Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome (CPPS)

[OffPills]

Hello fellow members,

 

I’ve searched the site for CPPS with no results. But I’ve read on this site and others that having trouble with urination and tension is a common WD- or side effect.

 

Side effects I experienced from the start of taking Citalopram was the tension in my groins, along with trouble urinating and the sexual side effects. The tension and troubled urination did diminish to some extent but the sexual side effects did not. 
 

I remember every time I stopped Citalopram, being cold turkey or by tapering, the tension in my groins and the troubled urination came back with a vengeance. Along with the sexual side effects getting even worse and issues with bowel movement like constipation and diarrhea.

 

During this last taper I had the same issues, only worse than ever. New symptoms occurred like the need to urinate very frequently, sometimes 4/5 times an hour, along with chronic constipation en perineal pain. 
 

Al these symptoms belong to CPPS, which can cause sexual problems too.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronic_prostatitis/chronic_pelvic_pain_syndrome

 

Stretching and relaxing exercises like in the following link are being very helpful to me, along with breathing exercises and drinking cranberry juice. The pain in my groins and perineum are gone after a few weeks of daily exercises. Urinating has improved too.

 

I was wondering if there are more members recognizing these symptoms.

 

thank you.
 

 

[littlebird]

I get this, but in my case I think it's trauma-related. It definitely got worse when I started tapering! Those stretches look great, I need to get back into doing yoga. Have you found warmth helps? I use an electric blanket and take baths, seems to help loosen me up and ease pain.

[OffPills]

Hi Littlebird,

 

yes, warmth definitely helps. I don’t have a bathtub but use the showerhead instead. Using an electric blanket seems a good idea as well, I’l have a look at those.

 

The stretches helped instantly. After a few days of constipation I did the exercise above for the first time, and the next day I had diarrhea, funny enough. It took longer for the tension and difficulty of urination to improve. After a decrease of SSRI, symptoms seem to flare up.

[Superwoman]

Hi, I also have chronic pelvic pain.  Like Little Bird, I have trauma as well.  So it could be trauma related.  But I also wonder if it could be related to the drugs as well and if chronic pelvic pain is an AD side effect. 

[Charleyhorse]

Hi Superwoman,

 

It can be both trauma-related and drug-related.

Trauma (all sorts, not just the obvious, of the sexual kind) gets stored in the hips and pelvic region, as you may already know. Something to do with the psoas muscles and the tendency of the pelvic floor to tighten up when we are faced with stress. 

 

Antidepressants can cause all kinds of problems in the bladder and bowel region, both as a side effect and a withdrawal symptom.

There's a great article about it on rxisk.org (https://rxisk.org/bladder-and-bowel-problems-after-antidepressants)(I hope it's not against website policies to put in that link) that talks of several bladder and bowel (and pelvic) related problems not only after coming off antidepressants, but also while being on them.

 

Personally I've always had problems in the pelvic area, maybe from trauma as well. But it became a lot worse while on sertraline and coming off it. Especially last time I tried coming off it, doing a fast taper 3 years ago. I started experiencing symptoms that felt like I had a bladder infection but it wasn't (did several tests). I did have a job then that was very physically demanding and I was very enthusiastically training martial arts, but I just knew it also had to do something with the tapering from sertraline and later research on it confirmed my suspicion. It got worse and worse until I couldn't sleep anymore and couldn't walk for more than 100 meters without having to sit or lie down. Had to urinate constantly, little bits, also during the night.

I used a hot water bottle on the belly or the region of the SI-joints to calm things down a bit and with (active) rest, very deep belly breathing and a set of exercises I got from the physiotherapist it slowly got better.

Unfortunately I had to reinstate the sertraline after 3,5 months off. I haven't had is as bad since then, but I think I now understand why all these years (and still) I have to go two, three times a night to the bathroom. It's the bloody medication.

 

Ironically, one of the ways in which things like CPPS/IC/BPS are treated is WITH antidepressants, mainly TCAs. I find that quite mind boggling.

 

 

 

[Superwoman]

On 8/1/2023 at 11:17 AM, Charleyhorse said:

It can be both trauma-related and drug-related.

Trauma (all sorts, not just the obvious, of the sexual kind) gets stored in the hips and pelvic region, as you may already know. Something to do with the psoas muscles and the tendency of the pelvic floor to tighten up when we are faced with stress. 

