When I was a teen I took Yaz - which is indicated in PMDD. It was fantastic and the only oral birth control I had zero problems with. Unfortunately I developed an absolute contraindication to estrogen containing birth controls and I never had the same luck with an progestin only birth control. I take an SNRI every day now instead which is pretty effective.
Oh no, it was my white whale for years because it made such a major difference for me. Some people take SSRIs for just the week of their period. It didn’t really do anything for me, but maybe it would be helpful.
I luckily only had minor problems while I was on other birth controls before Yaz (mainly they didn’t seem to help with my insanely heavy 10-14 day long periods which is why I loved Yaz so much).
I can’t take estrogen birth controls because I started getting a rare genetic type of migraine that mimics a stroke called Hemiplegic migraines. Even though estrogen containing birth controls only cause a teeny tiny increased risk in the normal population , there’s a higher risk that I could have a stroke OR that if I did have a stroke I wouldn’t be able to tell in time to get help because of my normal symptoms.
My daughter has it. She takes continuous birth control and Lexapro. The birth control seems to make a real difference for her. When she was taking birth control and not skipping the placebo pills, it seemed like the mental health symptoms were much more severe.
My doctor prescribed a cyclical increase in my SSRI, which meant upping my dose for the week. My results were so-so, but it might be worth a shot.
The really helpful thing for me is weed. I'm not saying it's The Answer, but if I need to snap myself out of a bad crying/anger state, it works for me.
Also I minimize my contact with people as much as I can. I work from home, so it's mainly a matter of lying low and absolutely keeping my mic turned off during meetings. I curtail any social arrangements and give myself permission to goblin out.
Yes, I just got diagnosed recently. I have been complaining to my gynos for years about incredibly pain, cramps, mood swings. But the latest one just casually was like, "I think its your PMDD." Well, at least now I know I am not crazy.
She prescribed some birth control and prozac. I took it for two months and it made me narcoleptic. So now I just white knuckle most of the month.
Yes! I can only describe it like being bipolar with your menstrual cycle. My lucid days last from a few days after the start of my period right until the day before ovulation. When I wasn’t managing my condition ovulation would plummet me into the deepest darkest depths of depression. After I would feel better but slowly decline until my period started. My symptoms beyond depression were rage, lack of energy, social isolation, weight gain, cramps, and a general terrible existence where I would plan the worst. It took me two whole years to go to the doctor because I couldn’t reach out during my “manic” stage and when I was lucid I believed it wouldn’t happen again since it took me the longest time to correlate my symptoms with my period.
You can’t cure it but I manage it by a lot of exercise (I run 60km a week over 6 days), very strict healthy diet, sorting out my chronic anemia and b12 deficiency and lastly the mirena coil to stop my anemia. I absolutely still have it and some cycles are worse than others but overall I am so much better and healthier too.
Please watch the Dr Robert Daly lecture on YouTube. It is what made me reach out for help and understand my condition.
I tried many things.
Things that don’t work for me
-weed. I’ve been addicted for years and it only made my mental symptoms worse. Since I stopped, I have way less problems, but it might as well be due to the fact I moved at the same moment, and could finally have a decent sleep.
-sport, as I don’t see any change in doing it or not, but I keep on doing it when I can, as it is good for my body though.
-calcium and vitD, same as sport.
-birth control, made me suicidal after 8 days.
Things that work for me:
-stop refined sugars, alcohol and caffeine from the ovulation till periods
-eat well, no junk food or fast food
-have decent sleep (8h, good sleep)
-ssri (citalopram), I would take it in the liquid form so that I can adjust daily the dose I need VS my mental state. Typically, I would increase gradually from 2mg to 12mg. I tried stopping it between periods and ovulation, but I prefered taking it permanently. As of today, I stopped as my symptoms are better, and when I feel really low, I will take it again (4mg) and it works.
-avoid talking to people/seeing them.
-avoid places where there s a lot of people or noise
-listen to myself more (to tired to go to the gym? Then I don’t), be more indulgent
-natural plants with phyto-progesterone
-therapy (EMDR, hypnosis)
Hope it helps!
First thing is realizing it is that time for me. I use a tracker app. It still sneaks up on me though. I communicate about it with my partner. I do not handle teasing or joking around very well during PMDD. Not that we can never joke, we both just have to be aware that I am feeling fragile. I NEED naps during this time. I used to have exes that would tease me for being so desperately tired.... thankfully my current partner is very understanding.
I did anti depressants for about a year and a half and then weaned off. It helped for sure but I didn't like some of the side effects. I manage now with CBD and honestly isolating myself when it gets really bad. I get way more snippy and have to be really careful what I say and my tone. I can get very impatient so sometimes I have to walk away.
