Can anything be done for severe PMS?

[nomorespaghetti]

I've always had PMT, but over the last few years it's become unbearable. About a week before my period is due I sink down into a deep, deep depression, I am so anxious and jittery, I have absolutely no resilience, every little thing gets on top of me, and worst of all I'm filled with rage. I have huge fights with DH, and I'm snappy with the kids . I get no joy out of life. Then a couple of days after my period starts I'm me again, resilient, capable, but terrified of the next time.

Can anything actually be done? I can't live like this. I'm 35 so don't think I'm peri-menopausal yet (but who knows...) I'm fit and healthy, eat well, take vitamin D & B complex, exercise lots... I've contacted my GP for a phone appt but I'm worried they'll fob me off. We do have pretty comprehensive medical insurance through DH's work, but who would I even see?! Thank you

I've had varying degrees of PMT my whole life but it definitely gets worse as you get older.

The thing that makes it worse for me is stress. Or PMT makes the stress worse, hard to know which come first but my PMT symptoms are definitely harder to manage when I'm stressed.

The thing I've found that really helps is diet. All the stuff we "should" be doing anyway. No refined sugar, lots of fruit and veg, reduce animal fat. And eat little and often. Not snacking/grazing but only 3-4 hours between a designated meal. So. E.g I'll have breakfast at 8, lunch at 12, some nuts and yogurt at 3 and dinner at 6:30.

The sugar is the one that makes the most difference, but I wouldn't recommend trying to do it i the week before you're period! Once you get through the first 10 days you stop craving it and the difference in mood swings is tremendous.

I'm so glad I found this thread as hormone fluctuations are making me miserable too. Mine comes at a different time of the month though - usually around CD 18-20 immediately after ovulation (I get very specific ovulation pain so always know when I'm ovulating). I feel very low, tearful, low in confidence etc etc, usually lasts a few days and then I'm ok again. My cycles used to be very long (approx 42 days), however since coming off the pill around 18 months ago I seem to have settled into a 30-32 day cycle for the first time in my life (I have had 2 children).

Does anyone else experience this after ovulating? I do get some dips in mood just before period but nothing too severe, it's definitely at its worst after ovulation.

Firstly, id get a high dose of evening primrose oil and a high dose vitamin B6 supplement, and either take it daily, or at least in the second half of your cycle leading up to your period.
Also buy Agnus Castus. You can get this in a lot of menopause support supplements but also you can buy it cheaper online. It really helps regulate your hormones. Its good for peri menopause, which you might not be strictly in (but you might) but even so, youre on 20% of the oestrogen at 40 than you are at 20, and its not like it drops off a cliff at 40. You will already potentially be noticing the drop, and sometimes if your hormonal cycle regulation is becoming harder then those three supplements are what I would start with and see how that goes over the next few months/cycles

I wish more people knew about agnus castus. Ive recommended it to a few people that have all felt benefit from it

I really struggled for 2 years and still struggle on and off now but I have greatly improved with the following:

Came off all hormones based contraception
2 x weekly gym visits
Yoga/meditation everyday
Positive affirmations (Louise Hay has a 365 day book)
Good quality oral CBD paste daily (one with cbd, cbg and cbga)
Women’s health vitamins
Counselling both couples and alone (not all at once but over two years)
Minimising or cutting out caffeine
Giving myself Time
Saying no to things I don’t want to do

In the thick of it I was horrible to my family. My marriage nearly dissolved and I thought I’d never feel myself again but I feel generally ok/good now.

Sounds like a lot but I really didn’t want meds and I made changes gradually over the years. I have a 5 year old and 8 year old and two part time jobs so it’s tricky but it just became a new routine.

I had the merina coil fitted, life changing for me. My periods were awful and for up to two weeks before it was hell emotionally. Now my periods have stopped as have the massive mood swings. I know it’s not an option that works for everyone but for me (and my family) it has changed everything for the better.

Also second diet, especially sugar and wheat (despite it being what I’d crave).

my partner is a medical doctor and so so strongly advised me against getting caught up in ADs.

I am surprised and even a little concerned to hear this - even though I used to feel similarly. My doctor explained to me very clearly that if you are suffering from diabetes/asthma/heart disease and other illnesses, it's considered perfectly normal and correct to medicate. When she went through in detail the physical processes and consequences relating to hormonal events such as childbirth, peri and menopause etc. it suddenly all made sense. Despite the stigma surrounding anti-depressants they are a medication, used to do an important job.

