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Hi! I'm just wondering if anyone has any suggestions for coping with the emotional pitfalls of PMS. Every month for a week I become very sad, apathetic and tired. The rest of the month, I'm fine. I can't continue to live 1/4 of my life in the doldrums!! Please let me know if you can relate and/or what you do to cope. Thanks!

Tue. May 30, 1:11am

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Antidepressants help a lot, but I still have some symptoms. Cutting out diet soda has helped too. What are you doing to try to deal with the symptoms? Have you talked to your doctor?

Tuesday, May 30, 2006, 6:13 AM

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When this happens to me, I go to the local bookstore, grab some interesting books, settle in a comfy chair, and read. Usually comics, or happy stories about pets. Then I go to the cafe and have a cookie and some tea. It's a great way to keep myself from snapping at the loved ones around me, and gives me a chance to do something to make myself happier.
Going to see a matinee also helps. Romantic comedies help me cry a little if I need to release, and then leave on a silly, happy note. :)

Tuesday, May 30, 2006, 8:57 AM

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Are you on any kind of birth control? Some pills cause more symptoms than others. I was on the same pill for almost 9 years (off and on with 2 kids in there) It worked fine at first but at the end I was miserable. When you get older your hormones change and this pill just didn't work as well (it was tri-phasil). I experimented with a few other kinds and LOVED Yasmin. The only thing is my insurance didn't cover it as well so it was $50 a month. too much! Anyway, we decided to have another baby, so now that I'm pregnant I don't need to worry about it. When I am done nursing, I hope that Yasmin will be cheaper and I can go on that again. I know this is long, I hope it helps. Good luck to you.

Tuesday, May 30, 2006, 9:01 AM

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PMS

I hear you! I have the same problem, more so since recently having more kids. I have been researching it, and you are supposed to avoid all the things I crave during pms time - fried foods, sweets, salty. I spoke with my doctor about it and she recommended I take a magnesium supplement. I haven't tried this long enough to know if it will affect me. For me, it seems the best thing is a little exercise. When I glum and moody, if I get in 15 minutes of something - anything, I feel so much better. I know what you mean though, and I too don't want 1/4 of my life to be miserable. (not to mention for those around me!) My friend distributes Oona health pills (found at health food stores) and the extra supplement of passion flower really seems to keep me more even keel when I am really emotional. I hope any of this helps! Good luck to you - let me know!



Link

Tuesday, May 30, 2006, 9:45 AM

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Try soy.

Soy naturally contains estrogen like hormones which can help aliveate PMS since estrogen levels drop when you are about to have/are having your period. The decrease in estrogen accounts for all those great PMS issues us women put up with.

Now for the disclaimer- this is very controversial issue right now, soy is being used in trials to decrease the effects of menopause. If you have any hesitation about the use of soy in this way- don't use it. I am not a doctor and have not done extensive research on this topic- All I know is that it works for me.

Soy suggestions: I like edamame (salty!!!). I also drink soy milk on a regular basis (mmmm, chocolate). If you are new to soy, go easy at first. Experiment with what amount works for you-- we're all different, so unfortunately there isn't a one-way-cure-all. As I said before, if you don't agree, that's fine- don't use soy for this purpose. Good Luck!



here are a few links (I'm not sure if they're work in the "link" section because there are more then one):
http://www.womenshealth.com/library/phytoestrogens.html
http://www.berkeleywellness.com/html/ds/dsSoy.php
http://www.drlam.com/opinion/soyandestrogen.cfm

and here is a negative link about soy (so you get the other side to the story):
http://www.illuminati-news.com/soy.htm

Tuesday, May 30, 2006, 11:12 AM

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I take calcium, magnesium, and chaste tree berry (also called vitex) supplements, starting on day 14 and during my period. They help the physical symptoms (bloating, weight gain, fatigue), which helps me feel less wretched.


Wednesday, May 31, 2006, 3:15 PM

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I'm PMSing now too and I feel I should either wrestle someone to the ground or wrestle a Hershey bar as big as my head.
hmmm, the Hershey store IS in Times Square, and I DO live in the city...
LOL

Wednesday, May 31, 2006, 3:20 PM

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2 things work for me...exercise and Rescue Remedy. The exercise (more cardio than weights) really klifts my mood fo the rest of the day. On days I can't get to the gym, I carry a Bach Flower Remedy called Rescue Remewdy. This works wonders. It should be in everyone's first aid kit. Find it at whole food stores, health food stores, etc, or google it. Good luck.

Thursday, June 01, 2006, 9:14 AM

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Rescue Remedy has helped me too. As for working out while PMSing...I find it really hard to get on the treadmill when I'm PMSing but if I do (even just at a slow pace) it makes all the difference.

Has anyone else found that their PMS gets worse with age? I'm 31 and I'm noticing it more than ever.

Thursday, June 01, 2006, 9:42 AM

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What is Rescue Remedy? Or Bach Flower Remedy? I've never heard of either!

Yes, I'm only 23, but mine has gotten worse consistently over the past 10 years! I always cry and yell just about every day of my period, and for like 3 days before! It's like I can't control myself!!

Thursday, June 01, 2006, 10:20 AM

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I have to second the advice of a Calcium/Magniseum/Zinc supplement. This works wonders for my mood and my cramps.

Sunday, June 04, 2006, 12:54 AM

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Bach Flower Remedy

Rescue Remedy Is one of Bach's flower remedies. These are flower essences, named by the man who came up with them. His idea is that flowers and other plants have certain energetic properties that can address emotional health. The plant is put in pure water and then placed in the sun for a certain length of time. Afterwards, the plant material is drained off and what is left is a flower remedy. Rescue remedy contains, I think, 5 different flower remedies. It is used for acute (emergency) emotional healing; some kind of trauma. I have used it on a cat hit by a car, on kids who fall and sprain an ankle on the playground, for a family member during my mother-in-law's funeral. I keep it in the first aid kit. It is helpful for anxiety.

Sunday, June 04, 2006, 7:16 AM

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As someone said above, if you are on the pill this might just be the fault of your birth control. If, as you get older, you start to get more and more depressed before your period, don't brush it off! My hormones changed and I ended up suicidal (which is not the "real" me!) for a couple of months, and had to stop using that form of birth control entirely!

Heavier exercise than usual seems to help me some months and not others.

Sunday, June 04, 2006, 7:29 AM

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I have always found cardio to help with depression and anxiety. There must be some chemical release in the brain during exercise that helps with it because it isa like a magic pill.

Sunday, June 04, 2006, 8:32 AM

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