Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)

Birth control medications are now used for treating the severest type of premenstrual syndrome – premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). The first such drug that was approved by FDA is Yaz. It was clinically proved that Yaz is able to relief PMDD symptoms with efficiency not less than 50%. These results motivated FDA for its approval.

What is more, Yaz showed its effectiveness in removing both physical and emotional disorders caused by PMDD, positively influencing on daily activity, relations with people and emotional stability.

Yaz, as other hormonal birth control medications, contains estrogen and the unique form of progestin. Its unique characteristics are very helpful in fighting PMDD, if to follow its 24-day intake schedule, according to the latest release from Berlex Inc., the American representative of Yaz manufacturer (Schering).

Andrea Rapkin, MD from UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine, reports: “Yaz is able to solve both problems. It combines facilities for effective contraception for preventing unwanted pregnancy and for reducing the PMDD impact on female organism”.
It is common for the most of women to experience PMS problems, but PMDD occurs only in 5% of cases. PMDD has the strongest symptoms that impact women making them unable to do their everyday activities.

PMDD: Aggressive PMS Successor

For the most of doctors and patients PMDD is something like PMS squared. For diagnosing PMDD women has to experience at least five of the symptoms described below:

· Mood swings, frequent wish to cry

· The feel of apathy, sadness or hopelessness

· Increased irritability worsening relationships with people around

· Tenseness or anxiety with no reason

· The feel of losing control

· Shortage of energy

· The loss of interest to things and people that usually were interesting

· Appetite changes like intense desire to eat, overeating

· Problems with attention and its concentration, slow mental work

· Slumber problems: not getting enough sleep or excessive sleeping

· Physical disorders like headaches, pains in muscles and joints, swelling, breast tenderness, increase of weight, etc.

It is required to experience one of the first four symptoms to give a diagnosis of PMDD. As a rule these symptoms appear the week before periods and totally disappear in a couple of days after they start.

PMDD is very hard to stand, that is why doctors often prescribe the whole complex of medications for its treatment, including antidepressants, hormonal drugs, water pills, vitamins. Nowadays many kinds of birth control pills are used to treat PMDD, but Yaz was the first one that received FDA approval.

The most popular side effects caused by Yaz are headaches and pain in breasts.

This article was written by a nurse from one of the US clinics that wished to stay anonymous.

She shares her knowledge about emotional symptoms during PMS and how to fight them. If you found the information useful, please leave your comments.

During PMS many women experience various emotional problems like mood swings, stresses, sudden willing to cry or argue with everyone around. The most frequent emotional symptom of PMS is anxiety that causes big discomfort in everyday life.

During a long time scientists didn’t connect emotional discomfort to premenstrual syndrome, but later they realized that psychological state is directly connected to cyclic hormonal changes in the female organism, and anxiety and stress are common PMS symptoms.

Such emotional changes have various origins, not only PMS. It can be related to various problems at home or at work, conflicts in relationships, mental health disorders, etc. The environment can affect your emotional stability, causing stresses that can be regarded as PMS symptoms. Combined with hormonal changes, problems around can worsen the situation, turning woman into a deep depression.

It was found that the main reason of anxiety and other emotional changes during PMS is estrogen level changes. Perhaps severe stress is an alarm of PMDD that has a lot in common with PMS but its symptoms are much stronger and sometimes unbearable. PMDD is the most difficult case of PMS that requires medical assistance.

Every tenth woman of childbearing age suffers from PMDD in the USA. Most of them experience the same emotional problems that are typical for manic depression. As a rule patients with PMDD experience rapid mood swings from happiness in the first minute to deep sadness in the second. Such swings lead to deep emotional instability and exhaustion. Also they admit extraordinary sensitivity to things that has no matter to them before.

It is natural for women to be sensitive to different things, but the natural sensitivity has nothing in common with unbearable symptoms of PMS or PMDD especially. Stresses and feel of anxiety are only a part of possible reactions to hormones during premenstrual period, and women struggle from them each month before periods begin. The only way to fight instability is to learn how to control emotions and stresses, helping yourself to manage with PMS and return your life into the normal state.

Many specialists will advise you to take vitamins of B-group, go in for sports like aerobics, use relaxation practices like meditation and balance your diet to avoid potential impact on hormones.

