Advice on chronic PMT *please*

[Misfitless]

Can anyone offer any advice about how I can ease chronic pmt? When I look back at how badly I behaved towards my DP last week I am utterly ashamed of myself. I'm not exaggerating to say that it was like I was another person - someone who's a total bitch tbh!

I am now in the throws of the heaviest period of my life and feel more like myself in terms of happy and calm but physically have headaches and feel extremely weak.

Anyone know of anything herbal I can take? I will go to the doctors as a last resort but rather wouldn't.

Have bought multi vitamins with iron and have been taking for the last few days. I don't think I'm aneamic (sp?) because physically I feel fine when I'm not on my period.
Am brest feeding also.
I am wondering if it is connected to how many pregnancies you have, if it could be early onset of menopause (Im 37) or if it's acutally perfectly normal and to be expected.

My youngest is 13 months, so it's not my first period after child birth or anything connected with her birth.

I'm just like u, dc2 is now 2 and tho I've always been a bit hormonally moody I'm now unrecognizable. It's the physical too, never used to get headaches or back ache like I do now. Was looking at evening primrose oil but nothing seems to suggest it actually works. It's so bad I'm even looking at hysterectomy as a cure but worried that will just send my hormones even more haywire. Tried citalopram but the side effects in first few wks were awful, and very little benefit. And won't help physical side.

Have you been to the GP about it, Flojo? Do you mind me asking how old you are and how many DCs you have? I'm wondering if it's all connected, you see? Also how long has this been going on?

Sorry for the 20 questions, by the way!

I'm 31, have 2 DCs (5 and 2) and my folks recently described me as the perfect daughter until my hormones kicked in. Tho I never joined the dots til recently. My relationship is hanging by a thread as my fella very very fed up with my irractic behaviour.
I went to my gp who prescribed citalopram which i took for about 2 months but didnt seem to help in that time and the side effects were bad. And i keep meaning to go back gp, but then i'm fine until it starts again, its only recently i've decided to do something about it and noticed this regular pattern.
But if seems to be the general concensus that woman get moody with pmt and it should be expected and i've researched treatments all of which seem to have very mixed views.

Are there minerals in your multi-vitamins Missfitless?

I found that was what made a difference to me, and a few colleagues tried it and we noticed the difference in their tantrums moods too.

I only bought a cheap combo, nothing flash. Worth a shot...

I'm ok on the pill but not off. Not found anything else that works yet sorry

Thanks. Flojo that sounds really awful. I know there's nothing to be gained by moaning but I think it's really shitty that after all the pregnancy, labout, breast feeding bollocks we then get hit with all this! I hope you and your DP and will be ok with some decent treatment.

Do you mind me asking what the side effects of citalopram were? Is there a chance that if you took it for longer some benefits might kick in?

Married - I'll check thanks for the advice.

Thanks nymph too - I think I'll consider this once finished breast feeding in next couple of months.

What exactly did u take married? think i will try.
Citalopram had very flu like symptoms, really tired, no energy, felt ill and dizzy. Not fun with 2 DCs to look after.

Side effects got better after 2-3 wks (except erm..it stops u from.... having an 'O' ).
Anyway, then i forgot to take them for 2 days in a row and when i took them the 3rd day i felt ill again so knocked them on the head. I perhaps should have taken them longer and I keep thinking about trying again but just keep putting off cos of side effects (lasted bout 2-3wks, long time really when work/kids etc).

I started by thinking it was some kind of delayed PND, I was stressing bout silly things, could feel this overwhelming anger building inside of me for nothing, got very tearful over silly things. Then I just worried about all these things and hit a vicious cycle to the point of convincing myself I had some sort of bipolar type thing thats when I thought I've gotta do something and sorted myself out b4 my DCs see it and my fella leaves. Thats when I noticed a pattern.

I had dreadful PMT for about a year after my last baby. Can really identify with your story. I was monumentally unhinged with hubby. Some absolute appalling shouting, screaming, swearing, slamming and breaking of china. It has changed noticeably over the last 6 months. I really didn't want to go back on Pill so have Mirena coil instead which after a year seems to have really calmed things down. Plus I lost some weight and that has changed my moods too. Also i feel that once I was about 18 months post birth things just seem to have settled down and the hormones have finally calmed down.

So not so much a solution but just empathy. It is grim though.

have a google at pre menstrual dysphoric disorder

tri cycling monophasic Pill plus sertraline works for me. Grim indeed.

Definitely worth getting your GP to test your ferritin (sp?) level i.e. your iron reserves. I was really shocked that mine was really low as I only felt awful just before my period. Also the doctor prescribed piroxidine (I think) - a B vitamin but in a clinical dose.

