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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
[email protected]Shown: posts 1 to 15 of 15. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by chiron on March 12, 2003, at 9:18:18
SSRIs (prozac, celexa, etc.) have been proven to help PMS/PMDD. Has anyone found help with something other than a SSRI to help w/ PMS? Thanks.
Posted by Krissy P on March 12, 2003, at 9:43:20
In reply to PMS- anything other than ssris help?, posted by chiron on March 12, 2003, at 9:18:18
Hi, I experience PMS and besides an ssri, I have found Lamictal very helpful,BUT, if it doesn't warrant the use of it, don't do it.lol
Also, limit caffeine, if any. Do you consume a lot of caffeine?
Hope this helped?
Kristen:-)
==================================================================================================SSRIs (prozac, celexa, etc.) have been proven to help PMS/PMDD. Has anyone found help with something other than a SSRI to help w/ PMS? Thanks.
Posted by okpolosi on March 12, 2003, at 11:15:47
In reply to Re: PMS- anything other than ssris help? » chiron, posted by Krissy P on March 12, 2003, at 9:43:20
I was diagnosed with PMDD - Pre Menstrual Dysfunction - the more severe form of PMS. Dr gave me Lexapro which I have been taking for 6 weeks. In that time I have had NO extreme PMS symptoms - no screaming fights with husband, or uncontrollable rage at work or driving. Also have depression. The Lex seems to be helping more with the PMS than with the depression. I have never taken SSRI's before. I have friends that swear things like soy, and other herbal remedies worked for them, but they did not work for me.
Posted by Krissy P on March 12, 2003, at 11:37:34
In reply to Re: PMS- anything other than ssris help? » Krissy P, posted by okpolosi on March 12, 2003, at 11:15:47
Hi, soy and herbal remedies didn't work for me either.
================================================================================================== I was diagnosed with PMDD - Pre Menstrual Dysfunction - the more severe form of PMS. Dr gave me Lexapro which I have been taking for 6 weeks. In that time I have had NO extreme PMS symptoms - no screaming fights with husband, or uncontrollable rage at work or driving. Also have depression. The Lex seems to be helping more with the PMS than with the depression. I have never taken SSRI's before. I have friends that swear things like soy, and other herbal remedies worked for them, but they did not work for me.
Posted by SJMA on March 12, 2003, at 12:36:56
In reply to Re: PMS- anything other than ssris help? » Krissy P, posted by okpolosi on March 12, 2003, at 11:15:47
Actually it's Premenstrual Dysthymic Disorder. Also, SaraFem is an SSRI,(actually it's Prozac), but they have found that it is effective for PMDD at 10 mg dosage, and it's only taken for 14 days/month from ovulation to when you start your period. It has far fewer side effects than taking standard doses of most SSRIs the entire month.
Posted by Questionmark on March 12, 2003, at 17:24:44
In reply to PMS- anything other than ssris help?, posted by chiron on March 12, 2003, at 9:18:18
If your only problem is PMS or whatever, i would strongly advise not using an SSRI for that, at least not at first. Who knows what kind of biochemical changes SSRIs can ultimately produce in a person, and so for a once-a-month problem it might not be worth this-- at least not until trying other things first. As a guy i really don't mean to patronize; it's just my opinion.
Certain herbs that i have heard can be really helpful that i would suggest trying (in this case the buying the bulk herb and making a tea might be better than capsules or whatever): black cohosh root, wild yam root, dong quai (aka angelica?), fenugreek seeds/sprouts, and motherswort.
Posted by Rachel2 on March 12, 2003, at 17:30:46
In reply to PMS- anything other than ssris help?, posted by chiron on March 12, 2003, at 9:18:18
I take mircette (the pill) straight through the month to avoid PMS. It also helps me avoid periods. This freaks some people out, but my doctor assures me it's all right. She's been doing it for 3 years. For awhile I still got PMS, but it wasn't as bad, and I didn't know when it was coming because I wasn't getting my periods. I don't think I get it any more, but it's hard to tell because the depression has gotten worse.
Before going on mircette I had to avoid chocolate and caffeine. If I had it too close to my period, it would take 4 days to completely clear out of my system. I used to get PMS for up to 12 days before my period. Also, vitamin E has been extremely helpful. I started on 400 I.U. and went up to 800. Sometimes I forget to take it for awhile, and I always notice it.
Posted by chiron on March 12, 2003, at 20:59:01
In reply to Re: PMS- anything other than ssris help?, posted by Rachel2 on March 12, 2003, at 17:30:46
I've tried the "natural/herb" route- that doesn't help. Taking the pill makes me have PMS constantly & screws me up even worse. I have general depression, and I have noticed that Prozac does help some with the PMS. I am just wondering if any of the atypical antidepressants- like Lamictal (thank you Krissy) also help because I would like to try something else.
Posted by wendy b. on March 12, 2003, at 21:28:20
In reply to Re: PMS- anything other than ssris help?, posted by Rachel2 on March 12, 2003, at 17:30:46
> I take mircette (the pill) straight through the month to avoid PMS. It also helps me avoid periods. This freaks some people out, but my doctor assures me it's all right. She's been doing it for 3 years.
