I am driving myself crazy. I am 38 years old, had my tubes tied 4 years ago after having my daughter. This last week has been horrible. On Saturday I started feeling weak, having hot and cold flashes (I have had hot flashes before this), headaches, dizziness, no appetite and I am always tired - even after 7 hours of sleep. I also have been waking up with a coldness running through my body and I can't go back to sleep. It seems that I feel bad in the morning but start to feel better in the afternoon and evening. I did start my period but it was not like usual. It never came on heavy at all.

This had happened about a year ago also and I ended up at the ER twice. I have been to a cardiologist, gastrenologist, and my gyno. The gyno put me on a low dose birth control for heavy periods (long story) and the gastro put me on zoloft (which helped with my nausea).

I keep thinking that there is something horribly wrong and that something is going to happen. I saw my primary yesterday and he took blood work, ekg, blood pressure and everything seems to be fine. I am also scheduled for a CAT scan of my brain due to the headaches. I go back to my gyno in May. Is this normal peri symptoms. I can barely function when this happens. Do hormones fluctuate through the day? Is this why I seem to feel better in the evening? Any advice or experiences will be appreciated. Help!

HI IMNUTS

Sorry to hear you are going through such a rough time - this site will help you through it!

Glad to see you are having tests and blood work done - I have had all same tests too after my bod started playing up last year - it is always good to get checked out & reassured. I now think of all those tests as my free mid life health screen!

I have been to ER, gastro, psychy, etc, etc, etc,. Had bloods, endoscopy, CAT scan and MRI (for headaches - giddyness) of various bits of my body (except strangely my uterus and ovaries!!!). The only blood test which came back all over the place was my hormones. I am 44 - things started going awry when I was 43 in May last year.

I also feel better in the evening - less anxious.

Your body sensations do sound like peri - but it is good to get other causes ruled out

If you read through this site you will find people with the same symptoms - feeling the same - going through the same tests - the same anxieties. It really does help to know you are not alone - you are not mad - and you are going to get through this.

Dont drive yourself crazy - talk it out here - I was amazed to find others felt excatly the same as me physically and emotionally.

Love

Mele

Hi, my peri started a year ago with a major anxiety attack, of course I did not realize it at the time and thought I was having a heart attack. Shortly after that the tremors came, night sweats, more anxiety, tingling in my body, and feelings of fear. I have been on a varity of meds and am now on BCP and welbrutin. They seem to have calmed the symptons some what, I just hope it lasts. After finding this site I knew that I was not alone in the way I felt. That was a relief to me. My mother tells me that this will last a couple of years and that I should just try to ignore the symptons. Well she is stronger than I, I just can't ignore them. Every time they come I go into high anxiety and I hate it. I feel so out of control and feel as though some one has turned on the OLD Switch. I feel old and out of energy. When I feel this way I log on to PS and get support from othe the other women who feel like I do. That is what gets me through this difficult time.

Unfortunately this is something that we must go through. I know that we all will come out stronger in the end.

Hang in there!

Angel 1

Hello IM NUTS, u r not nuts! Sounds like peri to me. Getting everything checked out and ruling out other issues is a great idea. Then you can start researching peri and taking charge of it!

I am just a year older than you and I could have just about written your post. My symptoms started a year ago with a trip to the ER. I too have seen every "ologist" imaginable all with negative test results. I wonder then, how can I feel so awful? I have concluded that it must be peri.

I have been battling anxiety, numbness, tingling, mood swings, extreme fatigue, you name it and my list goes on and on. Things are worse for me in the mornings too.

This site has been great. The women here are awesome. Seems so many of us are in the same boat. That alone makes me feel so much better. I have read a few of the recommended books and have started changing my diet, started progesterone cream and have a list of vitamins that I want to try. I'm also trying to exercise regularly, which I've never really done.

Day by day is how I'm handling this. Some days are certainly better than others.

Keep in touch - together, we will get through this!

