Vit b6 for PMS

[woodenchair]

has anyone had any success with this?
My dr has suggested a high dose to see if it helps. Would be interested in hearing any experiences good or bad

I took a b vitamin complex for a year when I had problems with PMS. Didn't do a darn thing for me. What did help was evening primrose oil in very high dosages.

However have you actually had a diagnosis of a b6 deficiency in your blood? Or is your GP just saying 'this might help'. If it's an actual deficiency it could be that you do not absorb it properly from your diet in which case all the supplementation in the world will not help. A haematologist would be of help here.

There is of course no harm in trying three months supply to see if it does help - Holland and Barratt do cheap vits.

What form does your PMS take? Is it physical symptoms or more emotional?

The only things I have found to help PMS are exercising and eating well.

I know I'm in for a hard time if I'm due just after someones birthday where we've been eating out and stuffing cake down our throats in celebration

I tried it last year but as I was still bfing DS didn't want to take the 50mg per day my GP recommended so stuck with 25mg & it had no effect at all. DS has all but stopped feeding now so tried the 50mg dose along with evening primrose oil, calcium & magsenium supplements over the last couple of months with no success either. Have now started taking ADs to see if they help as my GP reckons I may have underlying depression which is making the PMS worse.

Thanks for replies, ok symptoms ..
physical: bloating, sore boobs, constipation, need to hoover up contents of either fridge or ds snack cupboard
emotional: vileness towards dp, snappy towards ds, need to be alone, feeling of unrest, depression
on bad months the emotional symptoms can be for 3 weeks.

terramum, interesting you should mention ADs, my DR mentioned these as it may not just be PMS. Do you mind if I ask what made you realise it was depression?

woodenchair...tbh I didn't twig it at first...was just thinking it was totally the PMS but my GP asked me if I had been depressed before & it did occur to me that I haven't really been very happy since DS was born 4 years ago & she said that it's possible it could be PND that's making my symptoms so bad. I've always been pretty evil just before AF, ever since I was a teenager...but when AF returned after DS was born it has been 10 times worse and I get symptoms before & after ovulation as well. I'm really nervous about the ADs tbh (only on day 3 of them!) but I know I've got to try something because my whole life & those of my family are being ruled by my emotions

you sound quite similar to me, have always had it. Problem is because of my job, I've become very good at turning it off when I need to. recently tough, it's become more difficult to hide and the feelings of depression are getting stronger and lasting longer.
Good luck with the ADs, I hope they help!
i'm going to give the B6 a couple of months then see where I am then.

Good luck to you too woodenchair, hope the b6 works for you

I am in a similar position, very awful mood swings nothing really works. My gp suggested ADs, but said that they were to help with pmt, not to deal with an underlying depression, was he being sneaky I wonder? I didn't take them anyway

Overrun I don't think your GP was being sneaky....my GP was talking about ADs as a possible treatment for PMS before we talked properly about it and general depression was even mentioned....

...forgot to mention as well woodenchair that she did offer the pill as a possible treatment as well...but I refused that because despite being ruled by my PMS my cycles are mostly fairly regular now and I don't want them mucked about with too much, especially as we want to start trying for #2 sometime in the near future

Already have a mirena so can't have pill. Although she did mention other hormonal treatments that may help, there was lots of talk of progesteron and estrogen (sp) levels, one was too high, one not enough, can't remember which though, it got a bit confusing tbh

thanks terramum, thats good to know, I was offered the pill and I was also offered a progesterone (I think) pessary which you had to wear for a few weeks of your cycle. I vetoed that one, as an issue I have is that, my period goes on for longer than normal so no sex then, and then when pmt hits, a week or two prior to period I don't really feel like it. Which gives us about a week and a half to go at it like rabbits, so the pessary would ruin that.

Trials of B6 supplementation show no evidence of any beneficial effect on PMS. In fact, high doses can cause neurological damage.

Progesterone in the second half of your cycle also doesn't help.

ADs do show benefit in some women (and it doesn't necessarily mean you're depressed).

How would the ad's work for the week I normally feel ok? I have to be really on the ball for my job, I can't risk feeling fuzzy.

I had to stop taking st johns wort for that reason. I was a pleasure to live with , but it made me very thick headed

Woodenchair, I am not a dr, but used to work in mental health, my guess would be that the AD's shouldn't slow you down in the week that you are fine. Often people do have to try a couple of AD's before finding the right one, some or more sedating than others, so you could certainly mention that to your gp if you do decide to give them a go.