Sydney mother-of-one Hannah Mitchel was having trouble shifting the weight she had gained as a result of the antidepressants she was on.
Despite making a number of lifestyle changes, including doing more exercise and eating fewer takeaways, the extra kilos wouldn’t budge.
Hannah’s doctor prescribed Saxenda – part of a group of drugs known as GLP-1 receptor agonists – and she began the daily injections.
Drugs like Ozempic, Mounjaro and Saxenda have swept the globe since emerging on the market late last decade, and an estimated 20,000 Australians currently use the drugs for weight loss.
But while Hannah hasn’t found the drug to be useful for weight loss, six months on, she’s more than willing to keep paying the $80-per-week cost.
And it’s all because of an unexpected side effect that has arguably saved her life.
‘I had been in and out of hospitals for years,’ recalls Hannah. ‘At 15 I was diagnosed with anxiety, then shortly after was diagnosed with depression, which led to many years of madness. In my mid-20s they diagnosed me with bipolar.
‘I then went through years of failed medications and proper insanity.
The weight loss benefits of drugs like Ozempic are widely proven, but a life-saving side effect is being reported by hundreds of women
‘The last time I was hospitalised for my mental health, it was during Covid lockdowns, and I couldn’t see my toddler for three weeks,’ she adds. ‘I was so angry. I was yelling, and belligerent – I bashed my own head against a wall and gave myself a black eye.’
Three days later, when she got her period, Hannah’s symptoms suddenly subsided. Doctors put it down to her change in medication working, but Hannah knew it was something else.
She had suspected for a while that the timing of her mental health episodes was related to her menstrual cycle, but her bipolar diagnosis always made doctors think that was the more obvious explanation.
Hannah discharged herself from the hospital and sought out treatment at the Women’s Health and Research Institute of Australia (WHRIA), where she was finally diagnosed with PMDD.
Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), is a severe mood disorder that, along with a whole host of physical symptoms, can cause significant emotional disturbance for women in the leadup to their period.
Described as ‘PMS on steroids’, it wreaks havoc on a woman’s physical and mental health, with 72 per cent of women diagnosed experiencing suicidal thoughts.
In Reddit forums and Facebook support groups online, women who live with the debilitating condition share advice, supplement recommendations and lifestyle tweaks to help alleviate symptoms.
Like so many women’s health issues, PMDD is overlooked, with the average time for a woman to be diagnosed with the disorder being a decade. This means the anecdotal evidence shared in support groups about what does and does not help is often a lifeline for sufferers.
Hannah had suffered with PMDD for years, which landed her in psychiatric care. After starting weight-loss jabs, her symptoms disappeared
For some time now, these forums have been awash with posts from women who are increasingly reporting the impact of GLP-1 receptor agonists on their PMDD symptoms.
After her diagnosis, Hannah, who also has polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), was offered hormone therapy to essentially put her into chemically induced menopause.
‘I really didn’t want to do that,’ she explains. ‘I was 31, a single mum, and I thought, “What if it takes me six months to adjust to the new hormones?”
‘Instead, I’ve been on a health journey since I got diagnosed, and I’ve changed my whole diet completely, which has helped a lot with other health issues, but I still couldn’t lose the weight I’d gained as a result of the antidepressants I’d been prescribed,’ says Hannah.
‘That’s when my doctor prescribed Saxenda.’
Along with the psychological side effects, Hannah’s PMDD had also caused massive physical issues.
‘I get huge inflammatory symptoms like systemic rashes, swollen tongue/eyes/lips/hands, eczema, boils/carbuncles, bloodshot eyes, numb extremities, insomnia, bloating, and over six kilograms of fluid gain each month,’ she says.
While usually relying on a combination of steroids and antihistamines to manage these symptoms, Hannah realised that since starting Saxenda, she hadn’t needed to use them.
‘I’ve got a prescription cream for all the eczema that comes up around my body that’s just horrifically itchy, and it usually lasts for two weeks,’ says Hannah.
‘I haven’t had to use that in, probably, three months. Like, the tube’s full, and normally I go through like a tube a month.
‘I also realised I haven’t had to call mum to come and pick my son up while I have a meltdown for the two days before my period for a few months now.
‘I didn’t do it every cycle, but there were many times when I would just text mum, “SOS”, and she’d be like, “I’ll be there.” It was really bad. But it’s been six months now since I’ve had to do that.’
Hannah isn’t alone in her discovery.
Fiona Stubbings, who has dealt with the impacts of PMDD for decades, says her doctor believed weight-loss injections might also help with her hormonal symptoms
Fiona Stubbings, who has dealt with the impacts of PMDD for decades, says her doctor believed weight-loss injections might also help with her hormonal symptoms.
‘My PMDD has always involved feelings of rage, depression, frustration, intolerance, hyper sensitivity and binge eating during the luteal phase,’ she says.
After starting Saxenda and dropping some weight, Fiona says the impact on her PMDD symptoms – particularly those related to binge-eating and compulsive behaviour – was profound. An adult-diagnosis of ADHD helped provide another piece of the puzzle.
‘The weight loss injections helped me see that my weight was absolutely related to PMDD and ADHD, both due to hormonal changes and the dopamine seeking that comes with ADHD.’
Several other women have reported a dramatic drop in symptoms, with one woman who preferred not to be named, claiming it was the first glimmer of hope for relief.
‘Some months, it has been a huge struggle to push through,’ she explains.
‘If I’m lucky, I’ll go through menopause in a few years, but I felt as though I was just white-knuckling through. I started Ozempic a few months ago, and while it hasn’t done much to shift my weight, the emotional change has been unmissable. I feel like my symptoms are more like a few days of being teary before my period, rather than two weeks of near-paralysis and depression.’
Dr James Brown, a gynaecologist working at WHRIA, has a few theories on why so many women might be experiencing positive changes in their PMDD symptoms.
‘While I haven’t heard about this specifically, as these drugs become more popular we are seeing additional unexpected benefits in areas other than diabetes and weight loss,’ he tells me.
‘There are a few plausible ways that Saxenda, Wegovy, and Ozempic may help women with PMDD. First, being overweight can exacerbate PMDD so the weight loss from the medications may lessen symptoms.
‘Second, these medications can increase avoidance of carbohydrates and alcohol which can be associated with PMDD.
‘Third, there is emerging discussion around the effects of these medications on cognition, personality and mental health, however there is no firm consensus on whether this is beneficial or harmful yet.’
Dr Brown cautions that while more study is needed to understand these wider side effects, women should speak to their doctors about their concerns.
‘Because of the uncertainty around these medications, they should still only be prescribed for approved conditions,’ he says.
‘The positive change in PMDD symptoms might be a lucky benefit to those already on the medications.’
For Hannah, and many others, any improvement to their symptoms is a win.
‘So much of what I’ve done to treat my PMDD has been based on anecdotal evidence from other sufferers,’ says Hannah.
‘I have a very supportive GP, and I’ll go to her and say, “I was reading this post from someone on Facebook and they said this helps,” and she’ll look into it and we’ll try it,’ she says.
‘It’s so important for women to share what’s working for them because there isn’t enough research into how to properly help PMDD.
‘Saxenda was fairly low risk for me to try, it didn’t impact my fertility, and it’s really, really helped me. If my story can help even one other woman struggling, then it’s worth it. We have to support each other in this.’
Disclaimer: Ozempic is only approved for the treatment of diabetes in Australia. While some doctors may prescribe it for weight loss after a thorough assessment of their patient’s needs, Daily Mail Australia is not endorsing its use for this purpose. You should always seek advice from a medical professional.
