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Hello!
I just found this site as i was trying to research what the heck is happening to me. My doc told me i may be suffering from PMDD, but there are some thigns that i dont understand. I am a 24 year and i have always been a little moody durning my cycle, which is something that i could always deal with, but 7 months ago i went on BC called Alesse 21, and within the first month, i had(what i thought) was an anxiety attack. The second month came, and there was another one. Doc told me to give it three months as usual. But now 7 months later i am the worst person that i know. I read the forums there all of you have wrote and i think to myself, OH MY, i totally understand. The best way to descibe it is in one message i read..."the little demon in me" This is effecting my life and my relationship with my boyfriend, whom i just moved in with. I can tell you that is not going well. Early this week, it all game out and i think he is starting to understand a bit what i am going through. But to be honest i am soooo scraed... that feeling that i get, it makes me feel like i am going to explode and rip something apart or who knows. sooo went the doc on friday, she game me paxil, and took me off BC all together for a couple months. i am really not sure about taking the drugs..My thoughts...why should i have to take drugs because of a BC. i am wondering if anyone else is having this problem, or occured this changed...maybe it isnt the BC, maybe it is my body changing when i hit mid 20's... I just need to talk to someone, I hate myself and who i am all together....
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Why do you need to take drugs because of BC? Well, the answer isn't so simple, and depends on many factors.
But I can tell you this, you probably need a second opinion. My advice? Get a thorough check-up from another doctor before accepting prescriptions for bc or other drugs. PMS or PMDD is often caused, or made worse, by underlying or undiagnosed medical conditions. What probably happened in your case is that your body did not respond well to the hormones/dosage in your BC. More often than not it is a road of experimentation to find the BC that fits right with you, not everyone responds the same for very many different reasons.
I encourage you to read the essay on my website (PMS & PMDD Information -- link above). Please read it in it's entirety (not just selected sections) to get a full understanding of the content. If you have any more questions, please feel free to ask.
Sincerely,
Anthea
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This is my first time on this site and I am in shock. I am sitting infront of my computer, reading the posts and crying like a baby. I was diagnosed with PMDD in August and was put on anti-depressants (Celexa) at that time. I realise now that it helped a bit. I thought I was going through peri-menopause early and lever understood just how bad this PMDD is.
I lost my job because I was "combative" and "difficult" and cried alot. Losing my job didn't help with my depression during the 10 days before my period. I gained weight, and quit smoking and gained more weight. When I lost my job, I lost my benefits and can't afford the meds anymore.
I have been off them since November and just figured that the PMDD had gone away. (HA) I have always thought of myself as a strong, independant, optomist. I just figured I could think my way out of it. After all it is just like PMS right?.....Wrong.
It just dawned on me yesterday that I have been really miserable, bitchy, irritable and angry the past couple of weeks. Then the light bulb went off...due for my period tomorrow...DING!
My point is, this thing is BAD, and I am so relieved to find this site and hear about other people with this. Not that I am glad you are suffering, but that I am not crazy or making all this up. I have told my friends about it, but they don;t get it. Just how awful I feel during the bad days.
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
Could you please tell me more about this L-tryptphan including the cost (I am in Canada)and where I could find it?
Thanks again
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Glad you found us, and I can guarantee you that you are not alone. Many have expressed the same feelings about their experiences with PMDD. Many have lost much in their lives because of its negative effects, effects which aren't addressed by medical professionals or recognized by society in general, so it is no wonder that your friends don't understand what it is you are going through.
I will find out a good resource for you re. L-Tryptophan in Canada and get back to you here in the forum shortly. In the meantime, there are food sources of L-Tryptophan (it is a natural essential amino acid).
I recommend that you start including lots of turkey and legumes in your diet (eat the turkey at night - you may get sleepy). And not processed cold cuts! Real turkey on the bone! Also, a very good source is warmed milk (if you are not lactose intolerant). Don't boil the milk! Just warm it up - lukewarm - and drink 1 glass about 1 hour before bedtime.
Do this for the entire duration of your PMDD time. It is very important that you get out and do some exercise daily -- this will help get the L-Tryptophan through the brain's natural barier to where it can start doing its good work in restoring serotonin levels (which gets depleted very rapidly when under stress, feeling depressed, anxious etc.)
Make sure your diet is nutritious and healthy, cut out sodas, caffeine and other excessively processed foods from your diet, avoid red meat during the time from ovulation until after menstruation (2 weeks) and eat more poultry (chicken, turkey). Eat salads with lots of lettuce -- lettuce will naturally balance progesterone levels which will counter any excessive estrogen imbalances you may have. Get yourself a good quality multi-vitamin to take daily with meals -- this is extremely important.
These are all very effective measures you can implement right away, at minimal cost. Don't expect a miracle overnight though, give it about 3 weeks to see real results. Start right away and by your next period you should start noticing some differences in how you feel. And continue with these adjustments to life-style even if you're feeling better. It is also extremely important to evaluate your daily life and see where you can de-stress your life. Stress plays a major role in the onset of PMS and PMDD -- it is a factor which is not addressed with enough importance.
