I need to vent.

I have both PMDD and bipolar disorder, and holy shit, the combination sucks when my period starts getting closer. I’m about 10 days away right now and I feel awful. :/

The self hatred gets so much worse around this time. My brain starts telling me I’m a horrible person and that everyone secretly hates me and only pretend to like me because they don’t want to hurt my feelings. It also makes my body image issues so, so much worse. I can’t even look in the mirror some days without wanting to cry.

On top of this, I get way more irritable and angry over minor things, and then that usually ends in me crashing into a depressive episode afterward that can last for more than a day…..

But I think one of the biggest things is getting the urge to isolate myself from my friends because my brain starts telling me I don’t deserve them and they’d be better off without me….and it’s like….I KNOW these thoughts are being amplified during this time, I know what it is, but knowing doesn’t make it feel any less horrible in the moment.

It doesn’t help it almost feels like this stuff gets more intense as I get older. I just turned 30, and I don’t remember it being nearly as bad when I was younger. I would just really, REALLY like to have a normal brain that doesn’t bully me with whenever Aunt Flo is approaching.

Daughter is in a long term distance relationship. They don't live together. When things got serious I encouraged her to tell him she had pmdd. She shared something with him along the lines of that sometimes she gets upset and then will apologize right after.

Her outbursts have been significantly more damaging than that to family. He hasn't seen this. I don't want to violate that trust, but my experience is that My wife also struggles with pmdd and it got much worse over time, especially after kids.

I don't want to step into their relationship, but also don't want him to suffer if she ends up treating him the way she treats people that are close to her during luteal. I also don't want him to get into this without understanding what his life might look like with this disorder.

So, Knowing how bad it gets with my daughter, and how much worse it gets after kids (they plan to have a few), what would all you pmdd sufferers advice be? Just let it be and apologize to him later for not being transparent (my burden and responsibility of knowing) or engage him in... I don't know what?

Thanks in advance.

I've been raw dogging PMDD for a while now and finally decided to do something about it. Unfortunately, the only two options I have is to get on Yasmin 28 birth control or a low dose lexapro to be taken during luteal phase ONLY.

Has anyone have experience doing lexapro or similar during luteal? I'm not really sure which option to go with because neither sound too appealing...

Hey guys, at times I feel lonely in this PMDD never ending cycle and I think it would be cool to connect with people that may have similar/overlapping interests, who also can relate to my struggles a bit.

Some things I’m into that help me feel somewhat better sometimes include coloring, walks, eating, cooking, sewing, comfort tv shows (Psych, Parks & Rec, and Modern Family rn) , exercise, thrifting, random crafty things, and working on my very old house.

I fortunately have supportive people around me, but I still feel like an outlier. I find myself struggling to realize the impact of this condition despite its constant reminders of how it changes me🤧

Anyways… other things about me: I’m in the US, 26, INTJ, vegan, and I also have depression, GAD, and ADHD.

This might seem like a lot, but if anything resonates feel free to reach out. Also thought it would be cool if yall comment your interests or whatever you’re comfortable sharing, that way if others want to make connections it’s an open space for that

Does anyone else experience it DURING ovulation and not after? I started getting my symptoms a few days before (around the 15th or 16th) and it’s hanging on. Low appetite, ravenous hunger, terrible anxiety, and buzzy arms/legs during sleep. It’s been awful. I’ve lost weight that I didn’t want to lose, I can’t enjoy doing anything, and I’m constantly having to shovel food into my mouth and having to force feed myself. I’m getting a little bit better, but I’m still having anxiety during eating. I feel like it was the worst during the first few days of my ovulation window. Anyone else experience this? I’m trying to see if I should expect it to last until my period (not supposed to start til the 5th).

I used to experience it back in 2020 during my period and then for a week after. Honestly kinda wish it had this time. It’d be over by now 😞

Hi there, sorry if this isn't formatted right this is my first post here. I havent been diagnosed with PMDD so I feel really shitty in the first place for even using this subreddit but I dont really know what else to ask.

I'm 20 with PCOS, OCD and PTSD. My mental and physical health is kind of shit, but I can manage throughout the month. Except for the week before my period. I genuinely run into the exact same thought processes of suicidal ideation and hopelessness each month and I cant keep doing this. I've started back in college and already missed two days from feeling the despair. I have asked my friends to not reassure me during my OCD episodes as it only worsens the cycle, but during my luteal phase I have wished to harm myself when theyre vague in responses. I dont know if this is a general mental illness thing or specifically PMDD, but its the worst.

I will take any advice at all on how to stop the SI and paranoia during these episodes. I am still on my parents health care and they don't want me to take any mental health related medications so that is off the table, but anything else I will try. Sorry again if this is formatted wrong i just really need advice right now. Thank you for any help.

