Menstrual Support Group

[[Be...]]

Thanks jenny for youre fast reply! 

I am completly utterly freaked out...

Hello, hypochondria..... the results will be there in 2 weeks.. 

I will freak yout until then.

She did an ultrasound and said the endometria is built up high.

Ugh thats all i needed now.

Xoxo GG

[[Ki...]]

Hi GG,

 

I have had that.....I had my period, then spotted all the way through until my next period and my period came on time. Since then I haven't had a period (almost 2 months). I also suffer from health anxiety/hypochondria and it's a difficult symptom to deal with in withdrawal when our bodies produce the strangest symptoms on a constant basis.

 

Let us know your test goes 

[[Be...]]

Thanks kiddo!

 

God, yes used to scare myself with health issues before this.

BUT this is a whole new level!

Ok so it helps to hear more women have these mens troubles.

Dear god, what we have to deal with, not fair!

Yeah i skipped a period before this and then got one and it didnt entierly stop until the next....

 

Thanks kiddo 

[[Mo...]]

I'm finding that my cycle is slightly shorter, and that symptoms are revved up when I have my period and for a few days after. It's so hard to not freak out, especially when it seems like I'm doing well and healing. The past two days I've had weird things, but tonight they seem to have mostly subsided. Reading this thread has been helpful and comforting.

 

[[je...]]

Hi mookie,

Yes, I find my period has shortened as well, and all my sx  seem to get heightened around my period. My anxiety usually goes way up, and my stress tolerance goes way down.  It is comforting to know that others are dealing with this too and that nothing is wrong with us, its just benzo w d. I hope your feeling well tonight  jenny

[[bd...]]

Hi Jenny and girls,

 

My cycle got shorter too. Sometimes my period came every 22 days. Once it arrived on day 18.

 

I'm finding that gradually it's starting to normalise. Last month it arrived on day 26 (day 28 was normal for me). Average seems to be 24-25 days for me now.

 

I'm 47 so probably due for menopause soon - but I think the shortening of the cycle is NOT menopause because I don't have any other symptoms.

[[je...]]

Hi bd,

My normal cycle is 28 days too, but recently I've been getting it every 21 days. My period this month was 25 days, so I'm hoping its starting to normalize. Thank you so much for your reply! Jenny

[[bd...]]

Jenny - it does get better slowly.

 

And if you're not getting any of the other menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats etc...it's probably not menopause.

 

At the very beginning of my troubles with Valium I was getting hot flushes and night sweats but they went away very quickly. Sometimes the symptoms of wd are very similar to menopause.

[[je...]]

Thanks bd, I guess time will tell.

[[Al...]]

Hi Jenny-thank you for starting this thread. I went off Valium c/t on 1-1-2015. I finally got my period today (it's light) and I have not had it since the end of December. My shrink said that I was in menopause. I told her no way because I was still getting my period every month and I am 51 years old. These shrinks really no nothing about the w/d s/x of benzo's.  I've learned more being on BB. I've had 8 days of a window but I didn't feel great today so I'm  assuming its from getting my period. I'm happy that I got my period because my hair was very greasy and shedding a lot for the past three weeks. I'm hoping that my endocrine rebalanced.

Francesca

[[Ao...]]

Hi everyone

 

I am in the same boat and I would like to join here  and thanks for starting this thread Jenny.

I am coming off Valium at the minute and I am having a pretty hard time for a long while. I did come off Ambien and Xanax previously too. It's been a tough few years. Just in the last few months , my period has become irregular.  This time I was 8 days late. I used to be very regular.  Valium can really mess with your cycle, can't it ? ....

[[je...]]

Hi always fantastic and aoibherose! Welcome  yes all of us ladies on here seem to be suffering from irregular period or lack of periods. We all seem to get a big uptick in sx  right before and during our periods. Benzos and hormones are not a good combo! So glad to have you both here, feel free to post questions or just vent away about how miserable your period is Jenny

[[Ao...]]

Jenny

 

Thanks a million for your kindness.    Yes I felt so bad usually 5 days before my period - and in turn withdrawal symptoms went up massively.  This month has been hell due to the lateness of my period combined with withdrawal.