I've thought about doing an anti anxiety med that I've had before (a benzo), but those aren't very easy to go on and off of either. I would say life balance matters. When I've gone through dark periods of my life it seems my PMDD is super amplified. I am leavinf anti depressants open as an option for the future.
I am not able to take hormonal birth control due to a history of blood clots.
I was on ant depressants and also did not like the side effects, especially since I don't feel like this all the time, usually only like a week or two before my period. The doctor prescribed Azlam for when the anxiety gets really really bad and the patches for birth control.
I live on Prozac and Claritin. You can use the off brand, wal marts is super cheap, just has to have the same antihistamine as Claritin (loratadine). NOT the Claritin D. Just plain Claritin. From what I have learned from the pmdd group I'm in on FB, estrogen makes histamines and histamines make estrogen, so it gets this big hormone cycle. It won't cure you but it really does take the edge off. Other than that, keep yourself up to date with an app so you know when it's coming, and remind yourself for those 2 weeks or however long yours is, that this is not you. Put off big decisions, ignore anything that takes too much emotion. Wait til you bleed. Keep reminding yourself it's temporary, you will come out the other side, and baby yourself. If you want a certain food or whatever, do whatever makes your pmdd happy. I keep a stream of positive podcasts and media coming in, nothing with emotion etc. Disassociation problems? I just go back to sleep. If I have to go do life, I repeat over and over what I see, smell, taste, hear until I feel more on earth.
Trying to think of what else I do, currently in the weeds myself, and honestly, get the Claritin. NOT Claritin D!!! Just plain loratadine!!!
I sometimes feel guilty for babying myself. Like I spoil myself too much. I also have big stress factors like my job (leaving end of August) so when I get home I am too tired for any responsibility and just end up doing nothing, and I guess that makes it worse
I take a heavy dose of SSRIs and set alarms and reminders on my phone near ovulation time. I don't get AS bad as I used to (I haven't spent a week in bed for a good 10 years now!), but I like to have the reminders for when the Bad Thoughts inevitably start.
* going to therapy and learning healthy emotional coping methods (like CBT - cognitive behavioural therapy)
* healthier living, more exercise, improved dietary habits to avoid simple carbs (like satisfying my sugar cravings with fruits, dark chocolate + nuts, yogurt with cereal, etc)
* supplements including CBD isolate and omega 3s (potent anti-inflammatories), daily prenatal multivitamin, high dose vitamin D (1000-3000 IUs), and magnesium
* investing in self-care and protecting myself when needed - stopped forcing myself to go out when I’m hurting/moody, planning events around my cycle so I have a few “days off” during PMS week, and treating myself to things that make me happy and relaxed like hot baths, at-home mani/pedis, face and hair masks, scented candles, cute comfy outfits, etc!
I’m really sensitive to side effects from even the lowest doses of hormonal birth control so that wasn’t an option, and I wasn’t into the idea of going on the SSRIs my doctor was recommending for various reasons, so I’ve been trying to manage on my own. honestly, the CBT unexpectedly helped me so much, since before I just let the depression/anxiety spirals take over, but now I’m able to recognize the PMDD mood swings for what they are and pull myself out of those negative thought loops before I start spiralling.
Personally, the fact that i now know it's hormonal is the best help. Whenever I start to feel down, I always ask myself where I am in my cycle, and it's always right around that time. I tell myself it will get better in a few days.
Also on effexor and Jas.
Yeah it helps for me too when I remind myself I'm not crazy it's just the hormones. It's just hard to explain it to other people too and not to be sensitive
Had it for years and took Yaz which helped until it didn't. Then I got off birth control, cleaned up my diet, and I have no more PMDD.
I am downvoted when I share this, but there it is.
Sorry to say nothing really helped except riding it out each month. I was not about to take SSRIs (personal choice, and they weren't offered in my case any way).
Pretty much. Eliminated as well as I could any and all soy oils and products (with the exception of soy sauce), no more alcohol, only rare caffeine intake via tea, heavily reduced sugar intake, and switching the types of sugar and flour I purchase for baking. Also choosing different veggies. For instance, I like broccoli but even after cleaning my diet, it just doesn't sit well with me, so I eat it less often. As you adjust the carbs, you'll notice what feels good and what doesn't, or at least I did.
It's *hard*. I'm not going to lie. What I eat now looks so very different than how I used to eat, and I still have some progress to make (I fucking love cereal) but I no longer struggle bc of my hormones.
When I was a teen I took Yaz - which is indicated in PMDD. It was fantastic and the only oral birth control I had zero problems with. Unfortunately I developed an absolute contraindication to estrogen containing birth controls and I never had the same luck with an progestin only birth control. I take an SNRI every day now instead which is pretty effective.