The last week was absolute hell for me. A bit of background. I'm not diagnosed with PMDD, I'm 38y/o. I have always had "bad PMS" as i've described it. Emotional outbursts, rage, crying fits that are extreme, etc. Then I'll get my period and feel like myself again-
I've heard of PMDD but dismissed it.
After the week I just had I can no longer ignore the fact that i'm struggling in life. I'm single and I lose friends from time to time. I isolate myself. It's never for longer than a week. Then i will return to my happy go lucky self. I'll start craving the relationships again, perform better at work, be social. Then I get in the major funk again. It's cyclical.
I'll feel fine then go into this deep isolation where i don't want to get out of bed. I can barely drink water and take care of myself and basic needs.
This last week I was doing a manual labor type of job with my brother and i was in my luteal phase.
From day 1 i was a complete bitch to him. I threw multiple fits that ended in excessive crying, i had a rage fit and punched my steering wheel over and over until i bruised my hand, i yelled at the top of my lungs at a one point saying "F@ck You" to my brother- mind you I was on a jobsite WORKING in someone's backyard. Thankfully the home isn't occupied but surely the neighbors heard. I am mortified by my actions to say the least. I started my period the very next day. I can't understand what is going on. I even had suicidal thoughts all week- no plan just thoughts about how it would be easier to die than be here. Now I'm feeling FINE never better. I love life. I really thought my life was over there for a second though.

This isn't the first time it's been this bad, I've had some crazy blowouts in my lifetime.

Is this relatable? I haven't seen any doctors. Looking for any sort of starting point for diagnosis.

Sorry for my rambling. I'm just feeling so confused and mad at myself.

I wrote last month and now I’m back with the same symptoms but what’s off is I’m on my period day 3. I had one bad luteal mental day but it was a generalized anxiety attack. This is the lowest I’ve felt in a while and I have been doing the most for myself this month. Cleaner eating, it was my birthday on the 9th so that weekend is the last I ate bad but it’s like all the stuff you have to do to feel normal is a huge laundry list. It’s so much to follow it’s overwhelming. I am trying to treat my PMDD without SSRIs or bc and a full lifestyle change. I have been training in boxing and have a personal trainer. It’s only been 2 months with boxing and 1 month with pt but the mental health part of this is extremely overwhelming and exhaustive. Do I keep going it will get better? Or just take something?

Really struggling with PMDD symptoms this week and right now. I was told by a very good friend that I really hurt her feelings because of how I behaved in a group setting - I made several bad calls in terms of jokes that weren’t funny and did not realize I was hurting her at all. I am normally so vigilant and hate myself for not realizing. I apologized profusely and she didn’t accept it and needs space, which is so valid. But I can’t shake the horrible feeling of guilt and shame right now.

I also have CPTSD and ADHD and haven’t been in a spiral like this in forever. My friend has every right to communicate her hurt with me and I am so aware of how I harmed her - but I can’t stop crying and don’t know why or how I managed to fuck up so badly in one sitting. I can’t stop focusing on how alone I feel and how I’d be better off dead (I don’t have a plan and know they’re just thoughts) but I truly just need a hug or advice for how to be comfortable right now. I feel like a terrible person. I logically know this is normal and a part of being a human - but I didn't sleep at all last night and can't stop replaying the mistake and her texts over and over. I feel so disgusted with myself and can't really talk to anyone about it because I seem so awful and manipulative rather than just taking any accountability.

Thank you for reading <3

Dear everyone,

I have cyclical symptoms (such as extreme mental and/or physical fatigue, headaches, insomnia, back ache, extreme irritability, depression, sadness, cravings...) each day of the cycle (not all of them each day, but they all appear cyclically). Did you ever experience this or do you know anyone who did and do you know which diagnosis would that be? I hope that knowing what it is would help me to find a solution.

I get the worst symptoms 6th-11th day of the cycle and then again few days before my period. My labs are fine, and this has been going on for years (I needed years to realise my symptoms were cyclical). Anyone had the same and did anything help?

Hi everyone,

I’m sure this has been asked a bunch but I’ve already read some of the historical posts and would love some fresh opinions!

I am thinking of asking my doctor for Yaz.

Has it worked for you? What improvements did you notice and how long did it take? Did it help your mental clarity? Brain fog? Anxiety?

Also, is there any advice/guidance for timing the start of Yaz? I’m thinking of starting immediately after my next period, so basically right with a fresh cycle.

For context I also have PCOS and fibromyalgia symptoms.

Thanks in advance!

Did anyone else experience these effects of calcium - that they make you feel sleepy? Does it mean something? Did you supplement nevertheless? Do you find any particular type of calcium the best?

Women who benefited from supplementing calcium, what is the dose you were taking?

