Nah, not only you. I dealt with panic attacks and negative ruminations for years, then got fed up with it and visited my gynecologist. It’s about the hormone levels that change before your periods, particularly progesterone drops to a minimum. Most of my horrible symptoms (including breast tenderness and insomnia) stopped when I went on birth control pills. Hope this helps!
Same with me. I thought every woman was going through this until I mentioned this to my husband’s sister, and she was like, “what are you talking about?” Turns out we’re among the unlucky few. You should read about PMDD, only 5-7% of women have it (presumably). There’s not much information available about it, I think it has only recently been added to the book. Anyway, it’s hell time, like you describe, that starts days before one’s period and fades away once the period actually starts. From what I’ve researched, the main treatment for PMDD is SSRIs, which means your antidepressants needs a fix in dosage (it probably should be increased during these days) or a switch to something else.
Definitely not only you. Before my menses, my rational mind is at war with my subconscious. Sometimes it’s torture with how intense obsessions can get. Alas, I have no tips for you, am wondering myself. I’ll bookmark this thread, in case anyone knows of a cure. My only coping strategy is channeling my anxiety and pain into obsessive cleaning. My husband jokes that thanks to my “red days” our house becomes spotless! In all seriousness, it has always helped to reduce my anxious thoughts to more tolerable levels.
It’s very real. Take a look at this study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16528139 I recommend bringing this up with your psychiatrist if you have one.
When I have insomnia before period (basically every month), I obsess that I’m not getting enough hours of sleep and that it will make me lose my mind. I also have bad appetite at this time, and I’ll worry that I’ll lose weight, which is not among my priorities… I have a list of vitamins and sleep pills that I stock up on each month: magnesium, melatonin, B-complex. I’ve been thinking about trying L-theanine, will see what my GP has to say about it...
@NeedQuickHelp Oh that sounds like a good idea. I started knitting, the only hobby that prevents my intrusive thoughts. It keeps me so busy focusing on my work that I can’t focus on my thoughts as much. Admittedly, cleaning the house sounds like a more productive occupation!
@Nancy Thank you for the link. I really appreciate it.
@sarah2 You’re just like me! My insomnia is often self-inflicted. I lie in bed and worry that sleep is not coming. One night turns to three nights of 4 hours of sleep, and by the end of the week feels like I’m slowly dying. It shouldn’t normally be like that, right? It’s selfish to say, but I’m glad to know I’m not alone in this. Curious about your loss of appetite. Mine flares up, I crave sugar right before and when I have my period.
@Veena Choudhary I wonder if it's possible to somehow boost estrogen levels a bit during that period, without taking birth control pills? Some simple effective ways to regulate it. I've ruled out increasing antidepressand dosage, it doesn't work, so I assume your comment about estrogen is closer to the truth than the serotonin issue. It must be something about the hormones.
Studies generally show that symptoms of ocd can intesify during your premenstrual phase (6 days before the period) and the first few phase of your period due to low estrogen. Low estrogen during these phases causes anxiety which then triggers compulsive behaviour as a way to cope with or combat them. Another theory is decrese in serotonin causes because of decrease in estrogen could also be the reason of the rise in OCD behaviours.
Remind yourself every time that it is due low level of estrogen. When you understand why symptoms intenisfy during those time can help you be compassionate with yourself. This will ease down your stress.
you can also exercise which is a natural mood booster and releases endorphins. Exercise like walking, running, swimming or yoga will help you feel better and reduce the intensity of the symptoms.
You can also do deep breathing exercises also to reduce the intensity.
You can even try progressive relaxation technique that involves tensing and relaxing each muscle groups in the body one at a time. This will focus your attention in tensing the muscles and relaxing it. Start with your legs, stomach, hand and focus on each body part while tensing that particular place.
You need to talk to therapist also about what you are going through if you have not done to change the dosage of the medicine if required.