That's what I wonder.  I only knew about abuse as causing CPP, not other trauma as well.  Although my doctor said it is common in women who were abused, (any abuse, not just sexual) something about a guarding response.  I think mine is most likely related to trauma.  But I do wonder if the AD's are contributing as well.  Or maybe it is not trauma related at all and only related to the AD's.  It is hard to know when there is more than one variable.  I guess the only way to know is to wait until I am off and see if it improves.

 

I had frequent excessive urination that was related to the AD.  I got up multiple times per night to go.  I sometimes had to go again only 15 minutes after just going.  It seemed to be worst when I was really bloated and my stomach distended.  So I don't know if that was putting pressure on my bladder.  It felt like my bladder was not emptying all the way.  The urinary frequency/urgency has improved a lot since lowering the dose, so I now know it was related.  I now only get up typically once per night to urinate.

 

I have not seen many people post here about CPPS so I'm not sure if there is a correlation or not.  My pelvic muscles are very tight.  I have vaginitimus and pelvic floor dysfunction.  The doctor had prescribed me TCA's to treat it, which did help.  Knowing what I know now, I would never touch another AD again though, even if it helps something.  It is so weird that an AD could possibly cause it, but also treat it.  I also did PT and use dialators which helped. 

[Charleyhorse]

On 8/3/2023 at 8:31 PM, Superwoman said:

 I guess the only way to know is to wait until I am off and see if it improves.

That's my route as well. I too am hoping once I am off sertraline (Zoloft) my muscles will be more calm. So far by going down in dose it hasn't really benefited me.

I do know serotonin plays a role in the signalling from brain to muscles. And ADs can run a real number on every muscle in your body. I read (or heard it on a podcast) somewhere about a massage therapist who could tell if someone was on SSRIs, they would be very much tensed up.

 

On 8/3/2023 at 8:31 PM, Superwoman said:

I had frequent excessive urination that was related to the AD.  I got up multiple times per night to go.  I sometimes had to go again only 15 minutes after just going.  It seemed to be worst when I was really bloated and my stomach distended.  So I don't know if that was putting pressure on my bladder.  It felt like my bladder was not emptying all the way.  The urinary frequency/urgency has improved a lot since lowering the dose, so I now know it was related.  I now only get up typically once per night to urinate.

 

Yeah, same here. There were/are nights I had/have the same thing you've mentioned, just having to go every 10/15 minutes. I found out eventually that putting on socks and/or pants in bed would help (because my muscles would be warmer). 

Good to hear it is now better for you. It's really hard to get sufficient sleep when you have to go that often during the night.

Do you use magnesium? Because it can help calm the muscles as well (bisglycinate seems to be best for muscle tissue. Other people use Epsom salt baths or magnesium oil for the muscles. For me, it doesn't really seem to make all that much of a difference though).

 

On 8/3/2023 at 8:31 PM, Superwoman said:

I have not seen many people post here about CPPS so I'm not sure if there is a correlation or not.  My pelvic muscles are very tight.  I have vaginitimus and pelvic floor dysfunction.  The doctor had prescribed me TCA's to treat it, which did help.  Knowing what I know now, I would never touch another AD again though, even if it helps something.  It is so weird that an AD could possibly cause it, but also treat it.  I also did PT and use dialators which helped. 

That's strange, but then again, there's probably more people suffering from PGAD or the opposite, the numbing of the genitals. My thought is there must definitely be some sort of correlation. But I find it difficult to differentiate between side effects/withdrawal symptoms and symptoms I already had before ever taking psych meds.

 

By vaginitimus do you mean vaginismus? Tightening? Or something else completely? 

 

It's good OffPills started this thread. There must be more people who experience similar symptoms? But maybe they just don't link it to the use of ADs?

 

Edited October 20, 2023 by Karma
Name update

[Superwoman]

On 8/4/2023 at 11:45 AM, Charleyhorse said:

That's my route as well. I too am hoping once I am off sertraline (Zoloft) my muscles will be more calm. So far by going down in dose it hasn't really benefited me.

I do know serotonin plays a role in the signalling from brain to muscles. And ADs can run a real number on every muscle in your body. I read (or heard it on a podcast) somewhere about a massage therapist who could tell if someone was on SSRIs, they would be very much tensed up.

