PMDD

[SineadIRE]

Does anyone have PMDD and if so is there any cure? I am already on SSRI's but about 10 days of the month I just don't want to exist. My gp says I should get outside and exercise when I feel like that
I am on Overnette without any breaks as per gynae for PCOS.
I am waiting to see gynae again but weight list is long. Any recommendations?

I really have found exercise a huge help, especially outdoor swimming and jogging in the countryside. Something about nature really really helps. Your GP might be on to something there.

I tried SSRI and one of the pills which both made it worse. I had full time feeling about 80% of PMDD intensity of emotions. It was horrible.

Exercising regularly especially in the second half of cycle.

Minimal or no caffeine, no alcohol, being mindful with enough sleep.

This is what works for me and I no longer feel like I lose 50% of my month to my mental health. I must admit to feeling skeptical but it really has worked.

Oh and also reducing refined sugar intake.

My dd is on antidepressants and has recently gone on the pill and advised to go back to back. Seems to be helping bit we haven't hit the break yet.

How were you before you started taking birth control?

Exercise is good and as effective for mild depression as SSRIs but saying "get outside more" is an absolutely shit response if you have told the GP you are feeling suicidal for large parts of the month. If you were a bloke all the emergency lights would be flashing right now.

I'm so sorry you're going through this. I was absolutely Murderous in the 4 years approaching menopause. No idea if you are anywhere near that but something to be aware of.

There is some debate about PMDD... not everyone accepts it is a thing, and some people think it is a made-up condition to bolster drug companies' profits now their drugs are going out of patent.

I do not mean to suggest for a second that what you're experiencing is not real. The opposite. It is too easy for the medical establishment to write off women with "hormones" or PMT or whatever. I hope you find a solution.

Should have added a bit more information.

I have been diagnosed with bpd but recently pointed out to me it could be adhd or something else.

I've been on the pill back to back for years I cannot remember how it was beforehand to be honest.

I am 36 now, have nerve damage to my ankle which does restrict exercise a certain amount but also I just find it so crippling to get out the door during that period of the month.
I am taking 5HTP aswell and they help but this part of the month nothing at all helps.

I sleep approx 8 to 9 hours a night because of depression.

It sounds like you need a specialist to review all your medication and how they interact.

Sleeping 8-9 hours a night is normal isn't it?

I've often had severe Pms although never formally diagnosed with PMDD. I've found acupuncture and reflexology helpful and taking more b vitamins like b6. I've also had to cut out caffeine and alcohol and mostly just drink hot water as I find it has a calming effect

Yes I just meant I am getting enough sleep it's not affecting that thankfully :)

I've had reiki and that did help my mood actually I must try book one again soon.

I take b6 tablets and b12 injections.

I think it is a thing of needing new tablets but waiting for the gynae app.

Bipolar or Borderline PD/ EUPD?? Who has suggested ADHD?

Sounds like you need a really good workup and not fobbed off with all these separate diagnoses and the usual 'its hormones' thing.

It sounds like you potentially have a lot going on and need a proper holistic assessment, not all these separate inputs about different facets of your health. I don't know who would do that.... But I do feel someone needs to see the whole picture and help you from there

I am a pmdd sufferer

The crap spouted on here about exercise etc is the reason I never comment on such threads.

It is debilitating. Women have had hysterectomies in their twenties and thirties because of it. Women have committed suicide.

I suffer with no mental health problems and am a rational, happy, fully functioning person for two and a half weeks every month.

That's how I know it's real.

Please, read up on it, on the symptoms it causes. Imagine experiencing those every single month.

Saying exercise/ chocolate etc etc will really help is like suggesting a plaster for a broken leg.

Only around 5% of the female population truly suffer this.

Op, you need a specialist. A friend paid for one for me (I'm in my forties) and he has helped me.

Good luck getting anyone who doesn't have pmdd to ever really understand.

@Vintagecreamandcottagepie I have been diagnosed with it. Exercise really has helped me. I'm sorry this hasn't worked for you.
Mine appeared after my second pregnancy. It's been a hellish time with needing to be sent home from work, nasty suicidal thoughts, borderline psychotic episodes and rage at my husband and children. I had CBT which was sort of useful to understand what was going on but not really helpful in terms of actual practical steps to take.

I agree that the OP needs a specialist who can also understand the other factors at play.

I know I sound a twat saying exercise helped but it really really has. I also had some acupuncture but can't really afford that anymore and I haven't noticed a decline yet.

@Hercisback

I'm genuinely really happy for you that exercise has helped you.

Pmdd is present from not long after your period starts, usually in your early twenties.

