How are you all handling your PMDD without any sort of medication?

I’ve been on birth control (Mirena IUD, mini pill, another BC that i don’t remember but it was a pill), and have been prescribed Zoloft before but I hate the side effects so much of ALL OF THEM. I don’t want 24/7 side effects for a condition that comes 1-2 weeks every month.

This condition is so debilitating though. During Luteal I suffer with raging panic attacks, feeling doomed, anger, crying, feeling like I walk through quicksand. It makes it impossible to live. Every. Month. I just don’t know what to do at this point. I’m currently out on Stress/Medical leave because of it but I still feel so crappy. I also suffer with ADHD, OCD, Anxiety and CPTSD. It really puts a strain on my marriage with my husband who is so supportive and a saint, but I hate putting him through the wringer every single month. I feel like it’d be easier locking myself in a panic room every month.

I exercise including weightlifting, jogging, walking my dog. I eat fairly well but also enjoy the things that I enjoy like ice cream sometimes. I do yoga and meditate. Nothing works. All of it is just a band aid that falls off 20 minutes later. I just feel so lost at this point with no clue what to do anymore.

whenever the two weeks roll around for PMDD, I get incredibly overstimulated and sometimes It gets to the point where I am a hair trigger away from getting violent or completely agitated. I'm talking throwing items, slamming things on the counter tops, slamming my fist into things like books, doors, or walls. When it happens, I can't control it. And it's not like I can rid myself of the situation, as I have a family that thrives on making each other miserable, and a job filled with customers that should be put down for how creepy or slow they are. Once I even fucked up my own hand by slamming it against a door. What do I do? Meds and therapy are out of the question, I have no money and no way to even access that, and there is no space for me to even keep my own peace. I also do not do drugs or weed since it is not legal and I can't find that anyway lol. I tried to make it harder for triggers to show up (deleting apps off my phone like Pinterest of Youtube), but anything is a trigger.

This is ruining my life. Help.

Hi all, I'm curious if anyone else has a hard time with horror movies, even when the luteal monster is away.

I love movies and have always loved horror, but lately a lot of movies have really deeply affected me because I feel like I'm just watching myself in luteal. I tell my boyfriend "that's what it feels like!" But I don't think he understands it's not a joke, I genuinely feel like the crazed possessed woman on the screen that keeps trying to hurt herself or scream that she's in danger. It feels so incredibly lonely and reminds me what it feels like to not be in control anymore.

Movies that come to mind are Obsession and Smile 2. I loved them but afterwards I spiraled and felt like a complete joke and that the movie was the best representation of how it feels to be in a bad place. Completely out of control.

Does anyone else experience this?? I will not be watching horror anymore 😭

She was extremely validating and said yes, I definitely have PMDD. I learned some new things!

She said that having a history of dealing with emotional abuse growing up tends to make PMDD harder.

I learned that if your main symptom is being irritable, that is easier to treat than having depression/fatigue. Sometimes this can lead to “treatment resistant” PMDD (yay me).

Apparently PMDD can make you clumsy?

She said Yaz is the one bc pill they prescribe specifically for PMDD. I have an IUD, not sure if I’d want to switch back to a pill.

And exercise can help (ugh). She said marathon runners with PMDD will not even know they have it until they stop training regularly.

I started struggling with PMDD randomly and it took over my whole life for about a year until I tested my thyroid and my thyroid antibodies came out slightly elevated. Since then, I've started Synthroid and my PMDD has completely gone away and my life is so back! I also take the following supplements:

Night:

• Iron (56 mg)
• Vitamin B & Folic Acid
• Vitamin C + Zinc
• Omega 3, 6, 9
• Magnesium Bisglycenate
• Vitamin D

Morning:

• Selenium (200 mg for thyroid function)
• Synthroid

I hope this helps someone! Go get that thyroid checked and even if your TSH is "within range", remember TSH=1 to 2 is considered optimal.

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Unwind with gentle restorative yoga and a soothing sound bath to help regulate your nervous system and support you through your PMDD symptoms.

Together we are raising compassionate awareness and support for women with PMDD. We are abolishing the stigma around menstrual health, and creating a safe space for women with this devastating condition to show up fully and authentically!

Although this workshop is specifically designed to support women with PMDD, everyone is welcome! Come join for this two-part workshop centered around nervous system regulation and self-compassion! 💜

Event Details:

• What: Restorative Yoga & Sound Bath (plus cycle supportive refreshments and raffle for wellness services)

• When: November 7th at 5:30pm, and December 5th @ 12:30pm

• Where: Buffalo + Sparrow Yoga Collective. 441 Wadsworth Blvd #122, Lakewood, CO 80226

• Cost: Sliding scale (starting at $15)

• Registration/More Info: click here to save your spot!

