PMS and Bipolar

I don't know whats up but i feel like i am having the worst depression in a long time and it just started today and i wonder if its related to my period? Has anyone else with bipolar depression or a related mood disorder felt that their pms is out of control? I can't keep bursting into tears for no reason.

Hello capricornacopia, welcome to Psych Central.

Obviously you know what pms is but here is a link Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) Symptoms: Physical and Emotional

Mood and behaviour symptoms of pms -

• Sad or depressed mood
• Anger, irritability, aggression
• Anxiety
• Mood swings
• Decreased alertness, trouble concentrating
• Withdrawal from family and friends

So you have all that going on as well as your bipolar depression but you do not need to suffer. Please go and see your doctor because there are many treatments for pms. The mini pill, IUS or IUD can level out the hormones and in a lot of cases you may not even have periods anymore, end of problem!

Check out the womens forum here >>> Women-Focused Support

I sufferred from PMS my whole life, when i turned 50 i had a thermal oblation coblation done to stop my periods. Boy what a relief!!! I only wish i had done it earlier. PMS is no fun and probably makes your bipolar worse, i also have bipolar too/

[QUOTE=pegasus;3781955]Hello capricornacopia, welcome to Psych Central.

Obviously you know what pms is but here is a link

Mood and behaviour symptoms of pms -

• Sad or depressed mood
• Anger, irritability, aggression
• Anxiety
• Mood swings
• Decreased alertness, trouble concentrating
• Withdrawal from family and friends

So you have all that going on as well as your bipolar depression but you do not need to suffer. Please go and see your doctor because there are many treatments for pms. The mini pill, IUS or IUD can level out the hormones and in a lot of cases you may not even have periods anymore, end of problem!



Thank you for the reply! I want to be on the pill again because it really helped level me out but my doctor doesn't want to put me on the pill because she doesn't know how it will effect my meds i.e. lamictal/ abilify/ adivan. I just hate feeling out of control and i feel like that so often lately. Do you know of any safe kinds of birth control to use while on medication?

I realize no one has been on here since 2014, but I am hoping to open a line of communication. I feel like we are in a desperate situation.
I have bipolar, and most of the time it's pretty manageable.
But here lately, when it comes to PMS, my emotions are beyond way over the top.
I have scared myelf and my husband.
I have little to no control over not just my emotions, but how I react to my emotions.

The week after July 4th I was suffering from PMS and didn't realize it. I was manic. I was filled with irrational worry and anxiety. Example: I burned eggs and panicked and freaked out. I was crying and shaking. I didnt calm down until my husband hugged me very tightly and squeezed my pressure points on my upper arms. I felt so stupid when I realized what I had done.

Then last weekend, I can't remember what caused it, but I was screaming, throwing things, and having a full blown temper tantrum. When my husband tried to hold me to calm me down, I just banged my fist into his chest screaming at him to get away from me and let me go.

The good thing is he didn't let go. He held on until I "came to." Once I snapped out of it, I just collapsed against his body and melted down until I was exhausted from crying. The other scary thing about these episodes is I dont remember what triggered me or the the things I say to him. It's like a bipolar black out.

I don't know what is going on, but I know we can't keep doing this every month. It's been like this for the past 6 months. I litteraly feel like I am insane.
I know that I am 44, and nearing menopause. I'm not sure if this has anything to do with it.
We have no idea what to do.
I'm scared to add another medication to what I am taking already. We've tried it twice and both times were Not good times.
I'm asking for advice, but also asking if any one else has similar feelings? I feel so alone in this right now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Klt3sGoldilocks I realize no one has been on here since 2014, but I am hoping to open a line of communication. I feel like we are in a desperate situation. I have bipolar, and most of the time it's pretty manageable. But here lately, when it comes to PMS, my emotions are beyond way over the top. I have scared myelf and my husband. I have little to no control over not just my emotions, but how I react to my emotions. The week after July 4th I was suffering from PMS and didn't realize it. I was manic. I was filled with irrational worry and anxiety. Example: I burned eggs and panicked and freaked out. I was crying and shaking. I didnt calm down until my husband hugged me very tightly and squeezed my pressure points on my upper arms. I felt so stupid when I realized what I had done. Then last weekend, I can't remember what caused it, but I was screaming, throwing things, and having a full blown temper tantrum. When my husband tried to hold me to calm me down, I just banged my fist into his chest screaming at him to get away from me and let me go. The good thing is he didn't let go. He held on until I "came to." Once I snapped out of it, I just collapsed against his body and melted down until I was exhausted from crying. The other scary thing about these episodes is I dont remember what triggered me or the the things I say to him. It's like a bipolar black out. I don't know what is going on, but I know we can't keep doing this every month. It's been like this for the past 6 months. I litteraly feel like I am insane. I know that I am 44, and nearing menopause. I'm not sure if this has anything to do with it. We have no idea what to do. I'm scared to add another medication to what I am taking already. We've tried it twice and both times were Not good times. I'm asking for advice, but also asking if any one else has similar feelings? I feel so alone in this right now.

Hi, I have BD. It had always been very challenging to manage, but the year I turned 48 things went haywire. No meds helped anymore. The next six years were mood hell, and nothing less. I don't know that my symptoms were worse during PMS; maybe they were. I just know that perimenopause brought on severe bipolar symptoms.


I was fully through menopause at age 54. At that time my BD had become the worst it had ever been...but meds started working again. I am 57 now and more stable than I've ever been.

Just to add my two cents in my BP was terrible and every month I had swings. Then when I hit 50 I was very very sick and in the hospital for a week on I’ve antibiotics when I recovered my dr tested me and discovered I was in menopause. My BP has been much easer to medicate since then. Never been so stable since puberty!

Thank you so much sharing your story with me. I just talked to my husband and I am going to talk to my Doctor this week. We are going to discuss blood tests, and ask for a good reference on an OBGYN. I am also going to talk to my psychiatrist again.
I'm scared that if something doesn't change or continues to get worse, my husband will leave and my relationship with my kids will be damaged and may or may not get fixed.

Yesterday 06:28 PM
Nammu
Just to add my two cents in my BP was terrible and every month I had swings. Then when I hit 50 I was very very sick and in the hospital for a week on I’ve antibiotics when I recovered my dr tested me and discovered I was in menopause. My BP has been much easer to medicate since then. Never been so stable since puberty!

@mammu thank you for sharing this with me.☺

It might very well be, or not be. Certainly hormonal issues affect a lot of people's moods, and I have read that people with bipolar disorder do sometimes have mood shifts related to hormonal issues. I have bipolar disorder and my answer is because sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. I do think that it is a very important topic for you to bring up with BOTH your psychiatrist and gynecologist. The latter should be more than familiar with hormonal issues that cause depression. I think they may choose certain birth control with this issue in mind.Not all hormonal birth control options work the same for all women. Also, perhaps your psychiatrist could work out a special plan for you around the time you get PMS. Even therapeutic plans could also help.

I'd love to learn more about this. What's the risk involved?

Thank you!

I thought this might be helpful:

What Is Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD)? | Child Mind Institute

I just read it and it described me perfectly. Thank you!