Hi IMNUTS! (love the name) I feel that way too... A lOT!!!
Anyway, you are not Nuts just in Perimenopause. But it will make you feel like your crazy! I know I did when this all started over a year ago for me. (I'm 42) Same as you it all started with a killer panic attack. From there I started spiraling down into a vicious cycle of fear and anxiety until I started finding out what it was. My mother also told me it will last a couple of years like it did with her and that it will pass. But, like you, it is sometimes very hard for me to ignore those scary sensations. I feel like I am handling them way better now then I did a year ago because I've read soooo many books and have found this WONDERFUL website (Thank you Dearest!) to help me understand and accept what is happening to me.

As far as feeling better at night. That was me too. In finding out about my own perimeno I also was found to have adrenal fatigue. This condition is often ignored by most doctors. It often accompanies peri and can produce the same symptoms of anxiety, panic and fear. I hear so many women say that they feel better around 6:00 p.m. and how the mornings are worse for them. That was/is me to a T and it is classic of adrenal fatigue. Adrenal fatigue can be reversed by simple lifestyle changes. Sleep, water (especially salted water), de-stressing our lives a bit, diet, reducing caffeine and alcohol etc. I't's helped me. It's something you may never hear mentioned from your doctor as there is no pill that will help it. It's all lifestyle. So ladies, there is a lot of info. out there regarding adrenal fatigue. I pass this info on so that we may all be better informed about how to care for ourselves during this time in our lives.

Hang in there!

Hey IMNUTS

When all this started for me I had all the tests done. My GP wanted me to have a cortisol test which is basically a blood test done first thing in the morning. At that time (morning) is when most people with low cortisol feel the worse. Especially with the fatigue and no energy. As the day goes on you start to feel better, especially at night. I think if you have low cortisol is a sign of adrenal fatigue also. There are specific symptoms you can look up under adrenal fatigue and see if they match yours.

My cortisol level was fine when I had it done a year ago. You might want to ask your doctor about this test. I hope you feel better soon. We are all feeling the same as you.

Kim

OMG!!!!...I just love your screen name..lol...Anyway,........
It definetely sounds like Peri to me....and alot like me too...but going to the Doctor is the right thing to do......Hope everything starts going better for you...and Welcome to Power Surge

Hi IAMNUTS Im so glad you found this board as I have just found it also it will answer so many questions and give you such peace of mind.

When I my journey began I thought I was going crazy too. I have had every test going to finaly find a therapist (a woman) who told me it's hormonal. I had a hysterectomy right before all this started and kept just 1 ovary. She told me how not only my hormones would be out of wack but all my body chemistry.

Before this I had been put on Xanax and Welbutrin. I started a new vitamin/suppliment/exercise program and have been feeling better. I weaned of the Xanax and will wean off the WB next month.

Hi!

I had my CT scan of my brain and it came back normal. That is a good thing. As I said before I have an appointment with my GYNO in May but I am going to call and ask if he will order the hormone testing for me. I started taking a phyto estrogen pill from GNC so maybe it will help some. I didn't get my morning sweat today so maybe the pill is helping a little. Hope everyone is doing better than I am.

