Meds or hormones?

[mom0810]

Hi all,

I have been off of zoloft for 4 years.  I'm still in therapy, and have been managing depression/anxiety/ocd pretty well with fish oil, exercise, and CBT.  

Summer is a huge trigger for me.  As a teenager, I was raped in the summer, August (my birthday) to be exact.  I never realized it until last year, but I think that is a big trigger for my subconscious.  

My anxiety/ocd gets much worse after ovulation, and gets almost immediately better when I start my period.  For this reason, instead of looking at meds again, I have been thinking that low progesterone might be my problem.  I had my hormones tested, and my progesterone is, indeed, in the "low" range of "normal".  

I am wondering, though, since it is still normal, do I dare messing with my hormones, or do I just go back on medication?  I have ADD as well, which makes it hard to get things done.  When on zoloft, my ADD was much better.  

My periods are also VERY (scary) heavy, and I suffer with anemia every month, which then makes my depression/anxiety worse.  

[birdhappy85]

I'm sorry to hear you're going through this. I experience something similar with my menstrual cycles. My anxiety and OCD heighten so bad after ovulation and peak literally hours before my period starts. I end up wanting to just start bleeding because I know I'll feel an almost immediate mental relief soon! By that time I'm so on edge and panicky, I'm constantly having to talk myself into just getting through it and not making a scene - especially since I'm most anxious and irrational during that time while at work, and I know my boss and coworkers have noticed it's like a switch has gone off in me at those times. I was on birth control for years and it really helped stabilize my hormonal fluctuations but not completely eliminate my anxiety. Things were more bearable. But then I stopped birth control for a year since my husband and I were contemplating starting a family that whole time, and I honestly felt like I was going crazy for a long time after that. Things actually got way worse when I became pregnant (which I am right now, almost 6 months along! ) so there is no denying anymore that my depression/anxiety/OCD/ADD etc are affected by hormones. I'm unable to function at work now because my panic got so bad and I can't focus at all. *sigh*

Are you able to be on birth control, or are you on it already and maybe it's not helping? I would totally consider taking additional hormone therapies if you think it might help you! And I'd especially do it since you have such heavy periods. I have heavy periods too (although not that severe) and they're a lot lighter while on BC. If our hormones are off in any way, that is clearly a root cause of the mental problems and I don't believe treating them on the surface with psych meds is adequate treatment. It just seems temporary to me. I've tried them and I just don't feel like they help that much. But that's me. Being in therapy to learn how to cope while not on meds or hormones helps me a lot too.

Good luck!

[loveangel]

agree

Originally Posted by birdhappy85 

I'm sorry to hear you're going through this. I experience something similar with my menstrual cycles. My anxiety and OCD heighten so bad after ovulation and peak literally hours before my period starts. I end up wanting to just start bleeding because I know I'll feel an almost immediate mental relief soon! By that time I'm so on edge and panicky, I'm constantly having to talk myself into just getting through it and not making a scene - especially since I'm most anxious and irrational during that time while at work, and I know my boss and coworkers have noticed it's like a switch has gone off in me at those times. I was on birth control for years and it really helped stabilize my hormonal fluctuations but not completely eliminate my anxiety. Things were more bearable. But then I stopped birth control for a year since my husband and I were contemplating starting a family that whole time, and I honestly felt like I was going crazy for a long time after that. Things actually got way worse when I became pregnant (which I am right now, almost 6 months along! ) so there is no denying anymore that my depression/anxiety/OCD/ADD etc are affected by hormones. I'm unable to function at work now because my panic got so bad and I can't focus at all. *sigh*

Are you able to be on birth control, or are you on it already and maybe it's not helping? I would totally consider taking additional hormone therapies if you think it might help you! And I'd especially do it since you have such heavy periods. I have heavy periods too (although not that severe) and they're a lot lighter while on BC. If our hormones are off in any way, that is clearly a root cause of the mental problems and I don't believe treating them on the surface with psych meds is adequate treatment. It just seems temporary to me. I've tried them and I just don't feel like they help that much. But that's me. Being in therapy to learn how to cope while not on meds or hormones helps me a lot too.

Good luck!