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Menstrual Support Group


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This support group started in 2014, its been a source of education and understanding since that time.  A simple but catastrophic mistake on my part has rendered the entire thread unusable and for that I apologize.  I was able to save the first and the last posts made to the thread so please, if you seek understanding for how monthly cycles can affect withdrawal and recovery symptoms, please comment here.

 

Hi ladies,

 

Since becoming a member on this site I have noticed a lot of us having a really tough time with our periods during w/d. I want this to be a place where we can talk, vent, give support and advice about anything relating to our periods. Thanks everyone, Jenny

 

Hi Ladies, I used to be on this thread a lot and wanted to come back and tell you that ramping up of symptoms due to my period is a thing of the past. It really does even out and get better so hang in there all. I know it doesn’t seem like it while in the throes of this but it really will lift and get better ❤️‍🩹

 

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Hi Pam,

I’m looking for info as my withdrawal symptoms ramp up right before and during my period. My doc wants me to consider going on birth control, but I’m scared it will make it even worse.

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its completely normal for symptoms to ramp up around your cycle..whether it be before, during, or after. Our nervous system is sensitive to any chemical changes, and our lady cycle is quite significant in that regard.

 

It does get less intense. Like it used to make me feel acute and almost psychotic. Now I just have cramping and 1-2 days of being low and teary.

My theory in benzo recovery is that less meds are better. Our bodies are desperately trying to find equilibrium again.

 

Also with BC in general, it really depends on your age..like if your closer to your 40's you should def not use it as an option.

 

Hope this helps!

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Thanks, Trina. I’m in my 40’s, which is another reason I’m hesitant to go on bc. She seems to think I’m in perimenopause and that it will help. I tend to agree that the less meds the better, even a low dose pill like she’s suggesting.  Im going to see how the next cycle goes before making a decision. I had horrible timing. I made a significant cut in dosage of Xanax about a week before my last period started and it was awful. I almost went to the hospital as I thought I was going crazy. Did you find it got less intense the longer you tapered?
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I finished my benzo taper at the end of December 2021. My last period was the beginning of January 2022. It has been over 3 months since I had a period and my doctor says that I have Functional Hypothalamic Amenorrhea. My estrogen is extremely low, but my FSH and LH are low/normal, so I am not in menopause (I'm 39).  This type of impact on the hypothalamus/pituitary system is usually cause by weight loss, excess exercise, or severe stress. I haven't had weight loss and my exercise levels are far from excessive (enough to help my mood and other symptoms), so is this caused by the stress of benzo withdrawal? Has anyone else gotten this type of diagnosis? Did you recover or was it long-term?

 

I'm scared. I'm scared of this problem being long term and leading to me getting osteoporosis and other problems associated with low estrogen. Low estrogen does explain some of my symptoms: night sweats, heat intolerance, hair loss (so much hair loss - arghh!), dry eyes (sometimes related to hormone issues). I can't believe I am going through menopause-like symptoms when I am 39!

 

(I'm posting this in the menstrual support group too.)

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Those symptoms actually are super common in benzo recovery too. Give it some time. Many women actually find their periods come back after being absent for a bit.

 

I'm perimenopausal and I do get those symptoms but much more mildly than in the first year off the meds. In that first year I would wake up soaking in sweat for a few months. It can happen to the guys too!

 

 

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I had a window month 3,5 to 5,5, all symptoms gone xcept insomnia which was significantly improving.

 

I got bad acne and felt best in my pill free week. So I came ofg birth control. Acne cleared up, still ok sleep first 2 weeks. But muscle and hypnic symptoms got back and my sleep has been getting worse and worse almost like acute.

 

Now both cycles I got gave me monster PMS lasting a week well into my period. Severe depression, chemical anxiety, DP... never in my life experienced anything like it.

 

I could handle it if my sleep stayed a bit better... I am getting 2 hr nights again like acute. Iam 6,5 months off.

 

Tempted to go back on a different birth control pill but dont want to mess recovering up... I should give it some cycles but dont know if I can.

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Hi there!

