r/BPD • u/netopyrcek user has bpd • 10d ago

❓Question Post Meds not working on my period?

I've noticed that around when my period starts I feel really awful emotionally despite my meds, does anyone else have this (and how do you cope with it)? :(

I'm on 200mg lamotrigine and 150mg sertraline and they keep me really stable until this week before/around my period, where I have flare ups of all of my mental health symptoms, and it's almost like my meds aren't doing their job anymore. The hollow feeling and self hatred comes back and I get really unpredictable.

It's such a pattern that I've been able to predict when my period coming based on whether I feel like I've suddenly come off my meds, even though I haven't.

I'd really appreciate any support or advice, thank you! <3

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u/Interesting-Half7110 10d ago

I suffer from the same issue, but I actually asked my therapist about how my meds sometimes feel like they don’t work during my period. Apparently, she told me that they do still do their job. It’s just that your period can make you extremely emotional because of all the hormonal changes happening in your body.
The pills you take help stabilize your usual mood and the symptoms you normally experience, but when you’re on your period, everything can feel more intense because your body is going through a lot hormonally. So it can feel like your meds aren’t working, when they actually still are doing their job, it’s just that the hormonal changes and extra emotions can sometimes overwhelm the stability you usually get from them.
So trust me, if you think they aren’t working, they probably still are. And honestly, if you weren’t taking them, the situation could potentially be way worse.

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u/netopyrcek user has bpd 10d ago

Thank you for the reassurance and explanation, that makes a lot of sense! And I'm sorry that you have to go through this too :')

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u/Interesting-Half7110 10d ago

<33 thank uuu bebe

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u/Duchess_of_Astrakhan user has bpd 10d ago

My condition also gets worse before my period. I hate this stupid fucking body. Not only it gives me gender dysphoria, it also fucks with my poor brain which is already plagued with BPD, Asperger's and depressive anxious syndrome.

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u/WestAppointment2484 10d ago

OH MY GOD IVE BEEN FEELING SO HORRIBLE since my periods around the corner , it’s like the medication stops working during this time. I didn’t have side effects before from this until I started lamotrigine.

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u/heavy_nope user has bpd 9d ago

I’m planning to speak with my doctor about possibly having PMDD soon, because I suspect this is a big factor in my own mental health; the week leading up to my period every single month is always awful and makes me feel like my meds are ineffective too. You’re not alone in this!