bnbacademy Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 (edited) pms or pre-menopausal mood swings. Suffice it to say that I have progressed from little to no pms mood swings to a roller-coaster ride (just ask my husband:001_smile:). I am close to menopause at 47, but with no physical symptoms yet. I can go from all content with my world, to totally misinterpreting cues and assuming the worse... requiring a tearful conversation, just to clear things up. I cannot tolerate being upset with dh for long. I'm usually an optimistic, upbeat person, believing the best in everyone, until the past few months. I can only attribute it to hormones making me so emotionallly fragile, since there haven't been any great stressors in our lives. I would like to try the natural route first and plan to start taking the mood stabilizer B vitamins to start. Do I need to take them regularly or just at the onset of pms? Is there anything else that has been successful for you? I ask for the sake of my sanity and my dh would probably beg... Edited June 26, 2011 by bnbacademy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denise in Florida Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 I was going to suggest B12, but I see it in your post. My oldest dd's pediatrician recommended it for soothing the swings of puberty and it really helped. It is a long term maintenance type thing not a take as needed thing. For dd it took a few weeks of regular daily B12 but it really did help with the highs and lows. When I was pre-menopause my Dr recommended Primrose Oil (maybe Evening Primrose Oil?) but I never managed to take it consistently enough to tell if it helped. For the last 2 years I have been getting monthly B12 shots at my Dr's office. Sometimes the deficiency it caused by absorbtion issues rather than not having enough in the diet. The shots make a huge difference to me. My dh has noticed the difference, in fact if I forget to get the shot on time he will kindly remind me. :lol: I hope this helps and I am sure that there is lots of more information the ladies here can provide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bnbacademy Posted June 26, 2011 Author Share Posted June 26, 2011 Thank you, Denise. I will try both the Evening Primrose and B vits. I'm rather embarrassed that my dh is the one who noted the pattern, but I guess those around us may actually know us better than we think?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna T. Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 (edited) I had a hysterectomy in December. It was rough, because I want to have more children and the stress of that probably made my symptoms worse. It has felt very much as if I'm in a constant state of PMS!! I have struggled with extreme fatigue, insomnia, hypersensitivity, and also have swung to the other side of the pendulum and have had alot of anxiety, irritability, and nervousness. Believe me, I haven't been a very nice person to be around. Fortunately, I am feeling better now but from February through May, I was a basketcase most days. I decided to forgo hormone replacement and have been practicing alot of TLC towards my self!! This has been the first time in my life that I decided that I would put myself first and I think that is what has gotten me through this difficult time. I decided to go the natural route as much as possible. I suggest you go to womentowomen.com and begin to read the articles there and possibly take the assessment. I have been following their nutritional guidelines pretty closely and have used a few of their products. There is alot of info. there, you don't have to purchase their products to benefit from their knowledge. I tried the B vitamins for fatigue and found that I am very sensitive to them. They cause me to feel "spazzed out" and caused anxiety... they "rev" me up like crazy and were a big problem for me. They were probably the main cause of the irritability that I had been experiencing. So, just be aware that they can overstimulate you if you are sensitive to them. Some things that have helped and are helping me: 400 mgs of Magnesium everyday - Magnesium is the most relaxing of the minerals and is of huge benefit for PMS, irritability, nervousness, depression, and insomnia plus many other things. You need a high quality form like magnesium citrate, glycinate taurate or aspartate. Avoid magnesium oxide, carbonate, sulfate or gluconate as they do not absorb well. Epsom salt baths are a great way to get magnesium. You need to have Vitamin B6 (just not too much, it can rev you up too much, as I wrote above), Vitamin D and selenium in your diet to get the full benefit from magnesium. Omega 3's Calcium is important but new studies are showing that we don't need as much as we have been previously told. Your body really can't absorb alot of it in one day so don't overdo it. I cut back from two 600 mg tablets a day to one. Most of your calcium needs to come from your food, not supplements. Black cohosh for night sweats, chills, and hot flashes. This is a miracle herb for me, but only helps about 50% of women. Soy - I drink one soy shake a day and could. not. live. without. it. If I run out and go two days without one, I am a beast. I use the ones that womentowomen sell but any will do. I wanted soy that was not genetically modified. Soybeans are excellent, too. I have eliminated caffeine from my diet almost completely. Caffeine and sugar will make me spin out of control within minutes of consumption. I can not tolerate milk very well, but do enjoy cheese. I eat very little sweets but can have a little dark chocolate, but it has to be dark and I can't eat it alone. I have it with cottage cheese and strawberries :D. I only use Truvia as a sweetner. White flour products of any kind make me feel horrible. Adaptisol is a product sold by womentowomen that I have found extremely beneficial. It contains astragalus extract, siberian ginseng extract, siberian ginseng root, cordyceps, and rhodiola extract. This product is targeted to provide support for your adrenal glands. You may want to google for info. about those herbs and see if it sounds like any of them may help you. They support the immune system, help with your mental clarity, help with anxiety and help your body to manage stress. Those are the most important dietery things that I do but I also have found alot of relief and support with essential oils. There are so many that help. My favorites are Clary Sage, Lavender, and Geranium. Each of those help with stress, help me to sleep better, and help me to calm down and chill out :chillpill:. I especially like to mix 10 to 12 drops of one or more of them into a cup of Epsom Salts for a lukewarm bath. But, the bath needs to be no longer than 10 or 15 minutes because the salt detoxes your body and if you sit in the water too long you will reabsorb what has been drawn out of your body. I also like to mix them with Vitamin E oil or Grape Seed oil and have a little massage before bed. When I was at my worst, I began to take a daily time out for myself... atleast 20 minutes a day I would lie down and take a short nap. Yes, I would allow my boys to play video games or watch a netflix movie and I would take a NAP!!! In the past, I would have never done that. I would feel guilty that they were having screen time but I HAD to start doing that. It was a matter of survival. I don't need to do it anymore but for a couple of months, I had to. If you will send me a PM with your email, I will scan and mail to you a couple of articles that you may find helpful. Edited June 26, 2011 by Donna T. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bnbacademy Posted June 26, 2011 Author Share Posted June 26, 2011 thank you, Donna. I sent you a pm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 I don't know about vitamins, but regular chiropractic adjustments help me. Dh thinks it's the placebo effect, but wants me to keep going anyway because the last time I skipped an appointment, I had to stay in bed for the week because I was too horrible to be allowed to inflict myself on the world! Even then I more or less screamed at everyone who came near my. Bad, bad week. Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SweetMissMagnolia Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 have heard about the evening primrose oil for many years but have never tried it I take B12,B100 and Magnesium-I was taking E but can't find in my store lately (read that it helped with breast tenderness-and when I took it I could REALLY tell a difference)......Magnesium really helps when I have cramps..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom4him Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 The number one thing you need to do is make sure you are taking GOOD vit, not drug store variety. B complex, calcium, magnesium, Vit. D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bnbacademy Posted June 27, 2011 Author Share Posted June 27, 2011 Thank you, ladies. I will order some of your recommendations. I am not anxious to take much of any kind of medicine, but if this weekend is any indication of the emotional rollercoaster to come... it will no longer be optional :001_smile:! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Random Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 The number one thing you need to do is make sure you are taking GOOD vit, not drug store variety. B complex, calcium, magnesium, Vit. D Is there a specific brand you recommend, or a way for me to find out which ones are good? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiddenJewel Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 Total Female works for my sister (49) and I (42). She has to take 2 to work. I only need 1. http://www.pureformulas.com/total-female-90-tablets-by-nutri-west.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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