IMNUTS

Hi,
I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one who feels nuts. It's as if I'm losing my mind or so the dr. thinks so. I haven't stopped my period yet, but I have so many of the symptoms many of you have spoken about. My mom passed away last June and she never spoke about any menopausal symptoms she had, so I'm kind of left in the dark and a little scared. I had to take off work for awhile because the anxiety was very bad. Dr. says its too much stress and I couldn't be experiencing any phase of menopause because my levels are normal. But I say he is wrong. I have had hot and cold flashes for awile, along with the mood swings and other problems you ladies have written about. One good thing is that my significant other is very supportive. He says I'm not going nuts, I'm just starting menopause. He tries to help as much as he can, but sometimes it doesn't help. I've been working with him on meditating as much as possible, but I can't do that when I go back to work. I do feel that the anxiety is less in the afternoon and evening, but quite frankly I don't know why things seem to have gotten so bad so fast. The dr. put me on welbutrin and ordered some valium for a short period, the wellbutrin helps some but the valium dulls my mind and I think that just makes the situation worse. I started trying something called valerian root tea and I'm hoping that this may help some with the anxiety, plus it is a more natural way to combat the anxiety I feel. Sorry to be such a bummer but when your dr. sends u to a psyche dr. you really think your going nuts. I am very capable of managing usually after lunch time, but the mornings are intense. All I want to do is to go back to work minus the problems. One thing I can tell u about some dr's is they look at you as u are neurotic or something. When I turned 39, I was starting to get sick, cold all the time and couldnt stay awake 4 more than 9 hours a day if that. I went to 7 dr's and all they could say is that I was stessed out. Well a year later, when my hair started falling out, I finally went to another dr. and low and behold he took one test and and discovered that my thyroid level was so high- between 173 to 187. that I should have already been dead. So much for many drs. They have a tendency to look at their patients as text book cases and that is not always the truth. I hope that anyone who reads this can understand where I'm coming from. Two years ago I was putting in at least 120 hours every 2 weeks, now I'm just about making it thru the day. I'm hoping some of these herbal remedies can bring me enough relief to be able to cope with these symptoms. One can only hope. Sorry this is so long, but quite frankly I needed to get some of this out to people who can really understand. Thanks for an ear, I really do appreciate it.
Debbie

Angel28,

I know how you feel. My doctor does feel that I am nuts. When I was having the problems last year I mistakenly said that maybe some of problems were because I was so worried about not knowing what was happening to me. Ever since then he thinks that everything is in my head. I do believe that the stress of the stuff is making me a little crazy but my symptoms are real. My husband isn't much help either. He is not a very sensitive man.

IMNUTS

One thing I hate about doctors is that if they ever find out that you were ever on anti-depressants in your life,everything from that moment on is in your head in their way of thinking. I am about ready to never fill in another history form at the doc's again. They totally judge you on whatever they see on that form instead of treating you objectively. They do that with the family history part too. If they found out anyone in your family ever had an illness they treat you like are doomed to get it as well. I want a doc who looks at me as an individual for a change!!!

Hi I am new here and I believe I am also going through peri. I am 40 and will turn 41 in couple of months. My anxiety level is so high right now that I can hardly breathe. For two months now I can hardly breathe. I suspected peri because of some hot flashes I have been having. My period came twice this month, am having it now for the second time in 2 weeks. All I do is cry. In fact right now I am crying. I just went to doc yesterday. Have been going to doc about the breathing issues and have had a few tests well, echo stress, CT scan of lungs, EKG at ERs, chest x-rays, thyroid tests, etc. He wants me to take Paxil but have not taken it yet. What is the difference between that and Wellbutrin. I see a number of girl on here on Wellbutrin. I just want to feel okay from this breathing problem. I want it to go away, maybe I can deal with everything else but not this shortness of breath. My poor 4-year-old son sees me cry every day at my desk. I am extremely emotional. I plan to see my gyno next week and see what they can offer. I think this board may be a start for me realizing I am not alone.

Thanks,

Jas

Hi Jas, I know how you feel. My anxiety level was so high that I cried all the time as well. I am not sure how Welburtin works but I just started Lexapro. It is a SSRI (selective seratonin reuptake inhibitor). The neurologist told me it is very good for anxiety. I am on it only 1 1/2 weeks now, and 80% of my anxiety is gone. It has helped me a great deal. My goal is to only stay on it for 1-2 months. I do not want to make this a long term medication. I just wanted to feel better fast. I was very reluctant to start the medication, but am now glad I did, because I feel much better.

I had never had depression or anxiety before January. I was always a very happy person. So, feeling this way is very foreign to me. I'm sure my family thought I was crazy. I am 49, and I hope this is not the start of things to come with this Peri thing. I can take the physical symptoms, but the mental ones are just too much. I will continue to hope this is the end of my anxiety attacks, but time will tell.

I'm sure your doctor will suggest something that will work for you. Good luck, and know that you are not alone.

