Ladies I need some insights into your own experiences, I am literally another person, I alway's suffered with PMS and turned 40 and started with perimenopausal symptoms, low mood, irregular more frequent periods, some cyclic hot flushes and anxiety. Fast forward 10 years, now 50 and my word I would have the last 10 years back, I have not had a period for 3 months and took a menopause test and it was positive, so guess I am just waiting out the full 12 months but I literally feel like a mad woman, I am anxious, irritable, angry, snappy, and having at least 20 to 30 hot flushes a day, I have not slept through a night in so long, literally waking up just before I have each flush, does anyone else out there get a strange sensation run through them just prior to the heat setting in?, it is like a mild electric shock, or the feeling when you realise you have lost your bag when you are out. I can not find anything about this anywhere and my Dr was so dismissive of me telling me to get on with it all. Well she will see when her time comes I guess. Any shared experiences, especially of the strange hot flushes would be reassuring, as I have a mild liver condition that apparently can cause flushing, though they think not in my case. Thank you all.
Menopause madness, and strange hot flushes. - Women's Health
Menopause madness, and strange hot flushes.
It might be worth finding out if there is a menopause clinic in your area. They can take your issues seriously and advise you how to proceed. Self help is possible but can be very erratic, hit and miss, and takes a lot of time.
Thank you so much , Yes what a great idea, it is so frustrating how easily we are dismissed as being just Menopausal!.
🤔 Electric shock sensation or ESS can feel like a rubber band snapping against part of your body or a zing of electricity shooting through you.
Generally “harmless” and short-lived, ESS can nonetheless be pretty unpleasant, particularly as they often signal a hot flash is not far behind.*
What else can cause that tingle? Paresthesia, or a needling sensation in the arms, legs, fingers, or even face is another lesser-known symptom of menopause.
ESS is thought to be a fairly uncommon effect of hormone changes at menopause, but given how spooky it can be, and how often we hear about it from women, we decided to feature it as our Symptom of the Month.
What causes Electric Shock Sensation in menopause?
Your body is chock-full of estrogen receptors – it’s why menopause has so many symptoms and affects so much of your body.
Estrogen also works with your central nervous system to send messages along nerves to the brain. It’s thought that when your hormones are fluctuating, signals can get crossed or amplified or otherwise distorted, causing the sensation of a shock or tingle.
It’s possible that some medications can contribute to the sensation, particularly those prescribed for hot flashes. And the ramp up of anxiety that many women experience in perimenopause and menopause may also increase the likelihood and severity of ESS.
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What else can cause an electric shock sensation?
As with all new and unexplained symptoms, it’s a good idea to consult with a doctor to rule out other possible causes.
Problems in the back like a herniated disc or spinal stenosis can send shock sensations, particularly down the leg. Diabetic peripheral neuropathy can cause shooting pain sensations in the legs and feet. A vitamin B12 deficiency may prompt feelings of electric shock waves. Osteoporosis of the spine increases your risk of experiencing ESS, so you may want to talk with your doc about a bone density test.
So before you chalk it up to menopause, consult with a medical professional.
How to stop the shock
Like so many other menopause symptoms, the best things you can do are just really good things your body needs anyway:
Hydrate. Drink plenty of water to keep your system performing optimally.
Exercise. As with night sweats, not exercising just before bed may help reduce the symptom.
Sleep. Try to get enough. Follow the rules for good sleep hygiene to maximize your chances of a decent night’s rest.
Cut out or drastically reduce caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine.
Eat right. Make sure you’re getting the right nutrients in the right amounts so your body works right, rests well, and heals correctly.
Consider supplements. If you worry you may not be getting the nutrients you need, adding Vitamins B and E, plus calcium, potassium, and magnesium may help not only reduce ESS but ease other symptoms and support your health generally.
You can also look into eating more phytoestrogenic foods like chickpeas, soybeans, flax seeds, dried apricots and dates, red clover, green tea, black licorice, etc. Some women have found relief from acupuncture and biofeedback. And HRT or hormone replacement therapy may also be helpful, particularly if you’re managing other symptoms.
*If you suffer from sensations of electricity travelling through your body, your first call should be to your doctor. While the weird and wild hormonal ride of perimenopause and menopause can prompt a lot of changes in your body, simply assuming something is “just menopause” can leave you vulnerable to other possible causes. The information on this site is never meant to replace the care of a qualified medical professional.
