PMT and Fluoxetine (Prozac)

I have suffered severe PMT for years and am at my wits end.  Just been to docs who has prescribed the above pills, to be taken only when the PMT kicks in.  Not happy to take these pills but have tried most other things and have seen no real benefit.

Cannot face another 1-2 weeks of feeling down and isolated.

Any ideas?

Comments

  • hysterical rectum??

    maybe a last resort to consider Wolfums but something to think about.....P had an elective one (for other reasons) in her late 30's and has never regretted it......
  • Thanks for that matey. 

    Mmmm something I have definitely thought about but not investigated FB.  I have no need for all the bits that are floating around inside as I have no desire to produce any more rugrats!!! I'm very scared of hospitals though...could be a problem!

  • understandable - fear of medics and hospitals is one reason that many people do not get early treatment for simple problems which are easily treated

    P had a history of dodgy smear results, had laser treatment, and a mother who developed cervical cancer so decided to get rid of said problem as we had no desire for kids.....I'd already had a vasectomy anyway so it clealry wasn't an issue for us..

    the op is straightforward and for someone with your fitness - a quick recovery

    the issue to have or have not is one that is perhaps more emotional than physical

    talk to P if you need
  • Wooly - hope you get better soon, PMT etc is not good for anyone My wife used to be on Fluoextine (Seroxat) but has now changed to something else (the name escaped me at the moment) there was a scare about the addictiveness of Fluoexetine and possible suicidal tendancies,

    i note that you are prescribed the pills when PMT kicks in but thought that you had to take this all the time due to the long run in period of the drug, it is not an instant acting one.

  • Thanks again FB I will have a think about it and will contact P if this is a route I want to take.

    Jpenno: Thanks. The doc said to me this morning that I should, ideally, start to take it the day before PMT usually kicks in and one 20mg tablet during PMT then stop for the rest of my cycle.  I thought this was strange and, rather disappointingly, she also said there were no serious side affects when I asked her if there was.  She offered me this pill within minutes of me discussing my problem.

    Now my docs surgery has a number of GP's and the one that I normally go to has been off having a baby but is now back.  So I have decided not to use this prescription, I have booked a double appointment with my usual doctor for next Thursday at which I am going to discuss FB's 'hysterical rectum' suggestion as well as alternative options.

    Jpenno: from a male perspective how do you cope with your wifes PMT?

  • I don't understand how an anti-depressant can make a difference if only taken during time of PMT, lets say 7 days before period?  Most SSRIs take a good three weeks of treatment compliance before they make a noticable difference?
  • wolfums - the only issue perhaps (but I'm no expert here - this is wimmin's stuff after all) for you with the hysterical is that it would also need to be a total - as in ovary removal as well. P kept hers as she wanted to keep her hormones as long as possible (she never suffered PMT thankfully). that would be a big ask I guess....

    I believe there are hormone therapy options for PMT to block the cycle but I don't think they're necessarily that reliable or long lasting.......




    jeezus - I just realised - ginger and PMT???? do give Mr Wolfy my sympathies...........








    and put that knife down....


    ;O)













    [sorry - just trying to lighten the mood....apologies if it doesn't]
  • National Institute for Clinical Excellence (2004) Depression: Management of Depression in Primary and Secondary Care.Clinical Guideline 23. London: NICE. www.nice.org.uk/pdf/CG023quickrefguide.pdf

    for info.

  • Nam: I know what you are saying. I've several friend who have taken AD's recently and they have said that they had been told that it takes time for them to kick in so only taking my pills, as per docs advice, does seem mad really!  I think on this occasion it's been a simple case of doc can't be arsed so offer the AD's in the first instance. The scary thing is that she had a young student in there and I don't think that her approach was the best training experience for him in this area!!!

    FB: The only reservation is that it speeds up the ageing process and at 38 I'm already peed off at finding a grey hair the other day. I really don't know enough about what my body would go through afterwards at the moment. What I can say, like many other PMT/PMS (whatever you want to call it) suffers, I would probably give up a limb (not a leg of course) rather than continue with the emotional/psychological/behavioural problems that come with PMT/PMS.  It is horrendous for me to live with so hell knows how it affects Mr W.  Tee hee I welcome the lighter mood and promise that all my knives are locked away during this period.....the gun isn't though image

  • Thanks Nam.  I'll look at that. I've also been on http://www.pms.org.uk/ NAPS which has given me loads of info and scarily shows that I'm not as bad as some who have suicidal thoughts and are aggressive!

    My worst problem has been lying, telling people that I know all the words to every David Bowie song ever and then standing up in front of an audience and only knowing the first line!!! FB that was for you my dear image

    BTW like using the bold facility image

  • HOWEVER…  Having said that the NICE guidelines are 3 years old now and I recall some Royal College research saying that there is benefit within the first 3 days with some ADs…  I’ll find it for you…

     

      http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/188/2/105#REF10

     
  • [[dons bullet proof vest...]


