More Anxiety Through Monthly Female Issues?

[Anrish]

It's a problem I have to face every month. The time right before my menstruation is like personal hell. My anxiety is almost twice as high as usually.

I didn't sleep at all last night and called in sick for work today. My body aches everywhere and trembles and my mind is restless. It's like I'm in my head but I'm too far behind to have control over myself. Like I'm not here for 100 percent. I'm already taking pain killers against the physical pain but there hardly enough to make me feel better.

The bad thoughs like "Please, kill me" or "I want to die" are becoming more during these days each month - and there's nothing I can do against them. I live alone and I'm too weak or my body hurts too much so that I can't go to visit anybody - and no one lives close to me. It's worst when I have to take a day off, then I'm totally lost to my dark thoughts. My fears, my memories...

My gynecologist and my therapist don't know how to help me. The easiest way would be to take birth control bills which I mustn't take or I would risk a thrombosis. I also played with the thought to have a surgery that I won't be able to get my menstruation anymore. But my best friend talked me out of it because it would also destroy the chance to get children.

My former boyfriend always yelled at me and blamed me for being sick all the time. He even made an offer to impregnate me (I was 19 when he said that!) which I turned down.

I hate this time of the month. I feel worthless and useless...I just can't focus and I'm anxious of everything and everyone. I don't want to be alone but I'm afraid of people...

Maybe some of you these prementrual symptoms and effects of your mood...and maybe you know some way how to deal with it. I would appreciate it.

 

[NovemberStar]

Hi, I didn't have that, although I used to get very bad period pain requiring emergency treatment and heavy duty pain relief drugs at the hospital, but I did have a friend whose PTSD was distinctively worse at different times in her cycle. She had very strange dissociation experiences, that for ages confused doctors who thought she might have epilepsy of some sort, but after many years of elimination as to causes, it was put down to PTSD. It's definitely not 'in your head'!

I understand why you can't take the pill (I was offered it too due to severe pain) but I did have a Mirena put in - an intrauterine device, which releases very low dose progesterone, the equivalent of one mini pill a week. Taking 'the pill' left me with extreme mood changes, but due to the low dose nature of the Mirena, I have had no side effects of it. A lot of women with it don't get periods anymore. I don,kt and hence, no period pain - freaking bliss!!! It lasts for 5 years and can be removed anytime, and does not affect fertility.

I would definitely NOT recommend the depo injection - very very very high dose progesterone, and can't be taken out of your system, it has to wear off over 3 months.

I'm not sure if its the combined pill you can't take due to blood clot risk (i.e. oestrogen is usually linked to the increased risk of blood clots) or if that includes progesterone also, but it might help to ask your Dr about it. If you can have progesterone, then ask about a Mirena.

Other things women try to help alleviate some PMS symptoms include:

*** evening primrose capsules (high does, and some women take more closer to their period for maximum benefit)

'*** vitamin B complex - (in particular, vitamin B6, I think?)

*** eliminate caffeine, salt and sugar from your diet - I definitely had less pain / symptoms from cutting out caffeine in particular.

*** drinking plenty of water, and fresh vegetables

I'm sure if you goggle you will come up with a bigger list - it's been over a decade wince I've had to try any of these remedies because its been that long since I'd had (consecutive) Mirena's in place and a decade without a period - woot woot!!:p)

I realize it is PTSD symptoms you struggle with more than PMS, but if the two are linked, then it can't hurt to see if treating the underlying PMS helps with the PTSD symptoms. Hope that helps:hug:.

PS) I am so glad that knob of a boyfriend is a former boyfriend - what a jerk!

 

[ellienad]

@Anrish Oh dear, I completely understand what you are going through!! My anxiety skyrockets during that time of the month as well, and triggers become unmanageable. It's also when I have the worst flashbacks and dissociation. Hormones can do crazy things to our bodies! I too was put on birth control, but that only made my anxiety worse and gave me awful mood swings.

Do you take medication for anxiety? My therapist suggested that I try having something such as Xanax on hand to take during that time of the month when things start to get bad. Not everyday, but just a low dose when I need it. I have yet to try it as I just brought this up to my T, but I'm wondering if it would be helpful.

I've found that taking L-Tyrosine leading up to/during that time of the month is helpful in taking the edge off of my anxiety. Also taking a melatonin before bed to help me sleep.

 

[Deleted member 1860]

PTSD may be a contributing factor, but there is the possibility that there is something else going on. Of course doctors just want to throw that damn pill at you. It is a Band-Aid and does NOTHING to fix the underlying issue. I have had hormonal issues since I hit puberty but never cared cuz not getting my period was awesome and I hated that reminder of being female. But I digress. Over the last few years the hormonal issues got worse, in part because of copper overload because of an IUD (intrauterine device). Fast forward to last summer (now in my mid 30's) and I end up going on a strict diet that coincidentally eliminated gluten/wheat from my diet. Well damn. No more sore breasts. No more cramping. No more acne. No more moodiness. Nothing! And I was to the point of being sore and bloated and moody for 2+ weeks out of the month. Basically miserable. I finally realized that my adult acne is because I can't eat wheat. Oh, but my dermatologist never indicated that I may have a more serious issue, rather just wanted to throw topical medication and pills my way which did nothing for me so of course I stopped taking them.

