Need your help with PMS... a woman's curse!

[artistaii]

Hi Everyone!

I'd like to hear from all of you about dealing with PMS. I can hardly stand it any more!! About one to two weeks before menstrating I become VERY fatigued - I can hardly get out of bed (even though I go to bed earlier), I have no energy to keep my house in order, I'm starving for carbs (gimme some sugar!!) and I have to FORCE myself to work out.

You see, I worked out religiously starting in about 1987 up until 2001 when I changed jobs. Workouts became sporadic and eventually stopped all together in about 2003. I finally couldn't stand feeling like dough any longer and picked up working out in earnest again this January. Here I am, about 3 months later, ready to just go back to sleep! It's taken so much work to get where I am and I don't want to lose it! Are there any supplements that will give me a little boost? Do I bite the bullet and MAKE myself have productive workouts, or simply feel satsified that I've dedicated the time to doing it, even if I didn't break a good sweat? And about this eating!!! I wake up in the middle of the night just starving. It's gotten worse lately - my cycles are very heavy and painful that I'm contemplating going on birth control pills to help control it. I feel miserable!! Any help would be so greatly appreciated!!

Many thanks,
Liz

[me123]

Liz, this sounds to me like perimenopause or menopause.

You never know.

[41&fab]

HI, I sure feel for your misery. I want to share that I was having a lot of painful ovulation problems and monthly cyst sometimes so bad I was taken to er one night. I did my own research, trying to stay of "the PIll" and I take Vitex herb. It is from the chasteberry tree. I take what is called the vitex extract. I take one pill a day and have since last july and I have had little to no pain on my cycles. I feel better mood wise. Sure I still crave sugar or high carbs from time to time. But I notice I crave those things when I work out toooooo hard or am tired. I have been trying to cut the sweets some. When I want a sweet really bad, I have been on a toast and honey kick. It is good, and doesn't seem to rise my blood sugar too much. I use whole wheat toast too. I hope this helps. I just typed into google search engine and found all kinds of good info on vitex.

Good luck to you.

[kittielover]

Calcium and yogurt - works like a charm! Bear in mind that when you start taking calcium, it could take about a month til it effective \ absorbed. Now you don't have to eat the yogurt every day, but do so the week prior.

I did this a LONG time ago; I'm talking while @ work, NOBODY would sit NEAR me and trembled if I walked by :eek: . After I started this, I was liked all the time :).

[laura bell]

PMS is so hated! I never had a real problem with it until I stopped taking the pill and turned 35. I have found a product called Estroven PMS to be really helpful. You can get it at the grocery store in the Midol aisle. You take 2 tablets, wait 4 hours and take 2 more--it chills me out, which is a beautiful thing! I also try not to take on anything more that will totally stress me out that bad week--I try to just be kind to myself and do easier workouts, even if that is just getting outside and walking. Yoga helps me also, because I'm learning to "just be" and not take everything so seriously! Peanut butter on dense wholegrain bread seems to help stop my sugar cravings. A hot bath with epsom salt and 8 gtts of lavender essential oil is a nice way to relieve pms crankiness and bloating!:eek: Hope it gets better!!laura bell

[Lorphi]

Hi Liz:
I have had that problem too for years and as a nurse< ihave always tried to do things the acceptable medical way...well that didn't work for me. I take Chasteberry too, I have been taking it for about 3 months and the cramps and mood swings are much less. Chasteberry is also called "cramp bark." If the cramps are really bad, I take Red Raspberry leaves ( capsule form), this alows the uterus to relax. Works like a charm, even my 14 year old is takingit when she has cramps. You can go to a health food store to get these and sometimes even GNC will have them. Good luck.

[Manzanita]

Optivite PMT vitamins really helped me. They are not easy to find; I used to have to special order them from my local pharmacy. americarx.com carries them; probably other online stores have them as well.

I still take Optivite even though I'm past menopause now. I don't know if it was the Optivite, exercise, organic diet, or dumb luck, but I had an incredibly easy passage though menopause - no hot flashes or night sweats, mood swings, or any of that stuff that most women seem to suffer through.

Good luck finding something that gives you some relief!

[41&fab]

Wow that is great news to hear someone else and even a nurse is taking the chateberry herb also. I tell you it has made a wonderful difference with me. I take one a day and was going to stop this januarary to see if my symptoms returned. But I just can't do it! I don't want to chance it again. I had severe pains during ovulation that just put me to bed or on strong pain med. I do not want to go there again. It is nice to hear all the things we all use for relief.

[artistaii]

Thanks so much to you all! I will get some Chasteberry and see how that does; I'm also going to find a good B-complex and supplement my diet with additional calcium. I hope and pray it does the trick! I've met more than a few people who have had to return to taking contraceptives and I'd really like to avoid that. I am grateful to you for your advice!!!

Best,
Liz

[blkane]

Liz,

I'm new here but I thought I would jump in. I hear ya on the PMS thing. Some months I get darn near suicidal with being down and depressed. I get bone tired fatigue and weepy. It's a real bother. I don't think I'm peri-menopausal yet but I'm sure I'm not far from it. I'll be 45 in April.

I had a cousin who experienced some of the systems you described. I don't know if it will help but she used to go into her Doc every month for a B12 shot. I'm sure what it does but I do know it helps. She used to be completely unable to function. Her hormone swinging made her very unstable.

For me, I just get a box of tissues and have a good cry..LOL I also try and pull out an easier cardio tape and get my blood moving. My favorite is actually Nancy Tucker's Super Cardio Sculpt. As Nancy and I are the same age, she is sorta my virtual workout buddy. Anyway, I usually feel much better after I get some blood circulating through my body.

Oh, and drink extra water. Lots of extra water. It will help with the water retention..really it will.http://www.whfn.com/board/images/smilies/smile.gif

[sidneygirl]

Hi Liz.....was reading thru here and I just had a thought.....have you had your thyroid checked recently? Your "symptoms" are symptoms associated with hypothyroid. Very low energy and heavy periods.....I was diagnosed a couple years ago and now that I'm taking the thyroid medication (a simple pill each morning) I'm feeling 100% better. It might not have anything to do with what you are experiencing at all, but I just wanted to put that out there. Hypo, or even hyper, thyroid can be tested by a simple blood test.

Good luck to you anyhow and hope you find something that helps.

Hugs,
~~tracy

[Poecat]

One of my best friends swears by a tea. it is called don't laugh Female Toner and is by Traditional Medicinals. You can find it in health food stores, i bought mine at Earth Fare. It didn't help me that much but it really helped her. Her husband MAKES SURE that there is ALWAYS some in the house. She swears by it and it tastes pretty good if you like hot tea.

I used to have terrible cramps before I had a baby but now I don't YEAH still have PMS.