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PMS making the anxiety worse.

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Posted 4/16/2007 11:17 PM (GMT 0)
I feel like I've been struggling to reach an even keel but now I'm up to day 3 of PMS. I wake and spend the mornings extremely anxious, then the afternoons drop into a depression.

I know some woman take anti-ds just for a week or so for severe PMS. For girls like us who are already on meds would it be worth checking with the pdoc about going on Advanza or something starting 5 days before and for however long during the hormonal time?

My other option is start popping the valium and knowing how bad the clonazapam cold turkey was I don't want to be taking valium for a week straight each month. If I can ever reach a fully stable level the clonazapam is the first med I want to wean off extremely slowly and in very small amounts.

Posted 4/17/2007 12:02 AM (GMT 0)
anxiety is often worse for women at that time of the month but its worth remembering that men get exactly the same anxiety disorders and panic attacks as women do

once some psychs thought that agoraphobia and panic attacks were a womans disease, caused by hormones

a male school headmaster, his life falling apart and finding it hard to stay at work, was told by a group of eminent psychiatrists that he had aquired, by a process of hysterical conversion, a womans disorder called agoraphobia yeah

many psychiatrists were stupid back then so its likely lots of them are still stupid now, IMO

Posted 4/17/2007 3:25 AM (GMT 0)
aussieangle: i understand what you are going thru. my anxiety and depression seem to peek around that time. i also get very delusional, and i feel like i can't find an even keel, even with meds that i am on. usually i can maintain my regular anxiety with ativan, but sometimes i feel like i just want to crawl out of my skin. i don't want to take anything else, but these feelings have almost sent me to the hospital. i'm concerned because i have started seeing a pattern (super high anxiety durring the day, and deep depression at night) around pms time for only the past couple of months. i see my pdoc tomorrow. hopefully she can suggest something that can help. i'll let you know

take care
emptyeyes
Posted 4/17/2007 3:43 AM (GMT 0)

Good luck with your doc emptyeyes. My PMS has been building up since I developed a tolerance to zoloft, that use to keep me level. It's been a year now and while I feel there's been some improvement feeling really bad for at least 7days out of every 28 can't keep going on.

I see my pdoc on Friday so went down to see my GP today. All she could suggest was B6, magnesiam and calcium. The man at the health food shop said the magnesiam is the main one as it's the one to relax you.

I also took a valium but now feel like utter crap, luckily it's my hubbies day off so he can watch the kids if I need to go crash.

I'm going to organise going to my mums for the next 2 days when hubbies at work unless the PMS lets up. Hopefully on Friday I'll get some answers. i feel so let down that it's been a year and we still can't get the meds right. sad

Posted 4/17/2007 5:02 PM (GMT 0)

I totally understand what you all are going through.  I am 40 years old and I've suffered with PMS for atleast 17 years.  I heard the other day that women that have had their tubes tied or in my case cut and burned, it was linked to PMS.  I so dread it when that time comes around.  I don't like being so ill and I too in the past have suffered from Aniexty/Panic disorder.  I have never took any medication for it because It didn't seem to work.  I have took valarien in the past, right now I am taking 5htp.  I do use hormone cream also.  A couple of weeks before I start I toss and turn every night.  I am either hot or cold.  I have realized that I tend to make mountains out of mole hills right before I start.    If I have a aniexty attack during the day when I finally do get home and I come down off the attack, I am just tired.  I hate all this crap!  I do know what you are feeling.  Also, prayer helps me whole lot and talking about it.

bennettgirl

Posted 4/17/2007 11:24 PM (GMT 0)

Thanks for replying bennettgirl,

yesterday was horrible by afternoon I was a sobbing hysterical mess. I tried ringing the hospital to reach my pdoc but just got the run around with the end result sorry we're full we can't re-admit you. mad

I told them I didn't want to be re-admitted I just wanted to talk to my pdoc. I'm so angry before I left the hospital I knew that this week would be the test with the pms and I was worrying endlessly when my pdoc started me on a worry diary. I finally wrote down my worry and realised that he'd be able to help me organise a backup plan just in case. Well I brought it up and he didn't seemed concerned about me needing a backup plan so now I'm just a huge mess in front of the kids again. My youngest has been following me around everywhere she's worried I'm going to go away again. All I want is for the pdoc to get my moods/ pms under control. I can't keep this happening every month for the next 15 years.

