[mrs dorson]

min rant first.

this is a website FOR women and ABOUT women and RUN by women, so why the heck can PMS NOT be a search term?


cause it is 1 letter too short according to the search parameters!

grrrr!!!!!

so i am 1000% positive this has been discussed ad nauseum but since i CANT FREAKING SEARCH FOR IT.....

ok, rant over.

any suggestions on natural cures/remedies for pms/pmt mood swings?
i already take evening primrose oil for cramps and boobie tenderness which has helped immensely. also good multi vit and fish oil for brain fog.

but i get bad (severe) mood swings/dips starting about 5 days before period begins and it is worst during and then the day after.....back to normal. i am negative, cranky, exhausted, irritable, whiny and irritating to be around (even to myself).

i have taken anxiety meds in past but not for about 18 months. i do have a appt with doctor on friday. i exercise everyday (60 to 90 min) and drink lots of water. i am making decision on which food plan to follow.

i am 46 and have semi stressful job, no kids and a great hub. and i am good sleeper.

any and all suggestions appreciated!

[tamaralynn]

Hi there!

Just a quick FYI - there are some *and may I say* handsome make chicks here too

We usually refer to the term PMS as "TOM" (Time of month) which may be why it's hard find "PMS" in the search


I'm in the same boat as you - My "moody" period usually starts a week before I "start". My husband now knows if I'm extra moody it's that "TOM" because I'm on my last week of birth control pills He usually does whatever he can to keep me happy hah.

Has your mood swings gotten progressively worse over the last couple of years? I'm just asking because my mom had the same thing before she starting having "pre-menopause". That may be your case.

Have you had a chance to talk to your ob/gyn? They may be able to help give you some wonderful ideas.

You know what works for me??

Ingredients:

- A bath tub
- hot water
- bottle of your favorite bubble-bath/oils
- a book
- a couple of scented candles
- a CD/MP3 player with speakers

Directions: Fill the bath to your desired level of hotness - don't forget to add the bubblebath/oils
Light the candles
Flip out the lights
Start your CD/MP3 player
Get into the bath
Read and relax

Hope that helps

[GirlyGirlSebas]

My young daughter has severe PMS. The doctor advised the following:

Get plenty of rest for the week prior to your TOM.
Avoid sugar and processed foods and increase your calcium intake.
Exercise daily as it releases endorphins.

This suggestions worked for her. Hope you find your relief soon.

[zeffryn]

um....actually it's a site for dieters. There are men here.

I agree with Girlygirlsebas...avoiding sugar and processed foods should help quite a bit. Up your fiber as well. Get lots of leafy green veggies and dairy.

[murphmitch]

Extra calcium & B vitamins really helped my daughters.

[zenor77]

This is a site run by women, but the site is for PEOPLE who are trying to lose, not just women. There a quite a few men on here who really know their stuff.

I'd try avoiding not just sugar, but foods high in salt as well, also caffeine can trigger some PMS symptoms.

When did you start taking the fish oil? Fish oil can help immensely with mood issues, but it can take a month or two to notice a difference. Make sure you take one that is high in EPAs not just DHA.

I've never tried this myself, but I know women who've had good results using the wild yam or progesterone cream. Personally, extra progesterone seems to make my mood swings worse, but everyone is different. Ask your doc and see what they say.

Also, this isn't necessarily for PMS, but if the doctor is going to prescribe anti-anxiety meds and you want something more natural, look into Rhodiola Rosea. It's an aptogen and helps with stress. When I'm under a lot of stress I take it and it helps like you wouldn't believe. It raises the levels of norepinephrine in your body to help you deal with stress. Just don't take a high dose. Studies have shown that it works better in low doses. I typically take 100mg twice a day, when I take it.

[nelie]

Are you on birth control pills? I used to have SEVERE PMS on a certain BCP but when I switched, it became a lot better.

[Shy Moment]

mrs
I do not have pms and never had BUT my daughter has enough for both of us and a few more woman in the neighborhood lol. She takes Sam E and it really does make a difference for her. I of course would not recommend this to anyone, I am not a doctor. You might talk to your doctor or pharmacist about it.

[mrs dorson]

thank you for all the suggestions! and the point i was making about women was more directed at the search feature not allowing short words like "pms,fat, low," etc. i certainly wasnt excluding men at all. if that was the way it came across....i humbly apologize.

and i do know there are men! altho the only i can think of this minute is Ezmoney. So i am hereby chastened (haha) and will just say the search function is very very frustrating!!

but i am very thankful for the suggestions!

[zenor77]

Just a thought, maybe it's the software the site uses? I'm sure they didn't have the software designed just for 3fc, it's probably used by many forums, so it may just be how the software came. You can't always adjust things like that.

[full of grace]

Midol Menstrual Complete does the trick for me. I take it before I even have any cramping or real "need" for it in terms of pain and find that it takes the edge off my moods and general irritability.

That, and a TON of water will do the trick!

PS--I believe the "changing the search parameters to include three-letter-words" thing was discussed just last week and one of the admins said she was looking into it, but that it sloooooooows the site way down. I believe PhotoChick was on the other side of that debate, stating that a slowdown was not her experience on a similar site running the same software. Anyway, just wanted to mention that the search issue has recently been discussed/debated and I recall the official word being that with so many gigs of info here and so many registered users, there'd really be no way to support a shorter search string parameter.