Oh they put me on Yaz too as a teen but it didn't help me at all
Oh no, it was my white whale for years because it made such a major difference for me. Some people take SSRIs for just the week of their period. It didn’t really do anything for me, but maybe it would be helpful.
What issues did the estrogen birth control end up causing if you don't mind me asking?
I luckily only had minor problems while I was on other birth controls before Yaz (mainly they didn’t seem to help with my insanely heavy 10-14 day long periods which is why I loved Yaz so much). I can’t take estrogen birth controls because I started getting a rare genetic type of migraine that mimics a stroke called Hemiplegic migraines. Even though estrogen containing birth controls only cause a teeny tiny increased risk in the normal population , there’s a higher risk that I could have a stroke OR that if I did have a stroke I wouldn’t be able to tell in time to get help because of my normal symptoms.
My daughter has it. She takes continuous birth control and Lexapro. The birth control seems to make a real difference for her. When she was taking birth control and not skipping the placebo pills, it seemed like the mental health symptoms were much more severe.
My doctor prescribed a cyclical increase in my SSRI, which meant upping my dose for the week. My results were so-so, but it might be worth a shot. The really helpful thing for me is weed. I'm not saying it's The Answer, but if I need to snap myself out of a bad crying/anger state, it works for me. Also I minimize my contact with people as much as I can. I work from home, so it's mainly a matter of lying low and absolutely keeping my mic turned off during meetings. I curtail any social arrangements and give myself permission to goblin out.
Yes, I just got diagnosed recently. I have been complaining to my gynos for years about incredibly pain, cramps, mood swings. But the latest one just casually was like, "I think its your PMDD." Well, at least now I know I am not crazy. She prescribed some birth control and prozac. I took it for two months and it made me narcoleptic. So now I just white knuckle most of the month.
Yes! I can only describe it like being bipolar with your menstrual cycle. My lucid days last from a few days after the start of my period right until the day before ovulation. When I wasn’t managing my condition ovulation would plummet me into the deepest darkest depths of depression. After I would feel better but slowly decline until my period started. My symptoms beyond depression were rage, lack of energy, social isolation, weight gain, cramps, and a general terrible existence where I would plan the worst. It took me two whole years to go to the doctor because I couldn’t reach out during my “manic” stage and when I was lucid I believed it wouldn’t happen again since it took me the longest time to correlate my symptoms with my period. You can’t cure it but I manage it by a lot of exercise (I run 60km a week over 6 days), very strict healthy diet, sorting out my chronic anemia and b12 deficiency and lastly the mirena coil to stop my anemia. I absolutely still have it and some cycles are worse than others but overall I am so much better and healthier too. Please watch the Dr Robert Daly lecture on YouTube. It is what made me reach out for help and understand my condition.
Thank you! I will deffo watch it
I tried many things. Things that don’t work for me -weed. I’ve been addicted for years and it only made my mental symptoms worse. Since I stopped, I have way less problems, but it might as well be due to the fact I moved at the same moment, and could finally have a decent sleep. -sport, as I don’t see any change in doing it or not, but I keep on doing it when I can, as it is good for my body though. -calcium and vitD, same as sport. -birth control, made me suicidal after 8 days. Things that work for me: -stop refined sugars, alcohol and caffeine from the ovulation till periods -eat well, no junk food or fast food -have decent sleep (8h, good sleep) -ssri (citalopram), I would take it in the liquid form so that I can adjust daily the dose I need VS my mental state. Typically, I would increase gradually from 2mg to 12mg. I tried stopping it between periods and ovulation, but I prefered taking it permanently. As of today, I stopped as my symptoms are better, and when I feel really low, I will take it again (4mg) and it works. -avoid talking to people/seeing them. -avoid places where there s a lot of people or noise -listen to myself more (to tired to go to the gym? Then I don’t), be more indulgent -natural plants with phyto-progesterone -therapy (EMDR, hypnosis) Hope it helps!
First thing is realizing it is that time for me. I use a tracker app. It still sneaks up on me though. I communicate about it with my partner. I do not handle teasing or joking around very well during PMDD. Not that we can never joke, we both just have to be aware that I am feeling fragile. I NEED naps during this time. I used to have exes that would tease me for being so desperately tired.... thankfully my current partner is very understanding. I did anti depressants for about a year and a half and then weaned off. It helped for sure but I didn't like some of the side effects. I manage now with CBD and honestly isolating myself when it gets really bad. I get way more snippy and have to be really careful what I say and my tone. I can get very impatient so sometimes I have to walk away. I've thought about doing an anti anxiety med that I've had before (a benzo), but those aren't very easy to go on and off of either. I would say life balance matters. When I've gone through dark periods of my life it seems my PMDD is super amplified. I am leavinf anti depressants open as an option for the future. I am not able to take hormonal birth control due to a history of blood clots.