The issue of food sensitivity is far more widespread than most people realize. The thing is, oftentimes you don't even realize you're sensitive to a food, and you won't know if you're sensitive to a food until you do a full and extended detox where that particular food is eliminated from your diet. I am now wheat/gluten free, soy free, going corn free (a bit tougher), and this is on top of dealing with a lot of food allergies. Thank goodness I am the kind of person who can eat the same thing for a month straight and not get sick of it. But I digress.

I think that food sensitivity may be an issue for you. Yes, it IS tough to detox, but if you find out you're sensitive to a food, then it is well worth going through. Now, when I eat wheat I have horrible pain in all of my joints and muscles. Its horrible! My skin breaks out and I just feel crappy overall. Even cross contamination can be an issue, which stinks, but it is SO worth it knowing that I will feel better by just changing my diet.

Of course this may not be an issue for you, but I think its something to think about. Some people are sensitive to wheat, some to corn, some to soy, some to dairy, etc.

 

[Fadeaway]

I don't have the physical PMS symptoms, but oh boy to I get the emotional symptoms. 3 days of non stop anxiety and a hollow feeling in the center of my chest like something beloved to me has been ripped away. Birth control pills aren't an option for me either.
I just have to be very aware and constantly remind myself that it is my period and not rational thoughts or emotions. Not that that always works, but sometimes it does.

 

[Anrish]

At first: Thank you all for your nice comments. It really helps a lot to read that I'm not the only person who has to suffer with these monthly issues. I went to work again today and with my pain killers I even got over the day somehow - but everything was in slow motion and I still feel unstable. Only one wrong word or gesture and I'm short before crying.

@NovemberStar: Thank you for your nice advice. But I'm not allowed to get anything which is combined with hormones - even in low doses. That would already be enough for me to risk a thrombosis. I'm glad to hear that you have less problems with your Mirena. :)

And thanks for the food advice. The funny thing is that I don't even dring stuff with caffeine. I already changed my diet in some way and it got a little better concerning the physical part. But the psychological part is sometimes worse - with dissociating, flashbacks, not feeling tired or awake...but it feels so good to be able to talk about it here, that already helps a lot.

@ellienad: Thank you for your comment, too. I don't take any medicine at all concerning my PTSD. My new therapist was kind of surprised. But I'm too afraid that I might get dependent to the medicine that I don't take anything besides the pain killers. I still hope to figure out another way without more pills. I'm curious if Xanax might be able to help you. I really hope it might. Good luck for you on this one!

@Solora: Thank you for your comment. It's really a new perspective. I just found out that the pain is less when I eat less carbolytes during this time of the month. I think I will ask my doctor next time. I'll have an appointment in July.

I can't imagine to live without wheat, I love to bake so much...but I suppose it's better to live without it than to suffer the pain all time. I really hope for you that everything will get better. :happy:

@Fadeaway: Thank you for your comment, as well. I know the problem about remaining rational and just telling myself that it's only a physical matter and that it will pass...I only have some homeopathic stuff I can take to calm down. It's making the emotional chaos easier to deal with, but it's not helping when I'm already drown.

Thank you all once more! It really helped me and opened new perspectives to me. :wideeyed:

 

[NovemberStar]

@Anrish

I would encourage you to talk to your specialist - to clarify for certain you cannot have low dose progesterone - estrogen can increase the risk of thrombosis for sure, as can high doses of progesterone, but low doses of progesterone (like in the Mirena or implant, and some mini pills) contain very low doses and according to this article, you would not be at an increased risk necessarily.

If you are taking anti-coagulants, the risk is even smaller.

http://www.stoptheclot.org/learn_more/womens_health_faq.htm

As with anything, there is always risk and side effects. Then it becomes a matter of weighing up the chances of a negative outcome, versus no treatment at all.

I'm taking not one, but 3 medications that can cause a prolonged 'QT' on an ECG. One of the meds I am on has a 2 x more likelihood of sudden cardiac arrest than someone not taking it. Combined with severe bulimia and anorexia last year, my ECGs were abnormal and I was at risk of sudden cardiac arrest HOWEVER, given how severe my depression, anxiety, and PTSD was then,m it was still more likely my PTSD would kill me than the meds I was on and the risk to my heart stopping. Add to that, that one of my key trauma's was witnessing my mother's fatal heart attack as a young girl, you can probably begin to appreciate it was potentially pretty difficult decision to make. I'm glad I did go on the meds at the doses I did - because without them I may have killed myself anyway, or died form my eating disorder. AT least I had the chance to have my depression and suicidality treated, and the other things are easing now too.

It's all about relevant risk - depending on how bad you struggle with PMS - if you are at risk of suicide or harming yourself, then that might pose far less risk to you than taking a low dose progesterone only hormone and having thrombosis. If that makes sense?