Sage

Lately I've been seeing a lot of advertising for PMDD- Premenstrual dysphoric disorder. It's severe PMS to the point that it interferes with daily functions, and the American Psychiatric Association is considering inducting it as an official disorder, thus making it a diagnosis that can be treated with drugs and whatnot.

However, knowing that I, as well as many thousands of women, had close to the same symptoms (irratibility, anger, anxiety, depression, etc) while on hormonal birth control, I wonder if the researchers have done any correlative studies to see if PMDD has any relation to women being on hormonal birth control. Personally, I think there would be a correlation, but I don't have enough facts.

Ladies, what do you think? Is PMDD a valid, seperate disorder, or are we just seeing it's ascension to the forefront of "women's maladies" because so many women are on hormones that make them borderline psychotic?

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Lady Sage

Fabulous topic Sage!

Normal non hormone supplemental PMS for me includes an occasional mild headache, water gain, chocolate craving and cramps of varying levels.

Birth control PMS includes migraines, insomnia, severe mood swings, needing multiple doses of midol, aleve and motrin and the urge to break things.

Looking back on that list, that was how I felt every day.... just worse at PMS time.

__________________
If only closed minds came with closed mouths.
Minds are like parachutes, they function best when open.
It`s Easier to Change a Condom Than a Diaper
Yes, the rumors are true... I actually AM a Witch.

Sage

Boom, Lady Sage!

This is the type of thing I want to know about- whether or not the people doing studies on PMDD are also ruling out the possibility that the "disorder" is caused by birth control hormones instead of a seritonin imbalance that's linked to hormone fluctuations during a woman's menstural cycle (according to Wikipedia).

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snowy

Well, one of the newest successful treatment for PMDD is--believe it or not--birth control.

The birth control pill Yasmin uses a different form of progestin than other, more traditional pills. Yasmin, in turn, is also being marketed as YAZ, which is used for treating PMDD. The progestin it uses is drospirenone, which is supposed to be more like the progestin your body naturally manufactures.

Given that the theory behind PMDD is that fluctuating hormone levels at that time contributes to the lack of seretonin at that time, it would make sense to use birth control to treat it in some cases as in many women birth control actually serves to regulate the amount of hormone present in their body.

Personally, I found that birth control actually helped with the emotional ups and downs prior to menstruation. It made me feel as if I were on a more even keel.

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If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau

noodle

I've met sixth graders with what appears to be PMDD in my experiences as a mental health therapist with kids, but there were always underlying disorders with it... typically bipolar II, PTSD or GAD. But the symptoms were so much more severe about a week before and then during the first few days of their periods. I did keep track of some of it when I was in the field... they'd be more aggressive, get suspended more frequently, and one kiddo even fell into the pattern each time she was Baker Acted (four times) in the three years I worked with her. You could see it build for about three months prior. From what I understand, though, PMDD isn't comorbid with most of the other major diagnoses? E.g. not diagnosable if there is another condition for which the person meets the criteria...

Only one ended up on the Pill, but she was on so many other medications that I, personally, couldn't say which helped. I've wanted to do more research on the topic for my own knowledge and decision-making, but I'm not in that field any more. I do think that it's highly likely that as women age, the PMDD symptoms could be linked to the hormones in birth control because so many women are on it. Younger girls that have symptoms are also dealing with so many other things that it would be hard to truly diagnose it, in my opinion. I'd be very interested to see what research is done to address this. I was a little wacky without the Pill for five months, but I've been on it for 16 years other than that time frame. My PMS has escalated in the past year to include severe abdominal pain, notable increase in irritability, minor weight gain, and periods of intense rage. The Wellbutrin XL isn't helping as much anymore closer to my cycle, whether I have a period that month or not. I'm examining non-hormonal options because I'm starting to meet the "criteria" for PMDD myself.

Edit: I'm actually on Yasmin and the symptoms didn't increase until I'd been on it about a year. Have they done longer term studies on that one?

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hagatha

Actually I attest to having demonstrated those symptoms without any hormonal supplements. Some months are worse than others, and I usually make a mental note not to engage in any interactions in which I may be inclined to tear a strip off someone. I should probably add to that not sending any emails to bfs either.
I think if this is cited as a legitimate mental health concern, it will enable women to see that they are not crazy, but rather that hormones are a powerful thing and need to be respected and acknowledged as affecting our mental health. Mark PMS on your calender just as you would your period. And track it so you know why you're feeling off and when you can expect to be feeling hormonal surges.
I personally find the pill to be making things worse, but its early and I am willing to cycle it out for a few months before making any decisions.

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Thats the last time I trust the strangest people I ever met....H. Simpson

Lady Sage

Nothing wrong with trying it out for a few months, but please consider this unasked for advice.

Give it a few months only, dont do what I did and stick it out for nearly a year and think you were going crazy. I wont ever get that year of my life back. If after 3 or 4 months things dont improve or get worse, please consider other options.

__________________
If only closed minds came with closed mouths.
Minds are like parachutes, they function best when open.
It`s Easier to Change a Condom Than a Diaper
Yes, the rumors are true... I actually AM a Witch.

hagatha

Okay, that's sound advice. Thanks.

__________________
Thats the last time I trust the strangest people I ever met....H. Simpson