hormonal imbalance

[bio]

Hey guys, has anyone ever heard of the root cause of anxiety and panic is hormonal imbalance? To me, it makes sense.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oaFmKc3ll0&feature=related

[Daisy]

Thanks bio for the very useful information. I have found it extremely interesting. Daisy

[lenalane]

In my humble opinion, hormonal imbalance CAN cause or contribute to panic attacks. I have had two massive attacks in my life (29 years and counting). One in college that lasted for about a week, then one this past october which lasted three months. The bout last October was so staggering that I did an unbelieveable amount of research and also tapped into myself and listened and figured out a couple of things. First thing is that I have been on the pill twice in my life: in college, and last October. I was on it for about one year each time. I never thought one was related to the other until I did some digging. I am not sure if you're a male or female - but if you're a female, I think that too much estrogen can completely throw you off. The Pill is estrogen - and in the video you posted (helpful), the doctor talks about incorporating naturally occuring progesterone - which counters estrogen. So, that being said, I think it does affect panic attacks. I have since stopped taking the pill, and feel fine. I am still monitoring myself and have changed my life completely, but I am noticeably calmer after discontinuing the Pill.

[abcdefghix]

Scientists tend to agree that anxiety is perfectly normal and is rarely the result of a hormonal balance.

The problem is that we human beings are naturally inclined to want to control and suppress feelings of anxiety when they happen, and that is what causes them to spiral out of control.

If you just let go and let your anxiety happen, you will see a significant improvement. You're brain is fine. If you mess around with it chemically, you risk making things much worse. Trust me.

[joey9]

Are you really sure that scientists agree that anxiety is perfectly normal and not in any way related to hormones? I have read an awful lot of scientific papers that link anxiety to PMS especially. And I think that you are trivialising the experiences of huge numbers of anxiety sufferers by suggesting that scientists agree that anxiety is normal. Is this really what you meant to say? Whilst feelings of fear and apprehension are perfectly normal, pathological anxiety is not. Anxiety does have biological correlates, be they a 'cause' of anxiety or an 'effect' of cognitive processes, and these have been shown in many many studies over several decades. This doesn't mean that anxiety can only be treated with drugs though, and I'm sure the method you are recommending has had positive outcomes for many people, as have other non-drug treatments such as CBT.

[olga]

"I" totally believe that hormones can cause anxiety. I myself have high levels of cortisol...the stress hormone. Just takes some simple lab work to see what your level is.

Besides medication, there are ways to control cortisol to keep your levels down. My most successful method has been exercise. Apparently the endorphins your brain releases when you exercise neutralize the cortisol. Eating a healthy diet helps too...it has something to do with your insulin. When your blood sugar is low, the cortisol is more potent. My doc suggested I eat something small every 3 hours, to keep my blood sugar more level, and I've seen a difference.

As always, this is just "MY" experience, and I can't say what works for everyone.

[Robbed]

"I" totally believe that hormones can cause anxiety. I myself have high levels of cortisol...the stress hormone. Just takes some simple lab work to see what your level is.

Your levels of cortisol may be high. And yes, high levels of cortisol (and adrenalin) don't exactly make you feel all 'peacey and lovey'. But the BIG question is WHY is your corisol high? The fact of the matter is that you could take probably ANYONE on this forum, measure their cortisol level, and the result would probably be high. WHY? Because cortisol is a stress hormone that the body releases when under stress. In other words, I tend to believe that your high cortisol (as well as everyone else's) is the RESULT of a depression/anxiety condition rather than the ROOT CAUSE. Face it, like almost everyone here, your body was probably NOT genetically programmed to just one day suddenly start producing massive quantities of cortisol and adrenalin, while possibly curtailing release of serotonin. This is simply the body's reaction to stress. And it is the actual stressors and NOT the chemicals themselves which need to be addressed. After all, by releasing large amounts of cortisol, your body is just doing what it was designed to do under the situation.

[joey9]

Add into the equation your brain's interpretation of why you are feeling 'stressy' and the vicious cycle is complete - for example you may be coming down with a cold and your heart rate becomes elevated. Your brain has to find an explanation for your quickening heart and if you have a background of anxiety it will default to this as an explanation and quickly assume that you have something to be afraid of. It will then scan through its data banks to find what it is that you are worried about. Once it has latched onto something you become stressed at the thought of it and release more cortisol. And hey presto! You feel even worse.