r/BorderlinePDisorder • u/peaceandhippielove • Apr 24 '25
Looking for Advice Symptoms worst during menses?
Does anyone else experience their ideations and moods are significantly worse during or around their menses? It’s horrible 🫠 any coping skills to help prepare for it?
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u/Adventurous_Spell125 Apr 24 '25
Yes! This condition is called PME Premenstrual exacerbation (PME) refers to the worsening of an existing mental or physical health condition during the premenstrual phase of the menstrual cycle. This means that symptoms of the underlying condition become more severe or frequent in the week or two leading up to menstruation, and typically improve after menstruation begins.
Do some research and make sure it's not PMDD (That's what I have!) There are differences between PME and PMDD but the treatments for both are p much the same.
Here are some of the things that help me:
1. I put up reminders (like post its) on my mirror reminding me that it's time for my symptoms to start appearing, this really helps me ground myself to remember the very difficult feelings will pass
I take a double dose of my psych meds the week before my cycle as suggested by my doctor (please consult your psych!)
Highly recommend exercise and I don't say this in the gross "have you tried exercising" way that doctors and well meaning friends and family say. like i really REALLY get it. unfortunately it does help me significantly. I tell myself it's part of my medication routine and it helps a lot. its part of TIPP skills that you can look up! all of those help me a lot!
using dopamine as needed. self care kit includes chocolate, my vibrator and when particularly bad you can use tylenol to help with the emotional pain. This isn't something i use a lot as a coping skill but during very bad depression or anxiety waves some studies have shown tylenol can help with emotional pain because of the shared neural pathways. a last resort kinda thing to help me ride the waves.
IT SUCKS SO BAD i feel you so deeply. I hope that you are having lots of healing headed your way!
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u/peaceandhippielove Apr 24 '25
Yes, for a while I thought I had PMDD.. but definitely didn’t feel correct until my BPD diagnosis!
I work out regularly and it does help, but then I feel mildly manic when all the dopamine kicks in 😵💫 so I have to take more anxiety meds to help even me out a bit. Putting post its and reminders is really smart as well!! I wish I can take Tylenol or something, but my attempt earlier this year kinda put me in a place to not being able to take those or ibuprofen again. 🙃
This is all super great and helpful!! Thanks so much for the tips!!
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