Extreme PMS - Help Please!

Hi H.!
I had this same thing after my son was born and again after my daughter was born. I use a supplement called Estrofactors (Metagenics is the company) that balances the estrogen and prgesterone in the body. It is NOT a hormone replacement drug. I know you don't believe in homeopathic medicine but I am telling you that I got my life back after 2 months on Estrofactors.

The beauty of it is that you don't have to take them forever! And you can buy them anywhere. I get mine online or at my chiropractors office.
Hormone imbalances suck! I hated how I acted when my period was coming! I also got debilitating migraines the day before my period was to arrive. yuck!

I hope you find something that works for you!

OMG, i can totally relate! I too call it a fog. I don't yell at my dh but I am moody and depressed a week after my period. A week before my period I have tons of energy but that also includes major insomnia. I would like to find a balance. Someone told me it has to do with iron. I was just going to email my obgyn to see what she had to say on the subject.

btw, I have never been on the pill or anti depressants, but my mother always had MAJOR moods swings.

About 10 years ago a study was published showing women had bad PMS weren't getting enough calcium. (The fitness magazines like "Shape" picked the story up). So while taking 500mg three times a day seems like a bit much.... the really bad news is that it takes 45 days to "kick in". So you have to go.... yeah! pretty much 2 cycles before you will notice it.

Just tell yourself that you are replacing all the calcium the baby leached out of your bones ;-)
and while it's annoying, that is pretty much the recommended amount of calcium women of childbearing age should be getting anyhow.

Some people like Tums, some like the chocolate chews (others say the chews make them gassy) some just like the pills like Citracal.

I also find 45 minutes of walking 5 times a week makes a HUGE difference in my sanity. Get a good jogging stroller and put baby in a snow suit!

As a person who used to have problems with PMS severely, I know what helped me. The first was to get plenty of sleep and exercise. Secondly I do take vitamins and especially the Omega-3s. Get a fish oil high in DHA's- they help the brain and your mood more than other types. The third that helped me was cleansing my liver. Not with an over the counter type thing, but with a professional homeopath, or Natural Doctor. The liver is where all your hormones are processed. So years of birth control and anti depressants take their toll on the liver because the toxins are stored there. Lastly I also saw a professional homeopath. Homeopathy can't be prescribed lightly. It is "energetic" medicine, which if it isn't your remedy it won't do a damn thing! Also the Bach flower remedy is very surface oriented, and it will help with anxiety to calm your nerves. I'm not at all surprised that it didn't help you here at all. It doesn't address anger at all.

I actually became a homeopath because of the changes that occurred in my health because of it. The homeopath helped me understand that I was one person, and my depression was also related to my menstral problems( I still needed to cleanse my liver of all the gunk that was there).Today I'm happy to say I don't have either. If I haven't turned you off, then I would like to invite you to try homeopathy for free. I am willing to give you a free homeopathic consultation, so that you can really see how it can work. I'm a living testimonial, and I don't think you've seen a good certified homeopath.

I defnitely have had the same thing and it's horrible. I fairly recently found out though that I'm highly wheat and somewhat dairy intolerant. I was shocked as I've never had much of an issue with digestion but have always tired very easily. Since I've cut out wheat and dairy, not only am I WAY less tired, I am less moody too. So if by some chance, you're more moody when you're tired and also generally tire easily, maybe have food sensitivities checked. I've been on a different diet for 2 months now and apparently wheat takes 3 months to feel the complete difference so maybe I'll feel even better a month from now. Not sure where you're located but Dr. Shaw in Los Altos is who I saw on a rec I got here and he's excellent.

H.... Sorry I dont know anything that would help PMS but just had to say how refreshing it was to hear that you dont honestly love EVERY MINUTE of parenting! It is a great experience but not all the time! Genuine reality checks are actually a good support to us all. Thanks! P.

