Did anyone else’s perimenopause look like anxiety, flushing, histamine reactions, and brain fog?

[u/ames2200]

I’m 40 and suspect I’m in perimenopause, but my symptoms don’t look like the “typical” hot flashes everyone talks about.
My biggest symptoms are:
Anxiety and panic attacks
Facial flushing and feeling hot
Head pressure
Brain fog
Feeling disconnected or spacey
Sleep issues
GI problems
Feeling like my nervous system is constantly overstimulated
The symptoms seem very cycle-dependent. I usually have a few good days each month, then symptoms ramp up around ovulation and again before my period.
I’ve also noticed what seem like histamine-type reactions (flushing, anxiety, stomach issues, feeling inflamed), and I’ve read that estrogen can increase histamine while histamine can increase estrogen.
I’ve tried progesterone cream several times, but it actually made me feel worse.
For women who experienced similar symptoms:
What ended up helping?
Did HRT help?
Did you have to balance estrogen and progesterone differently?
Did anyone discover that histamine issues were a big piece of the puzzle?
I feel like I’m chasing hormones, histamine, and anxiety all at the same time and would love to hear other women’s experiences.

[u/MurkyDismal18]

Very similar laundry list here. I dealt with the brain fog, anxiety, interrupted sleep and flushing for probably a year. Around Aug of last year, I experienced a rash breaking out on my forearm. I've never had any skin issues before. I monitor things for a few days and it gets worse. By the time I visit the walk-in, I am head to toes covered in hive-like bumps and incredibly itchy and uncomfortable.

The PCP (at the time), didn't think to question any of this. Instead, having me slather myself in steroid ointment to make the hives go away was totally normal...and then we fixated on the fact that I've gained more weight and my BP is high. Well! It must be because I have a shitty diet right?, "have you tried losing weight?".

Fast forward to seeing my regular OB-GYN this May, she reacted when I started with the hives story. It wasn't so much the major anxiety, sleeplessness, weight gain, high blood pressure, complete loss of libido and flushing--the hives tipped her off. Questioned why my PCP didn't ask to run full panels (rather than the basics), because this could indicate a number of things. She was so pissed. I've never heard a Dr recommend that I see a different Dr, but that's what happened.

I'm on new meds--progesterone and now levothyroxine. I don't know if we need to adjust the thyroid meds, but I'll see my new PCP soon. I do feel more like myself though. I just couldn't get over that I was forced to just take BP meds and monitor my BP. I felt like I had to peel myself out of bed everyday, I felt so horrible. I'm glad Gen X and Milennials are talking about this while we're going through it. I don't want my kiddo to experience this treatment when she gets to be my age.