PMDD Ruining my life.

[danid26]

Hi all,

As the title says really, I'm currently day 6 of mood swings and I’m really struggling and could do with hearing from people who actually get this. I have PMDD. About a week before my period I turn into a completely different person. The anger is the worst part, not just irritability, but full-on rage over things I’d normally brush off. I feel overwhelmed by everyday life to the point where I just want to escape it. When I'm feeling this way, I could happily just run away from everyone and everything.
I’m also getting brain fog so bad I can’t think straight, nausea, exhaustion, and these awful fleeting thoughts of “I just can’t do this anymore.” It’s not that I want to die when I don't have PMDD, it’s more like everything feels too much and my brain goes into “shut it all down” mode.
I’m already on antidepressants. I’ve tried the pill and it made me feel awful constantly, and with endometriosis I’m not keen on adding more hormones. I also have trauma from birth and invasive procedures so things like the coil aren’t something I can face.
Has anyone found anything that actually helps with this? Especially the anger and overwhelm? I feel like I’m fighting my own brain every month and I’m exhausted.

I have nothing particularly helpful to add here I just want to sympathise. I also have PMDD. About 3 months ago I started fluoxetine only to take in the luteal phase but tbh it takes the smallest edge off but makes me feel wired. Like I cannot properly sleep and am rattling constantly. Right now I’m in the PMDD phase and I cbf even going to back to the doc. I cannot take the combined pill, the mini pill made me feel off my head suicidal, I bled for 9 months with an implant after having my first child despite having 3 before with no issues. I don’t want a coil. I don’t want any synthetic hormones. Right now I just feel like I could happily go to sleep and not wake up.

A boring troll or someone much worse to endure living with than a PMDD sufferer. At least PMDD is usually a week a month compared to every day with this arse wipe

What does your gynaecologist say? Find a specialist who will work with you. HRT was the only thing that worked for me.

Yes. It was debilitating and my lovely v long suffering husband was the one who worked out the pattern. I was suicidal once a month - it was unbearable. Then, at his suggestion, I kept a diary for about 3 months and went to the GP. I got put on the pill and my PMS went became more manageable. The scariest thing about the menopause for me was having to come off the pill. I was so scared it would return but it hasn't, thank god.

Talk to your GP. It's terrible suffering.

I’m so sorry.
i had a complete hysterectomy early as I suffered from this but it wasn’t know in my day !
my dd has it too and is on fluoxetine 10 mg as we went privately and it has absolutely changed her life.
she has one day of pms ( incredibly mild compared to only one good week a month)now and her rage,anxiety etc has vanished.She is so incredibly happy and confident now and it’s so wonderful to see.fluoxetine is apparently the gold star treatment for pmdd.

@blizymitzy is fluoxetine better than citalopram then? I’m not having much luck with citalopram

I have PMDD and I have so much sympathy. Teamed with awful heavy periods. It was affecting work/exercise/diet. Flu symptoms, nausea, depression, paranoia, rage, the shakes, headaches, couldn’t get out of bed etc etc etc.

i eventually got a brilliant doctor who agreed to try HRT as I’m early 40s and with a bit of jiggling to get it right it has been life changing. I still suffer, but I have seen a marked difference.and can logically go ‘ok this is because it’s 9 days until my period take a beat and have some toast’

i’m so sorry you’re struggling. X

You honestly sound like you are speaking from my brain! I am also on Fluoxitine, so I genuinely feel your pain. When I first started it I don't think I slept properly for weeks. The insomnia was wild. I am also in the same phase. The other day, I was writing a suicide note, today I am angry again. Like the rage is actually unreal. I'm trying so hard not to swear every other word. Its the sort of rage that makes you look like a full blown lunatic, but also SO unlike my usual character. I have anxiety, so I really care about how I make others feel, in this phase... fuck around and find out. 🤦‍♀️😂.

You could ask for antipsychotics if it’s ruining your life this much but they come with risks. I had this and it turned out to be pp related. It disappeared once I used these but I spent over a year lactating after.
you said you have a kid, how pp are you? Have you got money to go private and get your hormones checked?
also there is a link between low b12 and brain functioning. No harm going back on the folic acid for a bit if you think it might help or at least a multi vitamin with this in.
in terms of in the moment, I don’t think there’s much you can do other than get out of the way of things you know are gonna piss you off. It might be worth learning your early warning signs and just going before the red mist hits and you can’t come back from it.
there is some other really advice in this thread. You aren’t alone. If you can afford it, a private app will probably be the best 100 you spend

I struggled for years with PMDD and other gynae issues so my dr and I agreed I should have a hysterectomy.
I was first medically induced into the menopause for a year to see how it affected my mental health and it’s honestly been incredible. I’ve just had my full hysterectomy (ovaries gone as well) and so relieved.

Thank you so much for this! I have stage 3 endometriosis, had surgery 4 years ago, and then miraculously fell pregnant with my daughter after being told the likely hood was extremely low. I seem to have developed PMDD after birth! Due to the pain/heaviness with my periods being the main issues, and now this as well I feel as soon as I possibly can I will be taking the same approach. I'm 30, so I am hoping fingers crossed we can have one more child, and then almost immediately after to be gone with the lot of it. I cannot physically live like this. I am sick, whether that be mentally or physically for at least half a month at this point. Its exhausting. 💖💖💖

Weirdly enough, this did start after birth for me! My daughter is 36 months now. I did have an awful time PP due to birth complications, medical negligence and almost dying as a result of sepsis that was not picked up fast enough. I think maybe due to the trauma its related? Although I can't be sure whether I've always had a factor of this about me. Thank you so much for this though, they increased my fluoxitine so I am now on 40mg only in my luteal phase. I cant say its making a difference currently, but I have only been trying this method for two months! So we will see 💖

ah yes traumatic birth, sleep deprivation, stress and hormone changes do not suit my brain lol I defs think some brains are more sensitive to it, and there’s definitely a case for your brain panicking at hormonal changes as some form of ptsd. But I would stabilise first before you go off and do any deep trauma work.
hope the meds help. For me I needed to sleep and eat and antipsychotics did that. Then when everything was a bit more settled I came off slowly and was ok, but like I said side effects were not fun. Sleeping 14 hours a day was great but lactating constantly was not 😂😭