    "The only reservation is that it speeds up the ageing process"

    that's why P elected to keep the ovaries - she's on HRT now but is perhaps realising that it's not doing her any more good to stay on that - she's gone through the change (probably accelerated by the hysterical) and time is starting to take it's inevitable toll on her skin - she still looks bloody good to me though

    she's not as grey as me yet....grrrrr.....in fact she'd rather it speed up so she can be completely white and not have to worry about dying her hair!!!
  • LOL - wolfy.........

    that David Bowie thing will go down in the annals of DS history along with Mr W wearing stilletoes.............has he bought his own yet????
  • don't know if this will be of any help but i suffered from PMT all my life, getting worse as i got older. Was actually looking forward to the menopause so that the hormone swings which cause the PMT would stop. Ha! It just brings other problems and actually made me feel a though i had PMT permanently instead of for two weeks of the month. Solution HRT to stabilise the mood/hormone swings but periods and pain kicked back in. Ultimate solution hysterical rectomy with ovaries removed and HRT. Only 10 days post op but feeling a lot better than i thought and hoping the mood swings stay a thing of the past.

    I think your best bet would be a good long chat with your GP then a referral to a gynae specialist. Certainly the prozac taken for the pmt period wont help. As previous people have said they atke up to 3 weeks to have a beneficial effect!

  • would your post have something to do with your name choice by any chance MAD COW running??

    ;O)
  • absolutely.......but i was mad before i started running and i always blamed the PMTimage
  • FB: Petal looks amazing I defo agree with that!!!

    Mad Cow: Thanks very much for your post and the information that you give is very helpful indeed.  I will see the doc next Thursday for a double appointment and I might take Mr Wolfy with me as it will be good for him to understand what it's all about and why I'm also a Mad Cow sometimes!  I've copied your thoughts and printed them off for reference for when I see GP.

    The red hair does contribute FB I must admit!!

  • You are very welcome wolfy. Hope you get a sympathetic hearing...if not go all assertive and demand things ..you can always blame the PMT. Seriously though there are lots of resources on the net about PMT and ways to manage it successfully before going down the surgical route. Its a long time since i did any research on it but look for health related sites that are underwritten by reputable organisations.

    Get as much info as you can then look at all options before making any decisions. I know that might seem mad from me as i have made the decision but i tried a few different methods before making the ultimate decision to have the op.

    Anyway good luck and let us know what your GP says.

  • Mad C: Thanks again. Yes I will look at all the options and I will not leave the docs surgery until they offer more support than Prozac!!!!
  • hello

    a hysterectomy wouldnt cure PMT

    youd still have the hormone swings, even if you werent having periods

    good luck wolfy

  • Thanks Hipps.

     Buney I'll check those out, have found the NAPS one particularly interesting/helpful so far!

  • Wolfy - thankfully the medication works so its not too bad now, you get to know the signs after being together 19 years
  • I used a paper from the BMJ about using fluoxetine to treat PMT as an example of "a paper that changed my approach to a common condition" in my MRCGP viva in 1993. It's one of the most widely-used treatments for PMT and works better than pretty much anything else.

    By the time they consult about PMT, most women have tried everything from the pharmacy, altered their diets, taken herbs and homoeopathic products, and are at their wits' end.

    I tend to let women choose whether to take fluoxetine only for the last 2 weeks of their cycle or full-time. It's got a long half-life, so it does persist in the body during the 2 weeks it isn't being taken. 

    And follow-up is important. I'd hate for someone to assume that there was nothing else that could be done for her if she didn't want fluoxetine or didn't respond to it. 

  • jPenno: I guess you do know the signs after that long together!  You deserve a medal image

    vrap: thanks for that very interesting and encouraging to see that the doctor that I saw may not have simply been giving this drug out as the easiest option!

  • I was prescribed Prozac for PMT a few years ago. My PMT was dreadful with horrific mood swings. I was told to take it every day though. I took it for 6 months and it made quite a difference. The Dr said that during that time it would re-train my brain to be happy again so that I could eventually come off it. I stopped suddenly after 6 months (rather than gradually decreasing the dose) as I wanted to try for  baby. Taking it was the best thing I ever did as it got me out of the rut of feeling that I was making everyone's lives miserable with my moods. (Be warned it can totally kill your sex drive though!)
  • I intermittently take prozac for depression, yes Hippo, I know  I shouldn't feel bad about taking it but....

    Prozac helped my PMT enormously, I ,like Vrap had said tried all sorts of other things but the prozac works.

    Dog dammit why am I not taking it?

    I am such a fearsome evil creature when it strikes, but so lovely the rest of the time, i forget image

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