Crazy hormones?

[MaisyMoo123]

Hi - I'm after some advice and reassurance. For the past couple of months I've been suffering with the worst mood swings and have been generally very out of sorts emotionally. I get so angry and upset over nothing, shout at my beautiful children and rant on at my very patient husband over the silliest things. A lot of the time I'm ok and then something innocuous will trigger a rage and that's it until I can calm myself down. It's hideous and I really don't feel like myself. Once the mood has lifted I look back and think how ridiculously I have behaved and feel very sad about how I've been carrying on - but it's not enough to stop me doing it again. I have always had a tendency to suffer from PMS since having children and had to have merina coil removed as was convinced that was sending me loopy so am thinking this current phase of craziness might be down to hormones too? Could it be an imbalance? I'm just 38 so a bit young for menopause and my cycles are a pretty regular 26 days. It seems to last all month with no real relief which is why I'm worried - and I desperately want yo return to my normal calm self! Any advice would be very gratefully received. Thanks for reading!

Didn't want to leave you unanswered, but no experience of this I'm afraid. I would speak to my GP. Is the pill not supposed to help stabilise hormones?

Thanks for your reply. I have spoken to GP about this issue before and was told mood swings were just a "normal" part of the monthly cycle. I'm pretty convinced my mood swings aren't normal though. Even the family planning nurse at our practice who is so understanding about stuff said the same. Maybe I didn't explain it well enough. Think the combined pill can stabilise hormones as it suppresses ovulation but I can't take that due to migraines. So scared I'm losing the plot.

I'm 40 now and have always suffered with bad PMT. Used to be a week a month and now is about 2 weeks a month. I can cope with it but have to plan my life around it. I wouldn't take any kind of contraceptive they all make me loopy.

I get angry very suddenly but this usually only happens a few days or hours before I come on. I get really bad headaches and basically feel rough for days....... I would go to the doctor if I were you if u are getting these symptoms all month round.

Have had very similar experiences as you. You can nail this but it takes some willpower. I got a fantastic book called 'overcoming pms the natural way' by Marilyn Grenville . I followed her advice which involves eliminating sugar of all kinds even fruit juice and using supplements such as the b vits, magnesium and agnus castus. It really does work and when you understand the science behind it which she explains in very simple terms it makes you stick to the diet. I am so much calmer now - you must give it a go as I know how bad it can be. You can get the book from your library to save you buying it. Let me know how you get on. I would also recommend exercise of some sort every day if you can, even if it's just fast walking. Best of luck.

Thanks for the replies. Good to know I'm not the only one to struggle with this. It honestly feels like I'm "moody" for the whole month at the moment with no pattern to fit with my cycle. What's that all about? That book sounds interesting and I will definitely have a look - I'm not loving the idea of cutting out all sugars but if it makes such a drastic difference it might be worth it. I've taken supplements before and will get back to them I think. I've also been thinking exercise might help too - I walk a lot but don't do anything more so will dig the running shoes out I think. Thanks for the tips. I don't think there's an easy answer to this - if only!!

Sorry, I'm the thyroid evangelist, but it wouldn't hurt to get it checked when you are next at the doctors. It causes all kinds of problems when under/over active. Just a suggestion.

Interesting you say theist helza - that's one thing I've come across when googling. It's the fact it's not clearly linked to my cycle that made me wonder about that too. Maybe a trip to the Docs is in order again. I've tried to make them understand these symptoms before though and failed . Need to do something though as can't carry on like this.

Until I had mine diagnosed as being kaput, I wouldn't even have known anything about the thyroid, but it's worth having it checked every year or two as it seems to have a lot of influence over our general well being.
I hope you get to the bottom of whatever it is.

Oh, and be explicit and just ask for a thyroid blood test. Book it for first thing and go on an empty stomach.
I see no reason they should refuse you.

Thanks again helza. Do you mind me asking whether you have an over or underactive thyroid and what are your symptoms? Please don't feel you have to answer but would be interested to hear if you don't mind.

It is underactive and was diagnosed when I had a CT scan on my whole body for something else. I am in my fifties, so just thought feeling knackered was a normal part of life.
I had a vague feeling it was in my family. Odd, I knew about lots of other medical conditions but nothing about my thyroid although to look at me it is quite obvious it is swollen.
So, swollen neck, tired, feeling fuzzy, weight gain. I'm pretty sure I've had this for years, but didn't know.

I went to my GP when it became about half the month of PMT symptoms. She took bloods and used them for various tests. She asked me lots of questions and I had noted down ALL my symptoms in advance of the appointment and she listened carefully as I read them out. The bloods were clear. I was diagnosed with PMDD. Could be worth you Googling it. I cried when I read about it online as it matched me 100% but I'd not even heard of it. The medication was life changing.

Wow. Thanks for that Tina. That sounds very interesting. I'm off to google PMDD.

And I'm going to call to make that dr's apt tomorrow.

Hmmm, have read about PMDD and does sound quite likely - and I feel infinitely better on day 3 of period too which is probably an indication? Tina, you say the medication has been life-changing - can I ask what you're taking? I'd be reluctant to take antidepressants and can't take contraceptive pill and these seem to be the key treatments. Also, what blood tests did they do? Thanks so much for replying.

The GP tested for "everything". Their words. I didn't enquire to the details although may have remembered more at the time. As they showed nothing I don't really remember, sorry.

I understand you being wary of antidepressants. Had I known that was a possibility before talking to my GP I may not have gone! It transpired fluoxetine is prescribed for PMDD as well as depression. I'm pretty sure I read that in some countries (was it the US? Can't remember) it's actually packaged as a PMDD treatment in different boxes etc to its antidepressant packaging. I was wary but I read a lot online after my GP suggested it and she was right it does seem to be the first choice recommended treatment for PMDD (so it should be that particular drug not just any antidepressant).

I decided to try it as nothing else had worked. Life changing was not an exaggeration. I don't experience any side effects. I still cry, feel emotion, etc as normal but I feel human again. I don't care one jot now that the treatment prescribed for PMDD is the same as one of the treatments prescribed for depression. It works. Life is better. Much better.

To give the full picture - I did experience loss of appetite for about two weeks when I started the medication and also headaches. Both went in about two weeks.

I didn't ever intend to post all this online but if it helps anyone relate to the symptoms and become aware of a possible treatment it's worth it. From what I read after my diagnosis many GPs are not aware of PMDD.

My physical symptoms (sore breasts for example) are still there but the horrendous other symptoms which lasted for 10-14 days per month are 90% better than they were.

Wow Tina! That is a pretty powerful post and definitely makes me think twice about completely writing antidepressants off just yet. As you say, shouldn't really matter what the medication is labelled as if it makes such a dramatic difference.

For now I'm feeling much better. In week after period so I would expect to I guess. I've been thinking a lot while my head is clear and am going to start a 'mood' diary so i can properly track my symptoms and spot if/when things start to go pear-shaped. Then I'll have a better idea of how long it's really lasting and what I'm actually worrying about. That's my first line of attack. Anyone else done that?