[nicolep1016]

You can quote me until you are blue in the face.

Yes they have the ability to do the serum serotonin level test BUT they don't EVER do it and if you ask anyone who is on an antidepressent, they will tell you that they were never tested before they were prescribed the drug they are on. It's not worth the doctor's time. There are thousands of cases where people have committed suicide as a direct result of an SSRI. It has been proven by experts in court and the pharmaceutal companies have been sued many many times over this because they have neglected to provide all of the facts to the public which is why they've LOST millions of dollars. People have literally gotten away with murder by using the prozac defense. There was a man who was prescribed prozac because he was having insomnia, never had a trace of depression in his life, two weeks later, his wife found him hanging from a rope. I can give about another 100 examples off the top of my head. His wife sued Eli Lily for millions. I guess these thousands of case files are all "coincidences". I haven't heard of anyone getting sued over herbal remedies. If they have, it's ridiculous. It is the responsibility of the individual to research any herbal remedies that they consume and if they don't, well then it's on them. I was on prozac for 20 years and have came off feeling better than I ever have. I am one of many people that this has happened to. Not to mention, if someone takes weeks or months to withdrawal from a medicine, then they had a chemical dependence on the drug which is the same exact thing from any other type of street drug. My own mother was prescribed an SSRI to lose weight so you don't have a clue what your talking about. You don't know every doctor in the world or what their intents are for prescribing drugs. These drugs are being thrown around and misused every day. 7 yr. old children are being prescribed these drugs EVEN though it is a fact that my doctor told me the other day, that anyone whose brain is not fully developed should not even be on this . Like I already stated in my last post, doctor's have no clue what your serotonin levels are before they prescribe these drugs. Nor do you know how the general population responds to these drugs and until you do a case study yourself on the long term effects of these drugs, then you have nothing to base your facts on.

[nicolep1016]

and I would just like to add one more thing

This is a forum for those who are suffering from PMDD not a debate on antidepressents. (edit)

[CHANDLERS WISH]

This is a forum for those who are suffering from PMDD not a debate on antidepressents. (edit)

This thread started in 2008, the original poster has not returned...

I have had PPMD for 20 years now and have been on many antidepressants but prozac for the longest

.

I believe that you made a quotation pertaining to "antidepressants" Nicole, that therefore, does allow a debate to occur regarding antidepressants on this "thread".

There needs to be a combination of different things in order to beat PMDD. Nutrition, exercise, natural herbs and supplements and a good support system. It can be done.

The thread question was to do with "natural" ways, and therefore, I agree that this does help anyone, with any problem, how can it not? I stated that myself in a post, combined with will power..

Depression can be a symptom of so many other illnesses, (example PPMD) which has absolutely nothing to do with serotonin levels, it has to do with hormonal imbalances that affect your mood. If you read up on it, you will clearly see that there are literally hundreds of COMMON debilitating side effects other than low sex drive that are caused by SSRIs. Not to mention that these drugs are being misused by doctors that are prescribing them for things that have nothing to do with depression. The solution is to find something that regulates hormones safely and herbal remedies that help with the symptoms of PPMD instead of just popping a pill.

Depression can also be triggered from a death, from financial problems, from a Divorce.. Not an illness.

I don't know about SSRI.. but all drugs can be misused, Doctors can experiment with a variety of pills, until they find one that suits a person's individual needs..

You can't state that "all pills, are wrong and that only herbal remedies will work.. that's judging herbal verses western medicine and whilst that's a belief of yours I am aware of people that have taken medication that has worked for them, that otherwise, would have committed suicide.

And yes there is going to be a ton of possible side effects, all drugs have them including herbals.

This is true as well.. Any drug has a side effect usually. Some people can not tolerate herbal either and have reactions.

how safe is bioidentical hormone therapy

I am 45 and for the last 5 years I have wanted a divorce or suicide as I have been sooo debilitated by what I now believe to be PMDD. I am absolutely crazy for 10-14 days before my period starts. I am not very interested in SSRIs,

The question was posed.. There is a debate on the answer...

And, there was another question above, regarding bioidentical hormone therapy not answered.

I think that debating is good. But, let's stick to " in my opinion", "from what I have read", "a friend of mine had and reacted" " I found personally" etc.

We do not "tell" people what to do or not to do on this Forum.. We only state opinions..

Rudeness is also not tolerated... People are entitled to their own opinions on a subject.