Latest research is showing its a genetic condition. Excarcerbated by childhood trauma. So childbirth cannot bring it on, it would already be there.

I'm not saying your symptoms are similar and I feel for you. But it is not true pmdd.

I am certain there are many many hormonal disorders, yet unnamed, and I am not trying to belittle your experiences or symptoms. But pmdd cannot be eradicated that simply, or women would not have their healthy wombs removed by choice, despite trying everything else, including exercise.

I hope women with other hormonal problems (for wantnofma better way to word it) are helped by your advice and experience, and I wish above all else that more research is carried out for all of our health problems.

What I would say, is if you arentnsure if you have pmdd or not, you probably don't.

A medical professional has diagnosed me with it....

They may be wrong. I don't know much about the genetics etc so cannot comment.

@vintagecreamandcottagepie what specialist? My 15yo dd is autistic, has ptsd and now diagnosed with pmdd among other things. Suicidal ideation is like clockwork and 3 hospital visits the day before her period. Camhs are no good. What should I be looking for?

Hi @TikTokCat

Peter Greenhouse

It's very real believe me! Like pp I too am a logical, organised, perfectly pleasant woman for half of the month. The other half? Absolute agony mentally and physically. Every month I go through to exhausting process of plotting either my escape from my family home or my death. Its absolutely terrifying. I want to crawl in the bed and never come out but i have to keep going for my children. I'm already absolutely terrified of damaging them. I'm going through pmdd right now and I feel like this posting isn't even making sense. I cant articulate properly what I want to say, that's the brain fog. I'm irritable and every little thing is triggering me when on my 'non-pmdd' days I'm as stoic as can be! This condition is so debilitating that I feel like I am drowning. The fatigue is overwhelming and can only be described as the sinking of yhe horse in never-ending story. Given up! The pain feels like throbbing from my toes to my neck and then the odd headache thrown in for good measure. When having pmdd weeks I have no coping skills whatsoever and am plagued with death anxiety. I could go on about it for hours the anguish it causes but for now I'll just get on with it cos the world can't stop because I'm 'due on' . . . Life is a scooter to the ankle most of the time , for all of us. Sending you love OP !

Hi there, I had pmdd for 30 years before diagnosis only to be told there was nothing to do for it. I am now PMDD free. Each relationship with pmdd is unique but I have found a way to tame the monster through emotion management. You can check my website at www.peptalk.info but i am looking to do a weekly group drop in session the the aim of helping sufferers in a cost effective way. If you'd like to hear more / reach out, i'd happily give you more information. you can contact me via the website or find me on facebook. I wish you well and know, you are not alone.

I wholeheartedly agree with @Vintagecreamandcottagepie . It is a plaster. Understanding your PMDD is the key. Exercise is a tool to help you manage it.

I have pmdd and it’s debilitating. I’ve been on antidepressants for years anyway. I tried the pill which helped a bit but not enough referred to gynaecologist I’ now have the minera coil and it’s back to being as bad as evere. I have an appointment again in a couple of weeks with the consultant.
also recommended exercise and eating well which I do understand helps with mood but when I’m suicidal for 2 weeks every month and just getting through the day takes everything out of me is impossible.
Ive been researching private hysterectomy’s today but I know that can bring a whole lot of other issues. Sorry I have no advice I’m feeling very hopeless about it all today.

@Bobbinsbop i was on mirena prior to my first child and had high hopes it would work for me after my second - it was a disaster. I was told i was depressed so was constantly being fed anti depressant prescriptions - I KNEW there was nothing wrong with me, i did it to keep others happy. Diagnosis of PMDD and told nothing could be done, but wasn't settling for that and didn't. I can't say anything about the choice you wish to make about the hysterectomy but the fact you flag there are issues that go with it, says quite a bit already. Exercise is a great option BUT only if you are able to follow through. If you have a two week good two week bad pattern, doing exercise then dropping it, will only reaffirm your negative beliefs making the bad two weeks even 'badder'! Initially, i would say acknowledging how you are feeling, accepting it and allowing yourself to have it is a good place to be to start. Learn to build a better relationship with your PMDD - it's easier than fighting it or let it control you. learning to understand it - is possible. There is a basic emotional need that is screaming at you to be heard, the more you deny it, the louder it will shout. This is my own personal opinion but i hope it helps you. You may feel hopeless, but the truth is you're not. You go through hell, you pick yourself up and you prepare to do it again, and again, and again - I see that as strength and where there is strength, there is hope. You've got this.

I have PMDD and I find exercise really helpful. It’s the last thing I ever want to do when I feel really low, but it’s honestly one of the only things that helps.
I also find that eating a low processed sugar diet has helped, although my body craves chocolate so much at that time.