Also natural progesterone creams showed effective results in treating anxiety and mood swings during premenstrual period. The alternative supplement for stabilizing emotions before periods is Kava Kava.

There are a lot of medications available today, that is why it is better to consult a doctor who can select the best treatment for your individual set of symptoms.

Don’t wonder if he will prescribe something that was not listed in this article, it is fully possible.

Do your best to tune your lifestyle on the right way and follow doctor’s advices to feel good at any period of cycle!

PMS is a complex disease influencing virtually all the systems of the body. However, PMS has the greatest effect on the very emotional condition of ours. You are sure to have noticed that few days before the cycle started you got touchy and angry, often went wrong with your family or took everything to heart. As for me, these days I cry as many tears as I don’t manage to cry over the whole month. I cry at the slightest opportunity. I can be touched by a dramatic moment in a movie, sad love song or even a homeless puppy on the street. And my vulnerability can turn into aggression in a second, that’s when I start making a row with the first person coming in my way. That is why for me a perfect PMS medication is the one that not only helps to get rid of pain in the belly and breast, but also improves my emotional condition. Prozac has positive calming effect on the nervous system and helps to return it to its stable condition.

Prozac is the very medication that brings relief during those few days before the cycle starts, when life becomes hell not only for me, but for my family as well. Indeed, this medication helps to see things positively and not to be distressed by trifles. Besides, Prozac calms the nerves down, so I stopped going wrong with my family and can adequately control my emotions. This medication removes the symptoms of depression, calms the body down, and makes me feel positive. Of course, Prozac does not give you the feeling of euphoria or excitement. It’s just that when I take it I feel calm and confident both before the periods start and during the menstruation or after it ends.

Well, Prozac has been talked about for long. In the USA over the last few decades this medication is taken by every twentieth person! Naturally, they prescribe it not only for PMS, but for other problems with nervous system as well. But the health professionals do not have the united opinion on it. Most of them are prone to thinking that it is absolutely safe, while some doctors claim that constant stimulation of serotonin generation (which is the major effect of Prozac) is not good for human body. Generally, when I take Prozac I found myself totally comfortable. The only problem provoked by this medication lies in periodical sleep disorders. Sometimes I felt sleepy during almost the whole day, while later on I could not fall asleep till dawn. When I started to have these symptoms, I reduced the dose of Prozac and the sleep disorders stopped.

To find a good PMS medication is not an easy thing to do, so over the last years I have tried dozens of pills. After the light pain killers and common vitamins had helped me, my gynecologist recommended starting serious hormone treatment. This is how I discovered Danazol. This medication regulates metabolic processes and it is used in treatment of various female diseases, including, naturally, the most widespread problem of women called PMS.

Danazol is absolutely perfect for those who suffer from breast pain during PMS. So it is rarely prescribed to those who have other symptoms of PMS. Usually I started to feel breast pain three to four days before the beginning of the cycle, so this issue was quite serious. I took Danazol for only few days, and completely forgot about the breast pain. What’s more, this medication helped me to relieve the pain in my belly during the first days of menstruation. However, my gynecologist told me to keep strict watch over my well-being and to call her at the first symptoms of side effects.

Altogether, side effects of Danazol are simply terrifying. I started thinking of giving it up as soon as I read the instruction. The health professionals state that Danazol can provoke headache, nausea, and depression as well. Besides, there also is a “classical set” of side effects common for hormone medication, starting from excess weight and acne, and ending with breast reduction, excessive sweating and excess body hair. Luckily, I didn’t have all of these dreadful symptoms. However, I can not tell you why I didn’t. Maybe it was because I took Denazol not for long, because I had to give up the medication due to frequent headaches. Or maybe the components of Denazol simply don’t provoke rejection in my case, for hormone medication is always associated with individual treatment. But even after I stopped taking it, the effect of Denazol did not vanish completely. Of course, pain in the belly during the first days of menstruation appeared again, but the breast pain doesn’t bother me before the cycle beginning any more.

So, from my own experience I would recommend Denazol to those women who suffer from breast pain. However, those under treatment of diabetes should be extremely careful with this medication, because it has specific reaction to insulin.

The PMDD symptoms are successfully obviated by several medical therapies described below.

