Posted by Ron Hill on February 21, 2001, at 11:13:47
In reply to PMS vs. PMDD vs. Bipolar, posted by Dan on February 16, 2001, at 15:11:13
Dan,
I want to commend you for your faithful commitment to your wife. I am bipolar and the symptoms you listed for your wife might indicate a BP dx. Here is a link to an on-line diagnostic test. If your wife is not willing to take the test, perhaps you could take the test answering in your wife's stead. Obviously, one needs to be extremely careful with any kind of self-diagnosis generated dx. With that said, however, the on-line test may be of some benefit.
http://www.mentalhealth.com/fr71.html
Also, you mentioned that she is taking Prozac. Is it a pdoc or a fdoc writing the script? What is the dx according to the doctor prescribing the Prozac?
-- Ron
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> This is my first posting here, and in looking through the threads, it looks like there are a lot of other people going through the same types of things.
>
> My wife and I have only been married 2 years. She is in her early 40's. It seems that nearly every month she becomes extremely irritable, moody, and angry for the week before her period (PMS?) as well as the week during, and sometimes even the week after her periods, so that she is maybe civil for only about one week a month.
>
> My wife is an FNP (Family Nurse Practitioner) and has apparently had this going on for years. When it happens, it is definitely a Dr. Jenny/Mrs. Hyde type situation. She claims it has nothing to do with her period, and because she is an FNP, I cannot even suggest to her to possibly see a doctor about it. She has been on Prozac for quite a while, but it doesn't really seem to help much, especially around her period - it almost seems to me to make things worse. I have been told by several people that she might be bipolar, but I do not really know enough about any of this to even try to attempt to diagnose her myself - I do not understand all of this, but not only that, she would not listen to me if I did make any suggestions. I am hoping that she will somehow recognize it on her own or have her hear it from a doctor or other medical expert that she trusts and will listen to.
>
> Last month she moved out to try to try to get her head together and deal with it all. The separation has been extremely difficult for both of us, but it sounds like she is really looking for answers to help her with her situation and I would like to help as much as possible.
>
> The other day I saw a TV commercial which described our situation exactly (extreme depression, sadness, irritation that interfers with relationships, etc), and it mentioned that it might be PMDD and recommended to check with your doctor about PMDD and Sarafem. I was hoping to find some answers about Sarafem and found this thread and hope some of you might be able to help us. It sounds like Sarafem contains much of the same ingredients as Prozac, which she is already on, and which doesn't seem to help much.
>
> Some of her symptoms include:
> Severe mood swings
> Depression, hopelessness, sadness, crying
> Extreme irritability, anxiety, anger, fear
> Fatigue, lethargy, lack of energy
> Decreased self-esteem
> Severe migraine headaches
> Severe cramping
> Breast pain, muscle aches
> Sleep difficulties and
> Insomnia followed by long periods of deep sleep
>
> She drinks lots of coffee (which might contribute to her difficulty in sleeping which might contribute to her irritability). Whenever she has an episode, I always notice that it happens to coincide with her period (which she denies), and after it subsides, she swings the other way into being in a great mood as if nothing is wrong. It is an incredibly difficult roller coaster ride for both of us.
>
> The irritability often causes great stress in our relationship. She is a very sweet, sensitive and intelligent woman, and I love her very much and want to stand by her and support her, but it is so difficult when this "THING" seems to get between us. I am struggling with how to help her and I am hoping that someone might please have some insight or suggestions to help us. Does any of this sound like PMS, PMDD or Bipolar to any of you? Any ideas or suggestions for what I or she can do?
>
> Thanks for your help.
>
> Dan
poster:Ron Hill
thread:3315
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010221/msgs/54579.html