Fluoxetine for PMS

[AJLxxx]

Hi everyone.

I'm looking for some advice regarding taking Fluoxetine for PMS.
I have 2 children, 4 yr and 16m. I experienced terrible PND after my second at the end of 2019 and for most of 2020 (just to add to the weirdest year ever!) and have come out of the other side with counselling. I avoided AD's just because, I think I was scared to take them at the time.

Currently I'm feeling so much better, life is getting back on track, I'm enjoying so many moments with my children and am lucky to have a very supportive husband/family. PND is definitely still in the back of my mind (I'm not sure that sort of thing ever leaves tbh) BUT as the months have gone on, the PND has weakened but I'm now experiencing horrible PMS.

I've been tracking it for some time now, and it's clear that it hits around day 14 of my cycle. I spend roughly 7-10 days in a horrendous mood, shouting at my children/husband, feeling very very angry, anxious and generally low/quite depressed. As soon as my period hits, I feel relieved as by day 2/3 I am absolutely fine. Happy, not snapping at small things, relaxed, generally in a good mood every day (even when currently homeschooling/working from home/looking after a baby, ha!).

I decided enough was enough and I can't simply live life like this anymore. I asked my husband to be honest (ha) and on a scale of 10, how bad I am on those days. His answer was a 9..... (hand over face!). Waiting for these horrible 10 days to arrive makes me feel nervous and anxious and it's not fair on my family (bless them). It's like a beast is unleashed and I can't control it!

I built the courage to speak to the docs and they've prescribed Fluoxetine (20mg) BUT to take this only day 14-28 of my cycle. I've never heard of this before! In the hope that this will just take the edge off those bad days and relieve my PMS symptoms. I can't take the pill for various reasons (hormones/health risks) so they'd like to try the antidepressant approach.

Sorry for the long post - but can anyone offer advice at all? I'm so worried about taking them as I'm petrified of the side effects (I've been googling, stupid I know as everyone reacts differently) and now I feel like I don't want to start them. I picked them up today from the chemist and am just staring at them on the table (lol).

Has anyone done the same, taken them for only a certain amount of days out of the month?

Many thanks to you all. Keep safe xx

[Hardcoresoftie]

I have heard of this method. My poor mental health was very much concentrated around my period ( red mist descended) and I felt I could cope with the low level issues the rest of the month. I looked up if targeted use of SSRI 's such as fluoxetine, sertraline etc was a thing and found stuff in the Harvard Medical journal advocating it.
I asked my GP at the time and she was up for me trying it. I cant remember why I didnt...I think I had a situation based crisis and then needed full time meds or something but it was a few years back.
If I needed to start to take fluoxetine again because of PMS I would do this approach of half the month only.
I was a reluctant pill taker for many years and I think it's a good stance. They do have side effects that are frankly at times not worth it and coming off them can be a pain. However I took them as I needed help to stop a recurrent destructive pattern. If you feel out of control and your husband says it's a 9/10 then I would said this is a opportunity for change. Also you wont be on them full time so it will be easier to come off. It helps to not dread that time of the month as well to have chemical support.
I was terrified of being medicated also, that I would lose myself at first swallow. In reality they dont make you feel like a complete stranger to yourself in the first week but aspect of my sense of self was different and sometimes hard to put my finger on, a bit more this and a bit less that rather than a personality swap.
I would say it's worth a go. You could ask for a 10mg a day rather than 20mg. 10mg is subclinical I think but I definitely felt the effects of fluoxetine even on an every second day dose but I'm generally very quick to respond to all intervention and sensitized.
I hope this helps in some way and it it all works out as it's probably emotionally exhausting for you riding this rollercoaster right now.

[andurina]

Hello AJLxxx
It has been a few months since you posted but I just wanted to give you my view as I am in the same path further along. I am 45, I've always had PMS (lots of anxiety, anger, irritability) for about a week or so. My pregnancies were bliss...! In my 30s I started having Calcium supplements with vitamin D and reduced the duration of symptoms to 2 or 3 days before my period which was great. Around 40 years old my PMS became a nightmare, lasting 2 whole weeks with night sweats, insomnia and feeling super angry (my lovely husband and 2 kids had to put up with a monster for 2 weeks every cycle!) and the cycles also started getting shorter...! I actually didn't realise that it was all cyclical until a couple of years ago, as I hadn't linked the insomnia, clumsiness and sweats to my PMS. I was prescribed 10mg Fluoxetine for 2 weeks before my period. I was given it in liquid form so I started having 7mg instead of 10 after I read an article about low dose working for PMS and it works for me so my GP kept me on that (I have 1.5 ml of the liquid Fluoxetine which equals 7mg). I start 2 days before ovulation as I always had an awful day or two when I ovulate and I take it every morning including day 1 of my period, then I stop for 7 days and on day 8 I start again. I have had no side effects, I sleep all night, my anger/anxiety are mostly gone, the night sweats are also gone. I wish I had done this years ago, I would have been a much nicer mum and wife to be around... I really wish I hadn't been so negative about the idea of having anti-depressants, being such a small dose and with a break makes it not addictive and no side effects!! My improvements started to show on the first cycle I had the medication. I have been having it now for a year and it's all good.
I recommend you listen to this podcast:
www.menopausedoctor.co.uk/menopause/059-pms-and-the-menopause-dr-hannah-short-and-dr-louise-newson
professor John Studd website also has a good info on PMS as well as pms.org (NAPS) where you can read "The 28th Day" by Catherine Barry. I asked my husband to read it and I think it helped him understand better...
Best of luck!

[SCheesee]

Hey

I know this post hasn’t been active in a few years, but I just wanted ask how all your experiences have been with this method of taking AD’s prior to your period? I’m struggling awfully with PMS ( I actually believe I have PMDD) and wondered if this approach would be beneficial to me? I’m so fed up of feeling out of control, weapy, on edge, and a wreck prior to my period. Xx

[AJLxx]

Hi! I started the original post back in 2021!

honestly it’s been life changing for me. I am on 20mg of fluoxetine daily - I originally took it for 2 weeks before my period (14 day prescription) for about a year but I found that I was still cranky on the other days when I didn’t take them (maybe in my head) so my doctor put me on them daily.

i suffered with severe pms, I believe I have PMDD too as hit all the symptoms but I know it can take a long while to diagnose (why I don’t know) but I know that they do use AD to treat it.

talk to your doctor and explore the option definitely - it’s been a miracle for me. I can’t believe how bad I used to feel and although yes I still get a touch of pms (grumpy etc) it is no where NEAR on the level I experienced. I’d spend the 2 weeks before my period angry, depressed, emotional and just a wreck and it has completely eroded.

hope this helps you - let me know how you get on. Xx

[SCheesee]

Hey AJ

thank you so much for replying to my message, I really appreciate it 🥰 this makes me so happy knowing your feeling so much better! I really need some relief, it’s so debilitating isn’t it? I just feel at a loose end. I have ordered evening primrose oil, vitamin B complex, and omega 3 vitamins which are due to arrive today, did you try anything like that previous to fluoxetine? I’m going to try them for a week but already feel like they aren’t going to help much.

how was your experience starting fluoxetine was it ok? Any side affects? I’m apprehensive, but feel like I need to just bite the bullet and contact my Dr. Xx

[SCheesee]

Hi AJL,

sorry for the bombarding questions 🙈 I was just wondering if you had any weight gain with fluoxetine? And also, did alcohol affect it? Trying to weigh everything up. Thanks so much xx