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me, I am glad to assist where I can.
All the best,
Anthea
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Hi all,
I posted on here for the first time on the 30th. It was the peak of my bad days and I was so greatful to have found this site.
Since then, the ...."pressure", or the "blues" (or whatever the he&& you want to call the wonky crap that goes on in my head) have subsided as usual.
I have also gone out and bought some VITEX, vitamin B6 and 5HTP. I tried to get some L-tryptophan, but it is so expensive (it costs the same as my RX meds).
I don't know if it is the pills working yet, but I feel great and my food cravings are cut by at least 2/3s. I am the ultimate diet pepsi junkie and have been working hard to cut it out of my daily routine. Yesterday was the 1st day and I got a pretty got headache, but today ...no headache and no munchies and I actually caught myself singing and doing housework and I stayed awake all day. All of those are very ...not me.
I just wanted to thank you all (Anthea)and let you all know that these products that are suggested work. So far
I also heard about a product called SAM-e and from all the literature I have read, it is supposed to work well, but it is expensive. Anyone who knows of it or has tried it, please let me know.
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I'm going to start looking into the dietary changes. I don't know a lot about cooking and am not in a high income bracket so hopefully healthier food won't cost an arm and a leg. I honestly haven't been eating much of anything lately at all. A frozen food here and there and when at my job, I was eating snack cakes. I've lost 15 lbs in the last three months, and two of those months were hellish on me as far as PMDD goes. Wow, it's weird having a name for it. I don't know much about legumes either, but I guess that's what the internet is for.
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It is possible to eat healthy on a shoe-string budget ... all it takes is a little ingenuity. There are many healthy and very delicious meal options that can be prepared in less than 20 mins, and require minimum cooking skills. The first and best place to start is a good cookbook!
My monthly food bill is a lot lower than before I started putting my family on the healthy eating track. The thing is to plan your meals ahead of time. Cooking can be very satisfying and fun, because you can use your imagination as your skills get better to make your own delicious creations. Remember, it doesn't have to be fancy or complicated to be delicious or nutritious.
The most important thing is to read labels. And remember if it's packaged and the ingredients list looks like a chemistry experiment, it's not healthy.
Anthea
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Hi, I am new to this so be patient.
I'm pretty sure I suffer from PMS. Think I have done from my early 20's though didn't really realise it for some time.
I have been looking at articles on the internet quite a bit.
I often wonder if my PMS is all those insecurities/ baggage that I feel I can normally handle.. with these chemical changes around the time of my period is it that these issues can no longer be suppressed and all this negativity has free reign.
Growing up there would have been alot of issues in our family due to an alcoholic father. I suppose what I am asking is would this type of thing be in any of your backgrounds. Not neccessarily alcoholism but some event that has adversely affected you at some point??
Like I said above .. I think it is very important that I stress that my symptoms are that of PMS. I have no problems for most of my cycle. I am generally happy and loving.
About a week before my period I experience the usual feelings of low self esteem, anger, frustation ... emotional numbness which I think is a wonderfully accurate term to describe how I feel about my partner at this time.
He incidentally is pretty good. He can spot my PMS before I do ... though that is one of the awful things about it.... you can't see it for what it is whilst it is there!
So basically are people who have not had some kind of emotional turmoil in their lives immune to PMS? And are people with this kind of history more prone to it?
Any thoughts???
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To answer your question -- yes generally women with an abused background (and this could include children who have witnessed constant abuse in their families and not been abused themselves) tend to be more prone to PMS/PMDD, depression, anxiety disorders in later life. Of course there are exceptions to the rule, however I think these are few and far between.
And yes, women who do not have such histories also suffer from PMS/PMDD (i.e. women with normal happy childhoods). There is more than one cause for PMS/PMDD and it is up to the individual to uncover the reasons they should suffer so much every month. Unfortunately, doctors don't know enough about PMS/PMDD to make a 100% accurate diagnosis or to treat the condition effectively, thus it is up to the sufferer to find the best solution for herself. It can be an arduous mission, but it is not impossible to rid oneself permanently of PMS/PMDD -- I am living proof of this. Success depends on many factors, too many to mention here in one post, and I encourage you to read the other posts here on the forum to get a better idea of what I mean.
I would also like to invite you to read the essay on my main site "PMS & PMDD - An Expose" as I explain in detail why histories of abuse plays such a pivotal role in susceptibility to PMS/PMDD in later life. You can find it here: http://geocities.com/pmddandpms
I too had a severely alcoholic father growing up, and suffered greatly in my adult life due to the chronic stress these circumstances created in my childhood, including severe PMDD. Children who are constantly exposed to stressful situations can become 'hardwired' in their stress response, but you can read more about this in my essay. I have done a lot of research into the exact causes of PMS/PMDD, and everything you will read in my essay is backed up by solid medical research and references to such.