 

Well, let me start by saying that I am happy you seem to have a knowledgeable doctor by your side!  :thumbsup:

 

As Trina says, this is a rather common symptom among ladies in withdrawal. I haven't seen my period in a loooong time either (I am also 39) but I am not too worried as to whether it will finally normalize someday. I still have many remaining symptoms and it is quite clear that my brain is still in a state of high stress. I think that our bodies are actually designed really well: if it deems that it is not a good time for you to potentially become pregnant, it switches your period off. That can happen in times when food seems to be scarce, and it happened to me for that reason between 2003 and 2010 when I was much too underweight with restrictive anorexia. In 2010, I got a bit better and my period just came back :)

 

I hope this gives you hope.

Warm Hugs!

Julz  :smitten:

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Reply to Julz:

 

Thank you for your reply! That does give me some hope. Not long after I wrote my post I realized that many of my symptoms (like the night sweats) might still be due to benzo withdrawal rather than the low estrogen state, since people with hypothalamic amenorrhea don't typically get menopause-like symptoms. Everything is so confused with the benzo withdrawal.

 

 

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Reply to Julz:

 

Thank you for your reply! That does give me some hope. Not long after I wrote my post I realized that many of my symptoms (like the night sweats) might still be due to benzo withdrawal rather than the low estrogen state, since people with hypothalamic amenorrhea don't typically get menopause-like symptoms. Everything is so confused with the benzo withdrawal.

 

I got nightsweats in the first 2,5 months of withdrawal then it went away and now in my possibly coming off bc pill induced wave, its back, not as bad but i get really hot again especially around period, which is when its normal to have a higher temperature but i guess the benzo thing ampts it up.

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Reply to Julz:

 

Thank you for your reply! That does give me some hope. Not long after I wrote my post I realized that many of my symptoms (like the night sweats) might still be due to benzo withdrawal rather than the low estrogen state, since people with hypothalamic amenorrhea don't typically get menopause-like symptoms. Everything is so confused with the benzo withdrawal.

 

I got nightsweats in the first 2,5 months of withdrawal then it went away and now in my possibly coming off bc pill induced wave, its back, not as bad but i get really hot again especially around period, which is when its normal to have a higher temperature but i guess the benzo thing ampts it up.

40 yrs never had nights sweats pre benzo

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Reply to Julz:

 

Thank you for your reply! That does give me some hope. Not long after I wrote my post I realized that many of my symptoms (like the night sweats) might still be due to benzo withdrawal rather than the low estrogen state, since people with hypothalamic amenorrhea don't typically get menopause-like symptoms. Everything is so confused with the benzo withdrawal.

 

Exactly  :)

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  • 3 weeks later...
Wondering if anyone out there on benzos, bc pill and hrt? I am freaking myself out it cannot be done. Too many things to conquer thanks to the GP x
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  • 2 weeks later...

anyone have hot flashes?  I know it can be perimenopause, I'm 47 now... I believe its all connected

I read a man had hot flashes, any advice?

primrose helps ?

its waking me up and sleep is very up and down as it is.

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I’m so glad this thread is going again. I’ve been tapering a Benzo and I’m almost off. I get really nice windows but I get acute waves for 3-5 days during my cycle. It’s really hard and scary especially when I’m trying to work.
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Hi everyone :) hope you’re doing well today glad to have the forum back

 

I’m at almost 15 months off soon.. but I’m still being tossed around like a rag doll by hormones ovulation and right before period sometimes at the start of it too.

 

Does anyone have an idea how this goes away? Does it just slowly improve does it go away at all? Im frustrated by it thought it would improve a lot more by now. Im young and never had pms before any of this. If you’ve gotten over it did anything help? Im going to be trying primrose oil out this next month.

 

I’m in windows mostly I feel but sometimes hours and hours of waves that just seem random.. seems to effect my intestines a lot

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Hey everyone,

 

So ... I've now missed two periods, which is very odd for me. I'm def not pregnant. I'm 47, but have zero other signs of peri-menopause. My body is definitely stressed, though, from the taper. Is it "normal" to lose your period while going through this? I'm a bit nervous to get thrown into early menopause, but again, there don't seem to be any other signs pointing in that direction ...

