Depression/anxiety related to menstrual cycle?

[Neverme]

I am not sure if this is the right place for this but anyway, here goes ...

I think I am suffering from horrendous horrendous PMTs and massive mood swings. I take the pill so I always know where I am in the cycle and it seems that mid cycle and just before period due, I suffer really awful black periods. The slightest thing can trigger it off. I don't have any history of depressions, have never been to a doctor about it, but you could probably describe my character as having a depressive nature.

Anyway, the slightest thing can trigger it off. I get very upset easily, anxious, down. To the point of feeling like I just want to slip away, throw myself under a train etc. . Sometime I feel like there is a voice in my head telling me I'm stupid, fat ugly etc. Also have moments where I can't keep my anger in control. I find it distressing to myself because I sort of know what is happening, and it's scaring me a bit now not being in control.

Have tried to alieviate symptoms with eating properly for PMT symptoms and taking supplements. DP is sympathetic and patient, but I feel like it's affecting his life negatively now. I don't know what the doctor would say, and I don't feel like anti depressants are the way to go because most of the time I am fine. I start wondering also if I am having highs and lows, because at other times I feel almost giddy with happiness.

Has anyone had any similar hormonal related issues?

Just me then?

I had the most horrendous PMT symptoms, worsening significantly after the age of 40. At the worst, they sounded like yours - not great when you have DC to look after!

I am now on HRT and everything is on a much more even keel, thank God!

How old are you?

No not just you. I have been on anti depressants for years. One day I somehow realised it was related to my menstrual cycle as opposed to me just being a depressive. ADs do help tho, and I have recently gone onto the mini pill which so far has helped big time.

No real advice but you are not alone!

Thank you, not just silly me then. bigtillymin I am 32. One DS who is now 2. I feel like it's gotten worse post baby.

I know next to nothing about ADs, but we are thinking about trying to conceive DC2 in a few months time. Can you be pregnant whilst taking ADs, or do they affect fertility?

I don't know - one of my friends is/was on AD's and I know she stopped when she was pregnant, but I'm not sure if she stopped before she conceived IYSWIM!

I was like that from the age of around 14/15 until I had the DCs (and came off the pill although I didn't go on it until I was 17 so maybe not entirely linked), and then it improved even more when I got my hypothyroidism under control which makes me believe it definitely is linked to my hormones. I get very low very quickly if I mess up my meds for too long, and it hasn't gone away entirely but I find I can deal with it if I remind myself it isn't real. I can bluff my way through it and I make a deal with myself not to make any non-reversable decisions until I'm out the other side. Hormones are scary!

Hmm, so is hypothyroidism linked to hormones then? Because my mum has problems with her thyroid - can't remember if it's under or overactive

The pill makes me depressive. How are you without it?

ok just looked up hypothyroidism - all the associated symptoms look quite familiar.

ohbugrit I think I am better with the pill because it keeps my heavy periods in check. Been taking cilest a long time, since I was a teenager I think. After birth I went onto ceterazette - didn't like that as it seemed to give me 3 week periods. So I am back on cilest now.

But then I have just seen that one of the symptoms of hypothroidism is heavy periods ... hmm.

The way the pill works means you're not having a true menstrual cycle anyway. Worth talking this over with your GP I think.

Your thyroid gland helps regulate hormone levels in the body (or something along those lines) so it makes sense that not having it controlled properly would make them go a bit wonky, I guess. If you're getting symptoms pointing towards it, it's worth getting a blood test to check.

I started sertraline last week for anxiety issues and when discussing the most appropriate medicine for me, my GP explained that she fully supports the use of SSRIs for three weeks during the menstral cycle.

Worth discussing with the GP.

It's not just you. I got almost crazy last week with PMT, shouting at DS, I smacked him :( and kept crying all day on and off. I felt suicidal and really unsafe mentally, and it was terrifying, particularly how quickly it started. I was so so scared and thought I was going mad. The next day I felt totally fine, which was eerie, and a day after that I got my period.

This happened for two weeks of every month when I was on the non hormonal copper coil, interestingly. I googled it and others had experienced the same issues. I think perhaps my body thought it was pregnant with the coil in and behaved accordingly. Since I had it taken out a year ago I just get short bursts of feeling like that for a few days before I'm due, which I've had since my periods started.

Hormones are VERY scary! Watching this with interest.

Not just you. Since being 40 I've had dreadful pmt - it comes 11 days before my period. Depression, mood swings, tiredness, extreme grouchiness and swollen tender boobs. I kept a diary for about six months to map my symptoms. I've been on a low dose of Prozac for it which has helped - however came off it a year ago as it seemed to have got a lot better. Last month it was back with a vengeance. Not sure what options are open to me. Ideally I don't want to take Prozac again. I can feel the exact moment when the pmt starts and stops too.

before i went on antidepressants, nearly two weeks of every month was spent pretty much in despair

I went to my GP as I was feeling so lousy. Really low mood and anxious, catching virus after virus and horrendous PMT and terrible hormonal acne. I was a bit worried that my thyroid was out of whack as my mum has an interactive thyroid.

My GP prescribed ADs, citalopram, which was an utter disaster as I had an adverse reaction.

Anyway, he ran some blood tests, including one for Vitamin D levels. I didn't think much about the vit d one until I got the results. I have a severe vitamin d deficiency.

I wasn't expecting much from the vit d supplements, 6000 iu a day. I thought maybe I'd be less susceptible to colds.

Within 4 days, my skin miraculously cleared up, I felt much better physically and had more energy. Over the weeks my mood has lifted and the anxiety almost gone. I wasn't expecting any affect on PMT either but that's reduced down to one tearful day. And the food cravings have gone too.

If you goggle the role of vitamin d, it's quite startling what comes up and apparently it is classed as a pro hormone or co hormone.

I can only assume these changes are down to the vitamin d as nothing else has changed.

Should have read 'under active throid'!

I am really interested in this too. I have always been quite 'hormonal' since puberty and definitely think it's got worse since having my DD 2 yrs ago. I get very very moody, not every month, but when it appears it's awful and my husband bears the brunt of me being a psycho. I lash out at him for very little reason and it's almost like an out of body experience where I know I am being a cow and am in the wrong but I just can't control it.

To complicate things slightly I am currently on ADs (have been on 20mg daily of fluoxetine - prozac - since Dec) as I was struggling to deal with the aftermath of my brother dying suddently last year, as well as lots of other stresses, which I felt eventually got on top of me, so I asked for help and am glad I did as I really think they have helped.

I am hoping to come off the ADs in the next few months as I would like to conceive again this summer and I know the current recommendation is to be off them while pregnant. Plans to conceive should be interesting as I have zero libido - not sure if this is because of the ADs but have a feeling it's not as I was like this before I started taking them.

I do feel the ADs stabilised my moods and made me feel more balanced, especially for the first 2-3 months, but I have still had a few major wobbles, although not every month, which with hindsight have always been linked to my period's arrival.

My mum has an underactive thyroid (diagnosed after she had me) and I have been tested before but nothing's been found so far.

I am going to look into a vitamin D supplement as suggested above, but wondered if there is a magic pill which 'stabilises' hormones, and still allows someone to conceive? The answer in these situations is often the pill and clearly that's not going to work for me! Does evening primrose do anything?

If it's relevant to discussions of hormones etc, I am 34 and could definitely do with losing at least a stone, probably 2. My cycle is also short, with a period roughly every 23 days, which makes me feel hard done by as I get more than my fair share of PMT over a year!