Antidepressants (SSRIs)

Several medicines from the group of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are successfully used to relief the symptoms of PMDD by removing their reason. These medications influence on human organism by influencing on the level of serotonin in the brain.

SSRIs whose effectiveness has been proved include the following drugs:

- sertraline (Zoloft)

- fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem)

- paroxetine (Paxil)

- citalopram (Celexa)

SSRI medicines are reported to be very effective therapy, as about 75% of women who used SSRIs felt significant alleviation of symptoms. Side effects, such as nausea, headaches and uneasiness are experienced by 15% of women who take SSRIs. As a rule SSRI drugs are prescribed for continuous intake or taking only during 14-days of the luteal phase. Other groups of antidepressants, as well as lithium medicines (like Lithobid) haven’t shown their effectiveness in PMDD prevention therapy.

Oral contraceptives and GnRH agonists

Other ways of PMDD treatment are avoidance of ovulation and ovarian hormones control. For this purpose oral contraceptives are used. OCPs, birth control pills change the menstrual cycle by inhibiting the ovulation process.
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogs (GnRH analogs or GnRH agonists) influence on hormones production and are widely used in anti-PMDD therapy. Suppressing estrogen production by influencing on pituitary gland as inhibitor of regularly hormones secretion causes the stoppage of menstrual periods. GnRH agonists are used in one of two available forms – injection or nasal.

GnRH agonists used in PMDD treatment include:

- leuprolide (Lupron)

- goserelin (Zoladex) and

- nafarelin (Synarel)

There are a whole variety of side effects caused by GnRH agonist medicines: vaginal dryness, occasional bleedings, mood swings, tiredness, hot flashes and osteoporosis (the loss of bone strength). These side effects are caused by the shortage of female hormones and can be minimized by additional intake of estrogen and progesterone.

Danazol (Danocrine)

This synthetic medicine influences on hormone balance, increasing the content of androgen (male hormone) and decreasing estrogen content in the organism. Such hormonal environment suppresses ovulation and inhibits ovarian estrogen production. Danazol is effectively used to prevent PMDD symptoms, but in 75% of cases the treatment is accompanied with various side effects including:

- Weight growth,

- oedema,

- breast size decreasing,

- male-like hair growth

- voice mutation (deeping),

- acne and oily skin,

- headaches,

- libido changes,

- mood swings.

These side effects except voice mutations are convertible. But returning to the normal state can take months or even years. That is why Danazol (Danocrine) is used only when other medications are helpless. The intake of these drugs is forbidden for women with certain liver, kidneys and heart disorders.

Other treatments

Alternative therapy of PMDD include chasteberry extract (agnus castus fruit), special diets with additional intake of calcium, B6 and E vitamins. These therapies have shown their effectiveness in relieving the PMS/PMDD symptoms.

A well-known fact is that pms depression is connected with the menstrual period. As the result of hormonal changes in the body or/and because of lowering of serotonin level in the blood, whole condition of the body and of the psychological atmosphere is also not of the high level.

The only way to identify pms depression symptoms is to observe them and according to the woman’s report, the doctor can say that it’s the pms depression symptoms. Actually, this report is made based on the symptoms for 2 or 3 menstrual periods, otherwise, it’s impossible to say that this form of depression is pms depression exactly.
In this report there should be mentioned daily symptoms. As a result the doctor makes the whole picture of the whole menstrual cycle and of pms period and symptoms particularly.

The most frequent pms depression symptoms:

1- Mood swings

2 – Irritability

3 – Burst of anxiety

4 – Alcohol intolerance

5 – Feeling of hopeless condition

6 – Tearfulness

7 – Fatigue

8 – Nervous tension

9 – Changes in the appetite (either loss of appetite or overeating)

10 – Headaches

11 – Breast tenderness

One should mention that it’s impossible to enumerate all the pms depression symptoms as they are quite individual. That’s why to point out own pms symptoms, a woman should report all the changes I her body and mood for 2 or 3 monthes and, surely, consult a doctor.

All the symptoms appear about several days (sometimes a week or even two) before menses. Surely they should disappear after menses. In case they still are at present, it’s not pms depression symptoms. They are likely to be symptoms of neurosis and depression not connected with menstrual cycle.