All the best,
Anthea
This message has been edited by pmddandpms on May 31, 2004 7:50 AM This message has been edited by pmddandpms on May 31, 2004 7:40 AM
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So what the hell do I do? I'm sane apart from going mad once a month. I gave up caffeine, tried Efflexor and Prozac and vit b6 and Agnus Castus and exercice half an hour hard every day and eat properly and I mean wholefoods, organic, tryptophan full - no processed crap and I here I am again, feeling like crap. I've been in psychotherapy for the last 10 months and am being discharged but still...
I can't keep going through this - it is going to kill me.
Frances-Ruth
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... have you been trying the natural approach? It really does take time and patience, and you won't see miraculous results over night. Improvement is incremental/exponential depending on your unique circumstances and how severely you had PMDD before you started treatment. It is all relative. How long did you suffer symptoms before seeking treatment? This plays a role too.
My ONLY recommendation for treating PMDD is this (no ifs ands or buts):
1) PURE pharmaceutical grade L-Tryptophan SUPPLEMENT (food sources are helpful but don't supply the required amounts needed to address severe imbalances of serotonin etc.)
2) Supplementation with a MULTI-vitamin -- I don't promote supplementation with single nutrients.
3) Exercise (which you are doing)
4) Correct nutrition. Many people 'think' they are eating healthy nutritious foods, there is a lot more to nutrition than most people who think they are eating healthy realize. This requires research and/or consultation with a certified nutritionist.
5) STRESS RELIEF. There are many aspects to stress and finding relief from it. This requires research and a close examination of one's life; past and present.
6) ONLY use chemical drugs short-term if symptoms are severe enough to merit this kind of intervention, and only if alternative methods have not proven helpful.
7) Implement natural alternatives WHILST on drug treatment under your doctor's supervision so that you can wean yourself off the drugs in due course and continue with the long term healthy alternatives to combatting symptoms. THIS TAKES TIME.
8) Be absolutely SURE that you don't have an underlying medical condition which might be exacerbating or causing symptoms! There are many disorders and diseases which can interfere in normal hormonal health. This is not limited to disorders/medical conditions of the reproductive organs alone. If you are chronically ill with any disease or disorder (including depression), it follows that your body is under abnormal and chronic stress, which creates loss of serotonin, which creates hormonal imbalances amongst others, which means anxiety, depression, pms, pmdd, etc. etc. ad nauseum. It is pure logic, and any doctor worth his or her salt will agree.
9) To get discouraged along the way during treatment is normal. Don't let the discouragement you may feel at times de-rail you from your main goal. This is VERY important.
All the best,
Anthea
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Hi,
I have been upping the "natural approach" over the last few months because I learn't through psychotherapy that I really had to care for myself. First to go was processed food and first to come in was exercise. I am aware of how to cook properly and I did my research too so I am satisfied that I am doing this right. I make sure that I eat tryptophan rich foods, mix them with the correct proprtions of carbs to wash the other competing amino acids into the musculature etc etc.
I made lifestyle changes and now have coping mechanisms for stress, get enough sleep and so on. Psychotherapy helped here to and I have been resolving some difficult childhood abuses. My psychotherapist can do no more now, hence the "discharge" but I haven't dropped all psychosocial interventions and am completing stress at work courses, effective time management and will be seeing a CPN for further advice.
I work closely with my GP on who's suggestion I started vit b6, that and the agnus castus I have only been taking for the last month. That's when the caffeine went too.
I can only get L-tryptophan shipped in or prescribed which I can't do just yet as I am on a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. But believe me I will be talking with my GP about this next week. I am also likely to be further referred to a research project in London re PMDD so I'm pretty sure the diagnosis is correct. I have had concurrent depression with the PMDD but I am not depressed any more. I fill in a premenstural visual log and plan plan plan.
I make up a "PMDD" pack with camomile teas, fibre bars, dried fruit, pain relief (brufen), hot pads so that I don't break and reach for the chocolate when the PMDD comes.
I don't think there is much else I can do right now but I'm here again, in tears, cloudy, hungry, defocused, sore and disabled by my PMDD which I have had since I started menstruating and seems to get worse with age. I reckon that hitting the menopause is going to be a pretty liberating experience for me and I know I shouldn't wish my life away but right now......
Frances-Ruth
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It sounds like you are doing all the right things. Please don't get disheartened. It is a rocky road, I will tell you or anyone else no lies about this. There will be ups and downs, and some months will be worse than others, but once you can view the bigger picture, and look back over a span of months you will see that all your hard work and effort was not for nauhght. Please give yourself at least 6 months of the natural approach before you will see tangible results. It took me over a year of consistent natural treatment before I finally rid myself of PMDD completely. Everyone is different, and the time it takes for healing could be more or less, but at the minimum give it about 6 months to see your first real results.
Keep up the good work, and keep in touch.
Anthea
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