Yes,I do eat black licorice and had heard that it could make BP higher, so I stopped buying it. My husband has been retired for over 5 years and I enjoy his company. I know a lot of women don't like their husbands hanging around the house after they retire, but we enjoy each other's company. Plus we are active - garden, exercise, volunteer, etc. Took my BP today and it was lower - 167 which is an improvement. We'll see if I can get it lower. Thanks for all your suggestions.

Hi Lilli22 I UNDERSTAND. If you have not had your heart tested with an echocardiogram, I would consider that on my high priority list. This way you will rule out any heart disease. (Remember: Heart disease is the number one killer of women. Now that I have scared the daylights out of you, take a deep breath and keep reading. I KNOW what it feels like to suddenly out of the blue start having irregular heartbeats. April 11 2007 my world, as I knew it, came crashing down, when early one morning I stood up from my desk, climbed the stairs and when I reached the top I could not breath, my heart was pounding in my ears,my thigh muscles were quivering and I was near fainting. I am a retired nurse. I calmly found my blood pressure cuff and noted that both B/P and Heart Rate was rapidly accelerating. I called the rescue squad. Long story short, I was sent to a cardiologist where they proceeded to do a 24 hour holter monitor test. Diagnosis: non-specific tachycardia (rapid heart rate) that is "not to be concerned with." August 2007, I found myself back in the ER with the exact same symptons. This time my cardiologist ran the Echo. My heart is in fine working condition. While laying there having the test, I had a nice conversation with the technician who is about 47 and a very healthy runner. She told me she too has non-specific tachycardia and her heart will race up to 177 beats when she is sitting still and then will immediately drop back down to her normal resting heart rate. She works in the cardiology department and there is no reason for her racing heart, other than the theory that has yet to be "proven" by what appears to be an ignorant medical research society. That theory? Estrogen flucuation. If you go to reputable websites you can read this theory.. irregular heartbeats are connected to estrogen flucuation..there is just no proof. As far as your herbal usage I think it is wonderful that you are open to other means of treatment, however I have found that sometimes the very herbs we take can have a negative effect. By taking so many one would never know which one could have that effect. I do know from speaking with other ladies that Don Quai has negative side effects for some. I also know from personal experience that taking yam extract natural progesterone can have a negative side effect too. What I am saying is: I believe if I wasn't sure an herb was working I would want to know which ones were and how would you go about finding that out? By eliminating one at a time..just a suggestion. But first I would have that echo..just another suggestion and then if your tests are fine..perhaps you might need your thyroid medication adjusted. My mother had thyroid disease and she had to have her medication adjusted many times over her lifetime. That little "butterfly" at your throat can make ones heart flip flop unmercifully.It is such a powerful mechanism that is so readily overlooked by the medical profession. Now for what I do..sometimes I am like my name "serenely frantic" meaning I may look calm on the outside but on the inside I am going batty with the racing heart...but now that I know it is "the change" and I know that I am not going to die...I exercise..eat right...dropped my coffee to a small cup in the a.m., stay away from simple carbs, colas, negative people, anything containing stimulants, (over the counter cough, cold, or even prescription drugs) I also take time for me. It is a MUST as it appears that irregular heart beats are the norm for a lot of peri and post menopausal women. Now it appears that you are an educated researcher and advocate for yourself, so please make sure you have a doctor who takes you seriously. If they do not then it is time to move on. Hope this has been of some help and that I was not too blunt.

Hi joan, Poor you! I can SO relate with your situation. I'm sure you've probably checked your neck for pinched nerves, right? How about your vitamins? Have you read up on which ones, when deficient, might cause your symptoms? I honestly believe that some of us cannot physically handle menopause very well, because so many of our systems have become so dependent on our hormones. I'm thinking FSH has some funky effects on some of us. I even wonder if we have some ovarian-type cells in areas we shouldn't have, and they react to increasing FSH levels too, when they shouldn't. I just wish more research was done on this, but because it just affects aging women, I don't think they're interested. :( To be honest with you, I've been afraid to use acupuncture for my various problems. I went through about 5 years during perimenopause of having horrendous headaches. In retrospect, I am very suspect of the PPI I was on, since now when I try to use them, I get a bad headache. I have a friend who is on MAO inhibitors for her migraines, and she tried acupuncture, and it worked for awhile, but then she had the worst headache of her life. So I'm afraid to have that rebound problem with acupuncture. My whole body would go crazy with hormone fluctuations. One day I had an estrogen level drawn and it was something like 45. A few days later it was 440!! So I'm not sure testing those levels is helpful. Plus......some of us are fine with certain levels and some of us go crazy with them. I'm sorry if I'm rambling. I have major thinking problems too! When I was going through perimenopause, I had a hypertensive crisis type thing. My heart rate was about 110 at resting, and my BP went through the roof. I was eventually put on Toprol, a beta blocker, and everything calmed down. Last December I decided to come off the Toprol after being on it for 5 years, and my BP has been pretty good, but the rest of my body started going crazy. I started having lots of pains, GI problems, and now the dizziness and nausea. It makes me wonder if I need to go back on the Toprol......even though its not really meant for those symptoms. (unfortunately, the Toprol has its own set of side-effects that I hate). But.....my point is, perhaps there is a drug whose off-label use could help you? I would do this: 1. figure out what vitamins you're low on make sure you don't have neck nerve problems 3. Go on a test dose of an H2 blocker or PPI. 4. Keep a really good food diary, in case your having food intolerance problems 5. Maybe consider a beta blocker for migraine variants. When I was on Toprol, it was like a miracle, the way it took care of my headaches. Are you finding you have other symptoms anywhere in your body? your bowels? your nervous system? I'm really pursuing my GI tract as possibly causing these problems for me. Do you have any stomach problems? Our vagus nerve is very close to our esophagus and when irritated can cause some funky problems. I have fibromyalgia, and was just reading that nausea and dizziness is common. Is it possible you have fibro too? Again, please forgive me for rambling. I have ADD/fibro and am in menopause, so its sort of good that I can even talk at all! lol!

I'll resuscitate this thread to report on my experience with flax seed. To start, my flashes are minor compared to some of the stories I've seen. I'd have them anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours apart during the day, and maybe three or four times per night. They only last about a minute, and for the most part are no more uncomfortable than being quite overdressed in a warm room. But, the waking up several times at night was beginning to wear on me. I decided to try flax, since DH already takes it for his digestive system. The recommended 40 grams is an awful lot, and I started slow to make sure how my digestive system would respond. I started with about three teaspoons per day. In the morning, I usually eat toast with something on it. So after I toast my bread, I sprinkle the flax on, then spread on the peanut butter or cream cheese or whatever. The flax disappears. At night, I often eat a banana before bed. With each bite, I dip the end of the banana into the ground flax. Or I mix a teaspoon into a tablespoon of peanut butter. Or I just mix it into some juice and drink it really fast. It's not bad, it mostly just sticks to my teeth. And the result is, my flashes have diminished greatly with just the three teaspoons per day. Sometimes I go for hours and realize I haven't had one. Or if I feel it starting, it will die out before I get too warm. I am only waking up maybe once per night due to flashes, sometimes not at all. (Weird dreams are a whole different issue!) It is inexpensive, good for me anyway, and easy to take. I am sold on flax.