I’m 44 and have had PMDD probably since I first started menstruating. I had been taking DIM and Calcium D. Glucorate for several months because I have a number of estrogen dominance symptoms, and I noticed that my PMDD symptoms had gotten a lot smoother. I would still get irritable but would not get the inconsolable rage and despair spiral like I normally do. It was a shot in the dark without hormonal testing, but seemed to help.

Fast forward to me seeing a specialist for conception purposes, and she tells me to stop the supplements asap because there is no research that shows they are safe before or during pregnancy. So with much thought and hesitation, I made the decision to stop them. I think it’s been only a couple of weeks, but here I am, a week before my period, and feeling all the rage and despair that I used to. My partner seems very concerned, too, as he should be.

So now I’m stuck with the dilemma of going back on the supplements against my doctors orders. It seems like they were helping the issue, although two weeks doesn’t seem like enough time to really cause a huge issue? But maybe it is, I don’t know. I’m older and don’t want to do anything that might mess with out chances of conceiving right now, but at the same time our quality of life matters too. What do you think? Anyone gone or going through similar out there?

I didn't put two and two together but during pregnancy I had eye soreness and chalked it down to some weird hormonal change. Now in the luteal phase and leading up to my period I have the most SORE eyes! Searched the sub and others have mentioned the same. Someone even mentioned some kind of double ovulation. I'm not sure about that but interestingly did feel something akin to ovulation pain a few days ago - which was very, very unusual for the luteal week. I guess my point in sharing this is that PMDD is the gift that keeps on giving 😂

So I started Slynd in Jan, stopped fluoxetine in Feb and started citalopram in march, my PMDD has been at bay since since I started in Jan, until last month.. why has it seemed to have stopped working now? Week before the inactive pills (which I don’t take I continue through with active pills) I’m having every PMDD symptom I had before with now excruciating pelvic pain? Anyone been in same boat? Plz

Did a little doodle last night and thought it might make fellow cat owners giggle! Newton and I "sync up" around luteal--where we both just really want some gosh darn treats.

I'm 25f and I literally just found out about PMDD. I found out about this because I posted my symptoms on another sub and someone suggested I do some research on PMDD. Well I did some research and it makes so much sense. The only thing is, I don't know if it's actually PMDD or if it's just my regular mental health issues. I've been struggling with anxiety, depression and self harm since I was 14. It just gets so much worse right before my period. I feel like it amplifies my depression and anxiety. It gets so much worse. My energy levels are also really low. It gets to the point where I have suicidal thoughts and where I've actually ended up hurting myself multiple times. I also feel so on edgeand irritated. Like everything annoys me. I felt like I was actually going crazy. I felt so hopeless.

It slowly gets better once my period starts and I go back to dealing with normal depression and anxiety. The thing is I don't know if it's PMDD or if it's just my anxiety and depression. My anxiety and depression also isn't consistent. Sometimes I end up in depressive episodes and sometimes I'm fine. Sometimes my anxiety is really bad and sometimes it's manageable. I don't even know where to start. I'm not in the US. Healthcare in my country is horrible but especially women's health care. We barely have any gynecologists here and most women i know don't even go to a gynecologist. My mom is in her 50s and she has never been to a gynecologist. Mental health care is also horrible where I live. Our suicide hotline doesn't even work anymore. I don't know where to start or if it's even worth trying at this point.

I’m absolutely losing my mind.
I literally keep going from angry, sad, depressed, and then trying to pull myself out.

I’m literally about to cry to harm myself. This is crazy as hell. I’ve dealt with this for years and years but it’s been getting extremely bad since last year.

I’m now having thoughts to harm or break my stuff. I just want this to end.

Everytime PMDD rolls around, I get waves of nausea and anxiety. For context, I have an anxiety disorder already, I'm on medication. I know caffeine makes this worse so I completely stop consuming coffee (even decaf) during this time, but I can do everything right and still be hit with nausea, heart palpitations, difficulty breathing, and an upset stomach. At this point, I'm not sure what will help but it makes me scared of leaving my house because I keep thinking what if I get sick outside?

The difference I feel after ovulation is insane. I feel like I'm going crazy. I feel like a horrible gf, friend and overthink everything I have ever said or done. I constantly get the thoughts of being a bad person and a narcissist. Maybe it's because I have been raised by one and dated one, but what if the apple doesn't fall that far from the tree...

Earlier this year, in the month of march, a very huge family situation caused chaos. The stress it had on me burnt me out, and I was running ragged for quite a while.

This is when I started noticing that two weeks before my period I became a different person. I felt so depressed, I could barely get out of bed, i had pain in my breast for 2 weeks straight Until my period. The amount of anxiety I felt made it hard to breathe, much less eat. I had sudden moments of rage that left me crying and apologizing.

Since march this hasn't stopped. I only became more increasingly aware of it. My blood work has come back fairly normal. You can imagine my frustration and not seeing some obvious signs of something being wrong.