  Interesting!  I did not know this.  I noticed on a higher dose that my whole body felt tense laying in bed.  I had restless legs.  I did not know it was a side effect.  Now my overall body muscles feel much less tense and I am able to relax and fall asleep easier.  I have not noticed a difference in the pelvic muscles though.   I have had a lot of symptoms that I did not contribute to AD's, until they improved on lowering the dose.

On 8/4/2023 at 11:45 AM, Charleyhorse said:

Good to hear it is now better for you. It's really hard to get sufficient sleep when you have to go that often during the night.

I didn't have to go every 10-15 minutes at night but sometimes during the day I did.  I would have to go a lot at night though.

On 8/4/2023 at 11:45 AM, Charleyhorse said:

Good to hear it is now better for you. It's really hard to get sufficient sleep when you have to go that often during the night.

It is hard.  It should get better for you too.  I think it took a long time before this improved for me.  I still get the urinary urgency sometimes.  But it is much more manageable. 

On 8/4/2023 at 11:45 AM, Charleyhorse said:

Do you use magnesium? Because it can help calm the muscles as well (bisglycinate seems to be best for muscle tissue. Other people use Epsom salt baths or magnesium oil for the muscles. For me, it doesn't really seem to make all that much of a difference though).

Yes, epsom salt baths.  It relaxes my muscles overall, but I am not sure about the pelvic floor muscles.  It helps me sleep and with anxiety. 

On 8/4/2023 at 11:45 AM, Charleyhorse said:

But I find it difficult to differentiate between side effects/withdrawal symptoms and symptoms I already had before ever taking psych meds.

Same here.  Then for me I have to add trauma into the mix, which just makes it very hard to know what is what.  I thought for years that the genital numbing was psychological, from trauma.  I only recently found it that it is not from the trauma at all.  It is a side effect of the med.  But even for that my counselor had to do an assessment b/c she said dissociation from trauma can cause genital numbing as well.  But she thinks it is from the med. not from dissociation. 

 

On 8/4/2023 at 11:45 AM, Charleyhorse said:

By vaginitimus do you mean vaginismus? Tightening?

Yes, this.  Involuntary vaginal muscle contractions with penetration that cause pain.

On 8/4/2023 at 11:45 AM, Charleyhorse said:

t's good OffPills started this thread. There must be more people who experience similar symptoms? But maybe they just don't link it to the use of ADs?

I hope more people respond.  There is not much info about it. 

Edited October 20, 2023 by Karma
Name update

[Charleyhorse]

Hi Superwoman,

 

Thanks for your reply.

It's good to read you are doing better on a lower dose, and that things are getting clear for you. That things you thought were from trauma or didn't know where they came from turned out to be side effects.

Great that the Epsom salt baths help with relaxation and anxiety.

And also good to read that you have a counselor who is actually willing to discuss things being a side effect from the meds and doesn't just automatically claims its all 'psychological'.

 

Dissociation makes tapering and differentiating between psychological symptoms and side effects/withdrawal symptoms all the more difficult don't you think? I have severe DP/DR that often makes it hard for me to understand what is actually happening. It has gotten worse since my fast taper and reinstatement three years ago.

Am I correct that you are only taking effexor at the moment? I have taken it for some months twenty years ago and remember very well how awful I felt on it. Muscles stiff and constricting all the time; it felt like I had Tourette's because of the facial tics it gave me. Glad I got off it, but unfortunately I did that cold turkey. In hindsight it may have caused a  lot more harm than I thought at the time. But I must say it doesn't really surprise me that you felt so tense and restless on it at a higher dose. It's an awful drug.

 

We seem to share a lot of the same symptoms. I also had vaginismus when I was younger. I don't know exactly what the cause of it was with me though. I don't have a history of sexual abuse. I do recall being a very anxious and hostile child, very tensed up all the time, hypervigilant.

 

I too hope more people will respond to this thread. I think there are a lot more people like us.

[WiggleIt]

Pelvic pain patient here! Sadly, that’s actually what led to the idiot doctor putting me on off-label psych meds in the first place.

