Only just occurring to me that I think I have had what qualifies as PMDD all my menstruating life.
I have always felt as if I lose my mind for the days running up to my period. Terrible terrible not-like-me vileness towards DH, who I decide every month I can’t spend another minute living with (we are in fact very happily married and I love him dearly for 24 days of the month but I can’t stand the sight of him when I’m pre menstrual.) I pick fights and it’s placed strain on our relationship.
I feel hopeless, useless, depressed to the point I can’t see a future. I lose interest in literally everything. I feel despair. I hate myself and everyone around me. I have zero energy, barely enough to pick myself up off the sofa.
It passes almost literally the moment my period starts. I have 24 days of sanity and then back into the abyss.
I didn’t have regular periods for most of my 20s and 30s so I never spotted the cyclical nature of this. Can’t believe I was so dim that I didn’t see it. Plus to the extent I realised it was pre menstrual, I just thought it was normal. Have assumed within range of normal PMS (my mum was like this too so that was my model). But I don’t think it is. Am I right?!
Now I see signs of the same issues in my DD age 14. Horrendous in the days leading up to her period. Crying, exhausted, can’t cope, overwhelmed, angry, says she feels hopeless and hates herself. It passes once her period has started.
What can I do? For me and for her?!? Naming it is helpful I think, but neither of us has an actual diagnosis. This is me armchair diagnosing us both. She is on Sertraline (very bad OCD) but this seems not to help with the PMDD issue. We have recently mentioned to her prescribing psychiatrist who says keep an eye on it and note symptoms for a few cycles. I guess the pill is an option but obviously she’s already on sertraline (wouldn’t be surviving without that ☹️) and I don’t want to keep adding medications!!! She’s so young. But the OCD worsens so much when she is prernstrual and it’s awful to see her adding such hopeless feelings to the already hard time she has with her MH.
for me… HRT? I’m 48. This issue has come and gone over the years (I was weirdly only really calm for a long period when I was pregnant which I think also fits with PMDD) and it has definitely been worse as Ive headed into peri. Have had couple convos with the GP about HRT but not bitten the bullet yet. Have never really discussed period hideousness with gp as I hadn’t twigged my symptoms were anything other than totally standard.
any advice or feedback from people who have the same issue?
thank you