Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[vintagefiend]

Hello- I'm desperate!
I'm 44 and since late 30s awful pms now diagnosed as pmdd. It begins couple of days after I've ovulated- horrible anxiety- then when period begins, the anxiety goes but I'm left feeling extremely depressed- this only really lifts towards ovulation and i have maybe 3 or 4 goodish days.
so obviously i'm completely fed up- it's just got worse and worse as i've entered my forties- there's a blending of perimeno and pmdd, i think. i cold manage one bad week a month but this is soul-destroying!
tried mirena- awful
i have tried oestrogel 2 pumps, then 3, then 4 over the summer- made me worse, prob didn't suppress ovulation and maybe i should have persevered but it was unbearable.
had zoladex for 3 months which made me the most depressed i've ever been.
i've tried qlaira which made me crazy
just tried evorel patch 200mcg to suppress ovulation but after a couple of days just felt horribly depressed- in fact like i did with the zoladex which seems odd as one is an abundance of oestradiol and the the other is total absence.
i am on 40mg citalopram which doesn't help much so am thinking of changing to venlafaxine (which has worked for a friend)
i've always had a bit of an anxious personality but NOTHING like this- the only other time i've felt so bloody low is postnatally- a severe depression which cleared after a few months with each of my 2 children
i desperately want rid of ovlation but i can't seem to handle the treatments that might get me there!
my gynaecologist  was still keen for me to have full hysterectomy but that scares me given my experience with zoladex (i was suicidal)
so that's where i'm at and wondered if anyone has any bright ideas or is even in the same boat and can commiserate!
i've had great trouble getting onto this site and am not very computer- literate so if i don't acknowledge a reply it might be that i'm struggling to navigate site but should get to it eventually!
Thanks.

[vintagefiend]

actually i think i've posted in wrong section- will try to put post somewhere more appropriate!

[PompeyLou]

Hi ..I'm new to this site but had to reply to your post... I was finally diagnosed with PMDD In 2014 after trying to take my life after 5 years of total hell! In 2015 I had my overies removed to stop the ovulation period and was thrown straight into the menopause..I was put on Livial and felt like a new woman but after 4 months I was told I shouldn't be on this as I still had my womb. I was then told to try one which had progesteron in even though I continually told them my body couldn't tolerate the progesteron... so after a month I stopped taking this as in my husbands words it was like "walking through the gates of hell" so now for 4 months I have been hrt free and feel like a total mess. I'm 45 and feel and look like 105.my marriage is ruined and no doctors seem to want to listen or help. I have never felt so low 

[Babsm67]

Hello Ladies,  I'm sorry that I do not have any answers to this but I do understand exactly how horrible this is & how you must feel because I endure the same misery every month.  Last night, I was an emotional, crying wreck, feeling like life wasn't worth living & pouring out my fears to the Samaritans. Like you,  Vintagefiend, I have always been anxious but, yes, this is on another level & I used to be on escitilopram but, after it had worked well for me for years, I developed an intolerance to it & cannot take it any more. I do have Amitriptyline but find I cannot concentrate the next day after taking it.  However, that may still be another option for you as everyone reacts differently.  Have you tried escitilopram as you may find it works better than citilopram?
After having both of my chi!dren, I had postnatal depression.   I am also on Oestrogel (1 pump) but it doesn't seem to be working at the moment - I seem to be more anxious if anything (on day 4 of period at the moment).  The Mirena was also suggested to me to combat my heavy periods but I daren't have it because I remember how the progestogen only Pill sent me haywire.  Last year, I had a breakdown & ended up leaving my job because of severe perimeno anxiety & depression.  My husband said to me this morning that I am like this every month & it definitely begins after ovulation - he tries his best to deal with it.
Pompeylou - there is an 'Advice for Husbands' section on here - would it be worth printing it out for your husband if he will read it?   Have you tried to get a referral to a meno clinic in your area?  Unfortunately, it appears many gps are not clued up about menopause & several ladies have had to go to meno clinics or be seen privately.
There is one thing I do remember a lady telling me years ago about her sister in that she had always suffered terribly from anxiety & depression but, after her menopause, it disappeared which supports the hysterectomy theory that Professor Studd advocates in severe cases.  I am sure someone else who is more knowledgeable than me will be along soon but I just wanted to let you both know that you are not alone  xx

[Clovie]

To me, these posts definitely point to progesterone intolerance, or 'reproductive depression'.
I too have suffered (not to the same extent as some I hasten to add!) and am prog intolerant myself.
I was told if a lady has PND , PMS then problems with mood at perimenopause she is likely to be over sensitive of progesterone throughout her life. Well this is certainly me. I'm glad that this phenomenon has been recognised now because I've posted before about ladies in the past being labelled as 'witches' (middle aged women!) ladies being commited to asylums as they had 'gone mad' and fairly recently, ladies put on heavy duty tranquillizers in 1950s (?)
At least there is recognition now and it can only get better for our daughters and grand daughters in the future.
 
If any of you ladies haven't tried Utrogestan for your progesterone element then please do try it if you can. It's not perfect but much much kinder being bio-identical than the synthetic progesterones. It has been a god send for me. MUCH reduced symptoms.

You have my sympathies, you really do x.

[dangermouse]

With your ages you are possibly in the peri stage and so you may have oestrogen surges where the highs are much higher and the lows are much lower. Adding hormones can make things worse when the surges happen (often in line with adrenal surges, early morning and late afternoon being the worst).

Have you considered an older generation birth control pill that contains Norethisterone like Loestrin or Brevinor? It's not as prog potent as the POP and not as androgenic as the Levonorgestrel in the Mirena. I personally found the newer type pills, including Qlaira, affected my mood more negatively where Norethisterone gave me a bit more drive and motivation whilst still feeling like myself.
 
It is important though, to give these things time to work so at least 2 cycles, as when you initially add hormones to surging natural ones it can make everything much worse, certainly for the first week whilst your body adapts. Also you can take the pill back to back without having periods as stopping for a week will just allow the surges to come back so my GP said there is no need for it.

Anyway, just a suggestion in case not tried the older stuff.

[PompeyLou]

Hi Danermouse I'm not peri I had my overies removed so I'm definitely in the menopause.. I feel worse and look worse than I did before they were taken out!

[dangermouse]

It sounds like you need to see a menopause expert if the gyn is no longer helping you. Please insist on seeing someone. Maybe at worst having your womb removed is an option if you cannot tolerate progesterone as I assume if you've got no ovaries you will need oestrogen.

Sometimes we have to be firm and pushy to get what we need as GPs probably have to minimise specialist appointments to keep the numbers under control.