Can anything be done for severe PMS?

nomorespaghetti · 2021-09-27T20:05:39+00:00

I've always had PMT, but over the last few years it's become unbearable. About a week before my period is due I sink down into a deep, deep depression, I am so anxious and jittery, I have absolutely no resilience, every little thing gets on top of me, and worst of all I'm filled with rage. I have huge fights with DH, and I'm snappy with the kids [sad]. I get no joy out of life. Then a couple of days after my period starts I'm me again, resilient, capable, but terrified of the next time. Can anything actually be done? I can't live like this. I'm 35 so don't think I'm peri-menopausal yet (but who knows...) I'm fit and healthy, eat well, take vitamin D & B complex, exercise lots... I've contacted my GP for a phone appt but I'm worried they'll fob me off. We do have pretty comprehensive medical insurance through DH's work, but who would I even see?! Thank you

actiongirl1978 · 27/09/2021 21:07

I'm the same OP. I was offered anti-depressants, I declined.

Bookaholic73 · 27/09/2021 21:10

Have you heard of PMDD? It stands for pre menstrual dysphoric disorder, and sounds a lot like what you experience.

I’ve had it for the last 8 years or so (self diagnosed, not by GP). I’ve been offered Beta Blockers and Anti Depressants by the GP, but don’t want to go down that route.

I’m a little lost in regards to what to do to help myself at the moment. Meditation helps, but the rage I get at that time of the month is horrific and I can’t meditate through it.

SharpLily · 27/09/2021 21:11

I was also offered anti-depressants for this. I was not amused but gave it a try as nothing else was on offer and I was getting so bad I was actually scared I would be arrested at one point. It's changed my life and I never want to come off them now.

Bookaholic73 · 27/09/2021 21:13

@SharpLily

I was also offered anti-depressants for this. I was not amused but gave it a try as nothing else was on offer and I was getting so bad I was actually scared I would be arrested at one point. It's changed my life and I never want to come off them now.

I seriously worry about getting arrested for assault sometimes, when it’s that time of the month. 3 weeks out of the month I’m my usual zen chilled self. But that one week…I’m like a different person.

BlowDryRat · 27/09/2021 21:18

I've been on a low-ish dose of Venlafaxine for severe PMT for about 6 years. It's been absolutely life-changing and I'd recommend it in a heartbeat.

borntobequiet · 27/09/2021 21:19

I found certain types of hormonal contraception helped, I assume because they evened out hormonal fluctuations, especially fluctuations in progesterone. I can’t remember which ones now as it was a long time ago and I now use HRT.

I was interested to find this article:

www.everydayhealth.com/womens-health/study-explores-promising-new-approach-for-treating-premenstrual-dysphoric-disorder/

Serenschintte · 27/09/2021 21:22

Yes. I had this. Contact maryonstewart.com/
She seems to specialize in menopause. She used to offer a program for terrible PMT. she has a couple of books. Using her program it took 3 months for my PMT to go - but it’s gone forever- I am 10 Years down the line

douliket · 27/09/2021 21:26

Sertraline is the most specific medication for Pmmd.
It has well and truly saved my life amd my children's lives.
My children deserved better. I was making everyone around me miserable every month for about a week.
I am on sertraline 5 years now and I will never ever come off these untill I am passed the menopause.
I was making my kids and husband so unhappy by not confronting my problem and for not getting treatment. No amount of supplements like evening primrose or b12 or magnesium made any difference.
My two youngest are 4 and 8 and they will have no memory of a miserable angry shouting mom. They now have happy childhood memories and I am so grateful for sertraline. I just could not live like that anymore. There were days in the lead up to my period that I couldn't even see the point in life anymore.
Do not listen to anyone who regards antidepressants as all the same. This wonder drug is replacing the serotonin that the hormones involved in pms are depleting.
Please op go to your go,you deserve a better life than this. Not every woman suffers with this but if you do,recognising the symptoms and how your moods are affecting your live and the lives of your lives ones is the starting point.
People who wish to ignore this are playing a dangerous game, they can easily ruin their children's childhoods when there is a simple solution. It is not worth taking that risk. An emotionally unstable mother can affect a child for life even if you think that they take it in their stride,believe me they are not. It is scary for them. Please get the proper treatment that you deserve and let your children see the real you,not the you with imbalanced hormones and rage. Let them remember the loving mom that you are and not the psychotic angry woman that screams and shouts all the time x

talkalarm · 27/09/2021 21:35

Mine was really bad, I think probably PMDD. It stopped completely with pregnancy and so I took the risk on the minera coil which stopped my periods entirely and,in turn, took away my PMT. Haven't had it all for nearly 5 years now. If it came back I would take anti depressants, I think I'd really struggle to parent the way I used to feel with it.

Original poster

nomorespaghetti · 28/09/2021 09:59

Thanks all. And I’m sorry to everyone else going through this. Last week I was at absolute rock bottom with it. I screamed at my kids over hardly anything. I’m so ashamed. We can’t go on like this, I’m terrified of myself in those two weeks. They fact that I’m so depressed for half the month, then alright again for two weeks is a massive head fuck as well.