Saw a consultant about this also. She said the piroxidine was a very good thing (apparantly feeds the transmitters that take serotonin to your brain or some such). She's also told me to get the mirena coil fitted like Mummyrev - although I've subsequently heard that lots of people get depressed or anxious on this, so I am going to be doing more research before making a decision about that. (I'm pg at the moment).

Also, remember that you are probably more tired now with two DC than you have ever been before, so any PMS is going to be tipping you over the edge.

I got sterilised at section so seems crazy then taking pill or getting coil in just for this, but on days when its bad (well usually day after when remorseful ) i'd take anything to stop it, then I'm ok so dont go doc til few wks later it starts again and i kick myself for not going.
...Will go next wk and see if i can get referral to gynae, there must be some way of stopping periods without the extremities of hysterectomy,

It sounds very familiar - overwhelming anger is exactly it. I get extremely irritable and anxious and try so hard to keep a lid on it but just can't always manage it. TBH I think I let my guard down with my DP and mum and they probably get the brunt of it - that's the lesser of two evils. Rather them than my DCs. Having said that though, the other week my DD1 said to DP that I'm really moody with her lately and he told me that she was really upset about it .

How is it now Flojo? You've mentioned about your DP leaving but that sounds like it was in the past and maybe things are better. Don't mean to pry so no need to answer if don't want to.

How does iron effect it?
My ferritin level is usually low but I cant tolerate iron (not even syrup form, sick within minutes of taking - had to have IV form when pg)
But since section and having loads of IV iron on run up to it I think its fine. And I dont recall being much better at times when it was in normal levels.

I can totally understand it though. My DP told me during my PMT a few months ago that, amongst other things, I am always horrible, always snap at him, make him feel unwelcome in his own home and generally make him miserable. I don't even think he was overreacting - he had a point!

You've made me realise that maybe I do need to see the doctor afterall.

Please keep advice coming if you can think of anything else - really appreciate it.

Things r very on/off with DP, I've been with him a yr now, so he isnt DCs father and doesnt live here, so when i'm 'on one' he either usually storms out and comes back days later or tbh I lose it and tell him to 'f* off'. Its just turning into a pantomime. He isnt always the most understanding DP but recently I took him back (ha maybe he took me back ) after a huge bust up, as i figured if he can put up with my moody, irrational, angry, crazy outbursts then I should hold on with both hands and overlook his imperfections.
I have been particularly bad this yr, so put it down to him, lower self esteem confidence etc (i.e. i get tearful and convince myself that kids r better off without me b4 they see how unhinged i am) but looking back i was struggling in the months before meeting him, its just that the honeymoon period in first few months glossed over it for a while til familiarity set in then I end up taking it out on him.

Flojo - I'm sure that's not true about your kids being better off without you.

It's terrible how much this effects us. Make an appointment Flojo and I will too!

Thanks Schmee - when are you due?

Ok, will do then we can compare note and see if the GPs say anything similar!

Deal - I'll make an appointment for as early as possible next week. That way, whatever he suggests will have time to kick in before my next round of PMT .

Keep me posted Flojo, and any other information/experiences for any other posters will be appreciated.
Thanks

I have always had bad PMT. I take Magnesium B complex which you can get in Boots and Agnus Castus which you can get from any health food shop. Also don't really drink alcohol anymore but especially never the week before period. My PMT is def getting worse as i get older - I'm 38. I had edometrial ablation last year to make my periods lighter and PMT physical symptoms seem to have appeared, terrible headaches before period, just after and during ovulation. Getting fed up with it and often go to work feeling crap and so tired but not ill.

I would try and take something like magnesium - oh and sis takes St john's wort which she says works for her - and cut down on alcohol and sugar too.

Alcohol i can live without but sugar is another issue! Might try the vitamin n mineral thing.

I get headache about 5 days before & build up to one night of huge tantrum( am learning to control it but not v logical!) 2-3 days before. Dh v patient. Hoping it's better post dd3 but so far had one period, spot on PMT.

I think i need to keep a diary then i can predict some sort of pattern and it might help me to foresee tantrums emotional outbursts and control better.

I suffered for many years with horrendous PMT, very heavy painful periods etc. Eventually I saw a Consultant privately who put me on to Zoladex which basically fools the body into menopause. I took HRT as well.

I can safely say it changed my life completely. It mitigates the effects of the hormone fluctuations and I had no periods at all.

He told me that because I had tried everything else my only other option was a hysterectomy. As it was the Zoladex worked for me!

I get really irritable before my period and have started (in the last few months) taking fairly large doses of good quality evening primrose oil. It has helped a lot. My skin and hair are better too

I hope you find something that helps you.