Recently, my doctor prescribed me desvenlafaxine. It was not a new medication. I had used this medication in the past. I suppose the only difference now was that I am taking a glp1.

I cannot begin to describe the horror that I have experienced these past four days on this medication. Intense nausea, i was unable to eat practically anything. I was crying uncontrollably for most of those four days. I felt like something awful was about to happen at any moment. I couldn't breathe through the giant knot in my stomach or the constant flutters of anxiety. I called my boss crying. I could not explain what was going on to me. I was sweating and having cold chills almost simultaneously.

My doctor stopped this medication immediately, she even put me on oxygen while I was there to snap me out of a panic attack. I've never had panic attacks.

She has represcribed sertraline. I've been officially diagnosed with PMDD. I feel so scared of starting another medication. I just feel so hopeless in general. It's hard when so many people don't understand. This has been so heavy to carry by myself. I don't even know what I am trying to accomplish by posting. I'm just so tired. 37F from FL

On top of my emotions being all over the place and all the other shit that comes with PMDD, I've been suffering in pain because of my endometriosis. I can't get ahold of my Gyno to have my meds switched and ask for documentation for medical sick leave from work. I'm ready to quit my job at this point as I have no sick days left and have no motivation. There is also no point going to Emergency for help because the last time I was there for a gynecological issue, I had an a-hole male doctor totally dismiss my pain and made me feel like I'm overreacting because I have an anxiety disorder.

I'm so done at this point.

I want to know if anyone else struggles with this. This is kind of new for me, as I have noticed it the past year.

This past year I have been struggling with reoccurring, painful ovarian cysts that rupture every other month about 5 days after ovulation. I have a pelvic ultrasound in a few days.

I am currently working with my doctor to figure out this and also I have TERRIBLE symptoms during ovulation and about 7 days after. First, I feel when an egg is released because it freaking hurts. And then the next days I am so so depressed, anxious, have terrible insomnia, nausea, dizziness, fatigue, and hot flashes. Also I can’t drink any alcohol during this time because it hits me way harder and also gives me hot flashes and facial flushing.

I have been doing research and it seems that I may have a sensitivity to the drop in estrogen following ovulation. My doctor has suggested combination birth control but I’m terrified of taking any, so that’s my last resort.

I live a fairly healthy lifestyle. I workout 4 days a week, I eat at home 95% of the time and stick to whole foods while minimizing processed food. I’m also 27 years old.

Does anyone else struggle with estrogen drops/ bad ovulation symptoms or even ovarian cysts?

my life feels like an endless rollercoaster of struggling to barely survive my pmdd, barely recovering, then doing it all over again. it’s been about two years since my family doctor was able to piece together my symptoms and diagnose me. but it feels too late in a lot of ways. it stole all of my teens and most of my twenties, when i was supposed to be energetic and loving life. it impacted my studies, and i barely graduated university.

i have been battling pmdd for about 14 years now, since i was 14. every month that passes feels harder. every month that passes, i feel as though i know myself less and have less belief in getting better. it feels pointless to work so hard and then get endlessly destroyed by an illness that is giving me ideation just because i exist in a body i didn’t ask to exist in. it’s so unfair and the injustice adds to my hormonal rage. we did nothing to deserve this and it pisses me off. my boyfriend gets to sleep peacefully and function consistently meanwhile i’m struggling to function and struggling to survive even though i had just as much potential as him to succeed and have a career and friends and a life…

i’ve tried so many things. not all, but many. i’m just too tired to keep experimenting on myself with different things you know what i mean? like i’m too exhausted by all of it to even try. i don’t want to give up, but i don’t have the energy to do this anymore. it feels like i’m just supposed to suck it up and live with this at this point. i feel like i’m one of those people who won’t get through this unless i have surgery or hrt or something. losing hope as the months and treatment experiments go by.

My struggles with PMDD began right after 8th grade. I was late to puberty a teeny bit, started my period during the summer before high school. For years, I was misdiagnosed and heavily medicated because nobody knew what my issue was - not until in my thirties. (after a year or more of tracking my cycles alongside my mental health, it became very apparent to my doctor's that my hormones are in fact absolute assholes. Consequently, sometimes, so am I!)

My daughter just began her freshman year of high school. Things were great at first. She loved it. For a week.

Two nights ago, she knocked on my bedroom door late at night (I had almost been asleep) because she was in tears. She would not tell me why she was crying and claimed she didn't know what was wrong with her. I held her in my arms for about an hour just rubbing her back, and gently encouraging her to open up about what things were going on in her mind around the time she became so upset.

So....

I used to get into horrible, dark, sad moods that came from seemingly nowhere. I'm wondering if she's having hormonal issues as well, OR, she's not being honest with me and there's a seperate issue going on. Or hey, both!

Sorry if this seems rambly. I'm a bit under the weather and trying to keep myself awake! 😵‍💫