Ladies, a question for you

[crzoldlady]

Are you more depressed when you are having your period? Is it harder for you to handle seemingly normal things?

It is for me. I am also 55. I went 6 months with out a period and had one, now I have gone 2 months. The last few days are the absolute pit. I don't even want to get out of bed. I can't get interested in much of anything but food, the computer and TV. I feel like such a loser. I just can't seem to function. I just want to crawl in bed and stay.

I have not been dx as bi polar yet. I am only on 40 mg generic Prozac daily. I go back to see my pdoc on May 11th.

I hope he changes something then. I hate feeling like this.

[Penny Century]

it is very common to have increased depression around your period. some doctors have their patients raise the dosage of their antidepressant during PMS and menstruation.

of course, as you suspect you are BP, this may not help you, it might in fact aggravate your symptoms. (but it may be something you'd want to talk to your doctor about and look into doing after you've gone on a mood stabilizer if you are, in fact, bipolar.)

[bokworm]

Yes, mood worsens about a week before I get my period. As soon as my period starts, things settle down. Prior to starting on lithium, extreme PMS would start 2 weeks in, just after ovulating. Since lithium, it's nowhere near as bad...pretty mild by comparison. My sister (who also has episodic MDD) also struggles with it.

I have read about what Penny Century mentioned. More specifically, a daily dose of prozac in the latter 2 weeks of the cycle. I think that prozac is used because it has such a long half-life(weeks). Given that you're already on prozac and also pre-menopausal (hard to know when you will cycle), sounds like a good plan to talk about it with your doc.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.f...p;dopt=Abstract

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/511215

[LunaRufina]

I know that my period totally screws me up. I get migraines and feel every type of symptom of depression possible. It has gotten so bad that I only stick with depoprovera to get rid of the periods all together. It works. It interferes with one of my medications but we have now taken steps to fix that so all should be better.

My period has been my worst enemy. It has made my moods go way down and made me terribly miserable, irritable, angry, in pain. I am better off with out them.

[Rabbit37]

Hmmm. I don't find that I am really any more depressed, although I've been struggling with depression for quite a while now, so it's hard to differentiate one day from the next, and what's causing it. I am bitchy as hell, though. I would say I have increased anxiety more than anything.

[peeej]

i do get really wiggy before my period. really damn wiggy.

beyond the pill, my pdoc suggested nothing to me. i don't really want to use the pill. also my GP contradicted that advice. i don't know anymore.

it's not upsetting me at the moment though, because i don't have PMS.

[Guest]

I think that my period was an un-stabilizing influence on me. I take the pill (dianette) for my bad skin, and because I am on nasty Depakote and can't afford to get pregnant (chance would be a fine thing!) and it has helped.

[faith]

I get depressed and very, very nervy and agitated. Like a mini mixed state, just for me. I haven't had that since lithium though, now I pretty much only feel the need to annoy and irritate people for a day or two and then I'm good. I hope your pdoc works something out for you and you feel better soon.

[nomi]

I get both depressed and violently mood-swingy during PMS right on through my period. Sometimes it feels like a mixed state, but then I already have those sometimes, so I guess at times it merely intensifies whatever is already going on with me.

One thing's for sure: my period has affected my moods more and more with the passage of time. I didn't get a lot of mood swings, depression, or anger with PMS until I was in my late 20s.

(Physical pain, now that's another story: it has always hurt like hell.)

[cockers.everywhere]

I used to have a real seriously suicidally depressive mood a couple of days before my period. Strangely enough, since my hysterectomy it has really changed to where I can still tell I'm having a cycle (I kept my ovaries) but I don't have nearly as bad problems. I get a little antsy and down, but I can function.

[crzoldlady]

Thanks ladies for sharing with me.

[Loon-A-TiK]

i get physical pain and very wiggy the week before my period. it is like a build up of both of those from after my ovulation to when my period starts. when my period starts, it is like heaven. i feel like all this garbage is being released from me (well, it literally is! ) i don't have to feel like garbage anymore.

i used to take a progestin only birth control pill, and that surpressed my periods, and i liked that. however, it screwed with my body in other ways and in conjunction with risperdal was just no fun. i had to stop that stuff rather quickly and go on new birth control (i use the nuvaring) and a new AAP (abilify).

[Kablume]

I have had mood/period problems for years. I am almost 48. I am now seeing a menopause specialist and I do believe it is helping me. You sound like a great candidate in my book.

[Dweii]

Yes. I go weird.