u/Hj_hayes08

I (28F) have been diagnosed with PMDD about a year ago but it obviously has been going on years. I’ve noticed symptoms getting worse and longer. My cycle is longer. Period is longer. Symptoms stronger. I keep all of my rage inside. I handle my anxiety with a therapist and other coping tools but how do yall usually feel throughout your cycle? I feel like I get 4 days of feeling okay and that’s it now. It feels hopeless. Is this all the way until menopause? How do you all cope?

Little vent sesh here. For a backstory I’ve had PD for ten years. I’m recovering so much and will fully recover. My dad had PD for 1 year, my mom for 20 years, and my grandma for 30. All have been panic free for 10+ years. It’s so aggravating when I see people on here say it’ll never go away you just learn to live with it. When experts, doctors, scientists all explain neuroplasticity and how the brain rewrites itself to get over certain disorders, panic included. Is the neural pathway for it still there? Sure. But you can have stronger connections that will override the weak ones. It doesn’t mean you won’t get occasional anxiety from normal things. But you can recover from PD fully. You won’t have panic cycles, you won’t revolve your life around why a panic attack could come, you won’t even think about it anymore. For someone that used to have SI over my panic, it would have sent me in a spiral seeing so many people say no you can’t really fully recover.

Does anyone else feel not as scared about death (of course I still am and think my heart will explode lol) but more scared of the fact that I could stay this way forever? Like I love DARE and Claire weekes and it’s already helped me so much. I’m only a few weeks into that plan vs a ten year PD so I’m not sure if the doubt is normal. But I feel like I’m so scared I’ll just always feel this way and that’s my biggest fear. I guess their theories on how to beat it sound so great and make sense but that when full adrenaline dump, which can lasts hours, days, almost weeks, for me happens I feel like shit I can’t do this.

I’ve had panic disorder for 10 years. My first one was weed induced and circumstantial and then they just stayed. There’s been ups and downs but it’s mostly there. I’m on 150 mg of Zoloft and also prescribed gabapentin and hydroxyzine PRN. I have klonopin too but I don’t use it often. My question is how long did it take? I meditate every day and have gotten better with acceptance but that’s what every recovery story I’ve read says. I want to know from people who recovered how many panic attacks, weeks, months, years did you finally feel better practicing acceptance? Do I just sit there and feel it even though I feel like I may pass out? I’m also scared if I feel them too long that I’ll go into psychosis.