subsided, so did these night-time sweating episodes.

Fast forward to just a few months ago. I'm now 36. I was in my physical therapy session for low back pain, and suddenly felt slightly nauseous, followed by a rush of heat and pressure in my face and head. No sweating, though. I felt like I might pass out, got frightened, and next came the trembling. I refused to leave, and carried out my exercises on the shakiest legs I've ever had! I wasn't even sure I'd make it to the car when I was finished, but I did. The nausea and sweating subsided first, but the shakiness lasted about 20-30 minutes.

I still have NO idea if it was an anxiety attack, a hot flash, or a combination of both----a hot flash that scared me into an anxiety attack.

I kinda doubt anxiety because I was happy, relaxed and enjoying myself when it came on.

Ugh!

I get these too. Sometimes it's just the heat and then the feeling in the pit of my stomach that's like nausea. Other times just out of the blue, no matter what I'm doing, I get the cold feeling in the pit of my stomach and then my heart just pounds! I don't get it. I've been reading about deep breathing and that usually makes them go away. I think I'm just getting more used to them so they don't bother me so much anymore.

I'll sure be glad when this symptom is gone altogether though!

leonemarie, Sounds like your attacks are more night sweats then hot flashes that happens doing the day? Let me tell you what happens to me and see if you can relate. My night sweats started three years ago like this; I wake up and at first I'm confused where I'm at> then I notice my heart pounding and the sweating kicks in at the same time. I always have to pee but to weak or scare to get out of bed. They just scare me so bad, I went to the ER twice. Of course they where over with by time I got there, first time I stay second I left before going in.
I have night sweats more often now but not with the anxiety like when they first started. Like my body now knows>> hey it's ok just a night sweat and I guess the adrenal gland don't kick in.
I think they are both anxiety and a night sweat, here is what I did when they where so bad>> My doctor gave me ativan since they scare me so bad, I would take avtian as soon as I woke up and use my hand hold electric fan. Now I rarely have to take the ativan.

I never sweat with hot flashes doing the day, I just feel hot, my skin feels like it's on FIRE. Then after awhile I get cold and start to shiver.

Night sweats are the worse for me since I'm ussally alone since my husband works nights.