What Is PMDD?
PMDD is not PMS. Premenstrual dysphoric disorder causes severe mood changes -- depression, irritability, anxiety, rage, hopelessness -- in the week or two before your period. Then it clears up once your period starts. About 5-8% of women of reproductive age have it.
PMDD is caused by an abnormal sensitivity to normal hormone shifts. It is biological. Many women go years without a diagnosis because providers dismiss it as stress or regular PMS.
How We Treat PMDD
SSRIs are first-line treatment. Sertraline (Zoloft), fluoxetine (Prozac), and escitalopram (Lexapro) can be taken daily or only during the luteal phase -- the two weeks before your period. Luteal-phase dosing works because SSRIs act on PMDD symptoms faster than they act on depression.
If SSRIs alone are not enough, we add medications targeting specific symptoms. We coordinate with your OB-GYN if hormonal options are on the table.
What to Expect
We ask about your cycle, symptom timing, and severity. Tracking symptoms beforehand helps but is not required.
Insurance and Payment
We accept Blue Cross of Idaho, Regence, Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, and Idaho Medicaid. Cash pay is available.
When to Get Help
If your mood crashes every month like clockwork and you feel like a different person before your period, that is PMDD. It is treatable. You do not have to gut it out every cycle.