Let's keep it civil please.

CW

[nicolep1016]

Never in my posts did I say that all drugs were bad. I am not going to write "in my opinion" because they aren't my opinions, they are proven facts. But anyhow, I'm not debating that subject anymore. If someone wants to debate something with me, that is fine. However, if they are rude to me, then I have a right to respond the same way. If you read her original first post, it WAS VERY RUDE. As a matter a fact, her first sentence was, "What?" That is rude, like I am some kind of idiot and I would imagine that my PhD would suggest I'm not. So since only certain people are aloud to be rude and not others, then don't worry, I won't be back to write anything anymore. I tried to be helpful to people and it blew up in my face so I will go to another forum where people aren't crazy and judgmental. Thanks.

[NO_MORE_PMDD]

Bio-Identical Progesterone

There is a solution - you have PMDD you are deficient in progesterone. You can take it without a RX, but you can't take it if you are on the birth control pill. It works - saved my life!!!!

[tripleacb]

I feel your pain

Thanks for your words and suggestion. I'm only 33, so the idea of a hysterectomy is really unappealling. I just don't feel ready for that.

This is why I've been trying to look into natural remedies. I'm more than willing to do the work required to make things better for myself. If that means significant changes to diet, excercise, the use of supplements, etc., in order to avoid surgical or pharmaceutical interventions then so be it. The one thing that I can't and won't do again is go on those bloody awful SSRI's. I know that they are a wonderful help to some people, but they were absolutely terrible for me.

I am 39 and the past few years have become nearly unbearable. Several friends have told me I should seek advice because they think I am bipolar. I then pointed out that it is the week before my period every month! I am sad to the point I can't control my emotions and will cry uncontrollably; even in public places. This is humiliating because I feel all control is taken from me. I don't want to get out of bed, go to work, speak to anyone...yet I lay there and feel so lonely and so desperate I am willing to try anything. I take Wellbutrin for depression and it helps but NOTHING has helped me with "that week." I have pleaded with my doctors to help me. They general tries anxiety medicines that make me feel like . My gyno has me on Loestrin Fe 24 and for the first time in my life, I just experienced a 16 day period. I feel as if I am losing my mind. So when I read your post my heart broke for you because I know how you feel. I'm crying now as I type this. I got here by do a search on natural remedies for PMDD. I am determined to find something. I wish you all the luck and I believe as women we are stronger than we think and even though I do not know you I have faith that you can rise above this. There must be a natural remedy for this problem and I am going to have faith that I can find it. Should I find any suggestions on my google search journey, I will most definitely share. Please just know that you are not alone, you cannot just "fight" this, and there is a solution we just have to find it!

[Guest]

There are alternatives...

We have come to the conclusion my 27 year old daughter is PMDD - crazy, angry, depressed, etc. during the luteal phase. The pattern is unmistakable.

I have just this last 2 weeks been researching this because what she has been doing helps, but we know it can be better. First I will list what we've been doing DAILY since January. Then I will share what I have found the last couple weeks that is helping, and what we have yet to try.

PROZAC - We were desperate, so we did it. From a pharmaceutical point, PROZAC is (apparently) the top choice ofSSRI for PMDD. And she has been doing this since January, but was going up to 60-80 mg a day, tho I don't think this was necessary. TOOO MUCH! NOTE: For PMDD, it is effective, and apparently actually advised unless there is also underlying depression, to take the Prozac ONLY during the Luteal phase, it is not necessary to take it daily. Apparently Prozac works somewhat differently with PMDD than it does for depression.

FISH OIL - Also she has been using a high grade FISH OIL - high grade being the key words here. You will not find this other than at a health food store (and even all of that is not high grade, do a little research and ask a knowledgeable employee - pleeeease) or from a naturopath or maybe chiropractor. You might also check out fattyacidtripdotcom. GREAT concentrated imports. Compare EPA levels. Take on an empty stomach is best, and a high grade will not make you burp like some do. Also, do NOT expose to overly warm temperatures, be careful if mail ordering (I wouldn't if it is summer. Health food stores usually have the luxury of their products being shipped refrigerated...hint hint)

LITHIUM - Following a hunch after a little research, we also added LITHIUM. This is from the health food store, NOT a prescription. It is a FRACTION of the amount of lithium (like 5 mg) that would come in a prescription (200 mg). She takes 2-6 of these, amounting to 30mg max. This is really helpful with the anxiety, and initially may make you sleep nicely so start with it at night. One online naturopathic type doc (Dr. Wright) says this is actually brain food. Lithium is simply a mineral.

