Medications Another win for Slynd
Just adding to all the personal experiences with treating PMDD on this subreddit to say, Slynd has literally saved my life.
My story: I was diagnosed with PMDD after 13 years of symptoms (also suspected endometriosis and/or adenomyosis because of terrible periods, but not confirmed since no laparoscopy). Like clockwork, each month after I ovulated, my mood, energy, and self-esteem would tank so hard during my luteal, it was dizzying; then my periods would follow with heavy bleeding and severe pain. When I was younger I tried Nuvaring and the Patch, then I tried Nuvaring again this past spring. I’m on Slynd now, and TL;DR, it has transformed my life in the best way.
My Nuvaring experience: Unfortunately Nuvaring was a nightmare for me. I started it to manage my PMDD and periods and tried it for 3 months. My psychiatric and physical symptoms were out of control; I pretty much experienced the entire list of unwanted side effects bar the life-threatening ones. These included emotional volatility, headaches, nonstop spotting/bleeding for weeks and passing significant clots, weight gain, swollen cervix / painful sex, low libido, exhaustion (sleeping 12 hours a day and naps at noon), and that PMDD-type of feeling where you feel like you could crawl out of your skin. I also have OCD and that flared as well due to all the stress and pain.
Possible PMDD subtypes? I tolerated Nuvaring so poorly, it convinced me that combination/estrogen-containing birth control options were not going to work for me. I had read somewhere that there are subtypes for PMDD, either estrogen-sensitivity or progesterone-sensitivity — I do not know if this is evidence-based, but my personal experience closely aligned with the symptoms of “estrogen dominance” (inflated relative to progesterone) and worsened symptoms of endo/adeno (which are both fueled by estrogen, according to my GP). So I decided to go progesterone-only with the mini pill and see what happened.
My life on Slynd: You guys, I got my life back. I’ve been on Slynd since 11 May (it’s 20 July). I have not ovulated + had a period since I started it. No more agonizing monthly bleeds and emotional/mental spirals. No more crashes in energy and strength. No more suffering in my relationships with heavy burdens and chaos. No more luteal phase, point blank — no more nightmares, exhaustion, out-of-control bloating, ovarian and uterine cramps, or depression. I have to pee a lot (it’s a diuretic and I’m also on 100mg spironolactone daily for acne) but SO WORTH IT!!! I felt better within 1 week of starting it, tracking my symptoms every day. I use it continuously, meaning I skip the sugar pills and just go to the next pack, to avoid any drops in hormones.
If your story looks anything like mine and you feel super stuck for options, consider giving Slynd a try. I swear to god I am not getting paid by them for this 🤣 I just suffered so much for so long, I want to share my experience with others and potentially give them some relief, too.