AIBU to ask for your PMDD tips?

[fuckthemail]

I'm already on contraception which has helped a lot (no longer suicidal / ruining my life for 2 weeks every month) but I still have around 4-7 days of feeling down, upset, paranoid, rejected, snappy, pessimistic etc

What helps?

Medication…antidepressants

Honestly? Mirena. Changed my life. Had horrendous periods for years. Depression, weight gain, crippling paranoia. Now been on it 20 years. No symptoms and no periods. It’s fucking great. I’m menopausal now but not planning to come off any time soon.

My daughter saw a specialist about this. What helped enormously was

Exercise every day. Cycling, running, gym
Clean diet, so limited sugar and lots of fruit and veg
No aLcohol
Yasmin pill taken continuously

It worked for her

PMDD affects me majorly if I let it. To stop it, I have to cut back on sugary processed food, cut out alcohol entirely & get my sleep. I don’t always succeed tho and spend about a month repairing the bomb damage around me, but that definitely helps. Also, they say it’s linked in with trauma in earlier life. I got some counseling and maybe understanding that helped me too,

Trying to eat well and sleep well can help but can be difficult. I find I want sugary food and can't always sleep during that time. I avoid situations I'll find difficult such as anything demanding at work or even social get togethers unless I know I won't get worked up. I struggle to concentrate at work at this time so I find having the tv on in the background helps if I'm at home and also setting timers on my phone or watch to concentrate for 30-60 mins and then having breaks.

Thank you all

Re. Coil. I have liver problems so always been reluctant to try it. So glad it works for you though

Yasmin... Thanks, I just don't get how that's different to microgynon? I took it with a break at first, then about 6mo switched to continuous which improved things so much for me

Anti depressants - tried one with awful side effects... Should probably try another but as I said, my symptoms now that I'm on contraception are much better, just not great iykwim

Trauma is interesting. I have had 3 therapists... Might be a good idea to try again thank you

Exercise I do loads

Diet could definitely be improved. I think I eat pretty well but probably should be stricter and just cut out the sugar and alcohol for good as I just keep hearing people saying what a difference it makes

Mindfulness really helps me. But I haven't practised meditation in months now so I should get back to that

I'm going crazy here this month. A friend of mine has been flaky and was saying last week how she wanted to catch up with me etc, and then this week is too busy to see me. Like I get that it's a genuine reason but it hurts so much. I've deleted her on whatsapp and dont want to speak to her again. That's how I feel right now. Which I realise is a total overreaction but also can't seem to help it! But at the same time I feel like messaging her about how much she has hurt me but I know I would regret it!!

Following this thread with lots of interest as really struggling with this at the moment. Have an appointment with GP next week. The contraceptive pill, including Yasmin, never helped me unfortunately. HRT has eased it a little. Antidepressants helped in the past so might have to resume those.

What contraception helps you @fuckthemail@fuckthemail

+1 for sertraline. I had side effects for a few weeks but pushed through and now I don't have any. My mood has improved so much, I still get some symptoms on approach to my period but nothing like before.

I had a full hysterectomy - not for everyone I understand but I'd had my children and was 42.

Interestingly, both my mum and her mum had hysterectomies around the same time.

Previous to this, I'd cut down alcohol, sugar, had the mirena (which did not help at all), and had ablation where they scrap the lining of your womb as I had very heavy periods too.

Prozac really helped me. Take it 2 weeks a month. Felt weird/insomniac for first 10 days of taking the pills - since then just calm and content. It changed my life.

So sensitive.. it’s all part of it. I do have to stand back and ask myself is this the time of they month? If yes, do not respond. Deal with it when the hormones pass to save having to clean up atomic bomb site afterwards. So often I have literally been ready to call the divorce lawyers. I worry about myself sometimes the action I could take in times like that. I have to keep away from sugary stuff like cakes biscuits and alcohol. The sugar is like kryptonite to me only the effect is not immediate which is why it took me so long to join the dots and believe what I was seeing. Maybe you had rejection in childhood and your friend inadvertently triggered you? Would you get some counseling? 🤍

I had CBT for mine, which it sounds like might help you OP - you realise you’re overreacting so CBT can help you put actions and thoughts in place to stop you doing things you’ll regret. I got mine on the NHS.

i do everything I can to get decent sleep - night nurse if I have to. And try and exercise and eat well (though I must say that bit I find tough. All I want to do is eat junk and sink wine!)