Also, CUT the Caffeine (this is big) sugar, unhealthy fats, etc.
ADD Exercise, just walking 30-45 minutes as many days as possible reeeally helpful ladies.

[Guest]

My Recent PMDD "discoveries" continued

What I have found more recently is interesting, and varies from amino acids to herbs to some pretty standard dietary supplements.

PROGESTERONE CREAM - Over the counter. It has wild yam and progesterone from soy among other things. About $20 a tube, and comes in 2 or 4 oz. She used this for about 2 weeks and it was very effective in mellowing her out, maybe a little too much. I think maybe she was using too much and it should only be used during the luteal phase. She has stopped using this for the time being. But it's a GREAT choice if you need an immediate help (like within minutes).

TRYPTOPHAN - We have added one capsule (500 mg) of free form amino acid TRYPTOPHAN and decreased her PROZAC by 75%! Tryptophan is the precursor to 5HTP to Seratonin. Prozac is a Seratonin reuptake inhibitor. This means it keeps your seratonin circulating and prevents it from being "taken up". Tryptophan will help increase Seratonin amounts so there is more to circulate. This is only advised at LOW doses in my opinion, since with high dose combination its possible to get too much seratonin which can cause serious problems, even death. PLEASE NOTE: The advice I have read however, specifies to not combine the 5HTP with the SSRI's. But since Tryptophan is the 5HTP precursor, I want to include this information. The best words to keep in mind here are LOW DOSE and CAUTION. (I am taking 5HTP by the way, just because I already had it and never knew it affected seratonin to such a degree. It is apparently a very effective antidepressant for many people.) For me it makes me tired, I need to take it before bed. Good antianxiety effect too.

COENZYMATED VIT B COMPLEX, SUBLINGUAL - We have added an "under the tongue" B vitamin complex, that is more bio-available than a typical B complex. There are only a few coenzymated complexes that I've seen, but the B's, esp. B6, are important with the tryptophan.

VITEX - This is also known as Chasteberry or Chaste tree berry herb. We have NOT tried this yet, but there are women who absolutely swear by this. I have found only one online "health blog" that posts negative results from this, as there are apparently women who have an unpleasant reaction to this. Nonetheless, between the praise from women who claim it helped them get pregnant, to the women who swear it saved them from PMDD, I'd give it a shot!

[ItsASecret]

Instead of going the Google search route, buying pharmaceuticals online, or taking the word of blogs done by people who discredit western medicine why not visit a certified doctor of natural medicine. One that has been through medical school and countless years of post degree residency. I would put my faith into their knowledge of herbals and other concoctions.

[Guest]

My Recent (unapplied as of yet) PMDD "discoveries" continued

Lastly, is the purely nutritional approach. This is suggested as a daily approach for 3 monthly cycles, with the goal being to balance/regulate your hormone system. After 3 months and results you can cut back to more typical doses of these nutritional products. We are using most of this now, but need the 3 months to evaluate. Even then I don't know that I can give a straight evaluation due to the other products we're using.

Magnesium 800-1200 mg (I'd take it at night, it helps you sleep too, might have some wild dreams at first! Some say citrate is the most easily absorbed. There is one source that you mix with warm water and it fizzes, you drink it. Another is a capsule)
B6 100 complex (reminder, the coenzymated formulas are more bioavailable)
Zinc 40-60mg (should have a very small amount of copper with it)
EFA's (fish oil) 1-4 grams
Vit C
Selenium
Iron
L-Carnitine 500-4000 mg
Chromium 600-800 mg

The last two, Carnitine and Chromium are esp. if you have issues with insulin resistance.
Also there is one supplement available in a dark liquid capsule, it has A,C,E and Selenium. It is also available with Zinc added.
I've also seen Calcium listed 1000 mg or more, helps with cramping and can help with some of the mental difficulties as well.

SAM-e : One more note, some have said they have success using SAM-e. This too is a natural substance found in the body, and used widely to treat depression in Europe, and now is the U.S. It is also effective for relieving arthritic/joint pain. Start with a low dose, like 100 mg., or even 50 mg. it might be all you need.

I'll post as I learn. Hope someone is helped by this info!!