Kaleidoscope Eyes
December 16th, 2008, 07:33 PM
Well, after seven years of dealing with periods, I think I may indeed have PMDD, rather than normal PMS. PMDD is a lot like PMS, but the symptoms are severe and interfere with daily life.
Symptoms which make up the diagnosis are:
Very depressed mood, feeling hopeless
Marked anxiety, tension, edginess
Sudden mood shifts (crying easily, extreme sensitivity)
Persistent, marked irritability, anger, increased conflicts
Loss of interest in usual activities (work, school, socializing, etc.)
Difficulty concentrating and staying focused
Fatigue, tiredness, loss of energy
Marked appetite change, overeating, food cravings
Insomnia (difficulty sleeping) or sleeping too much
Feeling out of control or overwhelmed
Physical symptoms such as weight gain, bloating, breast tenderness or swelling, headache, and muscle or joint aches and pains
For a doctor to diagnose it as PMDD, you need at least one of the first four, and at least five total. They also have to occur during the week before your period. Either starting after ovulation and increasing up to your period, or happening during that first week. In any case, it has to be done by the time the period ends. During the week before my period I have three of the first four, and eight or nine total (I'm not sure if physical symptoms count or not. Yeah, I feel bloated, my breasts are sore, and now that I think about it I do get nasty headaches, but I don't know if that's just typical stuff).
According to my research, I should document my symptoms for two straight months, so my doctor can have a record of when the symptoms occur and how the severity may change at different points in my cycle. I have downloaded a handy chart for this. xD I also found out that this is commonly associated with things like depression and bipolar disorder. I was worried that being bipolar would mean that my symptoms would be ignored, but it may mean that it'll be easier to diagnose me. Especially since my symptoms aren't this bad for a majority of the time, just that one week. Except, of course, for the occasional problem that is related to being bipolar. xP
Does anyone else have this? What sort of treatment have you tried? I've read that anti-depressants can help for the mood-related symptoms. Of course I'm already on those, and have previously taken some of the one most commonly used for this, to no avail. Other treatments are hit and miss as far as whether they're effective, and most aren't FDA-approved for this use. There is the one birth control pill, Yaz, which is FDA-approved for treating physical and emotional symptoms of PMDD. I suppose that may end up being my first choice, although obviously I'll see what a doctor says. So, yeah, has anyone else experienced this?
Symptoms which make up the diagnosis are:
Very depressed mood, feeling hopeless
Marked anxiety, tension, edginess
Sudden mood shifts (crying easily, extreme sensitivity)
Persistent, marked irritability, anger, increased conflicts
Loss of interest in usual activities (work, school, socializing, etc.)
Difficulty concentrating and staying focused
Fatigue, tiredness, loss of energy
Marked appetite change, overeating, food cravings
Insomnia (difficulty sleeping) or sleeping too much
Feeling out of control or overwhelmed
Physical symptoms such as weight gain, bloating, breast tenderness or swelling, headache, and muscle or joint aches and pains
For a doctor to diagnose it as PMDD, you need at least one of the first four, and at least five total. They also have to occur during the week before your period. Either starting after ovulation and increasing up to your period, or happening during that first week. In any case, it has to be done by the time the period ends. During the week before my period I have three of the first four, and eight or nine total (I'm not sure if physical symptoms count or not. Yeah, I feel bloated, my breasts are sore, and now that I think about it I do get nasty headaches, but I don't know if that's just typical stuff).
According to my research, I should document my symptoms for two straight months, so my doctor can have a record of when the symptoms occur and how the severity may change at different points in my cycle. I have downloaded a handy chart for this. xD I also found out that this is commonly associated with things like depression and bipolar disorder. I was worried that being bipolar would mean that my symptoms would be ignored, but it may mean that it'll be easier to diagnose me. Especially since my symptoms aren't this bad for a majority of the time, just that one week. Except, of course, for the occasional problem that is related to being bipolar. xP
Does anyone else have this? What sort of treatment have you tried? I've read that anti-depressants can help for the mood-related symptoms. Of course I'm already on those, and have previously taken some of the one most commonly used for this, to no avail. Other treatments are hit and miss as far as whether they're effective, and most aren't FDA-approved for this use. There is the one birth control pill, Yaz, which is FDA-approved for treating physical and emotional symptoms of PMDD. I suppose that may end up being my first choice, although obviously I'll see what a doctor says. So, yeah, has anyone else experienced this?