Back in June, I took magnesium glycinate for a few weeks (240 mg daily, with breakfast), and I really felt like it was helping! I definitely had fewer hot flashes and fewer anxiety episodes. When I did feel anxiety, it seemed more subdued.
One interesting thing, though, is that I still got 2-3 hot flashes a day (way less than usual), but when I got them, they felt stronger than before. I always figured I was lucky because, even if I got a lot of hot flashes, at least they were brief and mild; I usually did not sweat. With the magnesium, though, I would just start to sweat, and then the hot flash passed.
I might consider increasing my dose to 3 pills a day (360 mg daily), just to see if it helps with the lingering hot flashes and anxiety. I wouldn't expect the anxiety to go away completely, since some of it is situational and related to mental health, not just menopause; but maybe the hot flashes could improve even more?
I admit, one reason I don't want to increase my dose is because magnesium glycinate is expensive. It's like $30 per bottle. If I take smaller doses, each bottle will last longer.
Anyway, I actually stopped taking the magnesium for most of July because we traveled a lot and it would've been just one more thing to remember. We went to a subtropical climate, where it was very hot and humid outdoors all the time, and indoors it was always very comfortably air conditioned. Surprisingly, I did not have any hot flashes or anxiety at all! I wonder if it's hard to have, or feel, a hot flash when your body is already very hot and sweating; indoors, the air conditioning was perfectly cooling, unlike at home, where we keep the thermostat higher to save in energy costs. Plus, because of the heat, I was careful to stay sufficiently hydrated all the time, which probably helped too. Even my situational anxiety was non-existent, I think because I was in vacation mode and having so much FUN!
So, we're back home now, and I've noticed my hot flashes and anxiety have returned. But now that I know it's possible for my body to not have them, I'm going to work harder on my mental health by trying to walk and meditate even more regularly.
Oh, did I mention I was trying meditation? I actually subscribed to the Insight Timer app. I found a couple people whose guided meditations I like; my favorite is David Gandelman. It does take a lot of time and trial and error to find personalities and styles that fit with what I like, especially when there is such a fine line between meditation and alternative healing.
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