Most women suffer from mood changes, irritability, anxiety and tearfulness. These symptoms are most common for all the women to consult the doctor. Physical changes in body and hormonal level in the blood causes headaches, breast pains, changes in appetite, muscle spasms and so on. In that case, especially in case of terrible pain (either headache or back pains), there is special treatment to relieve the pain.

One should remember that pms or PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder) are not only psychological changes, but whole changes in the body and blood. These changes should be taken carry of and reported for further treatment if it’s needed. These symptoms are observed and reported but interfered with clinical treatment only in case of real bad condition of the body and their severe character.

The woman shouldn’t buy remedies and medicines by herself without consulting a doctor and without making special pms symptoms schedule. Otherwise, pms depression symptoms can be easily mixed up and mistaken with a more dangerous illness. By the way, a woman should feel whether these symptoms are connected with menstrual cycle or quite similar to pregnancy symptoms. In many cases they are quite similar. And this is one more reason not to institute therapy by her own but to consult the specialist.

One of the most unpleasant pms symptom is pms depression. Actually there is hardly anything in common between real depression and so-called pms depression, because real depression is not a ‘short-term’ depression.

First of all one should differentiate bad condition with real depression.
Surely, every woman can observe different physical and psychological changes in her body during pms period. Actually depression is really a terrible condition for the body and mind, it leads to constant irritability and mood swings. Among some serious symptoms doctors usually calls tearfulness, alcohol intolerance, panic conditions, anxiety, angry outbursts, insomnia. The worst variant of depression is neurosis combined with mental diseases.

According to the statistics, only 5% of all the world population suffer from real depression. Most women of these statistics suffer from depression because of hormonal changes in their body. And among them are really difficult and well-known conditions, like menopause and childbirth. Most of the doctors believe that the most serious women depression is connected with the pregnancy. But actually there are no proved facts that hormonal changes influence women life so much. Nevertheless, the doctors often proscribe some antidepressant using these periods.

PMS depression first of all is connects with the menstrual period. Usually it starts in the middle of menstrual period and connected with the low level of serotonin in the body. Being a neurotransmitter, serotonin transmits the signals between nerves in the brain and the whole body. Serotonin is known for its sleep, mood and appetite regulation in the body. So, it’s evident, that people, who suffer from mental diseases or who are under depression, has low level of serotonin in their blood. As they have level of serotonin in the blood, te signals from brain are weaker. So, the person has problems with the appetite, either overeating or malnutrition, sometimes it even causes total loss а appetite. As a result – insomnia, mood changes and so on.

Being a special type of depression, pms depression has its own symptoms and specifications. Ordinary psychological symptoms are insomnia, alcohol intolerance, mood swings, irritability, angry outbursts, confusion thinking, nausea. Surely, first of all it’s connected with the lower level of serotonin in the blood. The second reason is believed to cause this condition is hormonal changes.
Before buying various variations to treat pms depression one should point out whether ir’s a real PMS depression, or just ordinary depression or other psychological problems. Pms depression last not linger than a month as it-s connected with menstrual period, so, if it lasts longer than one menstrual – it’s not a pms depression, it’s some other type of problem, perhaps, even a real depression.
The best way in this case is to consult a doctor. Actually even before buying so-called safe ‘herbal’ medicines consult a doctor. The doctor is the only person to prescribe antidepressants and other types of herbal medicines to fight pms depression.

About three fourth of women at childbearing age feel discomfort during premenstrual period caused by various symptoms of premenstrual syndrome. In 10 percent of cases premenstrual syndrome (PMS) reveals in much more serious form called premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).

The difference between PMS and PMDD is in the strength of symptoms. Being more severe, PMDD has bigger influence on women’s daily activities and psychological state. As a rule, the symptoms of PMDD reveal themselves in the last week of menstrual cycle and disappear in a few days after menstruation starts. The typical symptoms include:

1 – Depression, continual nervousness or sadness

2 – Shifts of mood with often wing-dings

3 – Heightened irritation and furiousness

4 – Apathy and loss of interest to usual day-to-day activities

5 – Pain in joints, muscular ache, headache and other flu-like symptoms

6 – Breasts hypersensitivity

7 – Tiredness and sleepiness

8 – Slumber disorders – insomnia or sleeping too much, problems with falling asleep

9 – Surfeit, constant feel of hunger or loss of appetite

The reasons of PMDD are not found yet. Most of scientists note big resemblance between PMDD and major depression. But PMDD also affects women without major depression history.

