Anyone Else Suffering?

Hi S.,

Yes, you should definitely see your OBGYN. You might not have PMS, it may be PMDD - premenstrual dysphoric disorder. It's like PMS, but more severe. It's tough to live with. You may need a different birth control pill prescription. There are also medications, if you are okay with going that route.

Good luck!
C.

Here's a website with some info: http://pmdd.factsforhealth.org/

yes there are meds... i started taking zoloft about 4 yrs ago and can't believe the difference. talk to your obgyn and they will probably prescribe something. the only regret you'll have is that you didn't start it earlier. good luck!

I am supposed to stay on bc for the hormones(I have some female problems). When I am not on them, my PMS is absolutely horrible...just as you described. Seems to get worse the older I get too. I never had problems thru my teens and twenties. I try to stay on them, mostly back to back use with 3 to 4 periods a year.
I would definitely talk to your ob gyn about it. There are many safe bc pills you can take back to back to stop your periods completely. I never even heard of such things, but (supposedly) it's completely safe, especially if your family is complete :)

I was having the same symptoms and when I talked to my OB she gave me Zoloft. I only took it when I was feeling "crazy" but it helped immensely. It seems that with PMDD that the seratonin levels dip so low that you get extremely irritable and your moods are erratic. Hope that helps.

Oh goodness! I think you should definitely see your ob/gyn. I'm sure she/he will be able to help you! Good luck! :)

S.,

I feel your pain. I had the same problem after my third child. My doctor prescribed the lowest dose of Prozac also Flueoxtine which is an antidepressant. Not all antideppresants are the same. So don't think you can just take any antidepressant. Prozac is an uptake inhibitor. I suggest doing some research. It helped me to cope with my PMS symptoms and I got better sleep. My family liked me better, too. The generic is very cheap and you only take it once a day. You may not have to take it forever, but you may want to. You don't have to go to a OBGYN to get it. Your family doctor can prescribe. Just make sure that they note in your chart that it is for PMS symptoms for future insurance purposes. Good Luck.

L.

Hey S.!

Yes, you definately need to see your OBGYN! You also need to keep a symptom diary until you do. Keep a simple chart of your cycles and how your symptoms relate to them. It defiantely sounds to me like you have PMDD. I too have it, I was diagnosed about 1 year after I had my last son and a tubal. Mine is extremely severe! And yes, there are meds for it...I take seraphem for the two weeks prior to my cycle, at least I am supposed to! I haven't been on it for some time now until I can find me a new obgyn since we moved...and believe me, my family and I suffer for it tremendously!! Get in asap, no reason to suffer with somehting that is so totally treatable!!!

hugs!!!
H.

Hi S., I don't know how old you are but if you are around 35 or older you could be peri-menipausal. This is the time before going into menopause. The bad pms could also be because you do not have enough progesterone Progesterone levels start dropping during the last two weeks before you start your period. Some signs of low progesterone could be: Heavier periods, pms days 14-28 of your cycle, painful breasts, anxiety, irritability, difficulty relaxing, and water retention. You could also be diagnosed with PMDD which is basically just super bad pms. I would go to your OB/GYN and most likely they will either want to put you on birth control pills or anti-depressants. About 85% of doctors will try one of those two. If you are not into those sorts of things then you can try B-complex vitamins, B-6 vitamins,and magnesium (great for those menstrual headaches). Also you could look for a doctor that uses natural hormone replacements that will treat your deficiencys or sypmtoms. These doctors are around but you have to look a little bit harder for them. I have this same problem and the birth control pills made me feel edgy and anxious. My current OB wanted to do the birth control pills and my family doc wanted to do antidepressants. After doing much research I have decided that I am going to treat the problem and not the symptom. I don't want to take anti-depressants either. Fortunately my current GYN also does natural hormone therapy. I hope this helps.

Hi S.,
Sorry to hear about your current struggle with the dreaded PMS.
I started taking Prozac for just a few days out of the month a little over a year ago and it helps my mood swings, crying spells a whole bunch. It seems to work great when I take it just for the few days while my hormones are doing their change after I ovulate. I did notice if I take the Prozac longer I start to get really forgetful. My cycles are not regular so I guide my way though with monthly ovulation pain. If you have a regular cycle you would be able to determine this with ease.
But it does not help with your headaches and bloating. I have started using a magnesium supplement called Natural calm that contains both magnesium and calcium and it has worked wonders for me.
Also are you around 40ish? Sometimes problems start to pop up when Perimenopausal start to shows its ugly head!
Hope this helps and I wish you well.
C.

It sounds like your hormones are out of wack. After my son was born, I went through this as well. I added in a natural progesterone cream (Prolief) about day 10 through 28 to balance out the estrogen effects. It is just a cream that you rub into certain areas of your body. It took a couple of cycles, but now, I wake up one morning and go "oh wow, I guess I started." It is amazing!

For me, the bc pill just wasn't an option. Check out the book "What your doctor may not tell you about pre-menapause" by Dr. John Lee. And don't freak out by the name. He says pre-menapause can start 10-15 years before menapause does - a lot of times in your early 30's.

Email me if you want to talk some more.
____@____.com

Are you on the pill? That could be a huge factor.
I would suggest natural family planning.

S. - Definitely talk to your OB/GYN. I have a girlfriend who was going through the same thing. Her OB/GYN gave her Serafem (I think it's part of the Prozac family). She only takes it during her cycle. I think she takes a max of three doses during that time and swears it makes a world of a difference. Check with your doctor.

Oti S.
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