Can PCOS cause anxiety/panic attacks..? - Page 3

R0xyg4l · 06-04-2008, 04:10 PM

You're definetly not alone. I remember having a panic attack at the end of a test in school... omg it's like the worse time to have to get the hell out of a room is in the middle of a final exam. I'm happy to say I passed with no issues but anxiety has caused a few panic attacks, lots of chest pain and shortness of breath and heart palpitations.

KatCarney · 06-04-2008, 04:25 PM

GOOD ARTICLE: ARTICLE: When not to treat depression in PCOS with antidepressants

Excerpt:

Quote:

Causes of depression in PCOS.

Depressed mood in PCOS may be both physiologic and psychological:

• Hypothalamic, pituitary, and other end-organ system dysregulation occurs in both PCOS and affective disorders, which share clinical and biochemical markers including insulin resistance, obesity, and hyperandrogenism.

• PCOS’ clinical sequelae—hirsutism, acne, obesity, hormonal disturbances, fear of infertility, and psychological distress—may damage their self-esteem and female identity.

PCOS’ physical symptoms alone apparently do not account for patients’ worsened mood states. Weiner et al5 found that women with PCOS and free testosterone (FT) of 10 to 26 pg/mL (just above normal range) were more depressed than women without PCOS (FT <10 pg/mL) and women with PCOS and FT >26 pg/mL. Women with PCOS with the lower and higher FT levels had similar demographic profiles, but those with the highest FT levels were not the most depressed.

Similarly, in a study of 32 women with PCOS, we found no association between depression and other possibly distressing PCOS symptoms, including hirsutism, irregular menses, acne, or alopecia.4

ruthheart · 08-22-2008, 10:53 AM

I feel all this too! I cannot make trivial decisions, and I am filled with dread whenever I leave my house, but I don't know why. In fact, I'm anxious at home too. I don't know why my body is saying I'm anxious or why my heart races. I'm not worried about anything but what my body is doing. It feels like I caught someone else's dread and panic, like an air-born illness. It doesn't seem like my own. My doctor doesn't listen to this, but I think it's physiological.

TheGigglingFrog · 08-22-2008, 12:57 PM

Of course hormones effect emotions! And any Doc who says they don't is contradicting herself if she believes in PMS and menopause outbursts (man, those can be wicked times!) I think part of the misconception is that panic/anxiety aren't thought of as emotions, but reactions to events and if there is no stimulating event, then how can you have that reaction, which is really an emotion? Does that make sense? probably not, but it did in my head

I have had depression and anxiety since puberty started kicking in... and no it wasn't over my changing body... my body didn't change until much later and AF stayed away until I was 19 and put on BCP. Hormones are the messengers of our bodies... remember the game telephone we played when we were kids? Sally would start on one side of the room whispering into Betty's ear "Yellow flowers are the most beautiful" and by the time the whispers got to Emily at the end of the line the message had warped into "White elephants like cream cheese." If our hormones aren't delivering their messages clearly we are going to get mixed up messages, like mis-timed emotions of anxiety when there is nothing to be anxious about. Sometimes a hormones message is shouting in our system and overpowers the rest, some hormones only whisper when they should be shouting back... all of this miscommunication going on is going to effect each of us differently, and unfortunately for many of us it ends up as hormonal induced depression and anxiety.

jcaruso4316 · 03-02-2009, 06:05 PM

I truly, honestly believe that my anxiety is due to a hormonal imbalance. I tried to talk with my regular family practitioner, but she dismissed me and sent me off to my OB/GYN, who diagnosed me with PCOS. I know that a lot of things cause anxiety. Heck-- my father died of a massive heart attack when I was 7 years old, he was 33; my mother was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2000, etc, so I've been around a lot of life-changing events that have affected me negatively.

I was on Xanax and Effexor when I went to my first psychiatrist's appt back in 2001 because I was hyperventiliating. Then my husband and I got married in 2002. We got pregnant and I miscarried in 2003. Decided that I wanted a safer alternative to the Xanax and Effexor and asked the OB to put me on Paxil. I took the Paxil for 6 years and I'm at the point where it stopped being effective. So, I'm now tapering the Paxil (because of its ugly withdrawal symptoms), going on Prozac 20 mg and taking Xanax once again.

However, I'm now at a stand still... I will be starting Met 500mg, but I'm also on Xanax ttc #2... Xanax is contraindicated in pregnancy, so I will be withdrawaling from that too...

How long does it take Metformin to work to balance out the hormonal issues? I'm eager to try it and also scared, but my anxiety can be out of control!

