Life w/PMDD/Severe PMS Support...

[mystic~mama]

Do you have intense PMS (PMDD)? If so, I would love for a tribe of mamas to form here who can support, share, vent about life w/PMDD.

[Girl In The Fire]

Originally Posted by mystic~mama

i've got to do something....diet and herbs so far just havent done the trick...does anyone know which birth control pill is the safest...i think i have pmdd...its a real bummer.

thx mamas

I have PMDD, it was so bad it was seriously affecting my life and relationships with LO's. I did not want to take BCP so my doc put me on Zoloft. The zoloft helped immensely however it did nothing for the physical symptoms my period brought on like the cravings, cramps, fatigue, etc...

I recently broke down and went back to my doc and afterdiscussing various BCP's I started Seasonale so I only get my period 4 times a year. I have not been on it long but so far so good... I am not sure which BCP is "safest" I have been on various kinds over the years and some have had horrible side effects and others have had no side effects. I think it really depends on the individual.

[Mama_Leah]

I recently started taking Pristiq (a SNRI) for depression/PMDD and it helped a lot. Like, I didn't even realize it was time for my period. I switched to Cymbalta last week though because the Pristiq made me really sleepy. So far I like it, I'm premenstrual right now and can't even tell.

If you want something with birth control though, or don't want to take an antidepressant then the Yaz pill is supposed to be the best for PMDD.

[DanishMom]

I suffer from PMDD. I have done tons of research and there seems to be a lot of natural treatment options. I don't think the herbal treatments are enough if you suffer from severe PMS or PMDD. I'd try with amino acids instead and st. johns wort.

Here is a list:
Magnesium—160 to 250 milligrams (mg) magnesium two times daily. The last dose should be taken at bedtime.
*
Calcium—1200 to 2000 mg daily, divided into two doses, the last to be taken at bedtime
*
Vitamin D—400 to 1000 international units (IU) vitamin D daily

Progesterone cream—1/4 teaspoon twice daily, starting on day 12 of the menstrual cycle and continuing up to day 28 (very conflicting research - I'd skip it)
*
Melatonin—300 mcg nightly is recommended, increasing to 10 mg if necessary - skip melatonin if you don't have any problems with sleep.
*
Soy isoflavones—55 to 110 mg daily
*
GLA—285 to 1425 mg daily in two divided doses
*
EPA/DHA—1400 mg EPA and 1000 mg DHA daily
*
Ginkgo biloba extract—120 mg daily
*
Theanine—100 to 200 mg daily to induce a state of relaxation
*
5-HTP: 50-150 mg taken on an empty stomache.
GABA: 500-1000mg. per day.
*
Saint-John’s-wort—women with PMDD: up to 900 mg daily; women with PMS: 300 mg standardized extract daily.

Here are some great resources:

http://www.amenclinics.com/ac/waysto...anx_depression
http://amenclinics.com/bp/care/supplements.php
http://www.pms-menopause-progesteron...strual-syn.htm
http://www.womentowomen.com/menstrua...treatment.aspx

Lots of life style changes (good sleep, exercise, no alcohol/caffeine and as little sugar as possible) are very helpful too. For life style see: http://www.conquerpms.com/

I also wanted to recommend www.swansonvitamins.com - they are extremely cheap!

good luck - I know how hard it is

[mystic~mama]

thx for posting mamas.

[mystic~mama]

i just ordered a book called the PMDD Phenomenon, had good reviews on amazon.

[mystic~mama]

hi mamas, I started a thread for PMDD support here

i took a hormone test online last night I had multiple areas where I could be imbalanced, adrenals had A Lot of yes's,,I ordered some New Chapter St Johns and Estrotone last night (with the holidays coming I want extra support to get "better" asap) I am hoping that the adrenal burnout is due to the stress of the PMDD and it will balance itself out once I get my hormones in better shape.

I need to go to bed earlier, I've been staying up late lately. I also am going to try eating more probiotic foods like Kefir (trying to find some grains now)

Are you interested in a support thread?

I've come on MDC several times looking for support for this and there doesnt seem to me to be too much of it...I'm not very confident the thread will go anywhere but I hope so I know there are lots of mamas/womyn who deal w/this.

blessings~

[DanishMom]

I'm very interested in starting a support thread for severe PMS/PMDD.

I started taking vit. B6 - 250 mg. a day (50mg. five times a day) and I feel much better mentally. I have been taking St.John's Wort, calcium, magnesium, omega 3, vit. D. for ages. I think it so difficult to determine what works for the individual woman. Vit. B6 is very well research and it is very cheap to buy so try it you haven't already. I thought that I got the right amount in my vit.B-complex but I didn't.

The link to the new support thread didn't work?

I hope we can help each other figure out what works - meds, supplements or whatever.

Anne

[mystic~mama]

Originally Posted by DanishMom

I'm very interested in starting a support thread for severe PMS/PMDD.

I started taking vit. B6 - 250 mg. a day (50mg. five times a day) and I feel much better mentally. I have been taking St.John's Wort, calcium, magnesium, omega 3, vit. D. for ages. I think it so difficult to determine what works for the individual woman. Vit. B6 is very well research and it is very cheap to buy so try it you haven't already. I thought that I got the right amount in my vit.B-complex but I didn't.

The link to the new support thread didn't work?

I hope we can help each other figure out what works - meds, supplements or whatever.