If you are not already exercising its a good idea to take a walk of cycle once a day. Your body needs vitamin B6 which is in chocolate, hence the craving some women get. So you could take a B supplement. Also evening primrose is a good calming herbal choice. Also if you feel like a break, call a friend and go to a movie of coffee so you can have a good vent. There is a book called 'You are what you eat', it has a page of foods to eat if you have PMS,
good luck.

I have the same issue. The other night I felt like I needed to be committed. I have previously invested a lot of time and energy dealing with this but let it slide. In the past what helped me: vitamins & evening primrose daily and therapy!

I stopped the evening primrose when I was pregnant and never restarted as well as the therapy.

I have decided to take back my life and start meeting with a therapist again. This helps me feel like I am taking control which I always find to be a good first step.

the out of control feeling is what really freaks me out!

Not sure if this helps at all.... but it is what I am going to try! (I am also going to read through all the answers people give you1!!) Good luck!

I am the same way so I'd love to hear what others have to say!
Excercise definitely helped for me, when I was training for a marathon, but I am injured now so I can't run. That def makes PMS 10 times worse!

Hi H.
I agree with some of the other posters, OMEGA 3,6,9 helps me.. and of course, exercise...
I have also cut down on coffee over the years to about 3 oz a day. additionally, drink lots of water to help cleanse the add'l hormones we make each month.. when you eat poorly around your time of cycle, it makes it harder on your body to not only rid your body of the poor food, but it also makes it tougher for your body to properly process the hormones.
lastly, do you chart your cycles? It might be a good idea to do as such because you can begin to get a bigger picture of what is going on each month. for example, like you (myself included) many women begin to get irritable right before the onset of their period, with that said and knowing what is to come, you might be able to amp up your exercise and or do some yoga to help offset the irritability. Also, IF you ever did decide to do acupuncture which works with PMS , esp when it comes to the transitional points at each part of your cycle (like right before your period and after) when hormones rise and then fall, acupuncture help you even out all that.
I am currently doing it and I think it works.
best of luck to you

H., that sounds like a description of me. I do now two things: take note of those days to be able to recognize them, so that I know that the world turns black for a reason. It helps me rationalize and avoid making the people around me miserable.
The second thing I do is regularly take a magnesium supplement beginning a week before I am due with my period. There is a dramatic drop of magnesium in our body in those days that (according to some doctors) may be responsible for the emotional imbalance. You will notice that you will sleep much better.
Hope this may help. I am sure there will be more suggestions and I am looking forward to reading them myself.

I can just share that I feel the same way. This has never happened to me before until the birth of my second child. I feel like I am possessed, it is horrible. Then, just like you, bam, all is good.

I talked to my obgyn about it and she said yep, it can happen. Uh, yeah, I already figured that out! Solution not found yet. I am trying to get more exercise in but so far not a help, and I am trying vitamins but just started that this mo. and so far no change.

My Dr. also said go back on the pill but I am afraid to "experiment", if it gets any worse I will just have to check into a rubber room one week out of the month!

H.,

Have you ever tried acupuncture? It works wonders with PMS. I think there is an acupuncture school in SF where you can get treated for a very reasonable price. Or ask around for references and try an acupuncturist who has an office near you.

Good luck to you,

G.

Some of the other mamas have mentioned this as well, and I wanted to chime in. I noticed the same thing in myself, where I was just a cranky b**** during my period. Like you, I had been on the pill and anti-depressants previously. (For me, the pill made me worse and I needed the anti-depressants to counter-act it! Finally I made my husband get a vasectomy.)

Anyhow, recently my husband bought a big jar of gummi vitamins for our kids at Costco. I began taking them too when I'd give them to the kids every morning. I really have noticed a difference! I have no idea if it's the calcium, or B vitamins, or magnesium or folic acid or what. But if 3 gummi vitamins a day can keep me on an even keel, I'm all for it! Who knows if it will work for you too, but chances are you probably already have some kind of kid chewable vitamins in your house, so it couldn't hurt to give it a try! =)

Hi H.,

I apologize ahead of time, but this will be long. You are not alone. You may have what is called PMDD (pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder). I think of it as PMS on steroids. My symptoms last for two weeks, and I have learned to tell my husband that "the monster" is here, so he is prepared for my wild and unpredictable mood swings. My anger is uncontrollable during this time, and the littlest things will irritate or annoy me. I will go from wildly angry to crying over a song on the radio. So I know EXACTLY how you are feeling, including the part to being back to normal after the end of your period. You can try googling PMDD, to get a better idea of whether your symptoms fit.

