panic and losing control

[susie girl]

hi, I was just wondering if panic and anxiety at night are common during perimenopause. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night in a terrible panic. I feel very fearful as if something bad is going to happen and I get disturbing racing thoughts and I can't think straight. It is hard getting back to sleep and I am even afraid I will do something horrible in my sleep and not remember it. When I am not feeling anxious, I know these thoughts are irrational and I can brush them off but when my anxiety is bad I can't get them out of my mind and they cause me to have panic attacks. Is this common or am I losing my mind. I feel as if I am going crazy and will lose control of everything.

[Hopefully]

Susie I have been there. Yes, anxiety and having panic attacks will cause irrational thoughts and fears. Have you seen a doctor to discuss these symptoms? I was initially diagnosed with anxiety disorder when I was having these symptoms. Later we realized it was all hormonally related. With my first hormone patch I felt such a peace and calm that I had not experienced in months. I'm now using bcp to control these fluctuating hormones and failing ovaries.

You are not alone and you don't have to suffer. Help is available.

[Guest]

Me too. My doctor put me on antidepressants first which helped some but it wasn't until I got on BCP also that it went away. I agree with you that when you are feeling good you are able to rationalize what is going on. But in the middle of the night and in the middle of an attack, you just aren't capable of re-assuring yourself. I have actually had a panic attack over it being time to go to bed because I knew I would most likely wake up in the middle of the night feeling bad. I have started printing excerpts from this website and taping them different places. Some are from Dr. Judy and others are from women who feel exactly like me. It really helps to read those over and over and remember that you are going through a physical process that has a mental impact. I also found that suffering in silence wasn't the way to go. I have started talking about those panic attacks with my husband and during my prayers. Just facing them seems to take aware my fear of having another one. Best wishes!