Not Depressed but have PMS causing Anxiety & feelings of helplessness

[superflybaby]

I was ok until Babe was around 14 months, then I noticed mixed feelings of rage, anger, helplessness, anxiety, panic that would come on intensley for about 10 days every month.
Some weeks I can be energetic & happy, other weeks I can be reduced to an angry sniveling wreck by the slightest thing. I can also dread spending time with DD, to the point where I hate myself for it.
This is NOT normal PMS, it disables me, stops me living a normal life.
Vitamin B's & Oil of Evening Primrose simply do not cut it.
Doc prescribed Citalopram, 20mg to take daily for 2 weeks of the month. For 3 months I took this, each time vomiting & having the runs for the first few days. I also came out in Hives, Doc thought I was sensitive to it.
So now I have Prozac 20mg daily full time. I have found this easier to take but I feel it makes me drowsy, which is a bit crap when trying to entertain a Toddler.
Does anyone else have this problem & what do they find helps?

I had to try 3 different meds before I found one that worked and even then it took ages to get to the right dose for me. The side effects that you had from citalopram are unfortunately fairly classic as is the tiredness with prozac. How long have you had prozac for? Are you seeing the GP or a specialist? Apart from the medicine, the thing that helped me was cognitive behavioural therapy (I had miracle and was treated by someone amazing). If your GP is reluctant to refer you, DEMAND it. In the end, I had to. Plus the first person who I saw, made me worse. When I told the GP the response was 'oh yes, he's known for that' WHAT?!?!!? Why bother sending me? So if it happens to you, demand that you're sent to someone else. The services are there, sometimes GPs don't know about it or are reluctant and overstretched (not very helpful when you feel !##$%^@#$ and have a small person/s heavily reliant on you).

I've been on prozac for 2 months & your post has confirmed my feelings of wanting to come off it. I'm going to ask about the CBT as I have heard about it. The antiD's are not the answer. I know talking helps, but i have no-one I can tell everything too, just some close people who i have to be selective with. Thanks, will push with GP.

Hi, me again! For me, medicine in combination with the counselling was the answer. I needed both. I'm not telling you that you must have medicine, just that I needed both. Good on you though for taking control if the prozac isn't working and you don't feel that its right for you. The CBT isn't just talking, its someone helping you come up with strategies of how to cope in pressure moments. My dp was called in for a few sessions - bless him! But it really helps me come down from boiling point and avoid them (necessary with a toddler - I know!).

If you take the prozac in the morning and it makes you sleepy how about trying it in the evening?

I found CBT helpful but it can take some time to get in the mean time their is one free online CBT program I have used which has specific modules on anxiety, Building Confidence, among other things www.livinglifetothefull.com you may find it helpful too

I think with 21 month old starting to test boundaries that sounds like good timing too! I like where you say 'come down from boiling point' that is so descriptive. Boiling point for me is like choking on emotions, a physical feeling in my throat and eyes, unable to react in a reasonable or acceptable way. The medication has taken the edge off, but I know it is still there. It's a lot like Pethadine during Childbirth!
Did you find involving your DP helped? do you need his awareness of your therapy? I think if my GP can't help I might look for CBT myself as I think it could really help.

Your symptoms sound familiar! Yes, involving my DP helped enormously. I'm new to this so don't know if you're allowed to talk about men (!), but I think that they find it really hard aswell. They know that you're not well but have no idea what to do about it and are tempted to hide their heads in the sand. Taking my DP to a few sessions helped him see that a) I wasn't just cracking up but there were real problems and b)helped us together work out ways that he could help me in situations rather than just feeling helpless and shouted at. I think that it depends on the DP. But I find it has really helped us work together as a team and prevent or work around situations which were unbearable before. It was strange, it wasn't couples therapy - it was much more practical than that - I don't think that my DP would be able to cope with couples therapy, but the CBT helped him come up with real ways to help.
I have to warn you though, you won't suddenly get a magical DP who gives you breakfast in bed and lie ins on the weekend, he still won't pick up his dirty clothes!
One last thing, NEVER stop taking medicine like fluoxetine without talking to your GP first. Even if you don't have a great relationship with them, it is important that they are aware if you decide to stop it and can document it in your notes.