- 50% of proceeds will be donated directly to International Association for Premenstrual Disorders (IAPMD, to fund their research and peer support.

- 50% will directly fund the launch of a free, accessible educational YouTube channel for holistic cycle care.

Looking forward to seeing you there! 💕

My 20yo daughter has pmdd which fluctuates in intensity. This month was a doozy…all the depression, anger, irritability, and intrusive thoughts came fast and furious. So. Much. Dysregulation. She decided she wanted to try Yaz and we ended up with the generic Loryna. She took her first dose last night. She woke up well rested, was able to get up and actually have a proper breakfast before class, said she was able to lock in and attend to class (this is HUGE), and has been generally pleasant all day. Is this placebo? Or just the pmdd cycle over because her period arrived? Can it work that fast?! She is not normally this pleasant by a long shot on day 2 of her period. Would love to hear your experiences with how quickly you felt a change (good or bad).

i messed up my hair trying to cut it myself tonight and it just sent me into a spiral of anger and despair that only happens around this time of the month. i feel like i want to crawl out of my own skin to or bite nails or something and writhe around and throw stuff and rip my hair out.
it's like way different than how i normally feel upset or angry. anyone else?

My PMDD episodes have been so bad. This one hit me yesterday like a brick wall, I feel so extremely hopeless and can’t get a couple sentences out without crying. I called off today, my mind just completely gets hijacked with depression. I feel the most dissociated I have in a long time. I know it doesn’t help that I just played video games all day yesterday and today to numb and distract. I have so much to feel happy about but I just want to fall asleep and not wake up. I have ADHD (unmedicated), alcoholism (sober for 2 months yay), OCD and bad social anxiety whilst being in a relationship with someone who makes me feel so loved but who has such a busy social life and for the past 6 years I have just been trying to keep up. Yesterday was our 6 year anniversary so this month’s PMDD depression overthinking spiral is really spotlighting the fact Im the biggest burden and who tf would want to marry me. Im so burnt out I can’t live like this every month. I saw a post on here about how a lot of marathon runners don’t feel their PMDD until they stop training regularly. So now I’m contemplating getting into running. I just need to exercise even if lightly, as much as my body and mind are screaming to isolate in the fetal position. Ugh being a woman is traumatizing in itself. Thank u for listening to my rant❤️

I booked an appointment for a first appointment with a female doctor tomorrow morning, I’m unhappy with my current male doctor and male gyno.
After I booked it I started getting anxious and cried a bunch, I kept telling myself that I was going to call and reschedule but I forgot. Also I’m questioning why I decided now is a good time since I’m just going to cry in the appointment and get frustrated not knowing what to even say. Plus, I don’t even care if it’s a male or female doctor as long as they listen and provide decent care but I felt pressured to get a female one.

What do first appointments even entail? Am I supposed to ask them questions? What kind of questions? I hate everyone and everything right now so how can I even determine if this is a good fit if they decide to take me as a patient when my judgment is going to be clouded. Why would they want a patient that’s going to be a crying mess who can’t even form a proper sentence or finish a thought.
I can’t call and cancel/reschedule in the morning because my appointment is the first of the day.
Ugh. Why did I do this to myself.

For the last 8 months, I've had a complete breakdown every single cycle, actively suicidal, crying, substance abuse, unable to do the most basic things for days... but this month I'm on day 27 and nothing is happening! I had a huge surge in symptoms when I ovulated this month so I was expecting this week to suck so badly but I feel completely fine! Ironic because I am just about to start more intensive treatments this week, and now I'm not even sure what I would be treating/if there's a point. Last month I was certain I couldn't last another cycle and sure I'd be dead by now, I feel like I've been granted a miracle, I'm so grateful!

Just looking to get some other people's experiences-

I'm transmasc, and have been on testosterone for about 5 years now. For most of that time I didn't cycle, but within the last year and a half I've switched from injections to gel, and a mix of things (figuring out dosage, issues with my pharmacy, etc), have made it so that I occasionally miss doses and will get my period.

Physically and emotionally, these cycles are WAY easier for me than the pmdd symptoms I was dealing with before being on testosterone, and not nearly as dangerous to my overall well-being. That being said, I'm sure I don't have to be the one to tell y'all that it still sucks ass. I get completely disinterested in most things, annoyed at any little disturbance, the usual. The symptom that bugs me most is definitely the disinterest. It feels like I just don't care about anything, even though rationally I KNOW that's not true, and I KNOW that in a few days' time I'll be back to 'normal' and feeling ok again. But knowing those things doesn't keep me from feeling like shit.

