OT: Hormonal Anxiety Question

You should try Andrew Lessman's Women's Wellness. It helped me and I would get the same way when I got my period. I would feel like I could jump out of my skin. The WW helped me a lot.

You can buy them at hsn.com

I must be careful how I say this, but I'm a psychiatric nurse and I advise you to find an alternative. Whether it's a change in diet, or exercise, long walks, listening to music, meditation, yoga, relaxation techniques -- whatever. I just hate to see people start taking prescribed meds that they may not really need.

I had similar symptoms, and starting yoga truly changed my life. I feel balanced and no longer anxious. I wish that I had learned about yoga and meditation earlier in my life.

I wish you well.

A good start would be taking a good multi vitamin and a magnesium supplement.

I am not an M.D., so this is just my personal recommendation & experience as a layperson.

First of all, please do yourself a *huge* favor & look up the side effects of antidepressants, especially this one: akathisia. I really caution you about this, because I have been left with chronic akathisia that makes regular anxiety looks like child's play. I will share with you what I've learned:

My body is hyper-sensitive to certain additives. I never realized this until getting akathisia, which is basically an allergic response when the body cannot rid itself of toxins, which is why some medications (especially ones that affect the neurological system, such as antidepressants) cause this side effect. **Caffeine plays a huge part** so does aspartame. When I have even decaf drinks (many people don't realize this, but decaf just means reduced caffeine, not 100% caffeine-free) or one can of diet drink with aspartame, I start getting jittery & anxiety, restless legs. Very bothersome. The anxiety isn't even related to anything real in my life, it is totally chemically-induced.

I would suggest you consider keeping a food & drink diary for a month or 2, to include several of your cycles. Include any OTC meds or supplements you may take, because many of them contain caffeine, also. When you notice a symptom getting worse, write the time down & what the symptom is, and see if you notice a co-relation over time. You may be as surprised as I was. If your memory is pretty good, try to remember what you ate & drank before you had to cancel on your commitment earlier today.

When I had PMS with mood swings, I found the natural supplement 'Evening Primrose Oil' to be very helpful. Our body & brain chemicals change throughout the month, so you may find your body more sensitive during those times, and can learn what to avoid ingesting in order to avoid symptoms worsening.

I don't know if any of this may be helpful to you, but I felt for your predicament & hope it will be useful in helping you figure this out. If you do end up needing an antidepressant medication, then please just make sure you are aware of the potential side effects, and use caution-especially since you are already sensitive to many medications, I can't stress to you enough how careful & aware you need to be with any Rx meds.

By the way, alcohol is a natural depressant. It will give a person a 'buzz' or high temporarily, then oftentimes will punch back with anxiety & stressful feelings hours later. I used to pooh-pooh that notion, until my food diary enlightened me. You can notice that co-relation with a food & drink diary, if your body is also sensitive. Mine sure was!

I know this is a very unpleasant experience, and feel for you. Good luck, I hope you find long-term relief very soon.

What piper bay recommended is a great idea--there is a supplement you can look up on the A (think all-female tribes) shopping site, called "CALM." It has magnesium in it, and works *wonders* for people that have symptoms similar to what you describe. That would be the first thing I would do, is take that supplement. Here is the name of it, and you can read people's reviews on the A site:

Natural Vitality Natural Calm Plus Calcium

Dear Beauty,

When i was in my 40s & struggling w/ perimenopause, I began having terrible anxiety episodes. I finally went to an internist who started me on anti-anxiety meds. I tried several different ones before settling on one. Some worked but gave me nightmares, others worked but i would be hit w/ sudden exhaustion at dinner time & would have to go to bed. Finally, i found one that made me feel normal again w/ no side effects. That has been more than 10 yrs. now. I've tried to cut back on my dosage but get to feeling shaky. I've accepted that for whatever reason, the wiring or chemistry in my brain changed during perimenopause & this is just what i need. It's not that big of a deal. I don't take hardly any other meds & if this is what helps, then so be it. I'm now 56 & i take a small tablet every night & that's it. Hope this helps.

I am 48 and Garden Of Life Oceans 3 Healthy Hormones has made a huge difference for me. They have helped my sister also. Just look at the reviews on Amazon. I would try the natural way using essential oils and good herbal teas. The hibiscus tea and Ylang Ylang oils are good places to start. Also lavender oils are helpful for calming down. I hope you feel better soon.

I am 61 now, been getting these kinds of symptoms since last 16 years. I take a very small dose of Xanax when needed, and it really helps.