I don't understand why I have such a bad time with PMS. I don't normally hallucinate and I haven't wanted to commit suicide in a very long time.

However, for some reason when I get ready for the monthly monster I sometimes hallucinate and have those thoughts.

Does anyone else have this problem? Does your doctor know why? Mine doesn't.

Any info would be appreciated.

Thanks
Tammy

There is no simple answer but on the other hand it sort of is... Long as you don't mind skipping all the details of hormones and such. Every woman I know is at a much higher emotional state such as anxiety during PMS. "Normal" women can become emotional train wrecks or raging. Now toss in PTSD, ain't pretty. It makes complete sense why you could or would become suicidal or hallucinate, at least IMHO. I know when my stress levels go over I do both, and PMS is a quick ticket there.

I guess mine is amplified by the PTSD and it kind of makes me feel as if all the work I've been doing doesn't mean dittily squat, because it totally goes from 'Wow I'm getting better' straight to schizophrenia.

I can't understand how my hormones can cause this severe fluctuation in my thought process. It scares me because what if I don't snap out of it one of these times?

I asked my gyno to to give me a hysterectomy but he refuses. I'm sick of it! really really sick of it!

Tammy

But think about it, do you think PMS is going to last for a month? Really? (Ask self this while NOT PMSing) Sounds like you have panic attacks working then too as they are in line with feeling you have lost your loving mind and it ain't coming back. Also very common to increase. Very scary, yes. But keep in mind during the other 3 weeks it is very normal. It certainly feels like all your progress you make is quickly flushed, but you do keep bouncing back further.

Just ask why wouldn't hormones mess with your emotions to this level? I would not say thought process straight out. I have seen very docile ladies become absolute nut cases (I did). Obviously it is common or why would it be the butt of sooo many jokes? Now toss in the mother of anxiety disorders with PMS... Train wreck.

I am sick of it too. I also get flustered men on the forum don't understand it. I am at square one once a month. Thing is in time once it passes you are way further coming back out than a few months back. At the time though it very much feels like what the hell is all this shit I am doing and what is the point? In time you can be more accepting of it but I have not gotten to where it is really any easier. I just drive people nuts around me.

Are you dealing with this now?

Tammy,

Last fall after I joined the forum I posted an almost identical post to yours. When my PTSD symptoms went haywire so did my PMS. And my GYN was even talking hysterectomoy for a while, too. But as I dealt with my traumas, the issues from them and leaned to live my life with PTSD in it (like I had a choice) I noticed that it got better. Not quite so bad.

Although it didn't go away all together. My cycle this month was horrible. But I've also been dealing with a trauma. I believe it goes hand in hand. We're all connected...body and mind. There's no seperation there. And whenever anything's off, it can easily lead to more things being off in our bodies.

I did use evening primrose oil for a while (they come in gel caps) and it helped me to keep things a bit more leveled out. Some people swear by them, some people it does nothing for them.

Lisa

Reading the post and answers brought back so many lovely memories...NOT!!!!! The monthly for me was a 3 week nightmare every month. I only had 1 week a month that I felt human. My emotions were everywhere. I was raging, crying, and probably could have committed murder. It was awful. Then peri menopause hit. The rages pretty much left, and the feeling I could commit murder, but the emotional roller coaster went on for yrs. Now I am post menopausal and so glad I am done with all of that crap.

I feel for all of you that are still dealing with it. It does end.

I get the same way during PMS time.

The change in hormones that occurs during PMS & the first couple days of my period, have always caused me to feel and perceive extremes, feel irrational and irritable, and fire off in rage. That was back when I was "normal." :)

Toss in PTSD, and I don't know which way is up for a week+ every month. My PTSD symptoms are greatly magnified, my thought process is simply screwed up, and I will backslide quite a LOT for those few days. :(

So I mark my vulnerable days on the calendar, and I remind my family of PMS, menstrual and ovulation days. Then they know that when I get irrational, that's why. They also know that I need to be reminded that I am feeling the hormones, and that my reactions are being super-amplified due to the hormones. I forget that what I'm feeling is not reality ... it's my screwed-up perception of things.

In the perfect world I guess I would be able to look at my calendar and see, "oh today's a PMS day, so if I feel really angry, I shouldn't pay much attention to it." -- and remember to not pay much attention to it! I can't seem to plug the "if => then" thinking into my head. I totally lose sight of the PTSD & PMS in the heat of whatever I'm feeling or whatever issue is monopolizing my mind .... I need my family to remind me, "it's PMS, just hold your horses a couple of days." Every month I try to teach myself this skill. Most times I fail, but a couple of times I have actually succeeded. Every minute and crisis is another opportunity, eh? :)

Bailey

Yes, yesterday when I posted this I had a hallucination and a thought of suicide. I was pissed because I haven't had a hallucination since August and haven't had a suicide thought since October. I used to have suicide thoughts at least twice a week prior to being hospitalized in July.

I had to take 40 mg of Valium or go into the ER again. I choose to take the Valium and by the time my doc's office called me back, I could have been dead, but they don't care.

I'm OK now, but the whole thing makes me mad because I thought I was over the thoughts of suicide. But at least this time it was only for a minute where as it used to be for days at a time.

Tammy

I've been successful in reminding myself that I'm irrational because I'm PMSing. But in this case, I hallucinated and had a suicide thought. Hallucinations are very rare for me and it scares me real bad and I couldn't get past the self talk of "Just hold on a couple of days and it will be gone" I got the impression that maybe this hormone will cause schizophrenia as it runs in the family. Even though I feel better today it worries me.

Tammy

Hi Lisa, I've always used Valium and it works well. I usually don't take it unless I get real bad like I did yesterday. 20mg is the most I usually take, but I tried meditating which usually helps. However this time it made me scream because I couldn't stop the racing thoughts after 30 minutes of trying. So I took the pills.

I will check out primrose because I would love to get off of these medications.

Thanks
Tammy