Even my husband said you're getting better, but this happens every month. DER.... I know that and I can't take it anymore. The first 2 days I used the techniques I'd been taught and they helped me get through it but yesterday was just so full on the crying lasted 7 hours straight. (That's one positive of keeping diaries for the pdoc the good and bad is all there in black and white.)

I'm going to mums today which is more pressure on her as she's elderly, but I don't feel safe to be alone.

Posted 4/19/2007 6:13 PM (GMT 0)

aussie, it sounds like its getting worse.  just remember it will be over with soon.  i talked with my pdoc, she wanted me to take an anti depressant for 10 days before.  well, i told her i was sick of taking meds, and that most anti depressants i've taken don't work for me.  i'm going to let it go one more month, and see if its as bad next month,  then i might concider the extra meds, i don't know tho

take care

emptyeyes

Posted 4/19/2007 10:44 PM (GMT 0)
I see my pdoc today, he rang me quickly yesterday and mentioned a complete meds change. I was so messed up yesterday and there's no way I can go through another withdrawal. He's going to have to swap meds to something the can be swapped over at the same time. I was disassociating all afternoon, didn't feel real had the dhakes and felt like I was going through a withdrawal. Luckily I was at mums, I'm worried today as I can't get to mums as I have to be at the pdocs and will have the kids with me. I think I'm going to have to stay seated ,stamp my feet and demand that something be done and not leave until they organise something for me. I can't keep this up any longer.

I see a gyno next month and if they say it's definitely hormones making this worse I'll be telling them to rip my ovaries out. I've got 3 kids and the amount I suffer every month isn't worth keeping them.

Posted 4/19/2007 11:02 PM (GMT 0)
As a male I can't even imagine what you must be going through right now, but I sincerely hope it subsides soon. It must be a huge let down to get out of the hospital and then immediately have to deal with this. You have all my best wishes and prayers.
Posted 4/20/2007 11:40 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks debaser.

I saw my pdoc today and he talked about meds only being 30% of effective treatment. Well the zoloft was 100% for me.
He then wanted to put me on a Maoi? the really old type of anti -d but I said no. He then said we'd cut the prozac back to 40mg. I said if 60 isn't working how's 40 going to?
We've come to the comclusion that I'm dropping to 40 prozac and starting on 15 Mirtazon and gradually weaning off the prozac and go onto plain Mirtazon 60 to 75mg daily instead. If that doesn't work we'll be looking at lithium.
The pdoc also doesn't believe that it's severe pms even though it happens every month and following my diary the symptoms fit in perfectly with severe pms.

How do you sink it into your doc that you need to be stable in order to practise and be able to learn properly the skills you need and to be able to get a job or whatever to improve your life?
Posted 4/20/2007 3:19 PM (GMT 0)

Man, does that sound like me! I get the same symptoms about 2 weeks or so before I start my period. I am either freezing( my hands and feet will feel like ice) or I get sweats...I get too hot. I dont sleep as well..tossing and turning. My heart flutterings are more often, my dizziness gets worse..etc..I hate that. I am just a nervous, anxious mess around my period. I am nervous and anxious most days...but it just intensifies around that time of the month.

Dawn

bennettgirl said...

I totally understand what you all are going through.  I am 40 years old and I've suffered with PMS for atleast 17 years.  I heard the other day that women that have had their tubes tied or in my case cut and burned, it was linked to PMS.  I so dread it when that time comes around.  I don't like being so ill and I too in the past have suffered from Aniexty/Panic disorder.  I have never took any medication for it because It didn't seem to work.  I have took valarien in the past, right now I am taking 5htp.  I do use hormone cream also.  A couple of weeks before I start I toss and turn every night.  I am either hot or cold.  I have realized that I tend to make mountains out of mole hills right before I start.    If I have a aniexty attack during the day when I finally do get home and I come down off the attack, I am just tired.  I hate all this crap!  I do know what you are feeling.  Also, prayer helps me whole lot and talking about it.

bennettgirl


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