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Has anyone here tried pregmune?
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If you’ve got the option to work from home I would do it on the bad days, that’s what I do. I also try to structure my schedule and work load to accommodate the symptoms (aka track your period and block out time the week before to avoid meetings and travel)
Honestly not sure it works well but it works well enough I haven’t lost my job.
And just to be totally transparent (or if you don’t have it you’ll understand) when I came out of college and had my first full time job I worked as a grain broker and ran my own logistics program and was let go after about 20 months because I couldn’t manage the symptoms. I totally get what it’s like to walk into the doctors office on the last week you’ve got insurance and be crying because you don’t know what you’ll do and feel beat down. I also had the terrible paranoia symptoms for a while and would sleep like 2-3 hours per night for the week leading up to my period. In combo it wasn’t an easy way to live. I take hormonal birth control now which isn’t super effective but has taken the edge off. But I totally get where you’re coming from and have my fingers crossed it gets better for you.
Love love LOVE that this is posted here. I wish PMDD in the workplace was discussed more. I got pretty lucky finding a birth control that managed my symptoms well, but sometimes it creeps through (like rn). I have been the least productive I’ve been in weeks. Luckily my office is quiet this week but I find a lot of help in taking vitamins and supplements (I’m questioning if it’s worse because I haven’t been taking them) and also staying reallyyy organized on my productive days helps me not feel too overwhelmed when the brain fog, depression, and anxiety kick in. Hope this helps and best of luck 💜
Enthusiast
Honestly, part of the reason why I have chosen to be primarily self-employed or be an independent contractor/senior consultant type that has always been either hybrid or remote even pre-Pandemic is because that way, if/when my worst PMDD symptoms act up, it is still not as noticeable on my workflow or affect my self-funded health benefits I acquire from my state’s health marketplace, since:
1) I am not necessarily working on-site under micromanaged view, as long as I meet my deliverables
2) I could delegate or parcel out tasks and high-pressure events or deadlines ahead of time (or even sign on to work remote or from home via telecommute when possible, since dealing w/ traffic can definitely worsen symptoms) since - thanks to my birth control pills also regulating my periods - I am more or less aware of what weeks in the month I will most likely struggle.
3) When symptoms come unannounced, I’ve learned across the years some controlled breathing & silent micro-meditation techniques, plus eating/drinking things like chamomile tea, ibuprofen, cranberry juice, sardines, etc. (generally stuff that I’ve learned for myself that can calm my symptoms) to get me through the day.
4) Sometimes I have been fortunate to have a female direct report or HR or higher up like C-Level who can empathize with my diagnosed/documented by a doctor PMDD, so whatever reasonable work-arounds or accommodations are done without any harsh pushback or snickers from others who might not understand (I.e. obviously this is key something most males may understand & may in fact make annoying remarks about it).
5) If you happen to be a W2 w/ benefits, hopefully you have paid Personal Days (not necessarily Sick Leave Days) you could sparingly yet judiciously use for unprecedentedly difficult symptom days. Like what I also said earlier, the Hybrid, Telecommute/Remote set-up may be useful if/when offered.
Quality employers, clients, colleagues, suppliers/vendors, etc. in general primarily care about deliverables getting done within reasonable time frame and sustaining team morale/healthy company culture.
Many I’ve worked with across the years actually have no idea I have PMDD since I tend to rarely use PTO or Sick Leave unless I absolutely have to, and I’ve largely practiced the bullet points I’ve outlined above so I bring the best out of myself and my team while working around the PMDD.
Hope these insights help.*
Coach
I would suggest possibly talking with your doctor about an antidepressant or anti anxiety regular or rescue med when it comes. It helped even me highs and lows.
Right now, I’m struggling with a combination low productivity, brain fog, and precycle migraines. Still trying to find a way to mitigate.
I agree working remote can help me mitigate anything that takes me by surprise.
My doctor did find that my vitamin D was low and that I was pre diabetic. I’m taking a D supplement and trying to adjust my pasta-loving ways.
Coach
I agree with head of legal. Even if you aren’t truly depressed all the time, SsRI can help take the radical high/low emotional edge of the PMDD.
My dr got me on YAZ which is FDA approved to treat PMDD and offered Prozac if the YAZ wasn’t enough. So far the YAZ is working well enough. But I did just take some PTO because I had pretty severe break through symptoms.
Most of the time I just deal with it and hope it happens when I am not at work. I spent years in talk therapy learning my triggers and coping mechanisms for them. That combined with the YAZ is usually enough to make the symptoms small enough that no one notices.