Rachel,
I'm on Mircette also... What do you mean, you take it straight through... You don't take the green and yellow pills (the 4th week)? You just take the white pills for 28 days? I've never heard of that, but if your doctor says it' s ok, I'm going to ask mine next month when I see him. I'd love not to have my periods! (Doesn't freak me out a bit...)
My OB/GYN put me on it because I was losing too much blood during my periods; he was worried about anemia. It also really helps the PMS symptoms... Herbal remedies are also "chemicals," and I'd rather use pharmaceuticals - doses are measured, and potency is assured...
Chiron: Zoloft (an SSRI) helped my PMS when the anger and irritability was out of control (about 8 years ago...) I'm off it now because it pooped out over time. Also, gained 30 lbs on it, so that was no good. I would think, if you didn't want an SSRI, that a mild mood-stabilizer like Neurontin, might bring your mood swings under control. It's worth a shot, because it's very safe (almost impossible to overdose), and you can play around a lot with the doseages. I'd start at 100 mg at bedtime for a week, then try it during the day, 100 mg 3 times a day, then work up to 300 3x a day. 600 mg every 5-6 hours is the max your body can absorb; the rest you just pee out. At the most, I was on 3000 to 3600 mg per day, taken at regular intervals (for bipolar symptoms). I'm now off it, because my ADHD doctor doesn't like anti-convulsants as mood-stabilizers, but he is a minority. I'm thinking of asking him for a scrip for a low dose; it really helped with my irritability problems (which are common to PMS).
Hope this helps - I think it can't hurt and might help, so why not try it?
Best,
Wendy
Posted by Lia Mason on March 12, 2003, at 23:13:16
In reply to PMS- anything other than ssris help?, posted by chiron on March 12, 2003, at 9:18:18
Calcium supplements definitely helped me. You can take Tums. I take calcium citrate 1000 a day. Tums is cheaper but you may have to take more. Tums actually has a bottle that specifies it's for PMS. (It's not a special formulation, just a bottle labeled to attract women). try it. It can't hurt, I don't think. Unless you take neurontin, in which case you need to separate them by 2 hours.
Lia
Posted by SJMA on March 13, 2003, at 13:11:48
In reply to Re: PMS- calcium, posted by Lia Mason on March 12, 2003, at 23:13:16
There are specific vitamin combinations that are supposed to help, too. They include high doses of B vitamins, and C among other things. They actually package them and label them specifically as PMS formula (Schiff). Crampbark is also a biggie if you're gonna try herbs. Avoid chocolate, caffeine, cheese, alcohol, sugar and salt after you ovulate (what's left, you ask?). Seriously, avoiding those things can virtually eliminate mood swings and water retention. It's good to avoid those things for any type of mood disorder, actually.
Posted by Rachel2 on March 13, 2003, at 18:42:11
In reply to Re: Mircette question, also pls. read, Chiron » Rachel2, posted by wendy b. on March 12, 2003, at 21:28:20
Yes, I just take the white pills all month long. And Chiron, you may want to look into mircette specifically. I didn't want to go on the pill because I heard it made people worse, but my doctor said that mircette only affects people's moods positively. It might be worth a little more research anyways. good luck.
Posted by Alara on March 14, 2003, at 3:55:10
In reply to Re: PMS- anything other than ssris help?, posted by SJMA on March 12, 2003, at 12:36:56
> Actually it's Premenstrual Dysthymic Disorder. Also, SaraFem is an SSRI,(actually it's Prozac), but they have found that it is effective for PMDD at 10 mg dosage, and it's only taken for 14 days/month from ovulation to when you start your period. It has far fewer side effects than taking standard doses of most SSRIs the entire month.
Would it make sense for someone who is already on 20mg a day of Celexa to increase their dose to 30 or 40mg for those 14 days?
Posted by Alara on March 14, 2003, at 3:59:20
In reply to PMS- anything other than ssris help?, posted by chiron on March 12, 2003, at 9:18:18
Chiron, I noticed that my PMS got really bad after a month of forgetting to take my vit B supplements. Another poster earlier this week also mentioned something about vit B helping PMS.
There is also Evening Primrose Oil. (I haven't tried this yet and so don't know if it works.)
Hope this helps.
Alara
Posted by Krissy P on March 14, 2003, at 11:01:51
In reply to Re: PMS- anything other than ssris help? » SJMA, posted by Alara on March 14, 2003, at 3:55:10
Hi, I wish you the best in this, and IMHO, I would ask your doc:-)
Actually it's Premenstrual Dysthymic Disorder. Also, SaraFem is an SSRI,(actually it's Prozac), but they have found that it is effective for PMDD at 10 mg dosage, and it's only taken for 14 days/month from ovulation to when you start your period. It has far fewer side effects than taking standard doses of most SSRIs the entire month.
Would it make sense for someone who is already on 20mg a day of Celexa to increase their dose to 30 or 40mg for those 14 days?
This is the end of the thread.
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