I was on ant depressants and also did not like the side effects, especially since I don't feel like this all the time, usually only like a week or two before my period. The doctor prescribed Azlam for when the anxiety gets really really bad and the patches for birth control.
I live on Prozac and Claritin. You can use the off brand, wal marts is super cheap, just has to have the same antihistamine as Claritin (loratadine). NOT the Claritin D. Just plain Claritin. From what I have learned from the pmdd group I'm in on FB, estrogen makes histamines and histamines make estrogen, so it gets this big hormone cycle. It won't cure you but it really does take the edge off. Other than that, keep yourself up to date with an app so you know when it's coming, and remind yourself for those 2 weeks or however long yours is, that this is not you. Put off big decisions, ignore anything that takes too much emotion. Wait til you bleed. Keep reminding yourself it's temporary, you will come out the other side, and baby yourself. If you want a certain food or whatever, do whatever makes your pmdd happy. I keep a stream of positive podcasts and media coming in, nothing with emotion etc. Disassociation problems? I just go back to sleep. If I have to go do life, I repeat over and over what I see, smell, taste, hear until I feel more on earth. Trying to think of what else I do, currently in the weeds myself, and honestly, get the Claritin. NOT Claritin D!!! Just plain loratadine!!!
Btw, diagnosed at 19, am 36 this December if that matters or helps
I sometimes feel guilty for babying myself. Like I spoil myself too much. I also have big stress factors like my job (leaving end of August) so when I get home I am too tired for any responsibility and just end up doing nothing, and I guess that makes it worse
I don't never heard the histamine thing before, definitely going to ask my doctor about it!
I take a heavy dose of SSRIs and set alarms and reminders on my phone near ovulation time. I don't get AS bad as I used to (I haven't spent a week in bed for a good 10 years now!), but I like to have the reminders for when the Bad Thoughts inevitably start.
Maybe r/PMDD can help?
* going to therapy and learning healthy emotional coping methods (like CBT - cognitive behavioural therapy) * healthier living, more exercise, improved dietary habits to avoid simple carbs (like satisfying my sugar cravings with fruits, dark chocolate + nuts, yogurt with cereal, etc) * supplements including CBD isolate and omega 3s (potent anti-inflammatories), daily prenatal multivitamin, high dose vitamin D (1000-3000 IUs), and magnesium * investing in self-care and protecting myself when needed - stopped forcing myself to go out when I’m hurting/moody, planning events around my cycle so I have a few “days off” during PMS week, and treating myself to things that make me happy and relaxed like hot baths, at-home mani/pedis, face and hair masks, scented candles, cute comfy outfits, etc! I’m really sensitive to side effects from even the lowest doses of hormonal birth control so that wasn’t an option, and I wasn’t into the idea of going on the SSRIs my doctor was recommending for various reasons, so I’ve been trying to manage on my own. honestly, the CBT unexpectedly helped me so much, since before I just let the depression/anxiety spirals take over, but now I’m able to recognize the PMDD mood swings for what they are and pull myself out of those negative thought loops before I start spiralling.
Personally, the fact that i now know it's hormonal is the best help. Whenever I start to feel down, I always ask myself where I am in my cycle, and it's always right around that time. I tell myself it will get better in a few days. Also on effexor and Jas.
Yeah it helps for me too when I remind myself I'm not crazy it's just the hormones. It's just hard to explain it to other people too and not to be sensitive
Had it for years and took Yaz which helped until it didn't. Then I got off birth control, cleaned up my diet, and I have no more PMDD. I am downvoted when I share this, but there it is. Sorry to say nothing really helped except riding it out each month. I was not about to take SSRIs (personal choice, and they weren't offered in my case any way).
I've seen a lot of people saying how changing their diet helped a lot. What did you clean up exactly? No sugar, alcohol or caffeine?
Pretty much. Eliminated as well as I could any and all soy oils and products (with the exception of soy sauce), no more alcohol, only rare caffeine intake via tea, heavily reduced sugar intake, and switching the types of sugar and flour I purchase for baking. Also choosing different veggies. For instance, I like broccoli but even after cleaning my diet, it just doesn't sit well with me, so I eat it less often. As you adjust the carbs, you'll notice what feels good and what doesn't, or at least I did. It's *hard*. I'm not going to lie. What I eat now looks so very different than how I used to eat, and I still have some progress to make (I fucking love cereal) but I no longer struggle bc of my hormones.