Raging PMT I feel utterly crap :( what will help?

[HepburnKNotA]

I’ve literally just gone and bought evening primrose capsules as my friend said they helped her but short of taking all 60 at once I need a fast fix.

My boobs are swollen and they HURT SO MUCH.

I am irritable and bloated and bloated and irritable. I hate everyone that moves. Or talks.

I am knackered and sleepy.

My diet is good, I exercise a bit, walk a lot. Why oh why oh why do I feel so rubbish from days 23-27?????

I’m 43. Does it just get worse?

I lost my temper with DH yday and in fairness He’d Done nothing wrong.

My mum was foul with PMT all during her 40s and by god I don’t want to turn into her.

What can i do? Quick fix and long term???

Please help!!

Thanks Sandra.

I’m having a terrible day today binged on chocolate so obv now feel even more crap.

I worry so much that SSRIs will affect how I am able to do my creative job.

I have booked in the appointment with my GP at least for early January so I suppose that’s one step.

Just on the sofa crying today and worrying about not getting any work done!!

I feel a bit of a failure tbh

I know exactly how you feel. I never returned to normal after I had my second DC at 39. Since 41 (I'm 44 now) I've been taking Citalopram (20mg) for PMS. It has definitely helped me! I still get PMS but it's mostly manageable now. I see my GP every couple of months.

Gooseysgirl for you.
Were your symptoms more depression-led, can I ask, or anger/irritability?

I'm 45. I also suffer badly with PMS. Always have done but as I get older it's worse and worse. I thought I was perimenopausal so went privately to a menopause clinic and was put on HRT. My cycle is now once a month - better than every 2-3 weeks! I was low in iron from all the bleeding.

Long story short, taking HRT (utrogestan for 7 days a month) has highlighted that I am highly sensitive to progesterone (my own or taken as utrogestan) and it's literally like flipping a switch within 12 hours of the first dose of utrogestan - unbearable rage, depression and anxiety. Which last for 10 days every month. Physical symptoms are pretty mild but the moods are terrible.

I'm going to have a hysterectomy so that I can avoid progesterone for the rest of my life. Cheaper than a divorce is my way of looking at it.

I should add that my lifestyle is exemplary in terms of diet and exercise and hardly drink alcohol and I've tried all the supplements known to man.

I've also tried the mirena which was hell.

I feel for you OP, it's hell.

Some of the ways of reducing water retention are eating less salt, taking magnesium and B6, eating more potassium rich foods (e.g. bananas), taking dandelion (I have a tincture, it lasts ages), avoiding refined carbs.

Other diuretics are parsley, nettle tea (strangely quite nice), hibiscus (really nice tea) and cranberry juice.

A Sri Lankan boyfriend once introduced me to fennel seeds in hot water for bloating. A few seem to help.

I also read that B6 and Zinc together help reduce anxiety. Lamb (if you eat meat) is full of both of these and I genuinely feel helps before my period! The other one that reduces anxiety/pmt like symptoms are almonds, 8-10 as a snack.

Cutting out sugar really helped me. During the second half of the cycle the body is more sugar sensitive so need to eat little and often. Also eating beans and rice together which form a complete protein stabilises blood sugar. Starchy carbs (sweet potatoes, parsnips, carrots) are good too.

As you can tell I looked into this a lot, as I can't take hormonal contraception for health reasons. I took a lot of ideas from The Cycle Diet: cyclediet.com/

@HepburnKNotA my symptoms are a mix of irritability and physical symptoms (nausea, extreme tiredness, headaches). Always had the irritability, but the physical side effects were new!

Thanks so much Goldfish, that’s great info about the different diuretic teas. I like nettle tea and hibiscus sounds lovely. Worth adding!

I eat very little sugar already.

I already eat a lot of almonds!

I don’t eat much meat so maybe I’m
Missing some nutrient (b6?) that could help.

I’m torn between spending the next few months trying every herbal/nutritional remedy known to (wo)man or just saying Fuck it and trying the anti depressants!!

I will see what my GP advises I guess, she’s very sensible and sympathetic.

Thanks so much everyone.

The anti depressants are a very quick fix, I felt better after just two days.
I had to take them so that my rage didn’t tear my family apart as I was being bloody horrible to my long suffering DH.
Another idea is buying serotonin tablets.

Sorry you are going through this. Hopefully at 59 (nearly 60) I should be over this or very soon but I remember what it was like alright.