 

[[je...]]

Hi Aoibherose,

Yep, its all "normal" in benzo w/d.. You sx should start to die down after your periods over. Feel better soon 

[[Al...]]

Hi Jenny-thanks for the welcome. If you get your period does it mean that your endocrine has rebalanced? I noticed three weeks ago my hair was shedding a lot and it has abated. What does anyone know about losing weight rapidly after coming off a benzo and now I seem to be gaining. It was nice losing 6 pds so quickly but now I have to watch what I'm eating.....

Francesca

[[je...]]

Hi always,

I think the fact that you got your period is a good sign, now you will just have to see how the next few go. I know lots of people lose weight while tapering and then gain weight after they jump. I gained a small amount of weight (7pounds) from w/d and it has not been easy to lose it. I finally started to drop weight and build my muscles back at around a year off. That was an entire year of me working out and eating healthy-- the weight would not budge.. I know it was just w/d and my body was just not working properly since normally I could drop weight with no problem. Just know everything will work its way back to normal in time... Jenny

[[Al...]]

I have not had my period since the end of December (went off C/T of Valium 5 mg on 1-1-2015). Yesterday my period was very light and today it's so heavy and clotting. Is this normal? I am 51 years old and I have not had a period this heavy since I'm in my 40's. Perhaps my brain has re-programming me back to being 40 years old? haha....Has anyone experienced this?

[[je...]]

What were your periods like before the c/t? Were they regular? Sounds to me like the c/t was a shock to your system and that's probably why you didn't get a period for a few months. And yes your period will do all sorts of wierd things.

[[Al...]]

Hi Jenny-The heavy type of period I have now is what I experienced in my late 30 early 40's. My period used to be less bleeding and no clots and last 3-4 days. This is not a normal period for someone 51 years old. Last night I had muscle aches in my arms which I have not had since acute w/d. Thank goodness it passed. At this point I will just have to ride the course and see how long it last. I rather be in menopause like my shrink told me I was:)...I am in excellent health and I have been working out for the past 23 years 7 days a week. I have not missed one work out since I c/t and I eat very healthy!  I normally work out for 90 minutes a day. My GYN told me that I could expect to still get my period at my age due to all of the exercise. I have never had one hot flash. Up until November I was still getting my period every month but not like this.

[[Ru...]]

Hi Ladies,

 

I don't have a 'period' any more as I am in menopause and have been for years, but I thought it might be helpful to you all to mention how the benzos have wreaked havoc on my menstrual cycle on up through perimenopause and through menopause.  Almost all of my life my periods have been normal. I was a bit of a heavy bleeder with pretty severe cramps, but it was par for the course as far as the other women in my immediate family was concerned. They lasted the same amount of days and I didn't have irregular bleeding until many years into my Klonopin use.  I did have a hard time getting pregnant and when I did I miscarried and I wonder if the Klonopin use had something to do with it.  I was not trying to get pregnant and when I did, I worried about it because I was on the Klonopin. When I had the miscarriage, I asked the doctor to check for any abnormalities due to the Klonopin use and she said there were none and that 1 in 4 (something like that) women miscarry in their first pregnancy. I'm skeptical to this day.  Anyways for years, starting in the early 2000s I started having irregular periods along with other horrible tolerance withdrawal symptoms and went to doctor after doctor and not much was said about that. Guess they were looking for other things as I had such diffuse symptoms. Well, I discovered during a full blood panel in about 2011 that I was in menopause. I was stunned and the doctor as well as I was still experiencing heavy bleeding. She then did a uterine biopsy which fortunately did not show any sign of cancer. I then had the horrible experience of having to have a hysteroscopy and a D&C (trying to see what was causing the bleeding). There was nothing and the doctor decided I should go on hormone replacement therapy, much to my dismay, but they said it would help with the bleeding. It was the lowest dose. I was on it for 2 years and partly when I discovered all of my problems were due to Klonopin withdrawal and ensuing taper.  When I found out that the Klonopin was the problem and I knew I would have to taper, I wondered if the HRT would make the situation worse so I tried to stop the HRT and it made the anxiety worse so I held off a couple of months and tried to stop it again and was successful, but only after taking the HRT for about 2 years. I wonder if I would have ever needed the HRT had it not been for the damage the Klonopin has caused.  My doctor has no idea as to why I continue to bleed years into menopause, but I did read in the Ashton Manual that many women have had hysterectomies (probably unneeded) due to the Klonopin use and withdrawal because the doctor can't explain the post-menopausal bleeding. I am soooooooooo glad there was reference to this in the Ashton Manual or my doctor may have yanked out my uterus prematurely. I showed this to my doctor and she, after about a year, agreed that my continued bleeding after menopause might be due to the Klonopin and recovery. I so wanted her to admit that and it took a while, but she had no other explanation as there has not been any cancer detected. When I have this bleeding, it lasts for 3-4 days (last episode, twice in Jan. 2015) and is very painful and does quite a number on my emotions. Each time I have the bleeding I think it will be the last and it just isn't. This summer I need to go back to the doctor for my annual pap test and we'll see what she has to say. I have read that this whole ordeal screws up the endocrine system among so many other systems in our body.  It's easy to see why, for me, that so many of you are having problems with your period. I can sure relate to the emotional distress it causes-must be the screwed up hormones.  Any one here have a similar experience (unexplained bleeding post-menopause)?