There are of course concerns about the secondary effects but like the pill, HRT etc., if you take one that doesn't suit you, you change it. A lot of people recommend Sertraline for this particular issue, I'm on Escitalopram. I had been given Fluoxetine for PND years ago and I did not like it at all but my experience with Escitalopram has been completely different.

For information, my issues were the same as many here but the most dangerous was the rage, which went as far as making me attack strangers in the street - and I'm usually so mild-mannered I tend to give profusive thanks and a large tip even for a really bad haircut. My husband and I could time these monthly episodes to the day and almost even to the hour and we had to run our whole lives around it, to the point of making sure our children were loaded with activities at school or granny's or basically anywhere away from me during my 'bad week'. One of my dogs even stopped eating properly for a week a month because she found it so awful to be around me .

I had tried Agnus Castus, Evening Primrose, acupuncture and a whole load of other stuff, to no avail. Thank goodness I finally caught on. There's no need for women to go through all this. The solution may not be as quick and easy for everyone as it was for me but there definitely are solutions.

Does anyone else experience the flip side of the awful week? I have to acknowledge the two weeks/10 days immediately after, it’s like I’m on fire. I’m on the ball, quick to think what to do. I perform really well in work. I feel very much in harmony and couldn’t ask to be any different. It’s a really productive window. It runs from first day of period til about day 10… then I go “normal” and then I get that difficult 5 days.

It’s such a powerful cycle.

I have been trying to exercise my way through the black hole window. It actually worked to a degree - getting quite an effect from long hard training cycles and epic deep sleeps after them - but it’s hard to maintain that as I don’t aways have time to get out on the bike for hours every day or two.

Hi, try inositol. You need to give if a good 3 months to get into your system, but it does work.

Thank you all. I had a chat with the GP today who was very good. We discussed the 3 main options - supplements/herbal remedies, the pill, or ADs for second half of the cycle. I’m not at all adverse to trying ADs, but I want to have a go with the combined pill first, because I’m hoping that that will also help with my physical symptoms (bloating and pain after ovulation, which is also coupled with rage). I’m going to try Eloine, which is apparently used in PMDD. If anyone has any experience of that one I’d love to hear it. I’m going to try it for 3 months, and if it’s not for me I’ll try the ADs. Really appreciate all your helpful comments and suggestions

Mirena coil was life changing for me, I’ve heard the mini pill can also work.

Evening primrose tablets also work wonders.

I only got rid of mine when I had a hysterectomy & had my ovaries removed. I used to control it with the pill but my GP stopped it when I was 45 & put me on the mini pill which made me even worse, I had endometriosis which meant I was able to have the hysterectomy, honestly it was like a massive weight had been lifted off me & even with HRT I have never felt anything like I did before. I had suffered PMT since I was a teenager,one week a month I was a monster, either angry & arguing or tearful & depressed, I had tried everything, Vitamin B6, Evening Primrose, Starflower oil, food elimination, you name it I had tried it.

I'd got to the stage I had warnings at work several times because my behaviour was so bad, it was like my personality was taken over one week a month, I'm normally a very quiet person, a real introvert but when the PMT was raging I was totally different. I was diagnosed with Autism two years ago & I wonder if that contributed after seeing how ds has been when going through puberty as an autistic child.

I would try dropping caffeine and taking vitamin B6 supplements. Starflower is also supposed to help.

greatpotato I totally agree... for me diet has been life-changing....

The thing I've found that really helps is diet. All the stuff we "should" be doing anyway. No refined sugar, lots of fruit and veg, reduce animal fat. And eat little and often. Not snacking/grazing but only 3-4 hours between a designated meal. So. E.g I'll have breakfast at 8, lunch at 12, some nuts and yogurt at 3 and dinner at 6:30.

The sugar is the one that makes the most difference, but I wouldn't recommend trying to do it i the week before you're period! Once you get through the first 10 days you stop craving it and the difference in mood swings is tremendous.

Sugar and processed carbs are the killers for me....

Moving to lots of healthy fruit, veg and no sugar, apart from a tiny amount in dark chocolate has been a game-changer for me.

Key to remember you'll still get hungry before your period - so I worked out what I could eat that would be filling but not trigger PMT... for me, things like a huge bowl of porridge made with real oats and coca, with sliced banana and almond butter. Yum!

Good luck - it is worth a try! Even healthy diets can get healthier...