Anne

Hi Anne~

try this link

glad to know u r interested in the thread. I will def try B6, my 5-HTP has 20mg and my B-Complete has 50mg. I'm trying to take Food Based / High Quality supplements...I'm looking forward to getting my New Chapter ones I just ordered, I made tea w/St Johns wort (or St Joans as Susun Weed says ) years ago and I found it helpful...intuitively I feel like the things I ordered will help. I'm feeling better about it although the real test comes when its pms time so we shall see....

[DanishMom]

Why was it moved to health and healing? I really think it should be in mental health. The biggest part of it is the mental symptoms - that is what causes the real suffering- and people with depression or anxiety are often very affected by PMDD too.

I'll introduce myself and my thoughts on the subject in morning.

I'm doing a lot of research these days as I'm preparing to place an order for supplements of all sorts in the US.

Anne

[number572]

read about maca root. it balances hormones among other benefits. You can get it online at macaweb.com, get the raw organic powder & you take 1tsp per day. for me, it helped almost immediately with pms and depression/hormonal mood swings. mood swings and heavy pms are horrible to try to deal with. i hope you find something that works for you soon.

[mystic~mama]

Originally Posted by number572

read about maca root. it balances hormones among other benefits. You can get it online at macaweb.com, get the raw organic powder & you take 1tsp per day. for me, it helped almost immediately with pms and depression/hormonal mood swings. mood swings and heavy pms are horrible to try to deal with. i hope you find something that works for you soon.

i will read about it. its confusing as there are so many things to try...i just got off the phone with my girlfriend who recommended Shatavari and amalaki....

anne~
i agree and was thinking it should be in mental health as well.

[DanishMom]

mystic~mama: could we ask the moderator if it could be moved back. I didn't really understand why it was moved in the first place. I can see that some of it could belong to natural healing but I'm afraid it would exclude those woman who try medical approaches like BC or SSRI's. And I really think PMDD as opposed to normal PMS is a psychiatric disorder even though it "only" lasts half of the cycle.

If it can't be moved we'll continue in natural healing. I'm glad it is there :-)

[mystic~mama]

Originally Posted by DanishMom

mystic~mama: could we ask the moderator if it could be moved back. I didn't really understand why it was moved in the first place. I can see that some of it could belong to natural healing but I'm afraid it would exclude those woman who try medical approaches like BC or SSRI's. And I really think PMDD as opposed to normal PMS is a psychiatric disorder even though it "only" lasts half of the cycle.

If it can't be moved we'll continue in natural healing. I'm glad it is there :-)

I originally put it in Finding Your Tribe....writing the mod now.

[springwmyn]

Hi folks!

I take Fluoxitene (generic Prozac) for PMDD in the 2 weeks, and spironalactone (a diuretic) as needed leading up to my period. I also have Ambien on hand for insomnia (a little tiny bit of that goes a long way).

I find that my PMDD is also vastly improved by exercise, followed closely with stress management and healthy eating.

Interestingly, a male therapist was the first person to tell me about PMDD. He had stumbled across an article about PMDD being added into the DSM-IV and saved the article for me. It was about another 2 years until I was actually diagnosed, after tracking my symptoms in writing for 4 months and then seeking medical help.

I've been recommended SAM-E for mood and melatonin for sleep as natural remedies. I have not tried the SAM-E. I did try the melatonin but didn't groove on it. Medical marijuana is also approved for PMDD.

Here's a link from the DSM IV, for clinicians and patients: http://pmdd.factsforhealth.org/drsp/...se_scoring.pdf

Here's another link with another symptom chart:
http://familydoctor.org/online/famdo...ental/752.html

Good luck everyone. I'd be more than happy to discuss. It's really worth it to get help, this I know.
Spring

[DanishMom]

Mystic~Mama: Wouldn't it be easier to change the name of this thread and make it the support thread since it already has a lot of posts? You could take the long post you wrote for the support thread and copy paste and move it here. I don't where to post? was the support thread moved back to this forum - I can't find it?

Anyway: I feel like the vitamin B6 I started taking is still effective. My mood swings are nothing compared to what they used to be.

[mystic~mama]

Originally Posted by DanishMom

Mystic~Mama: Wouldn't it be easier to change the name of this thread and make it the support thread since it already has a lot of posts? You could take the long post you wrote for the support thread and copy paste and move it here. I don't where to post? was the support thread moved back to this forum - I can't find it?

Anyway: I feel like the vitamin B6 I started taking is still effective. My mood swings are nothing compared to what they used to be.

it sure would ~ i'll do that.

thx spring

b back later.....

[mystic~mama]

I got the book, The PMDD Phenomenon yesterday, I read the first part explaining all about it and I am feeling so much more informed...the second part talks about treatments, I am going to start charting my symptoms on the chart from the book,,,I had my own calender going...charting the book explains is crucial to knowing wheather you have PME or PMDD and which type to help figure out what treatments will work best.

[DanishMom]

Mystic~mama: I'd love a little summary here and there :-)

I would love more info on treating with amino acids. If someone has info I'd like to hear more about it. I thinking about getting 5-HTP, Theanine, Gaba, Taurine.

It is so difficult to decide which approach to test. I'd like to try with herbs too but I don't want to do all at once and then not be able to tell if it was amino acids or herps that actually worked.

Anne

[herbmama3-7]

: I am in the pits of this RIGHT NOW! I really need help, just decided to call the dr. today, it is very disruptive in my life.