Anxiety, PMDD and ADHD
Hello, beautiful creatures! Today I wanted to talk to you about anxiety, PMDD, and ADHD. I don’t want others to suffer the way I have, so I am sharing this information with you to prevent others from suffering. I also know how isolating it can feel to have medical issues, so I don’t want you to feel alone.
Please note I am not a doctor or a medical professional, and I am sharing my experiences with my health and what has worked for me.
Anxiety
I no longer have daily issues with anxiety for the first time in almost 30 years. Dealing with anxiety, PMDD, and ADHD simultaneously can be extremely challenging. I firmly believe that my anxiety disorder was triggered by my abusive narcissistic birth mother and exacerbated by my ex-husband. When I lived with my ex-husband, who had OCPD (Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder), it heightened my anxiety disorder. I could never do anything right. And I wasn’t family to him because I never got pregnant and gave him a child.
I haven’t lived with my ex for over three years. Between cognitive behavioral therapy with my therapist, inner child work, shadow work, exercise, and meditation, I no longer feel anxious every waking moment. I no longer have to take daily anxiety meds. Even under duress at my last non-consulting job, I was not having anxiety issues, just intrusive thoughts, depression, and burn out.
Therapy
If you are in need of a therapist, I recommend checking out HarmonyUs Inc. This is where I do my teletherapy. I see Dr. Harmony and many of my friends see Therapist Nicki. They offer a variety of different therapy types, couples therapy and more. I truly believe everyone benefits from therapy and everyone should go.
ADHD
I have never been formally diagnosed with ADHD, yet frequently anxiety, PMDD, and ADHD go hand in hand. My therapist suspects that I have a form of ADHD Sensory Overload, which causes meltdowns and some of the body fidgeting I have, such as biting my lip. You can read in-depth about Sensory Overload at InFlow.
Like my anxiety issues, my ADHD Sensory Overload no longer seems to manifest now that I’m not being triggered multiple times a day. I suspect my Sensory Overload could appear again if I were under extreme stress. People have asked me if my PMDD and ADHD are linked. The truth is, I don’t know, but I do know that studies show that PMDD affects more women who have ADHD than women who don’t.
PMDD
Last year, I told you about seeing a reproductive psychiatrist to treat my PMDD. The medications I had from her stopped working after about a year, and I started having many side effects from the medication I was on, so I knew I needed to find another way to manage my PMDD.
At the urging of my best friend Carlye, I went to see my 8th new gynecologist in 4 years. This gynecologist specializes in treating PMDD and often treats PMDD with an IUD, other medications, or in extreme cases, a hysterectomy. It took me at least six months to get in to see the new doctor because the American healthcare system sucks.
When I saw the new doctor, I told her how many different doctors I’d seen, what they’d had me try for treatment and the varying degrees of success. I told her my therapist strongly suspected my PMDD issues were a hormonal imbalance but that the hormonal imbalance wasn’t something the reproductive psychiatrist could treat. On the other hand, this new gynecologist agreed with my therapist and put me on a medication called Slynd.
Slynd
Slynd is an estrogen-free oral contraceptive that contains only progestin. I have had no side effects from this medication, and I’m in my fifth month of taking it. Previously I could no longer take contraception because my body was too sensitive to it.
In the past, I would have mood swings with my PMDD, which is one of the many ways PMDD affects relationships. I would have meltdowns and feel overwhelmed, and PMDD would negatively impact my sleep. I had physical pain frequently, and I felt miserable.
My PMDD does not affect me, thanks to Slynd and my new gynecologist. I no longer have mood swings, and PMDD no longer negatively affects relationships or any other area of my life. I no longer have physical pain from PMDD and barely have my period. It’s incredible.
Learn more about Slynd at their site.
Final Thoughts
At 44, I finally feel free and happy, and I know it’s because of all the hard work I’ve done on myself in therapy and thanks to the Slynd. Having my hormones balanced is a beautiful feeling. If you are dealing with PMDD, I would recommend seeing a gynecologist specializing in PMDD, and a reproductive psychiatrist would be my secondary recommendation.