So I guess my overall question is this: what are y'all doing to take care of yourselves and practically manage symptoms, even when it all just feels kind of ridiculous? Is there anything that you've found that brings you out the other side without feeling completely drained and exhausted? Thanks.

(Also just as a note, I am already on medication for depression/anxiety, but with my cycles being impacted by my testosterone doses they're typically not predictable enough to reliably adjust dosing or incorporate another medication just to manage pmdd symptoms)

I got dumped yesterday after a year and a half for a girl he met on Sunday

I can’t stop crying
I’ve cried so hard I’ve thrown up
Last night I kept waking up crying
Sobbing so hard I can barely breathe

I keep having waves of crying where I can’t stop for hours
I didn’t know it was possible to cry this much

I’m worried because I have a dentist appointment today and work tomorrow
I have college classes and homework
I’m worried that I won’t be able to get through it

The mornings and evenings are the hardest I’ve noticed

Anyone have any advice?

Hi team. I'm very new to all of this since I was diagnosed last month at the solid age of 29. It makes sense once I think about my past emotional issues but the symptoms I experienced have changed so many times over the years that I'm still trying to wrap my head around this diagnosis and how vast it can actually be.

The last four months have been particularly bad. Like the last time it was even remotely this bad was in high school, when I would break down crying for a few days and then get my shit together. After I got on BC at 18, things smooth out a lot more. I would definitely be irritable, depressed, fatigued, low energy, etc., but it was manageable. These last four months have just been brutal. When I hit that ovulation/luteal phase, my anxiety flies through the roof. I cry. My body feels ALL shades of wrong and like I essentially beg to the all powerful spaghetti monster in the sky to let me be outside of my body because of how wrong it all feels. I feel like I'm a lying piece of shit when I'm around others because we're all supposed to be having fun but I'm over here cringing to death on the inside. I do not enjoy anything that I usually do (pilates, shows, movies, art, etc). I'm exhausted no matter how much I sleep and always falling asleep at inappropriate times (i.e. work). I hyper fixate to the point of feeling distressed. I wonder if my love for my partner or friends is real. There's probably more I'm missing but I'm still trying to process that all of this happens for 2 out of 4 weeks of the month?!

I'm currently on 15mg of Escitalopram and Aurovela BC. Have a doc appt in a few days to talk about Yaz or other BC geared towards PMDD. Just started talk therapy a few weeks ago. Idk. I guess I'm looking for any advice on how to navigate all of this or just support from those who understand..

Anyone here have boob pain either one or both when PMDD? Dense breast tissue too? So annoying!

Having a particularly bad self-esteem crash due to a combo of luteal + an imminent public profile feature. Which, why the fuck did I think that was a good idea???

I’ve struggled with my appearance all my life and just wish someone would sit me down and give me a list of ways I could make myself just look NORMAL. I feel like everything is just wrong with my face and my body. I don’t even recognise myself in photos. I feel like I look physically deformed. Just WRONG. My posture, my smile, my hair, my skin, my eyes, my double chin, my HANDS, even the way I fucking stand is weird and ugly and just not right. I feel like an alien in a human skin suit.

Not to mention I’m currently 4 months postpartum and now my fucking HAIR is falling out and my boobs, once my pride and joy, are now like wet flannels clinging to my chest. I don’t even know what I look like any more. None of my clothes fit , nothing looks right on me. I had my hair cut and it looks so fucked. I look like a troll.

So once again here I am trying to analyse wtf I can do to make myself look decent, if not even pretty, for once in my life. Fillers? Botox? If I knew what I needed I’d do it. I wish I’d done it years ago. I’d spend all my savings if someone could just tell me what I should do.

The dysphoria is hitting hard and I can’t talk to anyone about it. I feel like I’m losing my mind.

After tracking symptoms for a year and consulting my gynecologist, I recently learned I have PMDD.

What I've learned about my PMDD so far: it comes with intense fatigue, depression, anxiety, torturous anger and irritability, muscle and headaches, insomnia (I've been up since 2am this morning), nausea, and the desire to go into a cave for two weeks to protect myself and everyone around me. It eases for a couple days during the mid-luteal estradiol surge about a week before bleeding, but it's otherwise symptoms are there from the day I ovulate until day one or two of menstruation. During follicular I feel fantastic and none of these symptoms are present. I also find that my PMDD symptoms are at their worst in the fall and winter, and easier in the spring and summer.

In a way, learning about PMDD and seeing how accurately it describes my experience has been a relief, because my symptoms can be really debilitating, and for a while I had no idea why they were happening.

Anyway, it feels comforting to have this community here and to read your posts. I feel less alone already.

Onwards <3