Depression and PMS
 

Every month I get really depressed when I have PMS. I do not know what to do about it. I tried talking to the doc at my last visit and he just brushed it away like it was unimportant. Does anyone else get this? and what do you do about it?

/me jumps up and down yelling and screaming...

If the doctor brushes a concern off, ANY concern that you have, FIND ANOTHER DOCTOR!!!

You do not have to be treated like that. Yes the doctor is busy, but you are the patient asking about a concern of yours, he can take 2 minutes to listen and advise.

OK, Calm now

Mood swings with PMS are normal, some women get really on edge, some women get very emotional, what you probably want to do, is keep a journal of your moods and how they relate to your menstrual cycle, and then talk to a doctor about what you might do about the symptoms. Sometimes, if you know it's the 22nd day of your cycle, you are going to start getting weepy, maybe on the21st day you could start taking vitamin b or something.

Start keeping track of at what point you start feeling down...

great. thanks mal. I have never had this before. started after i gave birth to my son, about 2 1/2 yrs ago.

I agree...I have changed doctors before because my concerns were dismissed or even on occasion, made fun of...change doctors, there is someone out there who will respect and understand how you feel, and point you in the right direction to feeling better.

The vitamin B complex recommendation is great.

Also try eating more complex carbohydrates around that time--whole grain bagels with peanut butter or cream cheese are great. I find that to be very helpful.

OMG - yes!!!!! I get terrible with PMS. Until Lebell and I decided to try to get pregnant, I took sarafem (? splg) during the week prior to my period. It made a huge difference; but also gave me dizzy spells. I will try the vitamn B and complex carbs after baby arrives. In-the-meantime, know you are normal and don't let anyone brush you off! Best of luck. (Please let me know what works for you.)

I wish I could remember the article I read it in - but I had a stack of magazines at the time. The journal idea was interesting... just keeping track of your moods on a daily basis, both morning and evening, and it claimed that after about 3 months of doing this you would see a pattern develop, that some days you would feel very happy, and other days, the littlest things could set you off. They had a list of herbs and vitamin therapy suggestions that were good for alleviating all sorts of issues.

That journal idea is a good one. I always thought that keeping a journal about my life in general was enough for this purpose, but I really never nailed down what caused my moodiness at different times. It took me a long time to notice my depression because I kept blaming the symptoms on PMS... until it got really obvious. Anyway, my doctor also recommended the B-complex to me when I was having really bad PMS. Since I'm so small, they also recommended evening primrose oil, which apparently increases estrogenic activity, as an alternative to switching to pills with a greater hormone content.

Thanks everyone. I will try the journaling and the vitamin B as well. I believe that those feelings are always there, but they just come to the surface when I am PMSing. I am going to search for a new doctor, female, not part of a large group. I hope I can find one.

funny that this is the most current thread when i check because i was extremely weepy today and I know since I'm on the pill that I'm a week before my period.. I'm not very in tune with my body and just noticed last month that I get more emotional the week before... I had never realized before then that it fell right in tune with my cycle. I will definitely check out the B complex next time.. Thanks.

Staying away from caffeine really helps PMS reactions feel less intense. I keep reading that women who keep journals admit that they feel more in control and better able to work through PMS and other personal issues, now that they keep a journal. I do and it's been very enlightening. B complex vitamins seem to help women quite a bit.
I drink herbal teas esp. for PMS - there are lots available. Camomile, some with St. Johns Wart and/or anything with Evening Primrose or Black Currant Oil in it. All the health food stores carry these. Nice effective alternatives to all the OTC stuff.

caffeine? i have to stay away from caffeine?

but I will try anything to not feel the way I do once a month.

http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/showthread.php?t=87593
Kiwi started this thread which has a neat little online place to track your menstrual cycle -- I haven't looked closely at it, but there's a place to track cravings, etc.. it might be a good place to start in addition to the journal

Thanks Mal. I will go check out that thread.

I used to get extremely down just before my period. When I went on the pill I found those times shifted from depression to violent spells of anger. (GrOOWWwwLL!) What I found to help the most was to listen to my body. If I crave something, I'll have it. If I feel the need to play online bingo for 4 hours straight, I'll do it. Keeping my mind busy, even if it's just eating chips and watching T.V. helps me out a lot. Oh, and a super nice boyfriend who gives out back massages freely.
:)