Hormones, does Xanax help

[iamfaithful]

I had a BAD weekend dealing with my anxiety.  I am starting to feel there really is something physically wrong w/me....that it's not anxiety.  My heart palps were so bad on yesterday that I almost went to the ER, but I made myself just ride it out.  That was extremely difficult.  It has been three days since the end of my cycle and usually I get bad palps (skipped heart beats) 1 week after; but it started early this time.  I was in tears!  I started reverting back to the way I was when I first stared getting these horrilbe skpped beats.  I walk real slow, stay in the bed, get real depressed thinking that my heart is just going to go nuts and continue to beat eratically (sp?).  I just start imaining the most awful things.  I am so sick of this I don't know what to do!!  When you have had a good couple of weeks and then they come back with a vengance, it's hard to believe that it's just anxiety.  I know my hormones have GOT to have something to do with this, but I've been checked out-my FSH (is that right?) levels were fine.  I just want to know why my heart acts up real bad after my cycle???
Oh, I am wondernig does Xanax help with the skipped beats?  I have taken it for tachycardia and it did help; but I wasn't sure if I should take it for the SKIPPED beats.  I am getting so discouraged again....trying SO hard not to. It's so easy to look on the bright side when you're feeling fine; but when you're not.....I swear that I have some horrible physical illness.  
All I can do is continue to pray and read my bible-that's the only way I have made it thus far.  Yesterday I felt like I was going to go crazy.  Does ANYONE get where I'm coming from?
I can deal with almost any of the other symptoms: dizziness, fast heart rate, headaches, tingling/numbness, occasinal nausea...but the skipped heart beats, I just can't seem to deal with them.  Are they really part of anxiety?  Can we bring them on ourselves?  Please someone help me out w/some advice :-)

[heartfluttersflyawayplz]

yes your hormones can cause them, and they can get worse at that time,  your not being a baby they are very scarey, i have had them for 23 years at times they are gone for year than back for 10 weeks straight  over 3000 a day , than they just go away again so who knows why they come and go, mine are not from stress i know that. but not sure what they are from . hang in there like you said they come and go they will leave soon i hope and you will still be around. they wont kill us just scare us to death.

[anxiety123]

No, you are not being a baby. They are scary. I am 47 and I have had them since I was a teen so I guess I am just so used to them.

I know that benzos help with anxiety and stuff, but I would stay away from them if at all possible.  They are really hard to come off of once you start them.  That is my opinion for what its worth.  I take klonopin and am weaning off right now because I don't think they help me as much now as they used too.  It has really been a slow process but as long as I go slow I am ok.  

Even though your horomone tests came back ok, we all have functuations of hormones during our cycle.  You may be like me, I am just really sensitive to any hormone fluctuations, especially when I was pregnant and during my monthly cycles.  

[iamfaithful]

Yes, that's me :-)  I do take a BB .25 of toporol.    I don't want to increase because they have gotten much better. I really just want to get off of them all together.   It's just after that time of the month when it is awful.  It's usually just for a day or two-ugh.  

Oh, I am going to be 37 on Friday.  We thought I may be perimenopausal in the beginning,  but the test came back fine.  All I know is that my hormones have GOT to be all screwy because that is when I always have the worst of them.  When I first started noticing them it was right after my cycle.  Everytime I went to the ER.....during or right after cycle.  I can basically ignore the flutters, but it's when the "drop" sensations happen that I freak out.  That is a BAD feeling, or maybe I am just ultra sensitve and being a baby about it.  I just don't know anyomore.

I appreciate your post.  I will search the hormones/menopause and see what they have to say.
Thanks!

[anxiety123]

Hi.  The skipped beats can be anxiety related, hormone related, etc.  I have Mitral Valve Prolapse and take a beta blocker for my skipped beats.  From another post, I believe you said you take a beta blocker??  If so, you may need to increase the dose a little.  For me, I take a beta blocker but I have finally gotten so used to having them (not nearly as much since on blocker) that I just ignore them.  You didn't mention your age.  Some women have more of them as they get into the perimenopausal/menopausal age.  It is due to the fluctuations of hormones. If you search on homones and menopause, you will find some good message boards and almost all those women have skipped beats, racing heart, anxiety, etc. with their fluctuating hormones.  

Hope this helps some.  But if they bother you that bad, let your Dr. know.   Also, with me, I find that intense cardio, helps mine tremendously as well as my anxiety.

[Karenturner55]

Hi I am 46 and have been experiencing a bit of this myself. It started with a stomach virus. 2 days after I had an episode where my heart dropped out and i started to black out it scared me to death. I went to the ER. Everything was fine. They said I tripped the vagus nerve in my neck and caused my near blackout. I moved on then all the sudden it happened a week later at work in front of a patient. I wa skust sitting at my desk felt fine and boom turned white and started to black out but didnt. In between all this I had terrible palps and flutters for days. I also felt this weird sensation in my brain like a perception issue. Not dizziness per say but kind of. I finally made a cardiologist appt. Did ekg, echocardiogram, calcium score test all good. I never had the full drop out sensation again but the palps and flutters come and go and act up sometimes around my cycle. I still have the sensation in my brain its like something has changed. I went to a ENT to check for vertigo. Nothing. I went to have hormones tested all good like you. I just want to know what this awareness in my brain that I have had for 7 months now is. Is this the Brain fog people talk about with perimenopuase? Regardless I am not the same now. I used to have so much energy and workout 5 times a week and now I'm exhausted when I get off work. I have low BP, my A1c blood sugar is 5.8 and cholesterol all good. This has to be hormones. I even had my copper IUD removed thinking I had copper toxicity. Xanex has helped me cope buyi fear I will regret that in the end. Hang in there. You are not alone. Dr can not seem to help me. And I pay out of pocket for all these tests. No insurance. If anyone has any suggestions please feel free to share. Also checked for vitamin deficiencies. Next maybe minerals. I'm at a loss. But I want my life back.

[Karenturner55]

Also cardiologist said that I had inflammation from the stomach virus that caused my heart to drop out and the palps? This is what the ER told me too. But I have never heard anyone else with a stomach virus having that problem

[Paxiled]

This post is 11 years old, so you'll get more answers if you make a new post.  Inflammation in the stomach, if that's what you're saying, is normal when you have a stomach problem.  If it was from the virus it's no doubt gone, but everyone with a digestion problem, for example, has inflammation.  It's the result of a problem down there and in your case it was from a virus.  If you're worried about anxiety, that comes with anxious thinking, not just physiological symptoms.  You also say had heart palpitations -- did you, or did it just feel like you did?  You've had a lot of tests and they don't show anything as of yet, but that doesn't mean there isn't something going on.  It could very well be hormones if it only happens around that time of the month.  Again, if you're having just physiological problems and you're not having irrational fears and thinking anxious thoughts and the like, then you most likely do have something going on and you haven't seen the right doc yet.  Nobody here can tell you what's going on, but as an anxiety sufferer, I think anxious thoughts.  The physical symptoms of it follow that, they don't precede it, not at first.  Anyone check your thyroid?