 

My story is that I suffered a lower back injury, and the doctors never addressed it correctly, so the pain spread down into my pelvis and bladder, causing pelvic pain and bladder pain. All I needed was pelvic muscle physical therapy, but my idiot doctor never helped me with imaging on my lower back, even though I told her about the injury. She okayed the wrong kind of  physical therapist, who made me worse, and she forced me to go on off-label psych meds, saying that if I didn’t accept meds, then I would never have any quality of life. She also told me that I would need invasive surgeries for my bladder problems, which she misdiagnosed as some kind of autoimmune bladder pain condition. In reality, it was just radiated pelvic muscle pain the whole time originating from the back injury.

 

Well, of course, the off-label psych meds made my bladder and pelvic problems worse. 
 

Anyway, fast forward to now, and I have been getting pelvic muscle physical therapy, and guess what? My pelvic and bladder pain are miraculously better, and I’m on NO meds!!! My pelvic muscle PT place is incredible. 

 

Edited August 16, 2023 by WiggleIt
Clarity of timeline.

[Charleyhorse]

Hi @WiggleIt,

 

That is a whole lot of iatrogenic harm that you've had on your plate.

So good to read you are doing much better now with the right kind of help.

 

[WiggleIt]

On 8/3/2023 at 8:31 PM, Superwoman said:

I have not seen many people post here about CPPS so I'm not sure if there is a correlation or not.  My pelvic muscles are very tight.  I have vaginitimus and pelvic floor dysfunction.  The doctor had prescribed me TCA's to treat it, which did help.  Knowing what I know now, I would never touch another AD again though, even if it helps something.  It is so weird that an AD could possibly cause it, but also treat it.  I also did PT and use dialators which helped. 

Hi @Superwoman! You probably haven’t read my story nor have had a chance to read my recent comment on this specific thread, but I am a pelvic pain person whose pelvic pain care was mismanaged, and that’s how I ended up on the TCAs that ruined my health.

 

I am dismayed to read that you were prescribed tricyclic antidepressants for pelvic floor dysfunction. TCAs are NOT the correct course of treatment for pelvic floor dysfunction. I learned that the hard way. There is a bladder pain condition called Interstitial Cystitis (IC), which actually disintegrates the interior lining of the bladder, and that condition shares the same symptoms as pelvic floor dysfunction: pelvic pain, bladder pain, burning, urinary urgency, frequency, etc. Both pelvic floor dysfunction and IC feel like you have a urinary tract infection (UTI) all the time, but of course the tests for UTI show up negative. What gynecologists, urologists, and urogynecologists end up doing is throwing the same medications at pelvic floor patients that they throw at IC patients, which is absolutely the wrong way to handle the situation. They also tend to misdiagnose pelvic floor dysfunction by erroneously identifying it as IC. The reason the TCAs SEEM to work for pelvic floor dysfunction is because they interfere with the brain, so your brain stops registering the pain, but the TCAs aren’t dong anything to fix the problem. Your brain is literally getting dosed and tricked into thinking it’s not in pain. 
 

Pelvic floor dysfunction needs to be handled through pelvic physical therapy!  
 

I can’t speak about vaginismus, though. I don’t have any personal experience with that, so I am unfamiliar with the symptoms or the treatment. But I have 13 years under my belt of learning the hard way how to find the RIGHT treatment for pelvic floor dysfunction and how to distinguish it from IC… and of learning what psych meds can do to people, whether prescribed off-label (like for pelvic health) or on-label (like for mental health).

 

Also, I’m sorry if I’ve been redundant in this very long comment and if I’ve said things you already know, since you are already a pelvic patient! Not trying to lecture or talk down, just trying to relate to another person who is a pelvic patient and a psych med survivor, particularly TCAs. 

Edited August 18, 2023 by WiggleIt
Typos, the bane of my existence!

[WiggleIt]

@Superwoman Another piece of info that might be helpful about my pelvic pain journey: I have no history of sexual abuse. For me, the pelvic pain was the result of pain that radiated downward from a lower back injury. 

[WiggleIt]

17 hours ago, Charleyhorse said:

Hi @WiggleIt,

 

That is a whole lot of iatrogenic harm that you've had on your plate.

So good to read you are doing much better now with the right kind of help.

 

 Yeah, it’s really taught me that there are a ton of doctors out there who are just fumbling around with big, clumsy, idiotic hands and tiny brains, without knowing how to diagnose people correctly at all. It’s not just in the field of psychiatry. There are more bad (and stupid) doctors out there in every single field of medicine than people suspect. 
 