[[Al...]]

Hi RuthieB-So sorry to hear what you went through. Do you know what section in the Ashton Manual talks about women having hysterectomies. I was on 5 mg of Valium for a couple of years but I never had any irregular periods or irregular bleeding while I was on it. I just got my first period since I c/t on 1-1-2015. I have not had a period since the end of December. My period was definitely much heavier but it only lasted 3 days which is the norm for me. I suppose I have to wait and see when I get it next and what it's like. I have noticed that my hair started to shed and I'm 100% sure that's all benzo related.

[[Ru...]]

Hello AlwaysFrantastic! So sorry you are struggling with this. It's the pits and I think adds much emotional turmoil where there's already too much of that. Ugh!  On my copy of the Ashton Manual it is mentioned in Chapter 3 under Endocrine Problems. It states there is no direct link to benzos, but I read somewhere else that women having gone through this have disproportionately had hysterectomies. It does go on to mention that 'endocrine symptoms that are due to benzodiazepines improve after withdrawal.' Yay!

[[Al...]]

Hi RuthieB-YES I read the manual again last night and I saw Ashton's comments about periods and the endocrine system. My period ended on Sunday and yesterday I think I was ovulating which means if I am right I might get my period again in 2 weeks. I'm not going to panic about this. I know in time it will eventually abate. I always had normal periods my entire life as well as when I was on Valium 5 mg. I'm not having a hysterectomy. I have a GYN appt in the end of April and my doctor is great but she loves to send you for tests if you mention that your period is different. I will have to inform her about the Ashton Manual since she probably has no idea what a benzo can do to your endocrine. This AM my hair is shedding and for two days it was not. I can't make this up...LOL

Francesca:)

[[Ru...]]

Hi AlwaysFrantastic,

 

So sorry you are losing your hair.  Right after I had my gallbladder removed in 2006, the damage of the Klonopin came out in crazy symptoms, the very next day actually and one of them was hair loss. It has been falling out for years and I have had to buy a drain trap for the tub because I lose so much hair. Thank goodness it's growing in as fast as it is falling out.  It's been going on for years and is pretty disconcerting. I'm sure it's all due to the Klonopin and it's effect on hormones. Hopefully this will correct itself soon!  I wish you the best with your GYN appt. in April. Actually, through the years of doctor after doctor appts, my gynecologist is the only one that wasn't an ass...at least listened and didn't judge. Sounds like yours is at least reasonable. I'm sure we all can use a little of that during this life-changing event. All the best!

[[Al...]]

RuthieB-thank you for getting back to me. I'm not going to stress about this because stress only makes it worse. My hair is not shedding as much as it was and I did notice new hair starting to grow in. Most women say when their hair grows back it grows back full. I am in excellent health work I work out 7 days a week for the past 23 days. This hair shedding will pass., it's just another benzo s/x.  It's going to take a couple of months for everything to rebalance and that's normal. I'll be patient:)

Fran