Thank you all again for being so kind

I was on sertraline, honestly it was amazing but the side effects were too much for me personally.

Pill I take is Rigevidon which I take every day without a break. It helped loads but last 2 months have been awful (life circumstances are stressful so I know that's why)

Rejection - 100% triggering. I'm currently trying to find a therapist now! My last one helped me a lot but I think I need to see someone new, more CBT based appeals so that I can find ways to more forward

So sorry for those of you who have / are struggling too

Cross post! CBT! That makes so much sense thank you

i really relate to the rejection thing.

I'd be upset with the friend situation too but I'm sure in the past I've said things I wouldn't have said if not for the hormones and I don't think it helps. Saying that I am also okay with cutting off friends who are regularly not showing up!

I even feel rejected if I don't get a reply in a group whatsapp 🙃

Thank you. Yes I've had to apologise before for things I've said. Have cut off friends in the past too.

WhatsApp is what started this off a few days ago! Completely ignored in a group I'm in. Hurts me so much every time

I really do need to get back to therapy!!

I try to tell myself the whatsapp thing is not personal as there are definitely times other people don't get a response but obvious you notice more when it's yourself

I really empathise. PMDD is so horrible. I had it and it has now abated. I had quite a few vitamin and mineral deficiencies that were playing a part. My ferritin, haemoglobin and b12 were on the floor and I was also not taking my thyroid meds properly. I've added in some agnus castus and magnesium, along with a vit c supplement that has probiotics in it. Now I've got those sorted, I'm back to having your normal PMS symptoms for 1-3 days a month, instead of that awful 2 weeks us PMDD sufferers all have when you just want to raze your life to the ground and disappear.

P.S. I was on Yasmin too for a while and it was alright. But now I'm on a new pill called Qlaira and although it's early days, I think it's working really well - my mood hasn't been this good and stable for years.

pmdd and rejection sensitive dysphoria are all part of the symptoms of adhd which itself is a chicken and egg situation with trauma in early life. Does the trauma cause the adhd or does the adhd make us more woundable. I think counseling is the way forward along with clean living! I also think that if there’s stuff going on you can normally keep a lid on, pmdd is the lid coming off… need to learn to deal with shit as it happens rather than putting it away only to explode in the loopy luteal phase 🤣 I have actually stopped contributing to a lot of group texts as I don’t trust group texts , they’re so fake and I’m not, I’m too much for most ppl, and I just can’t handle when no one responds to my comment or whatever. I feel so exposed eeeww. Someone respond to me quick(!) joke..

HRT helped me a little bit, but not enough. I’m three weeks into zoladex injections. If they work I’ll have a hysterectomy and oophorectomy.

Wow thanks all. I'm so sorry for you all.

@WhatAreYouOnAbout wow, I had to check back through my posts then as you mentioned so much that is true but I was sure I hadn't said here! Thank you for understanding

ADHD is very likely. There is a lot of ADHD in the family (diagnosed)

Autism in the family too, we're currently seeking a diagnosis for my DD10 so part of me wonders that it has to have come from somewhere?

I also think I autistic and possibly adhd

I'm sorry you all have to deal with this too as PMDD is horrible but do find it comforting as I feel like no one IRL gets it if they haven't experienced it

Sertraline, very low dose 2 weeks on 2 weeks off (so take it the 2 weeks before period, stop when period starts). GP has a special interest in PMDD luckily for me! 🙌🏻 life changing

Thank you. How many mg is your low dose if you don't mind me asking? I tried 50 and 25mg and although mood wise I was transformed, the side effects weren't great