I still do believe in medicine and doctors, of course, but through all of this iatrogenic harm experience, I feel like I can pick up on the nuances now when doctors are just guessing at things and trying to sound confident about their guesses. I didn’t used to be able to pick up on that before being harmed. 
 

I don’t really use the term “iatrogenic harm.” I don’t feel it’s strong enough, and I think it gives doctors too much of a pass. I straight up say “medical malpractice.” 

[Charleyhorse]

On 8/18/2023 at 12:09 PM, WiggleIt said:

 Yeah, it’s really taught me that there are a ton of doctors out there who are just fumbling around with big, clumsy, idiotic hands and tiny brains, without knowing how to diagnose people correctly at all. It’s not just in the field of psychiatry. There are more bad (and stupid) doctors out there in every single field of medicine than people suspect. 
 

I still do believe in medicine and doctors, of course, but through all of this iatrogenic harm experience, I feel like I can pick up on the nuances now when doctors are just guessing at things and trying to sound confident about their guesses. I didn’t used to be able to pick up on that before being harmed. 
 

I don’t really use the term “iatrogenic harm.” I don’t feel it’s strong enough, and I think it gives doctors too much of a pass. I straight up say “medical malpractice.” 

Medical malpractice it is indeed. I wanted to use a lighter term, so I opted for iatrogenic harm, because I didn't know how you'd react to something (much) stronger.

May I ask, how did you handle the anger you must've certainly felt when treated this way?

I personally find it really hard to talk to doctors in a civilized manner. The minute I feel triggered (not truly heard) I just want to bite their heads off and I tend to get either verbally aggressive or implode and withdraw from contact (the latter I do less now because the anger has become so all consuming at times and most certainly when I am with someone who dismisses me or my concerns altogether), probably also due to tapering.

[DinaDina]

I have the same symptoms for 2,5 years after 4 weeks of Zoloft. It is much better now but...

I don't think that stretching and relaxing exercises were helpful to me

 

I continue to feel something like a painful spasm in the right side of lower abdomen. I guess that all problems go from there.

[Charleyhorse]

@DinaDina

 

Sometimes, stretching and relaxation is not the way to go at it and there might be other things you can do to alleviate the pain/discomfort, like engaging the muscles in the area more with help from a good physical therapist.

But maybe you've already tried that as well and it's just a matter of time to heal, however frustrating that is.

[Fairsome]

I also have pelvic floor dysfunction (all the symptoms) that goes hand in hand with sexual dysfunction, genital numbness and pain etc. It is just sick. I feel that my pelvic muscles are tense all the time and just can't regulate properly which causes bowel issues, painful bladder, shrunken genitals and so on.

 

This is a good explanation how serotonin helps to regulate the pelvic floor muscles and because these drugs interfere with normal serotonin functioning, they can cause on their own pelvic floor dysfunction, especially when withdrawing from them which can throw you into low serotonin activity.

 

Quote

 

The connection between serotonin levels and muscle function, including the pelvic floor muscles, is complex and involves various mechanisms. Here's a simplified explanation of how serotonin can impact muscle function:

 

Neuromuscular Communication: Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that plays a role in communication between nerve cells (neurons) and muscle cells (muscle fibers). When a nerve signal reaches a muscle, serotonin can be released at the neuromuscular junction, where nerves and muscles meet.

Muscle Tone Regulation: Proper muscle tone is crucial for muscle function. Muscle tone refers to the level of tension or contraction in a muscle at rest. Balanced serotonin levels can help regulate muscle tone by influencing the signaling between nerves and muscles. In this context, serotonin can promote muscle relaxation when needed.

Coordination: Serotonin also plays a role in muscle coordination. It helps synchronize the firing of motor neurons that control muscle contractions. When serotonin levels are appropriate, muscles can contract and relax in a coordinated manner, allowing for smooth and controlled movements.

Inhibition of Spasms: Adequate serotonin levels can help inhibit muscle spasms or excessive muscle contractions. When serotonin activity is imbalanced, as in cases of low serotonin, muscles may be more prone to tension, spasms, or sustained contractions.

 

In the context of the pelvic floor muscles, imbalances in serotonin levels, particularly lower serotonin activity, may disrupt the usual neuromuscular communication, leading to issues like increased muscle tension or spasms. This, in turn, can result in pelvic pain, difficulty with muscle relaxation during urination or bowel movements, and other symptoms associated with pelvic floor dysfunction.