Since it seems to take a long time to get into specialized doctors here in the USA, I recommend journaling your moods, triggers, and anything else related to what you suspect your conditions are. In my case, it was anxiety, PMDD, and ADHD. I now use a physical journal to track my period, mood, triggers, etc., because I no longer trust apps for that purpose.
Having conditions like anxiety, PMDD and ADHD can be daunting, especially with how the American healthcare system currently works. Frequently doctors want to throw a bandaid on an issue rather than get to the root of the cause and fix it. I’m grateful to have found a gynecologist willing to fix the root cause of my problems. If you are suffering from a chronic invisible illness, I urge you not to give up but try to find a new doctor who might be better versed in more modern treatments.
Again, I am not a doctor or a medical professional. This information about Slynd, anxiety, PMDD, and ADHD is for general informational purposes only. Information in this post may not constitute the most up-to-date information. All liability concerning actions taken or not taken based on the contents of this site are hereby expressly disclaimed. This content on this posting is provided “as is;” no representations are made that the content is error-free.
1- I love your hair!
2- thank you for sharing this I can relate to so so much of what you have written and now feel I may myself try contraception again as part of the solution after being so over sensitive to different types in the past I have avoided all contraception for many years but maybe it’s worth another try 😊
Thank you so much! I’m so glad to hear that you found this helpful. It can be scary to be vulnerable but if I can help people avoid suffering like I have, I want to do it.
I was perusing the link between relief from PMDD and (in my case) CPTSD/anxiety and taking Slynd when I saw your post and clicked. First of all, I thought “what a small world!” because your YouTube videos talking about your standard poodles heavily factored into my decision to get my wonderful first dog, Milo, a spoo, just over a year ago. So, thank you for that!
Onto your story. Wow. It’s so very familiar. I also have struggled with mood and anxiety for years, was raised by a malignant narcissist mother, and went on to marry and divorce an abusive and narcissistic man. (Additionally, I also have ADHD but because I received a diagnosis and have been on medication for quite some time, it’s been thankfully under control.)
Over the last five years, I’ve worked hard with the help of my therapist and doctors to find the tools to manage most of my other symptoms, but I still struggled be free of the endless cycle of increased anxiety and disordered mood that popped up for a few weeks each month like clockwork. I researched and discovered PMDD, but was dismayed to discover how little most doctors knew about it. Then, after two years of directly trying to address this part of my mental health puzzle, I met with a new OBGYN who immediately recognized my symptoms as hallmarks of PMDD and prescribed Slynd to me.
Game changer. Not only did it erase my period and all of the physical troubles that went with it, but more importantly, it simply made my moods level out, my anxiety lifted, and many of those other pesky symptoms of trauma disorders like hyper-vigilance, mental fog, and ruminating gradually evaporated away. It didn’t happen overnight, but it wasn’t slow either. The positive physical effects were immediate and those related to my mental health occurred gently and steadily. All have lasted. I’m on my fifth month and for the first time in my life, I’ve been able to set boundaries without some form of anxiety undermining my efforts to maintain and reinforce them. I’m calm and able to handle stressors thoughtfully without drifting into a triggered shame spiral. Of course, I still get a little anxious sometimes and harbor no illusions that I’m cured, especially from CPTSD, but I’m finally able to utilize all the tools I’ve acquired in therapy with little or no effort, which is amazing. At 48, I feel free.
Thank you for sharing your story, especially since you get to highlight such a happy outcome. I know first-hand what it’s like to feel so powerless because of trauma, but like you, Slynd (and lots of work) has changed my life for the better. Cheers!
Wow, it does sound like we had a lot of similar issues!!!
I’m so happy to hear that my video helped you get Milo! That’s fantastic.
I’m thrilled to hear you also had success with Slynd! I don’t know why more gyn’s don’t think to measure our hormones to see if they’re out of balance.
Congratulations to you on being free too! It’s such an amazing feeling.
I’m so happy for you! You’ve been through a lot and done a lot of hard work. You deserve all the happiness.
Thank you so much Rachel! Persistance paid off in this case!