 

Thanks for any thoughts!

 

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Hey everyone,

 

So ... I've now missed two periods, which is very odd for me. I'm def not pregnant. I'm 47, but have zero other signs of peri-menopause. My body is definitely stressed, though, from the taper. Is it "normal" to lose your period while going through this? I'm a bit nervous to get thrown into early menopause, but again, there don't seem to be any other signs pointing in that direction ...

 

Thanks for any thoughts!

 

I know of people who lost their periods for a few months so I know it can happen. For me, I got two periods in a months.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hey everyone,

 

So ... I've now missed two periods, which is very odd for me. I'm def not pregnant. I'm 47, but have zero other signs of peri-menopause. My body is definitely stressed, though, from the taper. Is it "normal" to lose your period while going through this? I'm a bit nervous to get thrown into early menopause, but again, there don't seem to be any other signs pointing in that direction ...

 

Thanks for any thoughts!

 

 

I've now missed five months of periods. From all the searching I've done, it seems like there are other people who had this problem as a result of benzo withdrawal. Physical or psychological stress can result in missed periods, and both have definitely been the case for me during withdrawal. Overall, I'm feeling better now than even a month or two ago so I'm hoping my body will start to heal and my hormones will correct. (Hopefully without the PMS nightmare that some people describe!)

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Mine just came back (strong!) after being gone 2.5 months. I was kind of relieved. No bad PMS (except maybe a little uptick in crying the last few days). Hope yours comes back soon. It's nice to have at least one thing we can rely on!

 

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Anyone stop HRT during their taper?

I heard a couple people start it during WD. Do you think it is affecting your ability to taper or heal?

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I think it is affecting the taper. I keep having big waves/dips while on the progesterone part. I wondered if others had experienced the same and how they felt if they came off.

Anyone stop HRT during their taper?

I heard a couple people start it during WD. Do you think it is affecting your ability to taper or heal?

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can having a hot face be hormonal in this? I was hot and cold all night

its hot where I live and was not able to sleep from being hot  and then cold

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  • 1 month later...

Just going to add my experience to this thread. 😊

I’m 45 and I’ve been tapering for 2.5 years. I have much worse symptoms of withdrawal during ovulation (ovulation akathesia?!) and pms. I got through most of my taper by tapering the first 2 weeks of my cycle then holding for ovulation through pms. Tapering during pms was a no go for me. Absolute torture.

 

I have noticed that I run a low grade fever 99.4-99.7 from ovulation until a few days into my period starting. It used to freak me out that I had some low level infection somewhere. It’s hormones. It’s known to happen. I just accept it now.

 

I notice heart palps during ovulation and pms as well.

Try not to obsess about them.

 

I have a night or 2 of insomnia during ovulation and pms. Just uncomfortable and anxious and too hot.

 

My cycle has synched up with the moon cycles, new moon ovulation and full moon periods. It’s wild.

 

Week one of my period is *so* low emotionally. I feel so exhausted, like lay down and pass out tired, on days 1-5. Sadness and anhedonia peak that week, then it lets up.

 

Week 2 is a good time to accelerate or cut dose (if you cut and hold).

 

I now do a daily micro taper and I don’t hold at all. Waves and windows come and go and holding doesn’t seem to help. I have tried holding during pms when it got awful (those certain thoughts that you just can’t handle). I held for 3 days one month, I don’t know if it helped or not.

My cycles have ranged in length from 24-36 days.

The majority of pms ends in me begging the universe for relief. Please let my period start, I can’t handle this anymore. It’s like acute withdrawal every month. I always forget just how bad it gets and I scour the internet to see just *how* anxious or tired or desperate people feel.

 

It always passes. Just hold on.

 

I have 117 days left to my daily microtaper and I’m interested to see if hormone related awfulness lets up after I’m done. For month  I have calculated how many cycles I have left during taper 😂

 

Thanks for sharing your experiences women! We’ll get through this.

 

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