frugalmamatx Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 What can be done to treat PMS {specifically mood issues} other than birth control? I can't do hormonal birth control and we're leaving the option to pregnancy open anyways. I've always had terrible PMS and mood swings from PMS. But over the last year, it's gotten far worse and it's starting to affect relationships. Asking here before I try at my doctor's, since they have just suggested BC in the past. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandamom Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 Have you had a check-up recently where your vitamin levels (D3, b's etc. ) have been checked? I used to struggle with a lot of PMS issues (although it was never bad enough to affect others) and once I started taking some vitamins, I started feeling better so the PMS symptoms improved. I started overall feeling better which helped me be less moody. I wish you the best in figuring out a solution. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms.Ivy Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 Cod liver oil! Works like a charm for me and a lot of women I know. You can get it in pill form and fairly inexpensively. It has a winning combo of vit D, vit A, and fish oil that makes my PMS nearly non-existant. I have gone off it a few times and the difference was not coincidental. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klmama Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 Vit. D helps some people. Evening primrose oil helps some people. I know there are others I can't remember, but I read about them on this board. You might do a google search on PMS and this site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frugalmamatx Posted March 12, 2018 Author Share Posted March 12, 2018 (edited) Have you had a check-up recently where your vitamin levels (D3, b's etc. ) have been checked? I used to struggle with a lot of PMS issues (although it was never bad enough to affect others) and once I started taking some vitamins, I started feeling better so the PMS symptoms improved. I started overall feeling better which helped me be less moody. I wish you the best in figuring out a solution. From a prescription aspect you can try SSRI's in the two weeks leading up to your period, but if you aren't preventing pregnancy you'd definitely want to speak to your OB first about any possible adverse effects for a potential pregnancy. There are studies (and I have found personally) that increasing my vitamin D levels overall has helped. My D level was super low and once I started supplementing I experienced a huge decrease in PMS for the most part. I'm hesitant to try SSRI's again. I tried several in college for depression and it didn't go well at all. I probably SHOULD be on them full time, but with the side effects I'd rather deal with mild depression and the PMS mood issues. Primarily the Vit. D levels seem to correlate with my depression, so perhaps that's why they didn't work well. Cod liver oil! Works like a charm for me and a lot of women I know. You can get it in pill form and fairly inexpensively. It has a winning combo of vit D, vit A, and fish oil that makes my PMS nearly non-existant. I have gone off it a few times and the difference was not coincidental. Do you take it daily or just that week or what exactly? Vit. D helps some people. Evening primrose oil helps some people. I know there are others I can't remember, but I read about them on this board. You might do a google search on PMS and this site. I've had Vit. D checked - I"m chronically low and it's actually UP since this started {I take 20,000 iui daily supplement, and still only have levels of 50 or thereabouts. Prior to supplementation it was 8}. Edited March 12, 2018 by frugalmamatx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms.Ivy Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 I take three caps a day, all month. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 I haven’t tried this myself, just throwing this out there as a possibility: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-pms/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 Magnesium, zinc, and Vitamin B6 full cycle and also using natural progesterone cream after ovulation until your next cycle begins. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guinevere Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 Evening primrose isnt safe for pregnancy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Random Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 I've had success using an Omega-3 supplement everyday to help alleviate the PMS moodiness. Also, this seems strange to say, but just acknowledging that my PMS-emotions aren't actually valid is helpful for me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 Chiropractics works for me, both for pain and mood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 Calcium worked for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 Mag. glycinate has helped w/ the anxiety I used to get w/ my period and my cramps were non-existent my last period (usually they are brutal the first day). We'll see how next month goes but I was shocked it was such a breeze last month after deciding that I should just write off day 1 and 2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamonlyone Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 I second the idea of progesterone cream. It has worked well for me. General info: https://www.wikihow.com/Use-Progesterone-Cream-for-PMS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 One thing I haven't seen thrown out here yet: Non medicinal solution for me for a long time was counselling. I needed a safe place to vent with a female counsellor who would listen to me. It really made the rest of the month so much more manageable. I still had mood swings but *nowhere* near as bad and most of the time I could just sort of pull back and make a note of what was bugging me and I'd just note that I would tell her all about it & I'd carry on. My counsellor was someone who was trained in both attachment theory (& thus understood my parenting perspectives) and CBT (& thus helped me learn the skills to not loop into cyclic catastrophizing) plus she used some Jungian theory so we could veer off into 'weird' stuff lol. One hour / month (+sometimes she assigned homework) & she helped me be a much better person and mom for the whole month. I have a theory now that our month's whole stress builds up and for the rest of the time we can kind of squash and control it but a tiny bit of hormonal wobble makes it all explode. So the trick is to deal with the stress the whole month long rather than looking at it as solely a pms issue per se...... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 some things that *might* help yoga, exercise diet - stay away from foods that can cause bloating check your thyroid and adrenals check magnesium levels/other deficiencies. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 Borage oil took care of this entirely for me. Two capsules, night and morning, starting on day 14, stopping on day 1. After a while I got very tuned into recognizing when I needed it, and could cut back to 'as needed'. I was glad to be able to handle this with a nutrient rather than a drug. Or rather than skipping coffee and exercising a lot, which were other suggestions my OB had. HA! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fralala Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 Fish oil, magnesium, and meditation have helped me. Also, putting that week on the family calendar when being an insensitive jerk will OFFICIALLY not be tolerated. And consider that practice for the rest of the month, thoughtless boors! (Um, I may have PMS right now.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IvyInFlorida Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 I know you said you were hesitant to try SSRIs again, but what about an SNRI like Effexor? It is great for PMDD (severe PMS mood symptoms) and has significantly fewer side effects than SSRIs like Prozac. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 Borage oil took care of this entirely for me. Two capsules, night and morning, starting on day 14, stopping on day 1. After a while I got very tuned into recognizing when I needed it, and could cut back to 'as needed'. I was glad to be able to handle this with a nutrient rather than a drug. Or rather than skipping coffee and exercising a lot, which were other suggestions my OB had. HA! Borage oil is not safe to take during the 2nd half of the cycle if she is open to pregnancy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandwalker Posted March 14, 2018 Share Posted March 14, 2018 It sure sounds as if vitamin D has been a problem for you, so it's suspicious as a contributer to the pms. Letting the sunlight on your skin, especially on your torso may help. It's really the best way to ensure that the vitamin D levels in your body rise appropriately. For some people, taking the oral vitamin D raises the vitamin D level in the blood, but the D in the body is not being absorbed systemically. Getting the sunlight in addition to your supplements may help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted March 14, 2018 Share Posted March 14, 2018 I used Evening Primrose Oil to good effect. I used to use it in the week or so leading up to my period. I can't remember the dosage, I'm afraid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaBearTeacher Posted March 14, 2018 Share Posted March 14, 2018 Brisk walk every day Healthy diet, no junk food Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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