Anxiety- cant increase hrt so dr want lexapro!? Advice please!!!!!

I have several low estrogen symptoms, but the worst by far is the jumpiness/ anxiety that I suffer from. I dont har hot flashes - but am cold all the time, mood swings, achy joints, some insomnia.
I'm only 38 and had my lavh due to stage 1 uterine cancer. So saw my gyn oncologist and my ob/gyn and asked of I could increase my vivelle from 0.5 to 0.75 but they both agreed that while I am having some low estrogen issues, that they medically don't want me to increase my estrogen dose. (they did say that my vag tissue looks great and very healthy so that's good!) They also prefer I'm on a patch for delivery. So that doesn't leave many options. It's really manageable except for the anxiety. I've tried Zoloft for it and it made it worse! My dr gave me a script for lexapro but I haven't tried it yet, not sure what to do! I'm just not sure what todo!!
Anyone have success with lexapro!? I'm not sure if I should just suffer through it or try the lexapro. It's not constant anxiety but every couple of weeks I go off the deep end and have panic attacks. It's like my baseline is just too high so one stresser sends me over the edge

I can sure relate.
I was on zoloft for about 10 years, the my dr put me on lexapro for another 10 years.
Last year I tapered off of it fo three months. I am glad I don't take it anymore, it didn't help anyway.
I am trying progesterone cream, hopefully it will help.
There is a good website about progesterone and how women were taken off antideppressants and that thhe prog worked better.

I have been on Lexapro for close to a year and it has changed my life. I was worried that I was one panic attack from complete agoraphobia. Lexapro has allowed me to feel anxious but not want to run screaming from the room and hide in the corner. I have had CBT as well and that helps. A combination of these may help you somewhat too.

I would give progesterone a try. You can get it over the counter. It can have a calming effect. I like Source Naturals the best. My local vitaminShoppe sells it, as well as others.

1/4 teaspoon is all you need. Please be mindful of using too much though. Our non pregnant bodies did not produce the large amounts some people use/recommend.

Thanks for the info! My dr didn't mention progesterone at all, but I will look into that as well.
Do you mind me asking if thr lexapro made you gain weight or have any sexual dysfunction? I was on Zoloft for a year after thr birth of my second child and while it worked wonders for my post partum anxiety, I gained 30 lbs (and I'm fairly small so that's a giant amt of weight) and after 6 months I had zero libido and it was very hard to climax. I also felt very numb- like couldn't cry, couldn't be overly happy when I should be etc. I tried it last winter again and it had the opposite effect in panic this time- made it worse!!! I guess my bio chemistry has changed a lot since then. But overall I'm worried about side effects.

I gained a lot of weight on lexapro. In fact, I have lost about 40 pounds since I went off of it. I was also tired and unmotivated most of the time.
Please check out a site called Progesterone Therapy it is an awesome website and there are examples of how it helped instead of antidepressants.

I was on Lexapro after my hyster for a few years. It was a life-changer and a lifesaver. A hysterectomy can derail your life and when you can't use hrt at adequate amounts antidepressants can really help balance out your mood and control anxiety. Lexapro is designed to help anxiety...GAD ...generalized anxiety disorder.

I did not gain weight. My libido was dampened but the anxiety was also dampening it so it was a trade off. It helped my anxiety immensely.

Progesterone can make depression worse. It did for me and anxiety and depression go hand in hand. If you try progesterone and you're already experiencing low estrogen symptoms because you can't use more estrogen....the prog will challenge the estrogen receptors and only make you feel lower estrogen symptoms...which will aggravate your anxiety.

Best of luck!

I haven't gained any weight on Lexapro. If anything I lost a heap. It has affected my sexual function but hubby and I have made allowances for it and just take our time.

I take xanax every night before bedtime and it helps me sleep. I dont have anxiety during the day that I notice. Maybe because I'm on the progesterone?? IDK but I feel better. Now if I can just get this estrogen under control

Fancy,
Did you have anxiety before you took progesterone during the day?
Also, how long did it take for the progesterone to work?