YES. You nailed it---6 months out of the year, essentially, I feel pretty ok. The rest of the time is nothing short of nightmarish. My irritability/anxiety/moods/OCD all of it increase by about 50%. I am seeing an internist in a couple of weeks to see if he can help pinpoint the reason--maybe something's off with my hormones?

The cramps/cravings I can deal with. But my sleep gets exponentially worse as well. During my last period--the worst day of it--I was so anxious/on edge I seriously considered calling 911 (no one was home) because I thought I was either about to lose my mind, in the middle of losing my mind, or I would hurt one of my animals out of sheer frustration and insanity. Thank god it passed; it lasted about two hours (during which I reminded myself the hospital would only sedate me, as I'm already under psychiatric care and taking multiple meds, plus now (at least here) they're trying to keep from holding people overnight for evals (yay healthcare! the hosp bill would be an added stressor), that if I think I'm going crazy it's actual just anxiety and I won't die, but it was horrific. I could deal with it a lot better if I wasn't alone when it happens. I've tried telling my bf---it's like the most intense discomfort you can possibly have, minus actual pain.

I have half-joked to him to find a straightjacket to wrap me up in during those kinds of days before he leaves for work, just so I know I can't hurt myself or anyone else. I honestly think I'd feel better if I had one.

Needless to say I dread my periods. It's been like this on a minor level for years, but in last several months or more it's gotten much worse. If I thought I could live without the estrogen, I'd get a hysterectomy. It's not worth all this...

Side note: the SSRI I'm on for my OCD is also supposed to help PMS/PMDD.