Re: new here and desperate for pmdd help!!!

Hi - I do research on PMS and PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder) and I just couldn't resist making a few comments.

Counseling works, but not overnight. It is best if you see someone with a degree in counseling and social work who is sensible, and practical - not a PhD or psychiatrist. A good rule of thumb is that they should be setting goals with you and directly working to address those goals (the jargon term is directed behavioral therapy). If you are just talking, especially about what happened when you were 5, this is not effective. You need to learn to recognize the onset signs (me, I get migraines too and when I start craving doritos, I know I am going to be a mess 4 days later) and the things that affect you - does your sleep cycle get messed up, do your eating habits change etc/ Stress management techniques also help.

As for the BF - as much of a loss as it is, you can force someone to take the ride with you. Everyone has something, and I would be willing to bet that the BF has his faults. Part of the disorder is to blame yourself for things that are not your fault.

Counseling works best in combination with drugs. Get a better psychiarist. 1) you should really start with the lowest doses (depending on your body weight). I am about 110 - if 100 mg of zoloft is good for a full grown male (usually how they determine optimum dose) I need about half that. 2) Most people have to try a few drugs before they find one that works for them. 3) Many women with PMDD find that they can take anti-depressants for the 2 weeks after ovulation (the last 2 weeks of your cycle) and then go off them for the next 2 weeks. This does not work in men, but works with a lot of PMS patients. Probably the kinds of drugs that will work best are called SSRI's (these include celexa, zoloft, prozac, lexapro and paxil). Each of them are a little different - some are more sedating than others.


A lot of people find that with the combination of a practical counseling and some period of drug therapy, they can make the changes in their lives they need to make so that they can manage the monster. I was in therapy and on SSRI's for 2 years, but i ditched some bad people, got a new job and have a better relationship with my family and I haven't been in counseling or on drugs for years now. Ha - till menopause.

There is hope.