PMS and how to deal with it

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Mom_of_one

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OK ladies, I need some ideas. Sometimes I get PMS to where I am the worst blankety blank you’d ever have the misfortune to meet. Other months, I just get tired and lose my appetite. Obviously, I never know when I will have which version. What do you do to deal with the monster attitudes that can come with PMS. I’d prefer natural methods versus taking an antidepressant. Thanks. As of right now, if anybody crossed me, I’d rip their head off. And I certainly don’t want that. (Although there is one person…😉 )

And another quick question—what about dealing with someone difficult when you have PMS? This person is naturally difficult to deal with anyway, but he said something today that really was hateful and HAS to be dealt with. As I said above, I don’t want to rip his head off, but if I wait, he’ll forget what he said. Any help is highly appreciated.

And I promise to not be a crab to anyone who answers me. 😃
 
he’s a guy, he doesn’t know how lucky he is to not have to deal with it. that’s something you could tell him, but you’d probably have a better idea than me. 😉

What do you normally do? Do you normally take anti-depressants?

~Stacey
 
I think that being prepared is the best approach to any period of time where the stress will increase, which is what is happening when those God-given hormones head towards the PMS phase. So, do whatever you can to anticipate that time of month. First, if you don’t track your cycle, start so you know when that cranky time of the month is coming. Try to keep yourself sane by planning meals in advance, making sure the house is in good order, being on top of your family’s obigations (like bills and homework assignments), and keeping yourself moving forward at work if you have a job.

Next, I make sure I have all of the bases covered vis a vis rest and nutrition. Sleep is imperative during the second half of my cycle and I need to stay away from lots of sugary carbs. Keep eating good foods. I drink a lot of protein shakes, they taste delicious and are simple to make.

I guess I can’t emphasize sleep enough. When we are tired, we lack the wherewithall to cope with even the smallest inconveniences, let alone individuals who are a pain in the patella. Get to bed just as soon as your little one is down for the night. Also, maintain those friendships that can help you vent when things get tough. Nothing beats a good girlfriend who understands what’s going on in your life.

Finally, if you are thinking of an anti-depressant, then you may have a problem of a greater magnitude then just riding out your cycle. Hormonal fluctuations exaggerate the mood we’re already in. Please, please see your OB/Gyn. Perhaps you should have your hormone levels evaluated via a blood test so that you have a “picture” of what’s going on from a medical standpoint. If you haven’t gone in for a physical in more than 12 months, make that appointment today. Get every test done, including a mammo and bone density scan. By the way, could this be a perimenopause thing?
 
i used to be a blankity blank too and i also dealt with sadness and low-self esteem during that time.

i went off all caffeine and chocolate. WOW
What a difference. charting also helps because i know when it is coming.

i also used to pick fights with my husband over the stupidest stuff. now when i see myself doing that i know instantly PMS and stop it

i think Fertility Cycles and Nutrtion has a lot of info on it.

ecological breastfeeding was nice to because after 9 months of pregnancy and 14 months w/out cycles i went almost 2 years without having to deal with it.
 
Optivite. These are special vitamins, and trust me they work. Please, please try them They may be a bit hard to find, but it is worth it! 👍
 
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socalcarmelite:
Optivite. These are special vitamins, and trust me they work. Please, please try them They may be a bit hard to find, but it is worth it! 👍
Click to expand...
I totally agree. I take a cheaper, generic version, but they help alot. —KCT
 
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socalcarmelite:
Optivite. These are special vitamins, and trust me they work. Please, please try them They may be a bit hard to find, but it is worth it! 👍
Click to expand...
Your pharmacist can order them, you just have to ask.
Jennifer
 
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eirepinkie:
he’s a guy, he doesn’t know how lucky he is to not have to deal with it. that’s something you could tell him, but you’d probably have a better idea than me. 😉

What do you normally do? Do you normally take anti-depressants?