Hi Happ1. I hope the drug works out for you. In the meantime, I go for my thyroid test results on Monday and some other blood work results as well. I am having a really hard time right now. Things feel so out of control for me right now. My breathing problems, I sometimes wonder if I do not have some really serious underlying medical condition like heart or lungs. But Monday I go back and talk to the doctor. If it is thyroid or perimenopause that is causing this, it is awful and I would not wish it on an enemy. I still have not taken the Paxil as I have read such horrific withdrawal symptoms and side effects. Can nothing be simple!! I cannot imagine anxiety making me feel this way for going on 3 months straight. I had 2 periods this month and I know stress can make that happen as well as thyroid problems as well as perimenopause. I am still having it since Monday it started and it is now Saturday.

Jas, good luck today with your doctor appt. Please let us know what you find out.

Sorry, am still trying to figure out how to post properly on here. Hi Happ. I went from my appt yesterday, Monday. All my labs are normal including my thyroid. He has referred me to a psychiatrist and has given me a couple of Paxil samples to take again. Have not taken any yet. I am yet to find a post online or any articles online that has anything good to say about Paxil. How frustrating. If the drug is so darn horrible why are people still taking it. Apparently withdrawal is the problem. Anyway, he prescribed more Klonopin and I take that occasionally, although I hate the drowsy part of it, it does relax me though. I mentioned also that I had my period twice last month and he brushed it off as being the stress I am under lately, which could be true. How are your drugs working out for you so far? Take care

Jazz, my Lexapro medication seems to be working just fine, thanks for asking. The majority of my anxiety has subsided. I don't know much about Paxil, however the Paxil website says it is an SSRI and should be taken daily to work properly. Lexapro is an SSRI as well, and I do take it daily.

Try not to get too discouraged if your doctor does not find anything wrong with you physically. That seems to be the case for a lot of us out here. My hands tend to shake on and off, and I am so worried I will end up with Parkinsons like my poor 83 year old mom. The neurologist says it is not Parkinsons, however I can't seem to stop thinking and worrying that I am getting it. Reading some of the posts on PS has given me hope that the shaking could just be a Peri symptom. Anxiety over our own health seems to be a common thread out here as well.

I hope that the psychiatrist can provide some relief for you so you can get back to enjoying your son. Our children, and in my case grandchildren, need us so much when they are young. Take care and keep us up to date on your progress.

Happ, am Sorry to hear about your mom. It is amazing how powerful the mind is. Make us believe we have things we don't have. Your neurologist would know if you had Parkinson's. Guess he deals with that pretty often and he would know the signs. Tomorrow I go to the psychiatrist and I will ask her about what she thinks is one of the safer SSRI. They are probabaly all the same pretty much. I will make up in my mind to take them, as I am not doing too good with this anxiety thing. Thanks for replying

I know you will make the right decision on the medication Jazz. For me, it has made all the difference in the world. Take care and keep us posted.

Hi Jazz,

I thought I'd jump in here because I took Paxil once, and also had problems catching my breath. I'm not sure what your breathing problems are like, but with me, it felt like I couldn't get a deep enough breath. I was worried about my lungs, and started reading all I could about it, and finally learned it was due to anxiety. I came across the term, "sighing respirations", and have also heard it referred to as "air hunger". Once I realized it was caused by anxiety, just having this knowledge -- made it happen less and less. I still get it sometimes, but I'm not worried anymore. Is this what you experience?