A week before my period I would eat for England. So hungry all the time. Would have a mouth like the bottom of a bird's cage, tired achey legs, ditto boobs, very tender lower back, very teary, a bit snappy but not totally ragey but my god, the tiredness!.

Then the heavy periods and every joint aching in my body. OOOH forgot the awful headache which would arrive a few days before. I never realised at the time it was only when my period arrived I had a "duh" moment. Oh and 'javelin arse'.

God I hear you. I was on the pill for my entire adult life pre kids, post kids I don’t get on with them. As I’m hitting 40 the pmt is getting worse and worse. It’s the 0-100 of rage I just don’t get. It makes dealing with a normal everyday issue escalate in the blink of an eye and that worries me.
Once I’ve calmed down and think about it, I’m so embarrassed.
I suffer with anxiety so it just makes that worse too.
I’ve nearly walked out on my family.
I’ve had suicidal thoughts with it. I try to plan work and life around it as I know I’ll be useless.
Evening primrose / star flower really helps. I ran out last month and was really poorly for days, so I’m back on them now.

My mum was bad too, so that’s something to look forward to!

fucking javelin arse
My god yes yes yes. When it kicks in at night I get woken up with it, it’s that painful. What is that about?

I also get really achy joints, restless leg and migraines.

Oh EvilPea yes the 0-100 rage it scares me so much. Afterwards you’re left thinking wtf??? And embarrassed and ashamed... tiny incident that you had NO desire or plan to be even vaguely irritated by and suddenly you’re purple faced screaming about it.

Pugging yes I feel genuinely bad for my poor DH, he’s a lovely man and (most of the time) has done absolutely nothing wrong!! Certainly nothing worth me being horrible over.

I also get aching limbs, restless legs, constipation... no wonder I’m such a joy to be around !!

I’m glad I started this thread. I thought all this was totally normal but it sounds like it’s not.

I think it’s maddening when you see how much we put up with every bloody month and how many of us do have to put up with it. How it is considered “normal”.
I went to the doctors after my first (crippling constant periods) and got told “that must be annoying”
No it’s not “annoying” it’s affecting my entire life, my entire families life and my existence

Doctor prescribed high strength b6 for sore boobs, will take a few weeks to take effect tho. Angus castus sent me loopy.

I’m on the pill for it. It was Zoely, which is low-dose, but now that’s not available because of Brexit So changed to Yaz.

It makes me low. But being low won’t make me commit murder so it’s better than the PMS, or PMDD. My cycle was 21 days so the rage was coming around far too quickly. I hate being on the pill at my age (43) but I’ve no choice.

I take low dose Prozac (fluoxetine) two weeks a month. It has turned my PMS from a horrible, tearful angry week every month to a chilled and confident one.
I can't recommend highly enough.

My job is also creative and the Prozac definitely hasn't diminished my edge

Thank you so much for that bluejelly, I really appreciate you saying that. I just worry about taking off my ‘edge’ but I recognise that anti-depressants aren’t tranquillisers or beta blockers or anything. I hugely appreciate you letting me know how it’s been for you

Basically I just feel normal, but without the PMT. I did have side effects for a week or so when I first started (bad stomach, spacey feeling) but since then I've felt totally fine. I would definitely talk to your GP.
Best of luck!

This is me ... though am younger than you OP, and my symptoms seem to last most of the cycle, with relief only for about a week every month. I tried a form of HRT but got migraine with aura so couldn't continue. SSRIs I didn't tolerate. Trying starflower oil and EPO now, hoping it will take the edge off.

Would be interesting to know if a hysterectomy would be a definitive solution, although I'm not sure if I would need to take oestrogen afterwards, if I could do that with my migraine history?

I take low dose Prozac all month. It has been brilliant for my PMT.

I’m due on in the next day or two, plucked my eyebrows today - ohh the pain!!!

heypizza I saw a program ages ago (maybe Victoria Derbyshire) about menopause and how poorly women are treated. One woman was refused hrt as she suffers migraines. But the program sent her to London to a specialist and they said she was completely ok for it, they’d have to pick a certain type and monitor her. But they said it was possible and sent her back to her docs with the info for a prescription. It changed her life.
Apparently it’s a common misconception- even with doctors.

I've been to the GP today and he's prescribed me Sertraline.

I'm hoping this takes the edge off it all as I can't go on with the rage and misery.

My hormones are abnormal as I'm "going through changes" so it's all made worse.

Anyone any experience of being on this for PMT symptoms?