Thread: Pmdd???

The 5HPT comes in 100 mg capsules. You can find it at Wal-Mart or any drug store. I currently take 2 a day and 3 closer to my period. I started off with one a day first to see how I handled it and worked my way up. From what I have read 300mg is the upper limit of how much you should take. I would not feel comfortable taking anymore than that. It has really changed my life. I still have some bad days but they are no where near a severe. I do not wake up in the morning anymore and think I am still alive or lay on the couch all day long and can't move anymore. I really like it.

Yes, that worried me a bit too but I was so sick that I was willing to take the risk. I am a biologist not a doctor so you will have to take my adivce with that in mind. I think you have a few options and ways you can go about figuring out what works best for you. First, see if your doctor will work with you on finding out the correct dosage of 5HTP and Lexapro or either by itself. Personally, the way 5HTP has worked for me if my doctor was not willing to work with me on it, I would find a different doctor who would. Remember, they are not you. They do not have to feel like everyday and not all of them should be in the profession they are in.

If the Lexapro is doing nothing for you, you can try the 5HTP without it. I could tell that once I tried to go off the Lexapro (while taking 5HTP) that I really needed it too. I think 10mg is the right dosage for me. I did not notice a difference with 20mg and with 5 mg I started to feel bad. The thing about PMDD is that everyone is different and you become your own science experiment when trying to figure out what is best for you.

Lexapro inhibits seratonin from being used and 5HTP helps produce serotinin. The way I understand the warning for the two drugs is that they don't interact but could potentially allow too much serotinin in the body at once. For people with PMDD there is something wrong with the serotinin levels in our bodies. I just started out on a low dosage and watched how my body reacted. I was to the point where I needed to do this or I was going to have to be committed. For a case that was a severe as mine some doctors try bipolar medications. These are horrible for PMDD paitents (from testamonies I have read) and I do not think they realize this. The bipolar meds rendered me useless and made me feel much worse.

I would tell anyone with severe PMDD (to the point you do not want to live and it affects your relationship with your spouse and children) to try the medication if nothing else has worked for them. As with any medication, even a advil or cough medicine, you need to watch closely how your body reacts to it. I do not know exactly why I need both Lexapro and 5HTP. For me, both apparently provide something that the other does not. You just need to see what works best for you.

I hope this helps. PMDD is very frustrating. The medical profession does not know much about why it happens or exactly what to do about it. They generally start with with prozac or lexapro and keep prescribing from there. I have read a bunch of different boards and yet to see one person where a particular medication works for them. I have seen so many on a cocktail of meds that would make your head spin. Never once did I have a doctor that said "Hey, why don't your try this over the counter medication." Instead they put me on Zyprexa and I could not even pick my baby safely. I am so mad. For 17 years my life was .

I've been taking Mood Positive 5-HTP from Natrol, it's just one a day. I gotta tell ya I love and feel the difference, even my husband sees it. YAZ messed me up, didn't really work and made me gain 10lbs..My doctor said this has been a response from allot of woman. But I'm telling ya I feel so much better these days and I have allot going on right now and so far so good. Please look into the 5-HTP I do believe that it might just help you.

Take care and hang in there

thank you both, I did pick up 100mg tablets of the 5-HTP today (natrol brand). I took the lexepro this morning and I am only taking 10mg of that, so... I will take the 5-HTP tonight and wait on the lexepro, as I dont think that it is helping anyway. My OB called this morning, and just really said to be careful taking the herbal stuff as it is not FDA approved. and wanted me to give the lexepro another cycle. I personally, dont want to wait, I need the results now, if I could take a fast acting anti-anxiety pill I would lol... I have had allergic rx to welbuturin (when I used it to quit smoking) so they where trying to be careful on what I took.

They actually had a 200 mg Time released 5-HTP but I opted for the 100 to start. cant wait to see some results...

The 5-HTP (Mood Positive) has on the label that it helps reduce anxiety and I tell ya I think it really does. Because usually I am a nervous nut especially around my period. My PMDD was bad I mean 2 weeks before my period I was the whitch from and YAZ didn't touch it. shoot I almost think it mad it a little worse. I just went for my yearly and the doc put my back on my old bc because I never had a problem with it and she tried giving me prozac but I told her no way on that one. Looked up on my own about the 5-HTP stuff after reading some post on here and feel allot better.

Always remember when the mood is near to count to 10 allot before saying or doing anything...Because girl there were times during my time before that my husband could had been harmed LOL.

I was on Yaz for a bit. I probably did not give it long enough of a chance but it was so expensive. I do not think it would have done me much good anyway.

I have been doing a lot more reading tonight about other's experience getting off Lexapro. Apparently it is really hard and even doing a slow withdrawl you will still have some symtoms of not feeling very good. I am going to cut down to 2.5 mg/day again and try to get off this . I really think now I was just feeling withdrawl symptoms. I just did not realize how ssllooww you need to go to get off that stuff.

To Chrissie13: If you see that the 5HTP is really making a difference with you I would get off the Lexapro before it becomes too hard. Especially if you do not see that is doing any good.

I am going to give getting off Lexapro another go around. I really want to be off the stuff. I am going to stick with the Ambian though. I need my sleep! I relly would like to be of the Lexapro b/c I do not have insurance anymore. My husbands job was a victim of the economy. We are not really sure when we will have insurance again. His boss had a nice little meeting where he told everyone that their jobs were safe for at least the next year and that they had aquired a new business and built a new building. Two days after Christmas they told him he had two months. He had never had a bad review and always met all of his goals in half the expected time. I am getting nervous. Anyone want to buy a log cabin in MO!?!

Hi, I see yous are finding 5HTP good. I am in Australia and asked my chemist about it, he said that I might be lucky to get it at a health shop. So I will head there tomorrow. I am willing to give anything ago. I love logging on to hear and reading your stories, it is nice to know that there are others who know excatly how I feel. Thanks for that it helps knowing I am not imagining it lol. I have found B6, zinc and magnesium tablets help me but not 100%. Good luck for the month to come lol