About the Paxil... I took it about 10 years ago, and I don't know if it's the same now as it was then. I was very depressed, due to the situation I was in, not necessarily perimenopause. Nevertheless, I took it for a little over a year, 20 mg a day, and felt it did help me. It did cause some anxiety though, so my doctor prescribed .5 mg. Ativan, once a day. I didn't like the idea of one drug causing a reaction that necessitated another drug. Anyway... I discovered something quite interesting: I felt Paxil helped me because it seemed to make me live in the present moment, not dwell on the past or worry about the future. I also discovered that exercise made me feel better, and I thought maybe it's because when you're exercising, your mind is on what you're doing at the moment. After taking the Paxil for this long, I also felt like it was making my head feel weird... like I wasn't really "feeling" things anymore, like I was a bit of a zombie. So, I decided I'd had enough of the Paxil, and it was time to wean. I took my doctor's advice about weaning slowly and weaned even slower. I'd saved up some pills, because even though I was buying 20 mg tablets, I had recently started breaking them in half. By my method, I took about 3 or 4 months to wean very gradually, about three times as long as the doctor recommended. And, guess what? I had dizzy spells for about two or three months after I finally quit! Because of that, I have vowed to never go on Paxil again, or any other SSRI. My husband was on Paxil too, and he quit when I did, doing it the same way, incredibly slowly. His experience was exactly the same as mine -- very dizzy!

I'm not depressed now, but I do remember about the present moment thing, and it helps a lot. I've read some books about meditation, and that seems to help keep me out of that big black hole of depression.

I wish you the best, Jazz. I don't know if my story has helped you any, but I hope so. If there's any way to keep from taking these drugs, great. I do know that sometimes we don't really have a choice though. If I was to fall down into that deep well of depression again, I know I would have to make a choice. It's tough.

Good luck tomorrow!

RedFox

Thanks RedFox for your input on the Paxil. I never did get to see the psychiatrist as she never showed up when she was supposed to and there were other patients waiting ahead of me, so I will reschedule. I also saw my gynecologist and she has ordered soem hormone lab work for me. She seems to have doubts as to me being in perimenopause because she says average age is around 45, but it is not unusual for my age 40 (soon to be 41). So we will see what those labs turn up. They might be normal even if I was in peri because apparently they fluctuate day to day, hour to hour. I have not taken the Paxil yet but will see. I read somewhere that lack of progesterone or estrogen cause shortness of breath, but then again so does generalized anxiety, which is what I presumably have.

Thanks again for everything.

I have a question. I went to my gyne today for my hormone results. Very low progesterone (1.0) and high LH. The doc says what that means is that I am having anovulatory cycles, periods without ovulation. Is this a part of perimenopause? She says my estrogen is good so I guess that means I am "NOT MENOPAUSAL." I tried asking her if it meant perimenopause but she just kept avoiding the question and saying that I am not menopausal. She says normal age is 50??. Okay, whatever! I know I am not in menopause, but I was wondering if I was in perimenopause, but she does not seem to want to talk about it. She said not to worry about it, unless I wanted to get pregnant. She also said if I had no period for 8 weeks or more to go back to her or if I was bleeding for more than 10 days to go back to her and she would put me on something to regulate my periods. I have never missed a period. I have had 2 last month, 1 this month, that is about it. She does not seem to be taking this seriously. It is "nothing" according to her.

Jazz, some doctors believe in perimenopause as a distinguishable phase and others don't. Of course, all of us here KNOW that perimenopause is a phase we go through leading up to menopause. Menopause itself is simply the point in time when you've gone 12 months with no period. The "average" age is 51, but the "normal" range is 45 to 55.

Perimenopause is the time of fluxuating hormone levels (both progesterone and estrogen as well as testosterone and others) and lots of confusing and uncomfortable symptoms. It can start as early as age 35. Anovulary cycles are certainly common during perimenopause. So are irregular and skipped periods. Just because a woman is irregular or skipping doesn't mean they need medication to regulate it. It is just a normal part of peri.

If your doctor doesn't believe in perimenopause, or doesn't want to talk about it (why, is it embarassing for her? or is she embarassed because she doesn't know anything about it?) then find a new doctor. This web site, and all the wonderful ladies here, will be of much more help to you than a clueless doctor.

Hi ladies. It's getting really late here, and I should go to bed, but I've been having such a wonderful time reading all these posts. This thread caught my eye, b/c I'm asking the same question "is this peri?" and the more I read, the more sure I am that it is. Bless you, all of you! Like you, mine started with a trip to the ER (just two weeks ago). All night in there, praying and crying, hoping my babies would still have a mamma in the morning, trying to figure out what had gone so horribly wrong in my predictable, healthy body. My first thought was heart attack -- then after all the tests saying I was fine, I began to realize on my own that it was probably a panic attack. I'm NOT a stressed type of person, so this was a huge shocker to me.

