PMDD/PMT

[wherethevioletsgrow]

Hi- I did post this in AIBU but got no responses, so will try it here too to see if anyone has experienced similar:
Sorry for posting here, but it's for traffic and I wanted to see if anyone had experience of this.
For a very long time (since late teens) I have had low mood and low self-esteem, but never enough to interfere with things like studies, jobs etc, so I think I always downplayed the impact it had because I was able to get out of bed and everything I read about depression said that depressed people couldn't function.
Anyway, that has been accompanied by a number of episodes of more major depression where I have had suicidal thoughts etc. Again, I think I minimised it because I was still able to go to work and things like that. I have been prescribed anti-depressants twice and been to counselling a few times. The ADs caused some weight gain but I guess that looking back, I felt okay on them.
I came off ADs about 2.5 years ago and am now having quite serious mood swings, to the extent that my mood can go from fine to feeling suicidal in about 5 minutes. I find myself getting snappy and irritable easily and generally feel pretty shit a lot of the time but without any motivation to do something about it.

Now on to the subject matter of this post. I am starting to think that actually my issues might be linked to my cycle. I didn't make the link before because I only really started to track my cycle in the past 5 years. Before that, I just had a vague notion of where I was at in my cycle and would not have linked it to my mood. I was also on the pill for several periods in my late teens and early and mid 20s, so that would have affected the extent to which I saw a pattern. Then, for some of the time when I tracked my cycle, I was on anti-depressants, so that would have dulled my mood. I am in my mid-30s now and have no kids and no immediate plans to have any (if at all).

I am also currently going through some work-stress which might serve to exacerbate any PMT symptoms.

My symptoms tend to start about 14 days or so before my period and include:
-depression (when I take the depression test on the NHS website, it comes out as severe)
-suicidal thoughts (but I wouldn't go through with it)
-tiredness
-staying in bed all day
-uncontrollable binge eating, leading to weight gain
-feelings of worthlessness, low self-esteem, feeling a failure
-hard to concentrate on one thing at a time
-migraine headaches lasting 3 days at a time
-irritability

Then, when my period arrives, I get more energy, I go to the gym, start losing the weight I gained, feel more positive, get more work done, can see more of a point to my life etc. Then it bloody starts all over.....

So, basically, I have decided that I will go to my GP about it. I have read that one treatment recommended is taking anti-depressants just for part of the month, which I wouldn't mind doing actually. Another one is the pill which I don't really want to go on because of my migraines and because it can make depression worse.

So my question is, does anyone have the same sort of symptoms as I describe? Have you been diagnosed with PMDD? Has anyone tried the AD route but only taking them some of the month, not full time? Does anyone have any other tips/treatment they can recommend?

I am open to natural alternatives too, but bear in mind that my depression symptoms are pretty severe so just e.g. taking evening primrose oil probably won't be enough. But if you have had severe symptoms too and something natural helped, I would be really interested in hearing about it.

Apologies for the mega-long post! Just not sure I can take much more of this (my mum didn't go through menopause until she was in her mid 50s so I may well have another 20 years of this crap).

I know exactly how you feel. I had severe PND and after I’d come off ADs for that I realised I had PMDD. Horrific anxiety and depression from day 18 of my cycle.

I googled Prof John Studd and went to see a gynae privately armed with printouts from Studd’s website.
The gynae was fantastic. He gave me oestrogen patches to use just post ovulation. It made a massive difference, I still had physical PMS but no despairing thoughts or scary anxiety.

Regarding ADs for two weeks or so a month, I’m dubious. Mainly because all the literature states that ADs take six weeks or so to be fully effective so I don’t know how they could work if you’re taking them on and off all the time.

I have a friend who had similar symptoms to me and she takes citalopram 20mgs every day. That has reallly helped her and she’s happy to stay on the medication long term as the benefits for her far outweigh the drawbacks.

Be aware that many GPs are clueless about PMDD. So do a bit of research yourself and go in there with all the info, do not be fobbed off!

Stress absolutely makes PMDD worse. Anything you can do to lessen stress helps - I actually changed job, did a mindfulness course, go to yoga classes, these all help too.

Thank you so much! That is very helpful. If my GP isn’t helpful I think I would go private too. Yes, I see the point re the ADs. They are meant to take a while to work and I was also under the impression that stopping them suddenly wasn’t great. I don’t want to take them full time if possible as although I was fine on them, it was a huge relief to come off them even if it has now led to me feeling worse. The oestrogen patches sound like a good idea- I will ask my GP about them.

When I was younger I sometimes wondered if I was bipolar because of my mood swings but I realise that I am not and I never had mania- just periods of more energy. It didn’t occur to me to try to link it to my periods- I wish there was more awareness of this sort of thing instead of endless jokes about PMT. It’s horrible not feeling yourself for much of the month and to feel like you are losing your mind.

I read that Sylvia Plath apparently suffered from PMDD but everyone was convinced it was bipolar disorder. I wonder how many other women diagnosed as being mentally ill might have a hormone imbalance that is capable of being treated. I always thought I was incapable of being cured because counselling never had any impact on me but if it’s a chemical imbalance, why would it?

Thanks also for the tip re the stress. I will try to get back to my neglected yoga practice.

Thanks again- so good to hear from someone else who has been through it.