Copied from gennev.com
Thank you so very much for sharing so much amazing information, I feel that given my bloods and other scans recently have all come back okay, and that it only happens just before my night hot flushes I am going for now to assume they are related to my menopause, but just as a precaution I will mention it to my very dismissive Dr. (frustrating as I think I expected better from a woman) the next time I am scheduled to see her. Thank you again.
Alauralane - Another thing that can cause to horrid electrical shocks are SSRI antidepressants. If you're on them and trying to come off, get doctor's guidance to do so. Paxil is the worst to come off of..Zoloft (for me) was the easiest...although it's not easy and many people go back on them because they're hard to come off of. Anyway...just another thought...
Oh, no I do not take them but thank you, I think after the damage done to my liver by the lansoprazole, I will be reluctant to ever take anything again. Something for you all to be aware as well as the information from Sweetsusie, is of the link between proton pump inhibitors and liver damage.
Wow! I'm sorry, Alauralane! That's terrible...I understand your hesitancy to take anything ever again...
Thanks for sharing this information. I have been getting ESS quite frequently ib
For the last 4 months after a very severe and prolonged menstrual bleed with fibroids. The intense flushes and the weird feeling in my arms and neck not to mention the moods and abdo pain have all made me feel worried and not in control of my health, having some insight into ESS is really useful. I didn't even know it was a thing, it happens to me just as I am fall off asleep and when I am tired and low in iron. Thanks for the detailed information. I will ask my GP about bone density tests etc to rule out other causes.
I agree, that this insight is really helpful, sorry you have fibroids, and all the other unpleasant symptoms that go with this time of our lives, I too this year have felt very out of control of my health and in fact my mind and body doe not feel like it even belongs to me anymore, not pleasent for any of us. All the best.
Hi Alauralane, sorry to hear you are struggling. I have just gone 57, funny sounds much older than 56, another year nearer the dreaded 60yrs😳I had been having frequent hot flushes throughout the day. Prior to some flushes I did feel suddenly anxious and on edge before feeling the heat coming up my back, I also felt an extreme nausea. I had been suffering for a few years until finally went to see GP and was put on HRT.
Sorry to hear you are going through it too, Nausea is a very strange symptom you do not hear much about either, but I can empathise with the anxiety, though thankfully no palpitations, I do also feel most of the heat in my back and torso before it makes it way up to my face and arms. I may as suggested by Fifif, go and see if there is a local clinic to me for help. I am trying too to come to terms with being 50, and what it means psychologically to me, I think I know what you mean about your age, as I feel that 49 felt and sounded so much younger than 50. Thank you again, All the best.
Your doctor is a hero to women, Pink4eva! He's one of the few around....
Hi Susie, he is a she, I did have to wait for a couple of yrs, but it has helped a lot. She gave me 3months supply, I only hope that when I need some more the pharmacy will have have some in stock.😊
You need hormones, girl...they will stop your hot flashes in their dirty, rotten tracks and will lift your mood and give you some energy. The whacked study that was done by the WHO back in the day was wrong..wrong...wrong..now they admit it...made millions of women go off their hormones...and they (including me) suffered needlessly. I was finally able to talk my doctor into giving me HRT and I feel much better now...I'm 72 years old and have been on them for about 2 years now. Doctors, I think, are beginning to get a clue about how important it is for women to have these! Yes...they can cause side effects, but what drug doesn't?? I'm not worried about the breast cancer scares or any other thing they tried to scare us with. I'd rather have a good quality of life now and take my chances, than to have a crappy life for decades and most likely end up with some dread disease in the end anyway...
Thank you for your upbeat, empowering post, I am going to have to get tough with my GP. I completely understand your stance on quality of life, because this really sucks, and to think I thought my PMS was bad. I have a family history of breast cancer so that might go against me, I need to check. Thank you again,
Yes...I'm afraid they will hold that against you..but I'm thinking about you and wishing you a good outcome!
Alauralene. I don't have any information to help you but I can empathise. I have very similar experiences, last month I had the same frequency and intensity of hot flushes, i constantly worried it was covid 19 and felt like my body was someone's else's as my normal is always being cold. I have been getting the weird electric shock thing just as I fall asleep. Ive just read the post from wobblybee. We can both hopefully name our symptoms. I am 45 and was diagnosed with fibroids last November related to peri menopause. I thought that I was the only one getting such distracting and chronic effects. Thanks for sharing your experience and GOOD LUCK with the rest of your treatment options. 👍
Oh I am so glad you too have found out what is going on, I too was imagining the worst. I sonetimes think I moved out and a completely irrational anxious tearful and hot person moved in to where I once was. this is truly one heck of a rollercoaster, all the best with your fibroids.
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