Anxiety is real. Sometimes I can talk myself out of it, but most of the time, I cannot. I truly believe it is due to the hormonal imbalance caused by PCOS. I also have mitral valve prolapse, which I know there is a "syndrome" that has been associated with that too... Don't doubt the capability of a woman's hormones.

sothis_is_love · 03-03-2009, 08:20 PM

i have pcos and panic attacks, always wondered this.

navywifey · 03-04-2009, 01:46 AM

My RE didn't want to hear anything about me even thinking that I was having panic attacks. She just brushed my concern off completely. She says that what I was having was hypoglycemic attacks but I still beg to differ.

apickett · 03-07-2009, 04:04 PM

I have had anxiety issues since about the age of 13. It all started out of the blue one day. My friend and I were walking down a dirt road from her house to another friend of our's house and all of a sudden I just started feeling dizzy, sweaty, and generally freaked out and I took off running like a bat out of hell! I have had them every since on and off. Sometimes I can go a few month's without one, but that is only because I avoid situation's where I get them worse. I think that PCOS and Anxiety/depression do go hand in hand myself.

SnowFlower · 03-07-2009, 09:03 PM

I do think they are connected in some way. I have always been a worry wort. I remember in school feeling what I like to call pre attack where you can feel it coming on but back then it didnt go further however I was always worrying about something. Then I had a few major life changes, got pregnant gained over 100lbs and had the same pre attack feeling but possibly a little more with it and lasted for a little longer.

Then a few years later we moved cross country and out of the blue I felt like I was about to die. I called my DH and said I was having a heart attack and to get home. He finally got home (If I really was having a heart attack) I would have probably been dead by then and I told him I could swallow and felt like my throat was closing and my chest was pounding and I felt dizzy and hot and lightheaded. He sat with me and got me some water and just kept telling me it was ok. He was an EMT/Firefighter and he checked my pulse etc. That was my first real blown attack and after he sat with me for about 20 minutes it started to ease up and go away. I kept swallowing bc I was so scared my throat was closing. I had some more attacks but nothing as bad as it got later on in life. When I saw a Dr he said I was very anxious but I still never put it together.

Then I had a few more life altering things happen and we moved back to where we were prior and I started getting really dizzy lightheaded and then my heart would pound I would feel hot and like I couldnt swallow or breathe. I would do everything and try everything possible. Thats when I finally figured out it was panic attacks. I tried the natural route but it didnt work. Finally I saw a Dr about it who prescribed me Lexapro. I had a very bad reaction from it and then had to go to Urgent Care/ER and was given Paxil and klonopin to take when needed. I didnt want to take the Paxil at that time so I was switched to Zoloft.

I remember feeling safe having the klonopin and knowing if I needed it, it was there. I didnt take it for a while then I remember my DH and I were watch The Shield and out of no where I felt an attack coming on. Sometimes going outside made it a little better but this time nothing was working. I tried relaxation techniques, reading, taking a shower, playing with my son, talking to my husband etc. I finally took the klonopin and I was led to believe it was quick acting. Well then I started to panic more because nothing was happening and I was told after 20 min if nothing still happened to take another half. So I did that and again nothing happened. I was on the phone with a Dr from the ER and about to come in. He told me to take 2 more pills and if i didnt feel anything in 30 minutes to come to the ER. Finally after that I started feeling tired and was able to fall asleep.

The next day I went to another Dr and told them I could live like this. They bumped up the klonopin since the Zoloft hadnt gotten to its peak yet and told me if I felt an attack coming on to take it right away instead of trying to wait till it got bad. I tried but it wasnt helping so my klonopin dose again got bumped up but it still didnt work. No matter how much I took as needed it wasnt helping and once I got into that full blown panic attack nothing would help until it went away.

While all this was going on I was seeing a few different Drs and also doing therapy and cong. behavior therapy. Then my psychaitrist pulled me off the klonopin and told me to try Ativan instead which didnt work at all and didnt even make me feel drowsy. After that didnt work they put me on Serequol which isnt even an anxiety medicine per say and that literally made me incompasitated. I could take a half of a half of the smallest dose and still couldnt get out of bed or even lift my hand.

I ended up back at urgent care because I was having an attack and nothing was helping. The nurse came out and gave me a wet washclothe and since there werent any rooms available at that time let me go in smaller space where I was alone and sat there and talked with me to try and calm me down. She finally said I am going to get a Dr. So I finally saw the Dr and by that time I was feeling like it was ending a little. She gave me something I am not sure what and said it sounds like I needed right now to be on a medicine to prevent the attacks since taking as needed wasnt working so she said we would do klonopin bc of its longer lasting ability throughout the day so it was always in my system and keep me on Zoloft. She then ref me to her Dr who was just a GP but she said he really listened and understood.

