PMT Please Help Me!

keelykat

Hello, i agree that exercise helps...but i also turn to chocolate lol.

keely.

goggers_2

I have the same problem, i turn into a complete maniac for a few days the week before my period so much so that i have compulsively done things that i really don't want to do as i obsess about things.

it's just so horrible thinking like a crazy person, even though there's this tiny rational part of me trying to be normal its being sat on by a great big water retaining irrational one, crying and screaming for chocolate.

I found taking high strength evening primrose oil and starflower oil has helped reduce my symtoms, also i've changed my contraceptive pill in the hope that it will help some.
I also excercise, I use running and yoga or pilates as they all give me time not to think about whatever thing i'm obsessing about and that really helps. Being emotional is soooo draining.

Give it all a try, find what works for you. Good luck x

jinky67

i started taking EPO a few months ago and find it does help i am not quite so MANIC now!!!!
much to the relief of family, does take a while to kick in though

~*Plushroom*~

I used to be in complete agony every month and subsequently after trying everything my GP put me on the pill at a really young age because nothing else had worked.

I do still feel a bit urgh though but have used yoga and meditation to ease it, though there is the problem of becoming so relaxed that you fall asleep!

I also found that I felt better if I steered clear of all dairy during that time (I'm lactose intolerant anyway but do sneak the occassional dairy filled goodie in ). Starchy food made me feel so much better, and oddly keeping away from citrus fruits for a few days helped.

And of course, chocolate what better excuse!

Mics_chick

Ted_Hutchinson wrote: »

Pilot study of the efficacy and safety of a modified-release magnesium 250 mg tablet (Sincromag) for the treatment of premenstrual syndrome.We concluded that modified-release magnesium was effective in reducing premenstrual symptoms in women with PMS in this preliminary study.

You may find that 20minutes soaking in a bath in Dead Sea Salts (magnesium Chloride) does the trick.
Agricultural Merchants sell 25kg (enough for 50 baths) for £7.50ish. It's used for horses/pigs to calm them down but I think it's added to their drinking water.

I should have pointed out that chocolate is a good source of magnesium. So cocoa before bedtime.

This probably explains why women crave chocolate then ???

larmy16

Hugs to Lavender. I too change into a different person about once a month. I say once a month as I am in the change, have a mirena and really don't know if it is PMT or I have a split personality!

I get really down on myself. Think I am the worst person who ever lived. Dredge up all sorts of past wrongdoings and drown in guilt. Weepy and irrational. My fella (who I have not know that long - maybe 5 months) is an absolute hero at these times. He just sits and listens and accepts that every suggestion he makes will be met with childish rebellion!! It is very painful to be locked into the depths of down-ness. Oh the joy when it passes and you can again see things clearly and almost rationally!

Here is an example. My car need to be MOT'd. He asked me what I was going to do about it. I replied. NOTHING. I am going to drive it, break the law and hopefully be put in prison where I can have a break from the endless drudgery of my life. Work, work, work and worrying about money.

This week I took the car for MOT - it failed but was thankfully only £75 to put right. So much for breaking the law! Also this week I don't want to go to prison!!!:D

BigMummaF

Not sure if we can mention brand names, but if I'm wrong please forgive a forum virgin for her sins!

I personally used "Magnesium OK" suppliments, available from most chemists but a lot cheaper if you can get hold of the address inside the pack. You take them every day so it doesn't matter if you're not 'regular'. They contain something like 46 different vitamins & minerals the female body should be taking, as explained by a previous poster, and with the way food is grown today I reckon 'every little helps' in the goodness dept.

They saved my sanity, & it meant the family spent less time in the bomb shelter!

I really do sympathise tho, & have booked my passage for the return journey as a male dog!:rotfl:No more girlie bits for me!

Good Luck with whatever helps you, & I hope you find something soon.

Daisy

I have suffered from pmt/pmdd since I was in my early twenties. I have been to see my doctor who suggested I go on the pill and two nurses who didn't really know anything. I have since found an amazing book which has taught me so much and I'm now trying omega 3 oil supplements.

Basically if you suffer from pmt/pmdd, it is because the brain is unable to maintain its usual chemical balance. The oestrogen dip immediately after ovulation causes changes at the serotonin receptors in the brain which can cause a 'short-circuit' of the neurotransmitters. This is the reason we crave chocolate and carbs because our brains want a serotonin boost. but chocolate will only give you a short-term boost at the expense of a sharp drop-off soon after. Serotonin supplements are ineffective because serotonin cannot pass through the blood - brain barrier.

Endorphins help the brain to withstand these hormonal changes which is why exercise can help.

I can thoroughly recommend this book which you can probably get from the library. It has really helped me understand what goes on in my brain. It's called Women's moods by Deborah Sichel and Jeanne Watson Driscoll.

Btw, cutting out sugar completely helped me one month, I got no pmt at all but I didn't think a whole month of no chocolate was worth it....:rotfl:

Ted_Hutchinson

Cyclical fluctuations of the calcium-regulating hormones may help us better understand some of the psychological and somatic features of PMDD. The lack of responsiveness in vitamin D metabolism resulting in a decline in 1,25(OH)(2)D during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle may serve as the biological trigger for the classical features of PMDD.

Getting your vitamin D status raised to above 80nmol/L so calcium absoption is optimal may be the way to go. If it doesn't help the PMT it will reduce your colon cancer & heart disease risk anyway so it's not money wasted.

The interrelationship between vitamin D, calcium, phosphate and magnesium is far too complex for me to attempt to detail . I think there is still more to be discovered, but in the mean time it is certain that most UK adults have insufficient vitamin D3 and therefore are at risk of not having optimal control over absorption/excretion of calcium via parathyroid hormone levels and this also impacts on magnesium status.

In addition to it's role in calcium/phosphate homeostasis and bone formation vitamin D is also involved in brain function and neuroprotection. It's a funny thing how Vitamin D affects just about everything. The fact is that people who are depressed are far more likely to have low BMD. and
Daily Use Of Antidepressants And Increased Risk Of Fracture In Older Adults Linked

You really cannot expect the brain to function optimally if it doesn't have available optimal resources of it's main detoxifying & anti inflammatory agent.

melancholly

ignoring the predictable 'vitamin D fixes every medical issue known to man' advice, i'm with the chocolate approach. i don't buy it normally, but desperately try to remember for the one week!!! for everyone's benefit of course!

i also have had a much better time on the pill i'm currently on - i'm not trying to recommend going on the contraceptive pill if you're not already, but some are better than others. if you are on the pill, it's worth speaking to your GP and seeing if it's an option. when i changed from microgynon to yasmin, i went from crying for no reason once a month to just being moody/volatile (although the fact that it's not consistant from month to month hardly helps!). hormones! you think once you're past being a teenager the worst is over, but mother nature had years of fun in store for us instead!