r/PMDDxADHD

‼️TRIGGER WARNING ‼️- suicide

I just left the PMDD sub because they’ve removed 2 comments I’ve made over the months talking about antihistamines.

Let me say this- after talking to my doctor about my symptoms and saying an OTC antihistamine brought me back from >!almost ending my life in my bathroom from a fit of luteal suicidal thoughts many!< months ago, told me that that was a very safe way to manage my symptoms. I’m so sick of seeing posts of other women reaching out for help >!“standing on the edge”!< , and not receiving information that might help because antihistamines aren’t “approved or recommended” for treatment of PMDD. What works for another person might not work for someone else, I agree but the thought of another person being in the same situation I was and not having that info makes me spiral.

I thank my lucky stars I stumbled across someone mentioning antihistamines because I’m still here to tell the tale.

It truly makes me sick. Just a rant, sorry.

Hi! I’m looking for any resources on supporting partners with pmdd. I’ve been with my partner for a little over a year and the pattern of my pmdd has had a slowly progressing impact on our dynamic and mutual feelings of security.

It feels like during my luteal phase everything we have built gets chipped away at by my hypersensitivity and it’s causing him to feel like he’s in trouble all the time or like he never knows what’s going to trigger a reaction out of me.

The rest of the month we have a strong dynamic but I feel I spend a lot of my energy rebuilding and convincing myself that I’m not going to ruin everything we have built.

This morning he told me that at this point he wants some real, credible resources for how he can better understand and support me during this time, as well as resources to help him feel better supported.

TYIA, TLDR: desperate for resources on supporting partners with PMDD

I lost another friend during luteal because of severe pmdd. I was in crisis and called crying and hysterical. She yelled at me and no longer wants a relationship.
I know better than reach out to others when pmdd strikes as nobody cares or understands. I guess I was exceptionally weak this time and called her for support.
I now don’t have anyone to reach out to and am looking for group chats for pmdd sufferers so if I do hit crisis again I can reach out to others who understand and I can support others going through this.

Got laid off May 18th. Got on Texas unemployment in the middle of July. I'm required to do a minimum of 5 work search activities each week. My last money request date was the 12th. That's when the computer had said that my requirement was changing to 3 activities a week. I had already done one job application, so my thought process was "I can easily do the next two by Saturday". Well come Saturday, I'm fucking pissed all day and trying with every fiber of my being to not snap at my 74 year old grandmother who cannot remember her passwords and kept pestering me with questions on how to get YouTube premium and would freak out at simple functions like pulling down the notification menu and turning on the flashlight. I spent a lot of my Saturday stewing and trying to distract myself to not shriek my lungs out. Then I realized "OH SHIT I DIDN'T DO THE APPLICATIONS".... at 11:59 pm.

So many of the jobs I've saved want me to do cover letters and I literally cannot do any autistic masking like employers expect in them -- so I procrastinate on a lot of the saved positions on LinkedIn. By the time I realized that I fully forgot, it was too late to scurry through the Easy Apply positions.

This would be the second time they withhold my money when I have to make the request next Wednesday. I had my money withheld before because the pharmacy gave me the wrong type of Wellbutrin and it made me feel extremely stoned the whole week. They did what was called an ability review. I'm now scared that if I say anything about executive dysfunction, they're going to cut me off of my last unemployment check completely. My parents are depending on that check because neither of them can work. I'm too scared to tell my mom that the last $300 might either be delayed or not come at all. And Texas absolutely despises giving any kind of extra aid, so applying for disability is out of the question. The last thing I need is potential employers seeing ADHD on my background and making up an excuse to refuse to hire me. Or worse, being probed on why I'm requesting disability accommodations for neurodiversity when I've worked a professional job before and have a Master's degree.

What the hell do I do when I'm inevitably questioned over the phone by Workforce next week???? Who else here has fought through ADHD while fulfilling the quota for unemployment?

TLDR: have you tried Guanfacine?

Long version: only knew about the PMDD and was on Prozac for several years - was amazing, saved my life and my marriage. Barely even noticed my cycles. Dropped a bunch of weight / couldn’t eat my feelings and Prozac stopped working. PMDD rage came roaring back despite maxing out my Prozac dose. Then I got pregnant and stayed on the full dose of Prozac even though I felt horribly depressed and anxious. Had horrendous post partum anxiety and higher than baseline depression. Despite knowing this, I made no med changes because PMAD convinced me it would be bad for breast milk/ baby. Spent 16 months sleeping 2 hours at a time. Then finally switched to Zoloft. It did nothing. Finally finally finally convinced doctor to screen for ADHD: very very very obvious yes.

I trying vyvance. Felt like I could see sound and taste color to distraction … not in a good way. In a way that I got lost in details that were irrelevant and was irritable even more so. Tried Wellbutrin. Hard no. Don’t remember why but it was a no.

Tried Lamictal … don’t really think it makes a difference but psychiatrist won’t let me off of it because too many changes at once. So still on Lamictal and Zoloft even though they do jack all.

On concerta 36 am and 27 mg in afternoon sometimes if i remeber. I dont resllg feel like the the concerta is working. Started ozempic and I extra special dont think it’s working.

Doctor had me try seroquil and I was optimistic because it’s all about dopamine. It did nothing except make me sleepy. So I quit that.

