I'm starting to wonder if I have PMDD. Anyone with experience?

[Clarity]

I have noticed that I have a tendency toward extreme irritability and even moments of actual rage about 7-10 days before I menstruate. I find WOTH and raising two small children very stressful and for a while, I attributed it to my irritability to stress. But I'm starting to realize that while I'm always stressed, my lack of control nearly always coincides with my cycle. Last week I lost my cool with dd1 and I'm ashamed to admit that I got absolutely enraged with her. She was starting to whine and wind up to have a tantrum and I nearly lost it with her. A totally over the top reaction and not typical of how I typically parent or respond. Today, I lost my patience over something annoying, but relatively minor at work. I spoke very impatiently and irritably to a fellow colleague and I just felt sick about it the rest of the day. I haven't even mentioned my irritability with dh.
I don't have any real physical discomfort, is that always a part of PMDD?
How do I get help or an eval? Do I call my ob or a therapist or my general practitioner? Thanks so much if you can help.

[Clarity]

Bumping for the morning crowd.

[ThreeofUs]

Just a note to say I'm there with you and am wondering WTF. I was thinking this was a hormonal readjustment or something, but I'm also getting AF about every 21 days, which is just really special. NOT.

[wolverine2]

This response is a litte fuzzy with the details because it's about my SIL and I don't know all of what happened ,but we always wondered if my SIL had this- eventually convinced her to see a therapist along with a gynocologist. She first went on some meds (not sure, but I think it may have been prozac for just one week a month) which made a huge difference. But then it turned out that she had some kind of cyst(?) or benign tumor in her ovary, and she had some minor surgery to have it removed. Apparently this can affect mood as well, and the gyn said removing it should help a lot.

I'd definitely see a gyn and rule out anything like this (and I think some kinds of birth control pills can help as well?)

[Melaine]

Prozac has definitely helped some of my symptoms. I take the Prozac for anxiety, but the doctor did say it would improve/regulate my cycle. Apparently my serotonin levels are low. I definitely feel my anxiety symptoms are related to hormones and seem tied to my cycle at times.

[janeybwild]

Could have written your post myself. :hug5:I'll be watching this thread for ideas. The only thing my OB came up with was Prozac or going on the pill to regulate hormones to see if that might help. I'm trying diet and exercise changes first.

[jerigirl]

Definitely talk to your OB/GYN. I started taking Lexapro and it has helped immensely.

[Tondi G]

You could try a more natural route and take Evening Primrose Oil. Omega 3's are supposed to be helpful with depression .. my psychiatrist recommended it to me when I was being treated for PPD/anxiety. Vitamin D could also be helpful... they are finding many people are not getting enough. Calcium and Magnesium too... trader joes makes a Calcium, Mag, vit D supplement.

Other than that I took Lexapro and loved it, so if your doctor suggests it and you are not opposed to it then I recommend it!

[elektra]

A few years before I became pregnant with DD, I ended up on Serafem for this. It's basically a low dosage of Prozac. I had never even heard of PMDD, but I was mentioning to the nurse practitioner at my OB that I would get what I called "crazy" right before my period. I would seriously consider leaving DH and moving to NYC kind of thoughts. But then it was like I would come to my senses a week later and wonder WTH I was thinking.
I am considering talking to my dr. next week about it again actually, as I have been a bit of a hormonal mess this past year. It's like I can finally feel myself coming out of a fog, maybe because DS is close to being weaned.
It did bother me a bit to have to depend on the drug, and it's why I eventually went off of it. That and because I wanted to get pregnant. But I must say that I had a noticeable difference in my outlook on life with it. It was like that feeling you get when you are really looking forward to something at the end of the day or something.

[Clarity]

You could try a more natural route and take Evening Primrose Oil. Omega 3's are supposed to be helpful with depression .. my psychiatrist recommended it to me when I was being treated for PPD/anxiety. Vitamin D could also be helpful... they are finding many people are not getting enough. Calcium and Magnesium too... trader joes makes a Calcium, Mag, vit D supplement.

Other than that I took Lexapro and loved it, so if your doctor suggests it and you are not opposed to it then I recommend it!

So it's ok to take EPO while bf'ding? I only nurse 2, maybe 3 times a day, but I thought I'd seen something about EPO while nursing.

[infomama]

I tried EPO and it didn't really work for me. What did work for me was yoga. May sound simplistic but I feel like a totally different person when I leave a class.