u/sugar_cookie_cowgirl

after having a horrible experience taking a low dose ssri during luteal last year, i went back to trying natural/alternative treatments for my severe PMDD. one of them was micro dosing psilocybin for 3 luteal phases, and i am sharing this here for those who are interested.

psilocybin is a natural serotonergic, meaning it increases serotonin in the brain. it is also known to increase neuroplasticity, which creates new healthy pathways for change of mind and perspective, sometimes having lasting positive effects.

as a retired deadhead and psychonaut, i am no stranger to the psychedelic experience. but i have learned that real work (life changes, therapy, etc) need to be done, and that psychedelics are no quick fix magic pill for anything.

i believe that micro dosing has potential, but has it’s limits when treating pmdd symptoms in the day to day. i think there are many undeniable benefits, but in my opinion, it is not a miracle cure by any means. it was more of a foundational treatment for me, one that helped me to change how i saw my pmdd, potentially making other subsequent treatment approaches more successful.

what is micro dosing? why use it for pmdd?
micro dosing is the process of taking small amounts of psilocybin. it can be beneficial in treating pmdd by increasing serotonin, lifting mood, & changing stagnant perspectives.

what does it feel like when treating pmdd?
so to be clear, you do not trip when micro dosing. for me it feels like my mood lifts, and my thought process becomes less critical and more introspective.

how i micro dosed:
ovulation to cycle day 20: .1g golden teachers every 6 hrs
cycle day 20-28: .2g golden teachers/hillbillies every 6 hrs

i ultimately ended up finding such relief from other natural pmdd treatments (see my post history for more info), that i ended up stopping micro dosing after a few months.

i am seeing the growing interest in micro dosing for pmdd and am happy to answer any questions anyone has :)

ps: check out r/unclebens for more info on sourcing

I understand that the connection between histamines and pmdd is quite controversial, but it is undeniable how many of us are getting relief from antihistamines. and i am one of them. have been trying different kinds and was having a lot of success with Claritin alone, then heard about the combination of Claritin & Allegra- and wow wtf is this sorcery? that along with my Saffron Extract (see post history for info) made my past 3 cycles survivable (and even enjoyable) at moments!

sharing this here in hopes it can help someone who needs it :)

tldr: ladies do you experience more limerence at different points of your menstrual cycle? im a life long limerent in recovery & this is what i’ve learned..

i am 42 and have been plagued by limerence my entire life. i can remember the names of my LOs from 1st grade on, some lasting for decades. i’ve even become limerent over bands, musicians, animals, and geographical locations (yes, i became limerent over Northern California at one point lol). as you can probably guess, i hit the jackpot with an extremely dysfunctional, neglectful, abusive family unit- and that along with being neurodivergent, made me a prime candidate for ‘looking for love in all the wrong places’.

as i got older i thought it was getting better, but unfortunately it was just disguising itself in a more covert way, lying dormant until it’s latest, most destructive perimenopausal return- with my last limerent episode being a complete doozy and it ending up with the person reciprocating and it evolving into a full blown emotional affair. this literally shook me to my core, and thankfully i was able to call things off with my LO, tell my husband, get into therapy, work on my marriage, and avoid completely destroying my life from the inside out. thank God.

the last time i had direct contact with my LO was 1 year and 2 months ago. And given that we work for the same company, I am grateful to have stayed the course and am free from the dopamine addiction that our contact caused.

During this past year i have learned so much. One of the most profound things i came to understand is the connection between limerence and the menstrual cycle.

While tracking my cycle daily, I have come to the understanding that most of the limerent urges I experience are during the follicular and ovulation part of my cycle, with a pronounced repulsion/shame response when thinking of my LO during the luteal part of my cycle. With this revelation, I can look back on most of my limerent urges/actions, and see clearly that they were fueled by this state of mind, and I am able to be more aware of this while navigating limerent episodes in the future.