I did the whole route with my doctor, psychologists, psychiatrists, SSRI's, and finally decided i wanted to try a naturopath. She has been a lifesaver. I can't say I am 100% better yet, but we are working on it, and I know it is helping because just this month, I went off one of my supplements, and decided to forgo another because I wasn't sure it was really working and whamo - the Monster struck with full vengeance out of nowhere. I've been seeing my naturopath for about 6 months, and this month was the worst since before I started my supps.

The first thing my naturopath did was order tests to check my cortisol levels, my insulin levels, my hormone levels (estrogen, testosterone etc), as well as my neurotransmitter levels (serotonin, norepiniphrine etc.). She also ordered a full blood panel to check the basics, for thyroid etc. After the results came back, it was clear that there was a chemical imbalance in my body causing many of my symptoms. She has prescribed a series of natural supplements (B-vitamins and tyrosine, and some other stuff) as well as a progesterone cream that have truly made a difference.

I have also been supplementing with extra calcium, magnesium, fish oils, evening primrose oil and a multi-vitamin. I try very hard to limit my sugar intake, and I read labels on food so as not to eat ANYTHING with high fructose corn syrup or partially hydrogenated oil. I am still working on cutting out my coffee, and wine, but it has been hard. Unfortunately, caffeine and alcohol negatively affect PMDD symptoms.

I have lots more information I can give you, please feel free to email me, and I will try to send you some links or just listen. I'm a mom of three, ages 9, 7, and 5, and though I love my children with all my heart, I don't always love being a Mommy too. It's hard!

Sincerely,
W. ____@____.com

Don't know if this will help, but apparently some foods are estrogen rich (like oatmeal, apples, and almonds) and some (like onions and white flour) inhibit estrogen absorption. Email me if you want more info.

PRozac!! It really helped!!!

I know it's been a little while, but I was having the same troubles you were and I found an herb called Passionflower that worked really well. The trick is to start taking it a day or 2 before you start your cycle.

good luck

I was like that too and discovered I was very hypothryroid. Once I got some thyroid hormone in my body, the mood swings almost disappeared. Ask your Dr. for a blood test to rule it out. Also, gluten and dairy make me crazy if my thyroid is out of whack. It becomes a double whammy. If you want to change your diet before you go to a dr. that is what I would try.

I got the best results with bioflavnoids. you can get them at the health food store for sure. I would start taking them three or four days before the mood swings were due to start and then for seven days as they also seemed to help with the cramping i used to have. I think i heard about them in prevention magazine a long time ago. my husband used to make sure I didnt run out! good luck.

Hi H.,

I can totally relate. My PMS is terrible and the last few months I have found myself completely loosing my temper with my son. It's hard since he is in the fun terrible 2's stage but that doesn't justify my behavior. I have never looked too seriously into ways to change it, I have always just lived with it. I will definitely look into some of the suggestions given here in more depth. My solution so far, and maybe a good short term solution, is just to take a step back, take some time for myself and turn control over to my husband as much as possible. Hopefully this is an option for you.

Maybe this was already mentioned, but I would highly recommend acupuncture to regulate your hormones.

I take a high potency sustained release B-Complex and high potency/good quality Omega 3 fish oil every day - it definitely helps with moodiness and stress. I usually buy them from natural health food stores.

Hi H.,

I laughed when I read your post -- I just decided to check Mamasource now to take a break from what I've been doing this afternoon, which is writing a paper about PMS for school! I'm studying holistic nutrition. My paper is due on Tues and will include a 5 day meal plan for dealing with PMS. If you're interested, let me know and I'll email it to you when you're done. My email is ____@____.com