I’m waiting for a gp call today or tomorrow, and if they don’t help them I’ll get in touch with the private gp and try to get a referral to an endocrinologist. I might pop into the chemist later and get some Agnus Castus - does anyone have experience of that? I’m not super hopeful…

OP posts:

KimDeals · 28/09/2021 10:00

This is EXACTLY me too. I have been saying it and trying to find a route out, but coming up with nothing.

Today is my first day back to normal after the 5-day hell. The hell is me waking up at 4am wired to the moon, anxious, terrible parenting, explosive arguments, it’s just hell hell hell and uncontrollable self loathing. And then poof! It stops and I’m confident, calm, capable, and a loving mum.

I don’t want setraline or an anti depressant. I’m not depressed, I’m hormonally challenged for those days.

I actually plan my schedule being very aware of it and dread when a big work thing lands in that window.

I also have good private health insurance but don’t know what to do really.

I’m mid 40s, had my bloods done last year and was told I’m not peri, that I am the same as a woman in her mid thirties and to be careful I could get pregnant

It’s not a new thing I’ve always been like this but being pregnant and not under duress of the period cycle made me realise the magnitude of the power of it.

I came on to post about it and found your thread OP! So watching and hoping for some pathway out

KimDeals · 28/09/2021 10:03

@Serenschintte

Yes. I had this. Contact maryonstewart.com/ She seems to specialize in menopause. She used to offer a program for terrible PMT. she has a couple of books. Using her program it took 3 months for my PMT to go - but it’s gone forever- I am 10 Years down the line

Wow really? Going to look into that.

KimDeals · 28/09/2021 10:10

@nomorespaghetti

Thanks all. And I’m sorry to everyone else going through this. Last week I was at absolute rock bottom with it. I screamed at my kids over hardly anything. I’m so ashamed. We can’t go on like this, I’m terrified of myself in those two weeks. They fact that I’m so depressed for half the month, then alright again for two weeks is a massive head fuck as well.

I’m waiting for a gp call today or tomorrow, and if they don’t help them I’ll get in touch with the private gp and try to get a referral to an endocrinologist. I might pop into the chemist later and get some Agnus Castus - does anyone have experience of that? I’m not super hopeful…

An endocrinologist is a good shout, OP. I had one for my thyroid and it was she who ran my bloods for signs of menopause. My thyroid was underperforming (ended up diagnosed with hashimotos) and the Endo said that was contributing to the severity of my PMT, as it was causing me to have heavier periods, which in turns caused me to be anaemic and also have no vitamin D…

Things did improve for a while but I’m back to square one again.

Angus castus, I never tried it but I might… it is supposed to be very powerful..

MrsVeryTired · 28/09/2021 11:20

I had bad PMS and painful periods for years and just accepted it. A few years ago it got worse and I felt I had PMS constantly (mid 40's at the time). GP suspected peri-menopause and did bloods, came back normal, she said they aren't a reliable indicator and symptoms all pointing to peri. Was put on minipill and back to normal in a few weeks.

Just noticed you only 35, so less likely to be peri, although minipill would stop periods and associated PMT I would think? Might be worth trying.

pinklillie · 28/09/2021 11:59

I could have written your post myself! After suffering with this for years and being so irritable, angry and snappy with my husband for two weeks of every month I finally spoke to my Dr just last week. She was very understanding. Whilst taking an antidepressant isn't a route I particularly wanted to go down as I don't feel depressed I feel very out of control for those two weeks. The Dr prescribed Sertraline to take for two weeks before my period and to say it's changed my life would be an understatement. I am due my period tomorrow and today would usually be a peak for my rage but I feel calm, able to concentrate and articulate myself and in control. I hope you manage to get some help x

PeakyPaula · 28/09/2021 12:10

I had my ovaries removed, extreme, but it worked instantly! I'm now 8 years free of the extremes that made my life an absolute misery.

pinklillie · 28/09/2021 19:05

@PeakyPaula

I had my ovaries removed, extreme, but it worked instantly! I'm now 8 years free of the extremes that made my life an absolute misery.

Do you mind me asking how you were afterwards? My GP said this wasn't an option as it would bring on an early menopause and a whole host of other issues

WaterTheGrass · 28/09/2021 19:08

Fluoxetine (Prozac) works for me. I wish I’d discovered it sooner. I still feel tired and grotty, but the dark depression and despair lifted the first month I took it and has never returned.

Minkyscamp · 28/09/2021 19:22

Another one here diagnosed with PMDD and on sertraline which has been life changing. No side effects after a few weeks, and it's made such a huge difference to my symptoms. Highly recommend it.

SharpLily · 28/09/2021 19:34

I don’t want setraline or an anti depressant. I’m not depressed, I’m hormonally challenged for those days.

@KimDeals It's a bit reductive to dismiss the ADs like that - as I did. I wasn't impressed when my doctor prescribed them because, like you, I knew I wasn't depressed and the problem was hormonal. However she explained to me that certain ADs work specifically to balance hormones and are prescribed for hormonal problems more often than depression. I researched this for myself and everything I read backed this up.

