OCDPMDDHELL

Oh yeah and what to do for PMDD: --for sure tell your psychiatrist about it and discuss interventions with him/her --exercise, lay off alcohol/coffee, take calcium, multivitamin, magnesium and a b supplement, do stress reduction stuff (relaxation/meditation) --w/assistance of your doctor, consider supplements (vitex) or meds (spironolactone). And for the OCD, I assume you've seen http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0060987111, but if not it is really worth checking out.

I have some hormone books at home and I'll look up the B and calcium recommendations for PMS when I get home (unless someone else beats me to it). In the meantime, here's the guts of "Brain Lock," courtesy http://hope4ocd.com/foursteps.php: QUICK SUMMARY OF THE FOUR STEPS OF COGNITIVE BIOBEHAVIORAL SELF-TREATMENT FOR OCD Step 1: RELABEL Recognize that the intrusive obsessive thoughts and urges are the RESULT OF OCD. [i.e., "These ideas about bats are an obsession rather than a reality.] Step 2: REATTRIBUTE Realize that the intensity and intrusiveness of the thought or urge is CAUSED BY OCD; it is probably related to a biochemical imbalance in the brain. ["The bat-idea is caused by OCD and doesn't have much to do with 'me,' either.] Step 3: REFOCUS Work around the OCD thoughts by focusing your attention on something else, at least for a few minutes: DO ANOTHER BEHAVIOR. ["So I'm going to go take a walk/get back to work/pet the cats/whatever."] Step 4: REVALUE Do not take the OCD thought at face value. It Is not significant in itself. ["And I'm not going to spend a lot of time trying to figure out WHY my brain is conjuring up bat obsessions.] I read Brain Lock several years ago and as I remember it, they tried this technique on a bunch of people with OCD and had very good results (almost as good as meds, I think). With respect to evening's comment, I have read that estrogen therapy is good for PMDD with the one major caveat being that if/when you stop (i.e. for a sugar pill week, or whenever) you have a precipitous hormone change again. Worth discussing with your doc. Hope you feel better soon, Coatlicue!

Further updates if anyone reads this in the future. There's not a lot of PMDD information around these parts, so perhaps this will contribute something. 1) My Lexapro dosage was doubled from 10mg to 20mg. This has eliminated the majority of my psychiatric symptoms for both PMDD and OCD. It took a few weeks, and initially I freaked out badly. My doctor told me that some people go bananas for a while when their dosage is raised, and apparently that's true for me. But it evened out, and I'm doing much better. 2) Brain Lock is, indeed, a bit down on medicine, but it's been EXTREMELY helpful as far as the OCD component goes. 3) I have cut back on caffeine, which has been a mixed bag. I'm less nervous and jumpy, but it's also harder to combat the Lexapro drowsiness. Also taking my vitamins, and that can't hurt. Overall, I feel much more like a normal person and it's GREAT.

So you are treating the OCD with the Lexapro; are you talking with your GYN about treating the PMDD itself with any medication designed to reduce the hormonal fluctuation in your cycles (or even getting off the ovulation track entirely for a while)?

There's evidence (but not great evidence) that taking vitamin B6 can help with PMS/PMDD symptoms. The dosage is 50mg or so taken throughout the menstrual cycle. Since B6 is pretty harmless (it's water-soluble so your body will flush out what it doesn't need), it might be worth trying.

It's generally accepted (per my psych and gyn) that OCD/mental health issues are exacerbated by hormonal changes. During one of my worst bouts with these two issues, my gyn discovered I also had a calcium deficiency which has been proven (lots of links in google) to make PMS symptoms worse, including the psychiatric aspects. Taking a calcium supplement did help me, but getting my OCD symptoms under control helped me more.

Wanted to mention also, that most hormonal birth control is counter-indicated for people with OCD. In case you are on something, or thinking of taking hormonal BC, make sure your gyn knows your OCD history.

Thanks for everyone's help so far. I see my psychiatrist tomorrow, and I will run this all by her. Here is some added information: --I used to take birth control pills, and they didn't play well with my mental state. I'm not 100% opposed to taking them again, but I am wary. I had never heard that having OCD could be a contraindication for BC pills, though I am not surprised. --I have a multivitamin with a decent amount of B vitamins, and I'm pretty sure I get enough calcium. Is that sufficient? --I once had and lost a copy of Brain Lock. A friend of mine is going to mail hers to me, it's in my future. --I never drink alcohol, but I could stand to cut out some caffeine. Thanks again for everyone's advice. This is helpful to my poor addled self.

I don't have OCD but do have chronic depression & PMDD. I'm on a low dose pill because I can't handle much at all, and I take it continuously - meaning no sugar pills. As a result, no period. I still get a bad PMDD every now and then, but not as frequently. It may not work for you & OCD but maybe it is worth exploring w/r/t the hormones.