Long story short, I found the list of 35 Symptoms (actually I guess here it's 34...I found the list on another website, where they had apparently added one more to it!) and just about did backflips of excitement! It relieved all my anxiety to realize this is something NORMAL!! At the same time, I was a bit offended. I'm only 39!! But then I started thinking....I've had wierd hormone levels all my life. I have dealt with luteal phase defect (short luteal phase of the menstrual cycle -- that's the part after ovulation -- with low progesterone levels, which prevented me from carrying a pregnancy to term until I got hormonal support), which way-back-when had led me to learn about perimenopause, and all that time ago I thought I had the symptoms of it. How much moreso now!!

Anyway, I know the anxiety is horrible. Expecially the fear of something being wrong!! But I found that mine diminished very quickly when I found out it was peri. Yes, I still need to have all those tests to rule out everything else, but I am no longer in a rush or anxious about it. And (if I can rant just a bit....) it just makes me a little irritated that I know I'm going to spend all that time and MONEY (maybe not my own, but the insurance company's) to have them tell me what I already know. Not to mention, as I read about all of us who have been to the ER as the first step in our path to discovering peri, then the psych docs after that....... I can't help thinking there is a conspiracy out there to keep this information away from us, so we will be scared and run for help, when what we really need is each other. Llike in the old days when mothers and daughters and sisters and friends passed on the truths to each other in the natural course of life and didn't need some kid MD in a Hawaiian shirt at 0400 in the ER to say we're fine, while giving us that "look" that tells us we just might be crazy. So all the money I'm going to spend on tests just "proves" that I need them, and that makes me just a little annoyed.

Kiki,

Hi there,

I know exactly what you are going through. I'm 37 and have been to the ER twice, first time I was just like you! All I could think about was my poor kids, what if I don't make it home to them!! I of course thought it was my heart, had all the tests done and it was ruled to anxiety. I just couldn't believe this because I was so healthy before and I SWORE there had to be something else wrong with me!! I've had all the test done, x-ray, EKG, blood, everything is fine. My doctor was the one who thought it could be perimenopause so I had the blood work done and that came back normal so she said I wasn't in peri. I've heard that those tests aren't always accurate so who knows?? I just know that my life has NOT been normal in about 4 months and I do suffer from anxiety and occasional panic attacks. I'm now on Lexapro and xanax and feel like things are starting to get better. This site has be wonderful for my nerves!! I know now that I'm not the only one out there experiencing all of these horrible symptoms!! Misery loves company!! Anyways have a good weekend!!

Leanne

Thanks rsgreen for your reply. I agree with you 100%. I do need to find a doctor who is more into the perimenopause phase. I think some ob/gyn are more into delivering babies, etc., and do not take the peri too seriously. Thanks for your response.

Leanne I feel the same way. I just had another set of tests done by another set of doctors. The only tests that came back abnormal was my FSH, Progesterone (very, very low, no ovulation) and my LH was very high. I am so anxious right now, it is awful. My poor brother who I have been staying with for couple months is now so worried about me and wants me to get some kind of help. I am such a wreck. I do believe this horrible anxiety, shortness of breath and lightheadedness is caused by hormones. Two of the doctors I went to see referred me to a psychiatrist and I am looking into it, but one is not taking new patients until June and one is just so full I left. (I am in Puerto Rico by the way for a half a year until I get back on track financially then go back to the US). I just got out of a bad relationship so that is adding to all this. Anyway, my joints ache when I walk, probably from lack of exercise or stress. I am a mess, HELP! My poor 5 year old son needs me. I might take 1/2 Klonopin soon. I think I am ovulating right now, I have a headache since yesterday and that particular discharge. Hange in there, as most of you say, it gets BETTER??