 

 

I might try some exercises even though they alone can't fix the serotonin dysregulation, I guess. Yes, it is just absurd that these drugs are prescribed for these conditions or others like IBS, when actually they can cause them... But prescribing pills is always easier and doctors' job depends of it.

[Superwoman]

On 8/18/2023 at 6:01 AM, WiggleIt said:

Hi @Superwoman! You probably haven’t read my story nor have had a chance to read my recent comment on this specific thread, but I am a pelvic pain person whose pelvic pain care was mismanaged, and that’s how I ended up on the TCAs that ruined my health.

 

I am dismayed to read that you were prescribed tricyclic antidepressants for pelvic floor dysfunction. TCAs are NOT the correct course of treatment for pelvic floor dysfunction. I learned that the hard way. There is a bladder pain condition called Interstitial Cystitis (IC), which actually disintegrates the interior lining of the bladder, and that condition shares the same symptoms as pelvic floor dysfunction: pelvic pain, bladder pain, burning, urinary urgency, frequency, etc. Both pelvic floor dysfunction and IC feel like you have a urinary tract infection (UTI) all the time, but of course the tests for UTI show up negative. What gynecologists, urologists, and urogynecologists end up doing is throwing the same medications at pelvic floor patients that they throw at IC patients, which is absolutely the wrong way to handle the situation. They also tend to misdiagnose pelvic floor dysfunction by erroneously identifying it as IC. The reason the TCAs SEEM to work for pelvic floor dysfunction is because they interfere with the brain, so your brain stops registering the pain, but the TCAs aren’t dong anything to fix the problem. Your brain is literally getting dosed and tricked into thinking it’s not in pain. 
 

Pelvic floor dysfunction needs to be handled through pelvic physical therapy!  
 

I can’t speak about vaginismus, though. I don’t have any personal experience with that, so I am unfamiliar with the symptoms or the treatment. But I have 13 years under my belt of learning the hard way how to find the RIGHT treatment for pelvic floor dysfunction and how to distinguish it from IC… and of learning what psych meds can do to people, whether prescribed off-label (like for pelvic health) or on-label (like for mental health).

 

Also, I’m sorry if I’ve been redundant in this very long comment and if I’ve said things you already know, since you are already a pelvic patient! Not trying to lecture or talk down, just trying to relate to another person who is a pelvic patient and a psych med survivor, particularly TCAs. 

Hi Wiggleit,

 

I'm so sorry it took me so long to get back to you.  Both of my sisters had IC.  I am so sorry that your condition was mismanaged and made worse by TCAs.  In my case the TCA's did help with the nerve pain, but did do by causing brain dysfunction as you mentioned.  In addition they caused me WD and sexual dysfunction.  It seems like multiple people here have had pelvic pain caused by AD's and AD's can in fact cause pelvic pain, tightness, pelvic floor dysfunction and bladder and bowel problems.  These horrible drugs seem to cause every problem under the sun. 

[Superwoman]

I just found that pelvic pain is actually listed as a side effect of my AD, Effexor XR on www.drugs.com.  See below.  They list it as an uncommon side effect, but it could be more common than they say.  They also list WD as an uncommon side effect, so I know they lie.  I looked before on that site and did not see it listed.  So idk if I missed it among the hundreds of side effects or they added it later. 

 

Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Amenorrhea, bladder pain, breast pain, cystitis, dysuria, hematuria, leukorrhea, menorrhagia, nocturia,  pelvic pain, polyuria, prostate irritability, pyuria, urinary incontinence, urinary urgency, vaginal hemorrhage

[Ma205]

Hi everyone. I see this is a pelvic pain thread.I have severe endometriosis. Had surgery with removal in 2021 and recurrence with removal in 2022 13 months later. Was due to have removal this June as well, but I am stuck in AD withdrawal pretty severely. 
 

iv noticed monthly my pain is worsening. Times of my cycle I normally don’t have pain, it is severe. My doc had thought I developed central sensitization and that’s why I was feeling the pain so severely. At this point in WD I am sensitized to my own hormones, all meds, everything. I’m still on my ssri and hoping to stabilize so I can continue to taper.. I don’t know what to do, as I’m developing severe debilitating pain that’s worsening monthly, I’m too nervous to try hormonal methods to stop my periods. 
 

Has anyone experienced worsening menstrual pain that improved one day?