Is anxiety during Menopause TMS?

I'd like to hear feedback about whether anxiety during menopause is TMS. I've been menopausal for a couple of years and had what used to be called a "nervous breakdown" 18 months ago after my mother came to visit. It started with severe back pain and then spiraled into the most horrible anxiety where I couldn't eat, sleep sit still or otherwise function and ended up on antidepressants - another horror story in and of itself.

My mother went through something similar during menopause but she had always suffered mental health issues so I never thought the same thing would happen to me! I personally think that the hormonal changes are the fuel for the fire but perhaps not the cause. After all, I haven't exactly had a peachy life and the anxiety didn't come out of nowhere.

I recently heard from a menopause expert that the women he sees who suffer the most anxiety during menopause are those that have always had a lot of stress and worry. Their hormonal balance helped them feel OK and deal with their issues but once the hormones because depleted/out of balance, they could no longer cope.

Thoughts?

 

I agree with this 100%. Since I became Menopausal, my anxiety just spiraled and became worse and worse. I use this forum, books by Dr. Sarno, the Curable App, running and time with friends to keep me in balance. But i definitely know there is a TMS/Menopause/Anxiety link!

 

Hello @Penny2007 ,

I think there is a strong link between anxiety and peri menopause and menopause. I never had anxiety in my life and then suddenly I woke up with it one day in my mid-40s. I have now had anxiety and insomnia on and off for three years.

TMS techniques, Claire Weekes, Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn and other resources have been helpful. I have reduced or eliminated many TMS equivalents. Having said that, anxiety and insomnia seem to be the most difficult for me to treat and yes, I think there is a strong hormonal link. I have seen this mentioned in many articles.

Also, maybe it is just me but the nights are the most difficult. It seems like everything comes out at night. Does anyone else feel this?! I’m trying my best to feel my emotions, be easy on myself, etc. Having said that, I do have a full time job and kiddos to raise so I try my best to mangage . Good luck!

AC45

 

@AC45 did you ever consider HRT (or BHRT)? Did you have TMS before the anxiety hit?
If anxiety is a type of TMS and we are meant to repudiate any physical causes then that would include menopause. However, I'm not entirely convinced menopause has nothing to do with it, even though a well known TMS doctor told me that he knows of no good research that links anxiety and menopause and thinks it is more likely that it is the stress of menopause rather then the physiologic changes of menopause that cause anxiety.
He told me to stop worrying about menopause and stop attributing my symptoms to menopause.

As I wrote in my original post, I think that the hormonal changes makes it more difficult to deal with the stress you've always had. I think most women who suffer anxiety in menopause have had a difficult life but there are certainly those who suffer from anxiety during menopause who have not had a particularly difficult life or any type of TMS prior to menopause.

 

Hello,

I think the hormonal fluctuations in perimenopause have impacted my ability to manage stress. I think this contributed to me coming down with anxiety for the first time in my mid-40s. Is it the only reason? I don’t think so. Does it impact your ability to deal? I think so. I’m taking birth control pills to manage the perimenopause. It is helping but it is not an end all. TMS techniques coupled with mindfulness and lots of reading to learn about what I am going through seems to help me.

AC45

 

Ian,

Here is my two cents, for what it's worth

There are supplements that can can really help your mom, and if that isn't enough bioidentical hormones can make a huge difference. When I was taking synthetic hormones they didn't work. That doesn't mean they won't for your mom, but it is important to know. I started with my gynecologist and she was really helpful, but I went to a naturopathic doctor who had me take additional supplements and add another hormone and then I started doing really well. I ran out of supplements when I was delayed getting home from a trip and I had the extreme nervousness return, so the hormones were not enough by themselves. I hope your mom is doing better soon!

Lizzy

 

Hi Lizzy,

Thank you for your positive reply that you can get better from hormonal imbalance symptoms. I am exploring the supplement path right now as I am very much in the throes of perimenopause which I do believe set off my anxiety and TMS body issues such as back pain, sometimes knee/ankle/foot pain and just generalized tension that I know now has caused all the subsequent muscle and joint pain.
I have not had much luck with regular gynos as they tend to sympathize but don’t believe in testing your hormones. They want to treat with synthetic hormones and antidepressants. I found a natural progesterone cream that is providing some relief but nothing miraculous yet. Any advice? I am not sure how to know what naturopath would be qualified and you know when you’re in it you certainly don’t want to tip the apple cart any worse than it already is if you know what I mean. Everything just feels so out of whack already.

 

Hello Mars,

I suggest looking at the about us, or meet our practitioners pages, and look for someone who is interested in female hormone balance. Maybe someone early 30's or younger, because hopefully they will be current in the latest ideas. I actually started seeing mine during perimenopause and am so glad I did. Good luck!
Lizzy

 

Thanks, Lizzy!

 

Hi Penny,

I am sure it’s mostly from Menopause. I am having a very hard time since the whole change’ started. In fact i am so anxious and tired.. i am feeling exauted
The muscle and joint pain.. the sleep troubles the tears and fears.. it’s terrible
Have tried a lot so far.. acupuncture, suplements and bio identical hrt
But had side effects and have tried many different dossis so far
So is there a tms link: let me speak for myself: i am a worrier, a sensitive person.. had tms and have symptoms now that could be both.. so am at the point I realize: no one knows
The pandemic has also huge effect on my nervous system
I keep doing the tms work
I got rid of my biggest tms problem and when menopause hit hard .. i am sort of drawn back in.. so?