I'm so glad I decided to trust her. My life is so different now, I'm such a different person. Our whole family is different due to the fact that I managed to resist my scepticism about anti-depressants. I've even managed to go back to work, which I'd had to stop. Like many other women on this thread have also found, it was a magic bullet.

I had asked for the pill but for various reasons the doctor didn't want to prescribe it. I asked for HRT but she said it can take quite a while to work out an appropriate regime and this would give me relief quicker and she was right. I was perfectly balanced within the first month.

Dunnowhatalltheacronymsmean · 28/09/2021 19:39

Really resonates with me. Being pregnant was such a relief for my head and now I'm terrified it's going to come back. I was sticking my head in the sand a bit, tried Angus Castus and other herbal stuff none of which worked. Read vitamin B3 is good but reading some of these posts has made me think I need to just bite the bullet and ask the GP for antidepressants. Didn't realise there were ones that could be taken just for a couple of weeks.

KimDeals · 28/09/2021 19:54

@SharpLily

I don’t want setraline or an anti depressant. I’m not depressed, I’m hormonally challenged for those days.

@KimDeals It's a bit reductive to dismiss the ADs like that - as I did. I wasn't impressed when my doctor prescribed them because, like you, I knew I wasn't depressed and the problem was hormonal. However she explained to me that certain ADs work specifically to balance hormones and are prescribed for hormonal problems more often than depression. I researched this for myself and everything I read backed this up.

I'm so glad I decided to trust her. My life is so different now, I'm such a different person. Our whole family is different due to the fact that I managed to resist my scepticism about anti-depressants. I've even managed to go back to work, which I'd had to stop. Like many other women on this thread have also found, it was a magic bullet.

I had asked for the pill but for various reasons the doctor didn't want to prescribe it. I asked for HRT but she said it can take quite a while to work out an appropriate regime and this would give me relief quicker and she was right. I was perfectly balanced within the first month.

Wow that’s great it worked for you like that! I hear what you’re saying but I really do not want to be on ADs. Setraline was prescribed for me a few years ago, nothing whatsoever to do with hormones or depression, but stress. My GP said I wasn’t depressed, but I was leaving my children’s father, we had a newborn baby (2 kids under 2), I was the main breadwinner etc etc (you get the pic) STRESS! He said if I wasn’t stressed there would be something wrong with me given what I was juggling and I could try it, or at least have it in case I wanted it. My new baby was ill and I just couldn’t afford to fall apart.

But I researched it and really did not like what I read. Diminished libido, weight gain, Problems coming off it etc So I never took it, I resolved my situation, got my new home established etc and I coped. So that problem went away.

Maybe I am being reductive but I don’t mean it to sound dismissive. I am not against medicating but I would prefer to have something more specific to my issue.

It really is like clockwork. The bad mood 100% disappears in one go, suddenly. Within 48 hours of that, my period physically arrives. Every single time. I also know the exact day of my cycle the mood appears. It is 5 days max, no more. I will probably ask my Endo again. Because I am 47 and will surely move in meno/peri-meno soon if not already.

CaddieDawg · 28/09/2021 21:19

I'm so glad I found this thread. Ever since I had my daughter 2 years ago, I feel like a storm cloud has been over my head for a few days prior to my period starting and it's like a deep depression where I can go from full on rage to anger to crying within a few seconds over the smallest things. I know I'm doing it and aware that I'd normally cope so much better with the same situation, yet can't seem to control it! I came on about to post a thread asking if mental health issues can be temporary like that as I'd never heard anyone really talk about this other than in a jokey way.

Before I had my daughter I tried a number of different contraceptives and they all sent my hormones a bit wild in different ways, I've developed adult acne which is hormonal and took years to get under control. I've had some that made me overeat and get depressed,others that made me bleed for months on end or have horrendous pains. I think my hormones are literally out to get me.

I'm 30 and most of the hormonal contraceptives haven't agreed with me over the years,to the o

douliket · 29/09/2021 08:18

@KimDeals
I'm sorry but nothing annoys me more than seeing people suffer needlesslyz
Kim, nobody is talking about depression here,this topic is severe Pma and yes, for some,depression can be a factor.
You do realise that most medications have multiple uses
Calpol: used for pain and also used in reducing temperatures when there is no pain
Lyrica :can be used for nerve pain and can also be used for depression
Antihistamines can be prescribed for insomnia.
Christ,what's so difficult to understand

The op has no quality of life dealing with weeks of this, absolutely, go and get sertraline which is a Seratonin booster to replace the hormone reduced by Pms

Yes Sertraline can be used for depression amd PMS, women need more educations on what's available and for some medication is only way

It absolute transformed my families life,
@KimDeals maybe you don't fully understand the dangers of pmmd

KimDeals · 29/09/2021 09:20

@douliket can you calm down and back off attacking me please? I posted about my own severe issues on this thread. I am allowed to contribute to a discussion and discuss alternatives surely? For what it’s worth - my partner is a medical doctor and so so strongly advised me against getting caught up in ADs.

There’s no need to be so explosive with me, or patronising about the uses of medicine.