Help for anxiety

I would imagine the surgery to be quite an adjustment and that there would also be a period of healing. Life can throw us things that are certainly challenging to deal with. I haven’t had that kind of surgery (I never had menopausal anxiety) , but am trying to be gentle with myself. Right now, I’m experimenting with giving myself a “me” day in which I indulge myself. Nothing fancy, just turning off my phone, having favorite meal and desert, watching movie pick, no caregiving tasks, etc. I have previously dealt with health anxiety with talk therapy, which was awesome! It helped me a great deal. My therapist went out of network with my insurance, but I intend to resume with another therapist for maintenance.

I can’t say I have had a short temper issue. I’m usually pretty low key. I try to remember the motto, Don’t sweat the small stuff. A therapist might be helpful providing feedback.

I hope you get some more responses.

@blueskies1530 I know other women who have experienced a change in their mental health following a hysterectomy prior to menopause. Some of them found good solutions with medications or adjusting medication by working with their gynecologists or primary care physicians.

Have you talked with your doctor about the anxiety? Do you see a mental health therapist?

Hi, @blueskies1530! I went into surgical menopause about a year ago, and my anxiety increased after surgery too. Like you, I had that constant "on edge" feeling and lack of patience. I decided to see a psychiatric nurse practitioner, just to see if she had any suggestions that were different than my doctor's. She recommended starting buspirone, an anxiolytic medication, and it's made a real difference for me. It might be an option to talk to your doctor about?
Another medicine she recommended is a supplement called silexan. It's a lavender extract that's been well-researched and has been shown to reduce anxiety. Here are a few of the studies:
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28511598/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19962288/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36717399/
That might be another option to consider with your doctor?

@klp Thank you for the info about Silexan. I'd never heard of it. I'm aware of Buspirone and do occasionally take one when my mind is racing at bedtime but because I'm on other meds that might interact with it my doc doesn't want me to take it regularly. Thank you!

@blueskies1530 Hi there. I’m postmenopausal too. I was on Lexapro for many years for anxiety, but in 2024 I started having heightened anxiety, intense waves of internal body heat, and panic attacks. At first, I thought the Lexapro was causing it, so I switched to another antidepressant. When the symptoms didn’t improve, I tried another one, but they still continued. While on the antidepressant, I eventually started HRT and stayed on it for about 8 months, but I was still dealing with anxiety, so I stopped it. My doctor then recommended that I slowly taper off the antidepressant completely to get back to my baseline and see whether I still needed medication. I did a very gradual taper for months and took my last dose on June 4th.
Since coming off the antidepressant, I’ve been extremely moody, irritable, impatient, emotional, anxious, jittery, and completely wiped out. I have very little energy to do anything. My doctor believes it’s withdrawal from the medication, but I keep second-guessing whether that’s really what’s causing all of this.
The plan was for me to restart HRT after stopping the antidepressant, but because these withdrawal symptoms have been lingering, my doctor recommended waiting until I feel better.

What antidepressant are you taking, and how long have you been on HRT? I completely understand what you mean about being patient in our 20s and how much harder things can feel in our 50s. 😞💜

@klp Hi are you referring to Silexan by Nature's Way CalmAid Lavender Oil Supplement or something else? Thanks

@wynnaa I'm referring to the one you mentioned above.

@blueskies1530 thank you

@wynnaa, Yes, that's the brand I was told about, though I do believe there are other companies that also make Silexan supplements. As with any supplement, it's best to talk to your healthcare team about the best brands and whether it might interact with any medication you're currently taking.

@klp Thank you 😊