Pmdd or bipolar II?

Hi everyone!

I'm new here,and I'm very happy that I found you guys. First of all I have a question,that is, is it possible that pmdd can be misdiagnosed for bipolar II disorder? I ve been tracking my moods and they always go rather down when I'm approaching my periods.
I've been to an endocrinologist ,to a psychologist and to a general doctor,and they all explain my mood swings with different theories. My psychologist wants me to start on Lamictal, my endocrinologist wants me to wear a vivelle dot patch and my general doctor wants me to take antidepressants.
Anybody in my situation or similar?

Btw sorry if I misspell some words,I'm from Spain but I live here in the states...

Thank you guys!!

I don't know much about BiPolar or PMDD... but I do know a bit about doctors, I worked in a hospital for quite a while. If you go to a specialist, they will tell you what they know.

Your pcp (primary care physician) is just that, colds, minor aches and pains, thats what they know -some are better than others and go in depth in other fields-. They can prescribe general antibiotics, general antidepressants, pain killers... etc, but they can't do specialty stuff.

Your endocrinologist deals with hormonal imbalances, fertility, thyroids etc. That's their specialty so that's where they're going to look, if they run lab tests and notice your hormone levels are off, then thats in their field of expertise to handle. Before going on any hormone therapy make sure they perform the necessary lab work to be positive thats what the problem is. (I'm going to assume you've tried hormone therapy to help with your mood swings because you have the PMDD)

Your psych specializes in the mind, which is why they may be thinking more along the lines of bipolar. It might be worth the try to see if the Lamictal helps any, because if you've been getting hormone therapy (as you're already dx'd with PMDD) and it's not working, then you very well could have both PMDD and BiPolar.

As a woman, I can tell you I have a whirl wind of emotions running before, during and after I have my period. So maybe if you get all your docs to talk/share information they could pin point what might/is or could be wrong. Maybe see if your psych will release your info to your endocrinologist and have your endo look at all of it, and vice versa. With the HIPPA laws you will need to sign a release at both doc offices to have that happen.

Good luck, I'm not sure if I helped any, but I hope I did.

Thank you very much for your answer!! :)

just joined today

I am from Spain too, where from?

having pms too and maybe bp

careful w anti depr (if you do have bp they may send you out for a trip)

have tried something natural?

i am 38 and live in tx

Hi Ami. That's some really good advise.

I'm 25 and a few years back when i first saw the gyno, i was told that i may have a thyroid/hormonal difficiency because of my irregular period. I didn't tell them too much about my psych history (would've been good to). But either way, i get those terrible whirlwinds on top of my depression. I was first diagnosed BP (NOS/typeII) in 2008 after a serious episode and a period of heavy drinking.

Anyway, I never told this to the gyno even though they did ask about the moods because a deficiency in hormones and the thyroid can have similar symptoms as BPII. Long story short, I did not have anything wrong with my thyroid. I just have an irregular period. Soon after that, around the end of 2008/beginning of 2009, i stopped all pyschiatric treatment and about a year and a half ago went to the university counseling center. I've been in therapy since. Around the end of 2009 i started seeing another psychiatrist, of course, after having tried various unfavorable ones since my initial diagnosis. (Gah, it's so hard to find a decent pdoc, especially with no insurance, etc). Anyway, i told this pdoc about the menstrual cycle and how all the other hormonal issues had been ruled out as i had been tested for possible problems there. She didn't mention the BP. I did mention it on a few occasions and well, but she never really gave me a "diagnosis" per se. I did once see that on my chart she had written the code for what is known as GAD (generalized anxiety disorder) and clinical depression in their little famous book. So i guess a question that has sometimes lingered in my mind is actually the opposite of what Españolita asks. Could my initial diagnosis have been more accurate and mistaken or overlooked as just depression with an added pmdd? And does it even matter? I personally think the BPII is more accurate, but as long as i'm learning ways to cope effectively and maintain a healthy balance, or at least be as stable as i possibly can given the tools and resources, i also don't think dx matter much. I guess i'm torn on the issue of semantics.

I do know that i didn't respond well to a few SSRIs i tried. But I mean, as far as treatment, at least I've gotten to a point where i found something that seems to be helping now (mostly the therapy i believe). What are your thoughts?

And hi Mribs. I'm not Spaniard. But my native tongue is Spanish, and i'm also living in TX. :)

Kudos ladies

Hi. I'm new here too Españolita.