Treating “Really Bad PMS”: All The Pills I’ve Had To Take for PMDD
People often assume that PMDD is just “really bad PMS.” And to that, I ask, how many medications have you had to take just to feel stable before your period?
PMDD stands for Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder and is charactertized with debilitating emotional and physical symptoms in addition to common PMS symptoms (i.e. food craving, cramps, etc.). I was diagnosed with PMDD nearly a year ago. I’ve always had pretty extreme mood swings during the few days before my period, but over the past year or so, it’s gotten worse. I feel extremely depressed and anxious ten days before my period is due to start (as I write this, I’m actually six days out. So yeah, I’m feeling it).
A year ago, I was on vacation in one of my absolute favorite spots. I was ten days out from my period and I felt like I had lost my mind. The waves that normally calmed me and soothed my soul made me feel on edge, afraid that they would grab and suffocate me. My families members made me twitch with irritation. The thought of food made me feel sick. I couldn’t do anything that I had wanted to do on my trip, and every time something didn’t go as planned, I was hit with major waves of anxiety and frustration. It was after that trip that I made my first psychiatrist appointment.
I’ve been taking anti-depressants for a few years due to other mental illness and I decided that it was time to seek treatment for managing what I thought was “really bad PMS”. My doctor told me about PMDD and, as cliché as it sounds, suddenly everything made sense. Since then, I’ve tried six different medications. I’ve changed anti-depressants three times and adjusted the doses more times than I can imagine. I’ve tried supplements, some that were easy to find on Amazon, and others that I had to order from a specialty drug store in Kentucky. It hasn’t been easy.
From my experience and my research, some commonly useful treatments for PMDD include anti-depressants, chaste tree berry, and calcium supplements. Currently, I’m on a regimin that includes all three. And I still haven’t gotten it all sorted out.
I’m sharing this because I want people to view PMDD as a medical issue, a medical issue that can be treated. I hadn’t even heard of PMDD before the time I was diagnosed, because whenever I would search my symptoms, I came up results telling me I was “just PMS-ing” or that it was Major Depressive Disorder. So many menstruators live with PMDD, and it’s time we start acknolweding it as a medical, mental health problem. That’s why I’m sharing my story — so that maybe somebody will read this and realize that their feelings are valid and they aren’t just “over-reacting” about PMS.
