My PMS was so bad I had horrific panic attacks and it felt like there were bricks under my skin… 50p-a-day pill cured me

TAKING refuge in the toilets with her heart racing, waitress Elle Gibson felt helpless as she suffered a horrifying panic attack at work. This wasn’t the first time it happened – but Elle, then in her early 20s, had no idea what was causing the debilitating episodes, which left her feeling like her whole world was collapsing. Elle Gibson, 29, struggled with panic attacks and anxiety for years before she found out the condition behind her struggles Credit: Supplied The 29-year-old content creator from Newcastle first noticed a drastic change when she was 19 Credit: Supplied She would feel absolutely fine, before a panic attack would strike out of nowhere, leaving her immobilised. Elle, now 29, from Newcastle, tells the Sun: “It would always start with my heart pounding out with my chest. It would feel like I’d just sprinted on a treadmill – but I wasn’t doing anything, so it was really, really scary.” She continued: “That particular day, my dad actually had to come and pick me up. I remember saying to him, ‘I don’t understand what is causing this’. How can I go from zero to 100? “I had just enjoyed a nice weekend – yet there was a sudden switch.” Eventually she realised she suffered with premenstrual dysphoric disorder, or PMDD – which affects around 800,000 women in the UK – and she believes a 50p supplement changed her life. But in the years before that her condition went undiagnosed, and Elle suffered horrific panic attacks for two weeks every month. It left her exhausted and panic-ridden – to the point it felt like she “had bricks underneath” her skin. Being unable to leave her home also had a negative impact on her finances. By then being self-employed and unable to film content for up to two weeks at a time meant the content creator would massively fall behind her schedule. She says: “When my PMDD was at its worse, I would just wake up and I wouldn’t feel like myself, just really negative,”. Inevitably, the anxious episodes also started to have a toll on Elle’s social life. Isolating herself from her friends, Elle would spend her days at home – everything “just seemed too scary and overwhelming”. The content creator also recalls an instance where a male doctor said she should consider herself lucky after mentioning she’d not had a period for two months. “I said to him my period’s two months late and I’m not pregnant, and overall my period is just really irregular, so I just want to check that nothing’s wrong. “He said to me, ‘Is that not a good thing that you’re not having any periods because they’re not nice and you’re not having to experience them?’ “I was so shocked and it was just such a good demonstration of how women’s health is just not taken seriously whatsoever.” Then, at the age of 25, Elle finally figured out what was wrong. She’d planned a dream trip to Barcelona to celebrate her now fiance Jamie Bell’s 29th birthday. But in the lead-up, she had suffered horrible panic attacks and considered cancelling the trip. Jamie convinced her not to cancel, and said the pair could decide on whether or not to go the day before. She says: “I decided to go. I thought the worst thing that could happen is I get there, I wanna come home. “I remember being really anxious in the airport, got on the plane, anxious, got there, anxious. “Then we got there, I checked into the hotel, we got there and I’d started my period. “I thought that’s really annoying. But the day that happened I felt so much better. “I felt the anxiety go away.” The “dark cloud” that had been over Elle for the past two weeks was suddenly gone – and her mind went back to normal. “That was the moment that I thought maybe panic attacks and anxiety are linked to my period,” Elle says. Elle looked back on her phone – where she would mark the start of her period – and realised the overwhelming feelings of anxiety as well as panic attacks would always fall two weeks before the first day of her period. Despite struggling with anxiety, Elle describes herself as ‘a pretty happy, positive person’ Credit: Supplied Elle pictured loved-up with her partner Jamie who works as a joiner Credit: Supplied Elle, who works in social media, has always struggled with a “very heavy” period which first started when she was 14. She was put on the contraceptive pill aged 15 to help with cramps and heavy bleeding – but it didn’t have any effect on her mental health until she was 19. “I would just have these periods maybe one to two weeks at a time where I’ll just feel really off,” she says. “I’d go to bed feeling pretty normal and then I would wake up and everything would just feel wrong. “Everything felt a lot harder. Just this doom and gloom, like a grey cloud over everything. I would just be exhausted.” After returning from Barcelona, Elle booked an appointment with a naturopath – a health practitioner who uses natural therapies – who confirmed Elle’s suspicions: she had PMMD or premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Then, by extensive research online, the 29-year-old also discovered PMS Hero, a plant-based supplement by Dr Vegan. The supplement includes 12 active ingredients and zero additives, providing support through your monthly cycle for hormonal balance, better mood, energy, healthy immunity, while also combating tiredness, fatigue, and bloating. According to Dr Vegan, you may begin to feel a difference within a week or two, depending on when you begin taking the supplement in your cycle. Ella Kaur, a qualified nutritionist and member of the Professional Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine, as well as a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner at Dr Vegan, says: “What makes PMS Hero different is that it takes a comprehensive approach to supporting women throughout the menstrual cycle, rather than focusing on a single symptom. “PMS symptoms can arise from a combination of hormonal fluctuations, inflammation, fluid retention, stress responses and changes in neurotransmitter activity, which is why the formula contains a carefully selected blend of botanicals, vitamins and minerals that work across multiple biological pathways associated with premenstrual wellbeing.” Since taking it, Elle claims she hasn’t had any symptoms. The supplement costs £45 for a 90-day supply, meaning her symptoms were relieved for just 50p a day. Elle also learned about the link between stress and PMS/PMDD – and even cut out all the relationships in her life that caused her stress. As well as experiencing a lack of interest in daily activities and relationships, and trouble thinking or focusing, many women with PMDD like Elle, also report panic attacks. Unlike premenstrual syndrome (PMS), PMDD is more serious and causes severe irritability, depression, or anxiety in the week or two before your period starts. What is PMDD? PREMENSTRUAL Dysphoric Disorder is a very severe form of PMS and causes emotional and physical changes during the week or two before a period. There are many symptoms such as anxiety or depression, feeling angry, tense or even suicidal. Physical signs include headaches, bloating and pains in the muscles or joints as well as difficulty sleeping. Symptoms usually begin to improve when bleeding starts and disappear by the time a period ends. Exercising regularly, reducing stress and eating well can help ease symptoms. Anti-depressants and hormone patches or injections are used to control more severe cases. She adds: “It’s not even just the panic attack itself. It’s the aftermath of it. “I’ve always said that after a panic attack for me it feels like I’ve got a hangover for a few days afterwards. “It’s just such a toll on your body. “It’s just your body getting this massive rush of adrenaline and it’s like something’s telling your body that something’s really wrong or like your body thinks it’s getting chased by a lion but nothing’s actually there.” Elle also says she could have got better sooner if there was more education around women’s health. “I remember having several classes about boys’ wet dreams but nothing about the cycle a woman goes through every month. “To me, it’s crazy that we’re not taught anything in schools about that because after me doing my own research, I was able to get a hold of my symptoms and really sort myself out pretty quickly, so if girls were taught that in schools, it would be a game changer.” It’s been a year-and-a-half since her last PMDD-related panic attack – thanks to taking the supplement – and Elle said her health is “like night and day”. “The period that I just had I didn’t even know it was coming until five days before, whereas it used to be two solid weeks – 14 days of horror.” Her partner Jamie, now 33, has also commented on the difference. “It used to be very, very obvious when I was going to start my period but now he doesn’t really notice a difference with me which is great. “Obviously, the main stress is on the woman, but I think it also can impact the partner as well. “I just hope we can get to a point soon where we can teach girls and women about this more because it is something that massively impacts us and for some women, it’s really, really debilitating.”