~Stacey
Click to expand...
Not for PMS. And I don’t want to take them when I am “OK” for a few months and then I turn into a stark raving lunatic! At least that’s what it feels like.
 
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Cupofkindness:
I think that being prepared is the best approach to any period of time where the stress will increase, which is what is happening when those God-given hormones head towards the PMS phase. So, do whatever you can to anticipate that time of month. First, if you don’t track your cycle, start so you know when that cranky time of the month is coming. Try to keep yourself sane by planning meals in advance, making sure the house is in good order, being on top of your family’s obigations (like bills and homework assignments), and keeping yourself moving forward at work if you have a job.

Next, I make sure I have all of the bases covered vis a vis rest and nutrition. Sleep is imperative during the second half of my cycle and I need to stay away from lots of sugary carbs. Keep eating good foods. I drink a lot of protein shakes, they taste delicious and are simple to make.

I guess I can’t emphasize sleep enough. When we are tired, we lack the wherewithall to cope with even the smallest inconveniences, let alone individuals who are a pain in the patella. Get to bed just as soon as your little one is down for the night. Also, maintain those friendships that can help you vent when things get tough. Nothing beats a good girlfriend who understands what’s going on in your life.

Finally, if you are thinking of an anti-depressant, then you may have a problem of a greater magnitude then just riding out your cycle. Hormonal fluctuations exaggerate the mood we’re already in. Please, please see your OB/Gyn. Perhaps you should have your hormone levels evaluated via a blood test so that you have a “picture” of what’s going on from a medical standpoint. If you haven’t gone in for a physical in more than 12 months, make that appointment today. Get every test done, including a mammo and bone density scan. By the way, could this be a perimenopause thing?
Click to expand...
I do try to be prepared as much as possible, and since I am pretty regular, I know when it is going to hit. The hard part is knowing when the monster PMS is coming versus the regular PMS. The last 2 months, I was fine. This month…

Last time I went to my ob-gyn, which was in July or August, I asked him about perimenopause. He said that I was too young. I asked because I have read that it can start even earlier than was thought. So, I can’t get any blood work done to check hormone levels.

Yeah the girlfriend thing is great. I was talking to a friend last night and told her that I hated someone just because I had PMS!!!😃

As for sleep—I try, but with a hyperactive and possibly high functioning autistic child who also is a night owl, it’s hard.
 
I second “Fertility Cycles and nutrition” – also for me, anywya (same as you, some months are fine, some are inexplicably awful) – cutting out fats and caffinated bev has helped alot – I switch to half-caf in my home coffee (have a special bag in the freezer for just those days prior to the “arrival” – that’s the only time I make the half-caf…since my DH drinks coffee at work all day, that one cup on the way to work dosn’t ruin him…he just loads up when he gets there – he said it’s well worth it) – I have to have the coffee, but cut out the second cup, and the afternoon cup, and the soda here and there, and the fatty stuff – try to eat all grilled foods without dressings and butter etc…(hard, b/c when I’m about a week out, all I want is carbs and butter…buttered rolls esp!) It does help tho; I try to set a reminder on my computer outlook calendar to remind me about 2 days ahead (in case I need to pick up any substitutes from the store etc) of the PMS arrival…I drop the half and half to skim, no butter, no cream cheese, etc…makes for a boring diet, but a happier household…LOL
 
Mom of one:
And another quick question—what about dealing with someone difficult when you have PMS? This person is naturally difficult to deal with anyway, but he said something today that really was hateful and HAS to be dealt with. As I said above, I don’t want to rip his head off, but if I wait, he’ll forget what he said. Any help is highly appreciated.

And I promise to not be a crab to anyone who answers me. 😃
Click to expand...
Is it possible to write out a response? I find that when I’m very emotional, it’s better if I write out what I want to say and then I’m less likely to say something I’ll end up regretting. Even if you can’t give him a written response, maybe write it out first and get your thoughts together.