 

I would love to know how everyone’s got on. Was TMS or HRT useful?

 

AC45[/QUOTE]

Hiya, I know this is an older thread/post, but I was looking to see if anyone here could relate...I found you beauties!

I never had what I would call anxiety until the last few years, in sync with peri menopause for sure. But I've also come to see how it connects/is a TMS symptom. My first clue was when I started to experience this new-to-me anxiety just prior to pain coming on. This was new; it had always just been bam! pain. Now there was this interlude, a slow coming on, another discernible phase/step that I could observe. Cool but it still sucks
Thank goodness for Claire Weekes audios in the middle of the night...such a character and so wise! Listening to her relaxes everything and makes me smile even.

Yep, this too. For me it's pretty much always at night. Everything is super intense atm, like a crescendo. Full on panic as I settle into bed, and when I wake in the night. Again, thank goodness for Claire

Would you share how your peri-menopause adventure has been going?!

 

Once again thank you Jan.
Yes and yes to all of it!

 

If I may share some experience and thoughts on the subject...I was going to start a thread a while back with these thoughts but didn't. So, here they are now...
I started my TMS adventure January last year, reading Alan Gordon, Sarno, and working the SEP. I experienced the symptom imperative mechanism in full swing(new-to-me anxiety through the roof!), extinction bursts etc...all serving as great evidence of TMS as I worked through emotions that felt really full on. Probably a similar story to most here.

I also saw a drastic reduction in the symptoms I had been experiencing...for a couple of weeks in the middle of my cycle anyway. And then the emotions would hit hard, and the ruminating, and the racing thoughts and a drastically reduced capacity for "talking to my brain" in any sort of empowered way. My resilience would be reduced to pretty much zero and the pain would go through the roof. Okay, peri-menopause. Great. I've experienced PMS forever but this was a whole new beast!
All the "experts" I looked to had the same long list of negative symptoms of this "very real syndrome". This is being a middle aged woman folks. Strap on your boots, hold on tight...and maybe it's best to take some antidepressants and/or HRT because if you thought it was bad before, besides the hot flushes, night sweats, and debilitating cramps, the depression and anxiety are real and intense and by the way, suicide rates for women age 50-54 sky rocket.
Cue the fear, overwhelm and perfectionist "I can/gotta fix it!" tapes.
But wait just a minute. Scrolling through the reams and reams of articles and videos on the subject, all with the fix, the cure, the answer! It all just seemed an awful lot like what Dr. Sarno described as the latest "en vogue" thing to me.
I mean, women have been experiencing "the change" around the world, since the dawn of (human) time. But now, in this enlightened time-ha!-the word on the street is something is very wrong that needs fixing. Don't even get me started on what I see that all being connected too!

So, all that ranting brings me to my question for all you wise women here...
What has been your experience through this transition? You all have a unique perspective seeing through the TMS lens. I would love to hear about your experiences, insights and challenges.
Is anyone else finding their way through and want to share? I would love to hear from about your experiences, insights and challenges.

So, that's what I wrote sometime last fall but didn't post. I see that I seem to have a style...to me this reads a lot like my new chicken vs egg post!

Personally, I have decided to just keeping doing the TMS work...I suppose I could just call it doing life
2024 was a doozy for me.
Regarding peri-menopause specifically(hormones are actually going wild)...definitely new and ever changing territory, and venturing into new territory requires bravery...being afraid and doing it anyway. This definitely provides plenty of opportunity! I guess we don't call it The Change for nothing

 

I had endometriosis from 13, and was in peri-menopause at 30. Nothing much phased me until I was 45 and suddenly disabled by pain. For a time I thought (after reading someone on this forum say endometriosis is TMS) it was all TMS, but now I realize it wasn't at all. You can get pushed and pulled in different directions and sometimes things are a mix of real, physical stuff and TMS.
I was never anxious about menopause and because of my personal experiences, looked forward to it. I never read or worried much about it because although I have TMS, I do not have generalized health anxiety.
I had the whole hormones running wild sensations, and simply accepted it and felt it. No anxiety or worry even though I had some pretty wild experiences. The hormones and endo used to effect my nervous system so much I'd pass out...anywhere! However everyone was kind and caring when it happened and I didn't worry about it. It would make work tricky once a month, but employers were helpful.
I think you are right, and it's not just menopause but it's any physiological change in the body: true disease, age related changes etc....it comes down to mindset.
You can look at it all as terrible negatives or you can choose to change up the narrative and be curious about new experiences and changes. It doesn't mean it isn't sometimes scary or stressful, it's all how you deal with those feelings and the stress. I decided consciously that menopause wasn't going to be a stressors in my life and it hasn't been. You can find your peace with things when you learn that you can pick and choose your internal battles.

 

Thank you for sharing @Cactusflower! I have a close friend with endometriosis and experiences like you shared. Seems menopause would be a welcome relief and nothing it could throw at you would phase you after what you'd already dealt with for years? Phewf.
I was never anxious about it either, just turns out it's a wild ride

Yeppers. I am finding that learning new ways of relating to stress is key. Turning toward and getting curious helps a lot!

I think you recommended listening to Claire Weekes in another thread somewhere...thank you! She's such a character, it's wonderful to listen to her wisdom straight from her lips.