amorgan

Hi!
I've been struggling with PCOS since high school. I have to beautiful kids via IVF and have had bouts of anxiety that were resolved with Paxil and ativan pre-IVF with both kids. A year ago we moved across country, had a hellish time selling our house, getting settled, etc. Anyway, once everything calmed down I started having HORRIBLE panic attacks. I've been taking Provera (5mg) a month to have a period. New gyno here thought switching to the pill might help. Finished first month of that and I feel like a crazy women. It was generic Yasmin and I've always felt decent on Yasmin. I was on Paxil when attacks started in July, tried Effexor XR and it made me feel worse and am now 4 weeks into 10 mg of Lexapro with .25 to .50 Clonopin a day. Should I stick out the Lexapro or do you think i should try something else? I've never had this hard of a time finding something that works and it scares me. I have an appt. with a pshycastirst (spelling!) this week and am interested in your thoughts.

Also, has anyone tried progesterone cream instead of pills to try to regulate their cycles and moods?

Thanks in advance for any help. I'm scared.
Annie

Meggie4882

Hi there. I'm on Lexapro for anxiety and it really has helped me a lot. I also take natural progesterone cream instead of pills and it has worked wonders. It works naturally with your body to induce periods and ovulation unlike the pill which doesn't allow you to ovulate. It has given me more energy and my moods have been better too.

I really hope you find a med that works for you. It took me a couple of tries with different things and that was so scary. I know exactly where you are. It does get better.

Also, I think it's normal to have panic attacks AFTER really stressful events. That's the way it always worked for me.

amorgan

Thanks a lot for your reply. It helps to know you're not totally alone. How long did it take for the Lexapro to kick in? I've been on it about 5 weeks and yesterday and today I'm starting to feel a little better. I"m keeping my fingers crossed. I also have 2 more weeks of the pill and then I'm not doing another month of that. Do you have a brand of the Progesterone cream that you like? Where do you buy it? How do you know how much to use?

Thanks in advance for your information. I appreciate it a lot.

asassyvirgo1

I feel the same as you. I get really bad anxiety but it seems like it's monthly-like two weeks before AF. I used to have full blown panic attacks thinking Im' dying, etc. but now I just cope with it. It usually only affects my breathing anymore. I'm TTC, so I don't take anything for anxiety but I used to take xanax although it didn't stop the attacks. Now it seems my anxiety attacks are smaller but still as scary. When i was pregnant last year, which resulted in miscarriage, I would have really bad anxiety when my hcg numbers would raise, it was really weird but confirmed by my doc. So yes, hormones have a lot to do with it.

jackie_h1

Hello Annie, just zipping through the board and thought I'd stop to see how you were feeling now? Did the holidays help or hinder your mood/emotions/anxiety? Are the Lexapro & Klonopin helping?

Due to my PCOS, I do not cycle monthly and my OBGYN has me take Premarin first and then Provera. I have Estrogen/Progesterone/Testosterone problems, so I haven't had a regular cycle since the birth of my last baby. Lovely PCOS!!! Anyhow, the Premarin/Provera works for me, but I only use it every 3 months. My doc says I need to have a cycle 4 times a year.

I hope you're feeling better. Take Care and PM if you need a friend!

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amorgan

Hey!
Thanks for checking in, that was really sweet of you. I actually felt fairly decent through the holidays. They upped my Lexapro to 20 mg about 2.5 weeks ago and that seems to have helped a lot. I was down to 1/4 of a .5 mg tablet of Klonapin a day, but then AF started so a couple of times this week I've taken 1/2 a tablet. I'm hoping someday I'll be completely off the Klonapin. This whole experience has just been so weird.

So I noticed on your profile that you have lost a TON a weight. How have you been so successful? I weighed in at the doctor yesterday at 219 (7 pounds less than when I delievered my son almost 4 years ago!). I'm 5'7 and would love to lose at least 40 pounds (for starters). Starting tomorrow I thought I'd cut out refined sugar and eat healthy carbs only. I'm so afraid of failing...again tho'.

Anyway! Happy New Year and thanks again for your nice note!

Twilight2008

Hello ladies!

I've had panic attacks since high school but hadn't had any in the last couple years until I got pregnant in August. Pre-pregnancy my lowest dose of Effexor, 75mg was completely controlling my anxiety and panic attacks.

But during this pregnancy I got very ill with hyperemesis and because of the hormones and trauma of being sick the panic attacks came back with a venegance and they have been utterly dabilitating. I quit my job because I couldn't stop having panic attacks at work. My docs doubled my Effexor dose but it doesn't help.

I've know that after traumatic or very stressful events panic attacks can come back. I think they are like depression, sometimes coming in waves and they disappearing again.

I think it is good you are seeing a psychiatrist because they can be much more helpful than a regular primary care physician. Learning coping mechanism from regular visits with a counselor ot therapist can also be very helpful. Good luck!!

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afwifek

OH dear. Sorry to hear. Birth Control pills always made me crazy. They just arent for some people I guess. The last pill I tried had me having anxiety the last two weeks of the pack but felt fine the first two weeks of every month. I have heard bad things about YAZ and anxiety. SO I dunno.

Meggie4882

Hi amorgan,

Sorry it's taken forever for me to get back to you. I'm glad to hear you're feeling better on the Lexapro. I think you'll like it more and more.

The progesterone cream I take is from a bio-idential compounding pharmacy in Perrysburg, Ohio. The pharmacist there is SO great. At my first appointment we sat down for 2 hours and hashed through my blood work. He made the prescription specifically for me. Since he had the blood work he could tell what I was deficient in and put that in the compund instead of trying something on me that might work.

If you're interested in doing something like this, talk to your doctor. Some docs are skeptical but I am proof it does work. If your doctor doesn't come through, do some research on your own, there are bio-identical compounding pharmacies throughout the country. You don't need a referal and they can tell you what blood work they need for you to do and just have your doctor write a script for it.

Let me know how you're doing. Sorry again for the late reply!

Blessings to you.

Rainbow_Chakra

Progestins (i.e.) all non bio-identical progesterones - make me terribly depressed. I got this chart from the pharmacist on the progestational potency of all BCPs... Sure enough the ones I felt the most depressed on were the ones highest in Progestin potency. (Yasmin has high progestin) Depo, provera and micronor etc they are ONLY progestins so that's even worse.

You went from Provera which is progestin only to Yasmin which has high progestin potency. So maybe this is your issue with these drugs too? I of course am not sure but it's just a thought. Good Luck

Estrogen has got a bad reputation, but personally I feel fine on estrogen, it's the progestin's that depress me horribly. I'm going to look into BIO-IDentical progesterone - Not phyto or plant progesterone - but pharmaceutical grade Bio identical progesterone USP.

Truely I can't be on any type of progestin without at least some depression and I've tried then all. Pills, rings, patch, injection. Instant depression. Yasmin is high in progestin. Depo-Provera was hell.