Now she wants me to try Guanfacine ER. But I’m SO TIRED. I feel asleep until 9 pm at night. Most mornings I wake up feeling dread about life despite everything being wonderful. And guafacine has a potential for sleepiness. I already have dizziness on standing and ozempic constipation which guafacine can also cause.

Can someone tell me if it helped them?

Has anyone experienced the same, or an explanation for this? I have noticed it across the years. I am not saying when I am single, I do not have any symptoms. But it is almost not noticable.

Curious how many of you have experienced this. This Clancy trial is hitting close to home in terms of how nuts I’ve been or felt during luteal (until getting on various meds and understood how to better track and understand my condition of PMDD).

To those of you with PMDD, ADHD, MCAS, and/or POTS/dysautonomia who take (or have taken) a gestagen (progestin-only) pill: I know I can't ask for medical advice but I'd appreciate if you could share some experiences (or give me a reality check).

My POTS symptoms get much worse during my period, and basically everything else gets worse during luteal (especially ADHD, also mood, brain fog, but also physical stuff like fatigue). About 10 days before my period, I'll be in a flare. So my idea was to try a BC pill (I don't need birth control though). Went to the gyn and sadly they don't have much experience with my conditions.

My hope is that I'd no longer have a cycle, therefore:

• no blood loss (which I guess worsens POTS)
• and more importantly, no more luteal crash.

My concern is: can I expect my symptoms to be as they are now on "good days"? Or will I actually be in constant luteal, so even worse than now? I know an estrogen pill would probably be a bad idea, hence I'd go for the progestin only option.

TW for some strong descriptions of suicidal ideation ahead.

Autistic person with PMDD here. I'm 32. 8 weeks ago my doctor started me on tirzepatide for PMDD. It was slow going, but I do feel like it's starting to help. This last cycle/most of the one before it has felt like mostly what I assume normal PMS is, with just some minor fatigue and crankiness.

The problem is there's still 3-4 days where I completely lose my mind scattered through my luteal phase. It seems to be the first day, 1-2 random middle days, and around the last day. Granted, this is far preferable to losing my mind for 10 days straight like I was doing before, but these bad days are still really bad. Like, "uncontrollable urge to kill myself by smashing my head into a brick wall repeatedly" kind of bad.

I'm just wondering how do you guys deal with the really bad days? Right now I'm struggling so much because I'm spiraling tremendously but it's late and everyone in the house is asleep. I don't have anyone I can go to and I can't do anything to try to soothe myself without making noise and waking someone. It's looking likely I'll be awake all night doomscrolling and sobbing .

What helps you guys through times like this?

Has anyone found anything, even the strangest things, that actually help with PMDD? I find myself to be so unmotivated and depressed it’s so hard to try to get myself out of the funk. It’s all so intense, and I haven’t been able to find anything that works.

I’m looking for personal experiences from people with PMDD, especially those who also have ADHD and Borderline.
During my luteal phase, especially the few days before my period, my Elvanse seems to change dramatically. Instead of helping, I get heart racing, racing/jumping thoughts, anxiety and feeling mentally overwhelmed.

What’s even more noticeable is that my SSRI (Lexapro/escitalopram) also seems to stop working during this time. My emotional dysregulation becomes much worse and my borderline symptoms essentially come back full force. Once my period starts, this improves again.
Outside of the luteal phase, I tolerate my medication much better. I don’t have a regular cycle… So i can’t plan it beforehand, i only notice it while i’m in it.

I’m wondering whether anyone else experiences this kind of dramatic change during the luteal phase, particularly with ADHD medication + SSRI + PMDD.
I’m especially interested in experiences with hormonal approaches or anything that helped with the hormonal fluctuations, but I’m also interested in non-hormonal approaches.

My current medication/supplement regimen:
150 mg bupropion
30 mg Elvanse (Vyvanse)
8000 mg maca
600 mg PEA
Evening
1300 mg ashwagandha
200 mg L-theanine
25 mg agomelatine
5 mg Lexapro (escitalopram)
0.5–1 mg melatonin
400 mg magnesium bisglycinate
660 mg EPA
440 mg DHA

I have also tried several medications for anxiety/agitation/sleep, but I cannot tolerate antipsychotics/neuroleptics — they cause severe inner restlessness and panic for me rather than calming me down. I also don’t want benzodiazepines or Z-drugs because i was addicted.

So I’m curious:
What has actually helped you during your luteal phase?

Thanks

Tried to go out today because I started feeling better. Everything was going well till it wasn’t. My mood completely switched. Depression, anxiety out of nowhere. I can’t be out in public or around people. Currently just got home and curled up into a little ball. How’s everyone’s day? Talk to me 😞?

My partner doesn’t seem to fully get that during luteal I DO NOT want sex or to be touched. I’ve explained gently and sent him articles about PMDD.

Sometimes he reacts with understanding. Other times he blows up and accuses me of rejecting him or using PMDD as an excuse. Because I never know which version I’m going to get, I often stay quiet and just push through sex. I’ve had panic attacks during sex from the sensory overwhelm, when every touch makes me want to throw him off me. Again, sometimes he backs off and lets me recover, and sometimes he gets angry and says "You always do this. You just don’t want me."

It’s made any intimacy during luteal feel dreadful. I find myself avoiding him and making other excuses.

How have you dealt with a partner who is inconsistent like this? Any scripts or approaches that helped protect your boundaries without constant blow-ups? He is also very insecure and clingy, so I'm sure that's where his reaction comes from.