The first visit with him was a Godsend. He completely listened and didnt act like I was some kind of freak for feeling like I was dying constantly and understood I couldnt live like that. He understood nothing was working and agrred with the previous Dr that I needed to be on something to prevent them especially as I was having them numerous times a day and when I wasnt having one I was worried to death about having one and didnt want to go anywhere.

So I followed his orders and took klonipin throughout the day (usually it was morning, afternoon and night) and if I felt an attack coming on I could take an extra pill. I have been on this regime for a few years now and while I still have a mini attack and still am a very anxious person in general it has helped my life and given me back life. I worry about being dependent on it but know right now I have to have it or else I have no quality of life. Luckily I still am on a pretty low dose even though I take it daily. There have been a few times that out of the blue I feel awful and cant talk myself out of it and need to take an extra pill but usually it works pretty well knock on wood to prevent them.

So while not my first choice medicine has been the only thing to really help. I do still practice what I leaned in therapy and relaxation techniques and they do help but just not enough to deal soley with that.

willowstotts · 03-08-2009, 11:49 PM

I got my first bout of depression and anxiety when I hit puberty. I have been on meds since I was 16. I am 25 now. I have tried 3 times to wean off the ssri's and each time i get terrible anxiety attacks that are very disabling and then it leads to a depressive episode. My psych. and I talked and agreed that I will prob. have to be on meds the rest of my life. I have accepted it. It is good to know though, that the hormones of pcos could be causing this.... hence it all started when I hit puberty. Just another part of PCOS that I have to deal with. But, I work in a hospital with a lot of traumas and cancer patients so I always tell myself it could be worse, which makes me feel much better with my situation.

Cimaruta · 03-20-2009, 02:02 AM

As Kat said, it can be related. From my experience, it probably is related. I started having panic attacks before I got diagnosed...or rather I should say my gyno told me after doing exploratory surgery for cysts that I probably had pcos but he never told me what that meant or what to do about it and never confirmed it. About 6 months after that is when the panic attacks started. Heart racing palpitations, the feeling that I was about to die...just completely freaking out. I ran to a shrink who tried all sorts of meds: klonopin, zanax, ativan, zoloft, paxil, prozac...and probably several others. I told him I thought it was hormonal instead of mental and he ordered the blood work...turned out I was correct. NEVER EVER DISCOUNT THAT GUT FEELING. Finally found a Dr. willing to treat me for the pcos and he put me on metformin and after learning deep breathing techniques from a psychologist I helped myself before the metformin helped me.

boilerpooh · 03-24-2009, 06:36 PM

I'm glad to have found this thread! I definitely have triggers that make the anxiety worse but many of your stories really seem similar to mine. While it wasn't too bad and I'd only take Xanax every so often before I got pregnant, since having dd things have gotten so much worse. To the point I thought I was having a heart attack 3 weeks ago.

At that point I was diagnosed with inflammation in my chest but the dr also suspected that anxiety was agging it on. After three weeks of anti-inflammatories, ice, and some occasional xanax I went back yesterday because things, while better, are not great. After talking more she feels that most of it is being caused by anxiety and she's started me on Cymbalta. She said it will help not only with the anxiety but also pain. She said this would be better to get something in my system daily rather than me get dependent on the xanax. From what I've read here... I've got to agree.

abidder · 03-26-2009, 10:33 AM

All of the post sound familiar. I had panic attack since I was 20 and they were really bad for a while. I have always had PCOS but wasn't acutally diagnosed until I was like 25 - and my doctor mentioned that it could effect my mood. I immediatley put 2 and 2 together and thought my anxiety attacks were part of it.

I have never actually confirmed that.

I took paxil for a year and it did nothing so I stopped taking and I was fine fore a while then my anxiety got worse (also around the time I started to gain a little weight and my PCOS symptoms got worse) and I started takin Celexa 40mg daily - I am still on that and I feel really good. I get a little anxious sometimes, but haven't had a panic attack in a long time.

nemesis_divina · 03-26-2009, 08:26 PM

It seems to me that when I'm on Prozac I'm able to manage the panic attacks easily, with both cognitive behavioral therapy and Ativan if it's a particularly bad panic attack. However, as soon as I start the birth control and the Metformin, I start to just come unglued and even Ativan cant help me. I know that the panic attacks are irrational, I've dealt with them before, but when I'm taking meds to treat pcos, I just lose it

KAMsMOM · 04-02-2009, 04:38 PM

I am now also starting to wonder about this link. I too was on birth control and now and having horrible Anxiety before periods! I am on Actos now. Has anyone ever been on it and switched to Metformin?