To be livid that PMDD was only just recognised as a thing by the World Health Organisation?

[Wishingforanotherlife]

I've searched through some of the threads on here and don't know if this has been discussed already but I'm just gobsmacked by this.

Watched the BBC report about it the other week where they interviewed about 4,000 women who told their (horrendous) stories. So this is a condition that affects 5% of the world population and it's basically been ignored until last year. And unless you've got a very sympathetic GP, getting a proper diagnosis is still subject to luck and chance rather than being taken seriously!!

Even some of the thread started on Mumsnet have little or no responses. Or maybe I'm missing something.

@SnowWhitesRestingBitchFace

These replies are shockingly ignorant and really sad 😔

Ah, so it's our own fault for never having heard of it? Ok.

@welcometohell just re read your other posts about how you are currently managing it.

I’ve managed to get mine under control with a really strict regime of vitamins and minerals which was recommended on a PMDD forum.
I couldn’t take the pill as it’s progesterone only and didn’t want to go on anti-ds til I’d tried everything else.

It took a few months of taking them religiously like actual medication, no alcohol or caffeine and reduced sugar intake but it made a huge difference and I am sceptical as anything. It also changed my actual period - fewer cramps, less heavy flow, no spots etc.

B6 seems to be the wonder vitamin so I combined a high dose of that with a b complex, evening primrose, vitamin d and magnesium. I rattle in the mornings! But if I get slack I see the difference.

Yes, you’re absolutely right welcometohell

I use “mental disorder” only to describe the way it affects people and the risk of suicide or episodes of psychosis. (I have PMDD and it causes episodes of psychosis.)

I was part of a research study conducted by Scandinavian researchers last year. It didn’t work for me or maybe I got the placebo, but good to know work is being done.

@Squoozie it’s not someone’s fault for not hearing about it.
It absolutely is someone’s fault for not hearing about it but dismissing it and being ignorant anyway.

Sorry. Don't know what the letters stand for so can't comment.

Ah, so it's our own fault for never having heard of it? Ok.

No one is criticising anyone for not having heard of it. It's the posters who googled it, skim read a couple of sentences and went "oh ok, so it's just PMT then" and basically told OP she was getting her knickers in a twist over nothing that people are taking issue with.

Viviennemary why post if you can't be arsed to read the thread?

Can I ask those who take SSRIs for this but only in certain weeks- how does that work? I’ve taken SSRIs and coming on and off like this sounds awful. I’m asking because I think dd has this. Horrendously suicidal to the point of hospitalisation three times and she’s only 16, and then completely brilliant and full of plans. It’s a very stark contrast that appears to be cyclical. She’s been to CAMHS of course but by the time she gets seen, she’s completely well again.

Well OP couldn't be bothered to explain properly in the heading and opening post so I couldn't be bothered commenting. Really annoying.

Interesting thank you - sounds like a decent starting point for dd - she’s totally disillusioned with doctors and social workers

Sorry that was a reply to @Starsabove1

I take my Zoloft every day. The times that I've run out of it the withdrawal had been awful. I don't know how people just take it occasionally, either.

As an aside - people use abbreviations on here all the time without explaining them. Why are posters getting so snidey about "PMDD?"

@Starsabove1 do any of the supplements you're taking cause side effects? I'm really interested in this way of managing PMDD as my GP is very supportive but was adamant that HRT or hysterectomy are the only options open to me now. Supplements were never mentioned.

@Squoozie no not at all, but the dismissive replies to something really horrendous is awful. It takes a couple of seconds to google something. If you can't be bothered to educated yourself then why bother replying as it clearly doesn't interest you.

Well OP couldn't be bothered to explain properly in the heading and opening post so I couldn't be bothered commenting. Really annoying.

Genuinely, is there a “who can be the biggest dick on MN” competition going on?

1. PMDD is a relatively less well-known but not obscure condition.
2. Anyone who has, or cares about the condition will know its name. The thread is obviously aimed at those people.
3. Getting angry because someone posts the name of a medical condition you’ve personally not heard of is incredibly bizarre. I don’t know what Molluscum contagiosum is but I don’t go into threads about it to yell at people.
4. It takes far less time to google than it does to post weird rants about how dare people use words you haven’t heard of.
5. Clearly you could take the time to post, since you did.

1. We are posting on a forum that is infamous for numerous and recondite acronyms, and these are not well-known medical terms but MN-specific inventions. If you can cope with DHamster you can bloody cope with this.

POD to the supplement suggestions above.

Vit D, B and Magnesium are the big ones.

There’s an excellent FB group for PMDD which has many posts from people discussing their supplement regimes.

Well I can't not in this heat. But FWIW I do think it's a condition that deserves more attention now that I know what it actually means.

PMDD is fucking horrible. It made me suicidal every month. Literally every month I would be questioning why I was alive and wanting to kill myself. A few times I attempted it. I had no patience with anyone, including my son. I was a nightmare to be around.
It's not just PMT.

The worst party for me was that I knew I was behaving irrationally, but I couldn't stop myself. I felt like I was going insane every month.

Part, of course, not party. 🙄

Does paying for a MN subscription get you an "edit" button, because that I might be willing to pay for.

I have PMDD. It has ruined a large proportion of my life. It’s not ‘just PMT’.

@welcometohell @StillDumDeDumming I forgot to add evening primrose to the list!

The high strength b6 can cause some tingling in hands and feet after a few weeks so dialling it down to every other day for a week or so will sort that. B vitamins are water soluble and anything your body doesn’t need will be wee-d out.

You may need to start the magnesium slowly as it can cause some fairly efficient bowel cleaning if you start on a massive dose!!

If you don’t like the idea of tablets or find them hard to swallow, you can get liquid and sprays for b6, b complex and vitamin d. It’s more expensive but the sprays are apparently absorbed more efficiently so may be worth starting on those and then moving to tablets once you’ve seen a difference. Holland and Barrett penny sales or BOGOF promos are brilliant for stocking up cheaply.

I did have counselling through my worst bit as well which was useful, but I was already in counselling before it was at its peak, so for me (and this is only my experience) that proved that my MH symptoms are caused by a biological dysfunction that needs a biological solution as well as MH support.

You may need to start the magnesium slowly as it can cause some fairly efficient bowel cleaning if you start on a massive dose!!

This is a good tip, thank you. My PMDD gives me major bowel issues every month as it is! The tingling in hands and feet seem like a small price to pay to avoid a hysterectomy though. Will definitely look into this.

Magnesium glycinate is better for PMDD and is less likely to cause bowel issues that magnesium citrate.

@boltzmannbrains

Magnesium glycinate is better for PMDD and is less likely to cause bowel issues that magnesium citrate.

Thanks @boltzmannbrains - I did not know that!