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is healed by decreasing or preventing the impact of its sympthoms. The main drugs used for this are:

1 – Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are able to relieve breast sensitivity and cramping. Advil, Mortin and other medicines of this group are usually taken before or at the beginning of menstrual period.

2 – Antidepressants including serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are able to ease emotional discomfort and problems with slumber.

3 – Oral contraceptives can be used to neutralize the main cause of PMDD. They stop ovulation that lead to hormonal stability.

4 – Nutritional supplements like calcium, magnesium and vitamin B-6 reduce various problems caused by PMDD. Taking them regularly helps to normalize physical and emotional state.

5 – Herbal remedies can be used to reduce emotional symptoms of PMDD and headaches, as well as improve sleep. L-tryptophan and chastberry are clinically studied remedies.

6 – Diet and regular physical exercises. They both effectively reduce premenstrual symptoms, as well as recondition the whole organism. Reducing caffeine intake may decrease anxiety and emotional instability. Carbohydrates are able to improve mood.

It is important to consult a doctor when feeling the aforementioned symptoms. Only a qualified medic can determine the origin of symptoms, if it is PMDD or other disorder. If the reason is PMDD, a doctor will prescribe specific treatment for your symptoms that will help to minimize the impact of PMDD.

PMS (pre menstrual syndrome) is a well known syndrome connected with women menstrual cycle. It usually starts from 2 days to 2 weeks to the menses. Actually it’s characterized with several symptoms among which the most well-known are anxiety, headaches, pains in breast, mood changes, appetite changes and overweighting.

Doctors have no single idea whether this syndrome is connected with hormonal changes in the body or not, but it’s a well-known fact that in this period the level of serotonin in the body lowers. Serotonin is the very hormone to correspond for the appetite, sleep habits, mood swings and so on. So, during pms period this level becomes lower. As a result, mood changes, insomnia, appetite changes like overeating, aches and spasms. In this period a woman can feel depressed and a bit under the weather. What is more, in some cases there are feelings of loneness, anxiety and tearfulness.

One should remember that at this period many chronicle disease can exacerbate (most common is asthms). In this case, a woman should consult the doctor to get the treatment as some symptoms like headaches, muscle spasms can be quite painful and they need relief. Without some medicines a woman can really suffer from pms symptoms.

At this period there is sometimes so-called pms depression, which is not a really terrible disease, but, nevertheless makes some troubles and discomfort for daily activity. One shouldn’t mix up neurosis and typical depression with pms depression. At first sight one can think that they are very alike as the symptoms are quite similar, but it’s not true! Really, at initial examination a woman can enumerate all the symptoms similar to neurosis, but their nature is in essence different.

As pms depression is connected with the menstrual cycle, as ordinary depression is connected with stress, bad body condition and other causes and reasons. To indicate exactly pms depression a woman should report all the changes in the body for two a three menstrual cycles. First of all it’s made for a woman to find the very pms period as the similar changes in the body and mood indicates the starting and the finishing point of pms. Secondly, it’s made for a doctor to understand whether these symptoms are connected with the pms depression or with neurosis or exacerbation. Surely, pms depression doesn’t last for a month or two. In this case a woman should consult a doctor.

There are some medicines, herbal tablets and physical exercises to relive the pain or to ease the spasms. But, surely, they should be prescribed by the doctor. Some easy exercises are possible to find in the internet as they just ease the pain. But in case of worsening, there should be prescribed medicines. PMS depression are treated clinically quite rare as the basic treatment are some antidepressants. Pms depression and catastrophic symptoms are treated individually.

So, pms is special period of menstrual symptoms which is characterized with wood swings, increasing of tearfulness level, anxiety, some physical symptoms but mostly connected with the level of serotonin in the blood. Many of pms symptoms as the whole condition of the body during this period is quite individual. If there are some changes in the pms symptoms or pms period, a woman should consult a doctor. Another thing is these symptoms and condition shouldn’t be mixed up with pregnancy symptoms.