Hot flashes, night sweats, anxiety and gagging

Teresa1962

13 years ago

Please help.....I am 51 and have been going through some horrible menopause symptoms. I have had menstral migrains for many years. Since my periods have been skipping several months, the migraines are not as frequent, but now I am getting horrible hot flashes and night sweats. I have gotten them nightly for a couple weeks now. 4 to 6 per night. The past couple weeks I have been waking up with a gagging sensation. Like something is caught in my throat. Not really nauseous, just gagging. Sometimes lasts all day, and I have no appetite.
Anyone else having the gagging problem? Any ideas to help? I have had anxiety and just feel like my life will never be the same. Have no energy, and just some weird sensations, and tingling, skin crawling, scalp crawling. I think I have all 34 symptoms. Do the night sweats usually happen only during the cycle or would be cycle, or all the time? I am feeling very UNNORMAL. Doctor's only advice was to get on Prozac. Didn't really want to go there.

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Comments (8)

TinaL
13 years ago
The gagging could be from what is called "silent reflux"... I didn't even know i had it until i went to the doctor with an ear ache which was also contributed to the reflux. When you are laying down the acid can creep up and then in turn make you cough and gag. I had nausea as well for many years from this and did not even know it. It is quite common in perimenopause as it relates to hormone fluctuations. I take an OTC Zegerid at night for the reflux and it has helped a lot. Also, not eating a few hours before going to bed may help as well. Not sure if this is what you have but it sounds like it to me.

As for night sweats i found that at least 30 minutes of exercise a day, walking or running helped tremendously. It also helps with my anxiety and nervousness that also comes up out of nowhere at times. The only thing getting me through is the thought of making it to the finish line and this being over fairly soon... i hope! Good luck
Teresa1962
Original Author
13 years ago
TinaL,
Thanks for your response. I am going to try the OTC Zegerid to see if that helps. This has been going on for a couple weeks, and it is beginning to stress me out. So many symptoms I am suffering from with this Menopause...And I am afraid I may have a time to go. I have been skipping periods 3 months at a time, then I will get one. I guess you are not fully in Menopause until a year has gone by. Some days I wonder how I will make it. Most of the time feel real crappy. I am one who has all the 34 symptoms. LOL Nice to talk with someone who is going through it as well.
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Just a word of caution: Do be careful about taking these over-the-counter remedies without consulting with your doc first. They can contra-indicate if you're taking other meds. I'm on the "other side" of most of you, having stopped my periods 15 years ago at age 44. (And sorry to say, the hot flashes are still with me.) My experience showed that I was not able to quickly find a successful regimen to hold my menopausal symptoms in check. I consulted with three or four GYNs until I found one who was willing to stick with me until we got it right. I really had to become my own advocate, if you will. We need to be as well educated as we can about the subject. As you look for what you can "take" to help you, you should also research really well the results of the (Women's Health Initiative) study they released back in 02. Don't rely on websites related to drug or supplement firms - read what's available on the National Institute of Health and other medical sites. In '06 the NIH released results of a separate study that showed herbal supplements were of no value in relieving hot flashes. Some women are lucky in that their menopausal symptoms are less severe and perhaps they perceive that herbs like black cohash have helped. But it's not "everyone's menopause," and what works for some doesn't work for all. After lots of trial and error, I was on an HRT regiment with both estrogen and progesterone that was wonderful for my body. I took the pills for about twelve years (referred to them as my "life line"). Hot flashes and night sweats were completely eliminated, and I was able to concentrate once again (although NOTHING NOTHING NOTHING helps for memory loss!). On and off I also tried a variety of anti-anxiety pills, none of which seemed to make a discernable difference. Depression is very common in menopausal women. Many people have had good results with the bio-identical hormones. I tried them for about a year but I didn't find the results comparable at all, so I stopped. I'm no longer on any hormones, and it has been a real struggle. I still have almost-daily hot flashes and nightly hot sweats (although the night sweats are not as severe, yet they still awaken me and that's annoying enough). Since stopping HRT, I don't think I've had a single uninterrupted night's sleep. But, as with every step I've taken since my periods stopped fifteen years ago, being off HRT is my choice. I have just learned to live with it. I think the bottom line is that you need to understand what if any risks there are in your body/family history that would or wouldn't make HRT a good solution for you. I don't think I've seen any mention here of calcium supplements, and that's so very important. We should be taking 1,200-1,500 mg daily if we're not on estrogen, a bit less with estrogen. Osteoporosis is very common in both pre-and post-menopausal women. Here is a link that might be useful: Menopause and Herbal Supplements Study Article
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TinaL
13 years ago
I went 4 months without a period and really thought i was finally going to make it a full year..well no such luck! My OBGYN told me that this is fairly normal, skipping periods and the GERD/reflux symptoms as well. If we look back i think a lot of what we go through can be related to perimenopause and i think i have been going through it in one way or another for at least 10 years, I am 50 now. Yes, try something like zantac or zegerid before bed and see if it helps.
lucy1au
13 years ago
Yes, ditto on the GERD as well making an appearance with menopause.... and terrible anxiety and feelings of dread. I couldn't stand it any longer and had to submit to taking HRT which gets rid of the horrible anxiety.
TinaL
13 years ago
lucy1au: I keep hearing about HRT but i am not sure what it is..could you explain? I also get the feeling of doom and anxiety so it may be something i could look into.
roxane123
13 years ago
Hi can't help with the reflux but certainly can help with anxiety. i went through menopause once after 3 bad years then I started to feel better when my doc suggested using HRT to get rid of anxiety and insomnia, well after 6 weeks on Activella I started to have depression for half a day and then it would ease so she put me on an anti dep. After a year I started to gain weight, my blood pressure went up and I had 2 retinal haemorrages so decided to qui cold turkey. Took 3 months of hell before I feel I'm starting to come out the other side. Be careful of HRT, it agrees with some people but not all!
lucy1au
13 years ago
Hi Tina,

HRT is hormone replacement therapy, taking a small dose of estrogen/progesterone in the form of a pill or a patch.

I also wanted to add that I had the gagging feeling when asleep at the early stages.. it was like the roof of my mouth lost tone.. but then it improved. I was snoring alot as well.. this also subsided. The ear ringing (tinnitus) also makde an appearance at that time as well.

This post was edited by lucy1au on Wed, Jun 26, 13 at 3:36
escarbrough111
10 years ago
I start to gag and I get hot flashes.

Hot flashes, night sweats, anxiety and gagging

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Hot flashes, night sweats, anxiety and gagging

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TinaL

Teresa1962Original Author

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Teresa1962
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