I feel your pain and I hope you find an answer to your PMS woes. Mine’s expected in the next week or so. Yippee. :rolleyes:
 
I hate to tell you this but it is going to get worse . I am on the verge of menopause and I don’t know when i will have PMS because my periods are not regular. Recently I have been emotional all month with only a few days break. Try everything you can. i take St John’s wort for my emotions. I take Progesterone creme to balance my hormones,B vitamins,magnesium, chaste tree(works).Kava Kava is calming.
I try to support my system with exercise, like walking…lots of fruits and vegetables and yes cutting out caffine works(I will do that tomorrow)
My advice on confrontation is don’t.If you feel you must write a letter go ahead but tear it up after.Please wait til after you have a period. If you don’t it will only upset you more and you may say something you will regret.
I don’t know why but my thinking is that sensitive people suffer the most from this. I wish I could say that God made us special but the only thing special is if you can offer it up to God.
 
Dr. Marilyn Shannon, Catholic author of “Fertility, Cycles and Nutrition,” recommends a daily multi-B vitamin, ideally, the Optivite mentioned by another poster. I won’t go into the medical reasons behind it (you might want to get the book, which is short) but they are lengthy and have documented success.
 
Mom of one:
OK ladies, I need some ideas. Sometimes I get PMS to where I am the worst blankety blank you’d ever have the misfortune to meet. Other months, I just get tired and lose my appetite. Obviously, I never know when I will have which version. What do you do to deal with the monster attitudes that can come with PMS. I’d prefer natural methods versus taking an antidepressant. Thanks. As of right now, if anybody crossed me, I’d rip their head off. And I certainly don’t want that. (Although there is one person…😉 )

And another quick question—what about dealing with someone difficult when you have PMS? This person is naturally difficult to deal with anyway, but he said something today that really was hateful and HAS to be dealt with. As I said above, I don’t want to rip his head off, but if I wait, he’ll forget what he said. Any help is highly appreciated.

And I promise to not be a crab to anyone who answers me. 😃
Click to expand...
There used to be some vitamins you could get in the grocery story - developed by Dr. Susan Love and labled for PMS, they used Evening Primrose Oil and a variety of other stuff and I have to tell you they really helped me with PMS.
 
**Well, I’ve been talking multivitamins for the last couple days and I have to say that it’s been helping. Thank God for everyone around me!😃 Thanks everyone. **
Has anyone heard about Vitamin D and calcuim helping with PMS?
 
Get pregnant! 😃 Sorry, I couldn’t resist. Since I’ve been pregnant, my emotions have been nice and level. None of the PMS fluctuations for me.

But really, I found that avoiding simple carbs helped. My moods would really be effected by the fluctuating blood sugar levels. I would feel myself get so grumpy as my sugar level dropped.
 
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MooCowSteph:
Get pregnant! 😃 Sorry, I couldn’t resist. Since I’ve been pregnant, my emotions have been nice and level. None of the PMS fluctuations for me.

But really, I found that avoiding simple carbs helped. My moods would really be effected by the fluctuating blood sugar levels. I would feel myself get so grumpy as my sugar level dropped.
Click to expand...
:rotfl: Don’t worry, when I have made the vows before God and have a ring on my finger, I plan that very route.
 
Momofone, I am glad that the vitamins are helping you.

I did wind up going the antidepressant route. I take antidepressants the last 2 weeks of my cycle–and if for some reason I get started on them “late” (due to charting interruptions…I have a small child!!) I can really tell. The bonus for me is that my migraine headaches have nearly been eliminated. 👍 Before I was taking the medicine I was super-sensitive, very cranky and angry during the PMS time. I’m doing much better. I had thought about going off them, but I’m afraid that the headaches would come back and frankly I fear those more than I fear the medication or the PMS!

I wish you continued success in your treatment of your PMS.

And spacecadet, please tell me how you succeeded in giving up caffeine and chocolate! I know I need to cut down on those. Not sure I could totally eliminate them :eek:
 
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