I take a continuous birth control which means that I don't take the sugar pills I skip those at the end and start over on the next pack. This has mostly stopped my periods it's supposed to stop them entirely but my hormones are out of whack. My OB/GYN recommended this because of my very heavy and frequent periods but I've noticed that it helps with the PMDD. I also take Effexor as an anti depressant which psychiatrists have told me that it has been shown to be helpful with extreme PMS and PMDD. I know that some with Bipolar can't take antidepressants. I have Schizoaffective Bipolar type, PTSD, and PMDD.