Fluoxetine for PMDD/PMS

Hi, can see that there's only been one recent post on this thread but hoping some of you will be able to help. My PMS has gone off the scale this past few months; am worried about speaking to my GP about it as am awaiting fertility treatment and not sure if I would be able to take anything anyway, so don't really want an alert against my record in case they look on this unfavourably. I have been taking thyroxine (for underactive thyroid and also have regular B12 injections) for many years and recently ran out, resulting in me going about three weeks without any medication. Am hoping that this is why I'm having such a hard time this past two months and that it will get better once the medication kicks in again. Has anyone had any experience of this to know if it would have such an adverse affect on mood and PMS symptoms?? Thanks in advance

Hi rounds your symptoms will mo doubt change when you start treatment and again WHEN pregnant. I don't think accepting meds would go against you though. I waa a student and my partner temporarily unemployed when we went to start ivf. You'll have yo ask them at the clinic if it would affect decision. I am having a really really bad time at moment. Started on fluoxetine last month for pmdd n after c oming off after 10 days when period stated I started to feel worse and worse. .. like the worst pms and anxiety and agrophobic I had ever felt now with such anxious insomnia thrown in. After 3 days of second fluoxetine course I have now started on sertraline instead as gp thinks I am also depressed (had a family death earlier in year and am living in dread for next one now!!) with no improving just worsening. Don't know wether to stop meds or carry on as even pmdd was not as bad as this! !!!

Hi all, I share the same symptoms and recently was told to buy Agnus Castus by my GP, a natural herb that has actually worked well for me. A week before my period is due I get irritable, angry, sad, depressed, feel hopeless, suicidal, wanting to walk away, just not able to function. This culminates usually in 24 hours (I know others the worst symptoms last longer) all symptoms of PMDD. I went to Holland and Barrett and bought it straight away, and it has no side effects, lifts the edge off it all, and I can function with sanity again when I start feeling myself start to spiral, I take the recommended dose, and it really helps. I would always try natural before prescription pills, these have been used for many years, my GP is excellent and I trust him a great deal, so glad he recommended these to me .

Hi all,

So glad I stumbled upon this site! I, too, have just been prescribed Fluoxetine 10mg by my doctor, having been at my wit's end after 5 days of period depression and crying at the least little thing (including almost blubbing in the waiting room over a song on their MP3!).

I decided to come off the Pill at the age of 41, after 20years, and things were fine after my body had settled down into a routine. Until a few months ago I was as regular as clockwork and knew exactly when my period was due, vitually to the day. Every month, for one or 2 days exactly a week before I was due, I would be either really irritable or very weepy...noises were always too loud, especially motorbikes or kids shouting! I'd feel like an overwound clock spring. Then my period would start gently until day 3 or 4 when I would have exactly 24 hours of sometimes excruciating pain followed by a day of flooding then back to gentle again. Then I was 3 weeks late and my period was more painful. The last 2 settled back to being on time and less painful but one was 10 days long, but I realised I was not just getting PMT but DMT....During Menstrual Tension!

Last week, on day 1 of my bleed, I suddenly felt so depressed and I was weeping all the time. The previous day I had been my usual "sunny" self (as my mum puts it) yet here I was unable to concentrate on anything or feel motivated. I finally had to admit that these feelings of being unable to cope with life have been building, month on month...I had been close to wrecking a close friendship at the same time every month and they were at the end of their tether with me. After suffering 3 days of mental anguish I finally booked an appointment and got to see my doctor on day 5, feeling no better. He asked various questions and took my blood pressure (which was too high) and, noting that I am fast approaching my 49th birthday, said that I could be entering the perimenopause phase. However, since my periods are regular HRT is not yet the answer, so prescribed Fluoxetine to be started immediately and taken for 4 or 5 days until I felt better. I felt better yesterday so didn't take one. However, having received some bad news this morning, I am back to feeling weepy again! He told me to start taking them again a few days before my next period is due.

I tried not to read all the possible side effects on the leaflet, but couldn't help seeing the part that said they can make you feel more suicidal in the early days and you should not stop taking them suddenly! My brain is still fogged and it's all very confusing! I, too, don't want to become dependant on them, but I want to be able to live normally again.

Hello,

I too suffer from this and was just given 20MG Fluoxetine by a doctor to take 10 days out of the month. I am afraid to take it though because most of you are posting that 10MG is the dose you were given. I am usually very sensitive to medications and have a small build (if that matters)/frame. Can anyone shed any light on this for me? I feel silly calling back to change the dose because I am not a doctor, but I also want to give this the best chance to work possible.

Hi ana 3,

I'm so sorry! I am getting muddled again already! I just checked my packet and they are actually 20mg tablets! My doctor didn't specify a length of time, just told me to start taking them a few days before my period until I felt better. I looked them up online and one site said they were usually prescribed to be taken for 14 days each month. The cumulative effect would then cover you for the other 14 days when you weren't taking them.

So far I have only taken them for 3 days as my period has now ended...until the next time! I don't know if they made me feel any better in such a short time, but I don't think I felt any worse.

It's worth a try x

Thank you madcow1964,

I am not giving up. I too am glad I stumbled upon this site, even though I am from the United States and I think this is a UK site. : ) At 41 I am finally ready to tackle my PMDD and take charge. The stunning thing for me is how many different doctors I've had to go to in order to get answers. There are so many (including my former OBGYN) who really knew nothing besides the pill that could help and/or didn't know much about the condition at all. I seldom participate in chat boards, but this has been the most helpful thing so far. At least I know I am not alone in knowing that this is a real condition that needs real attention.

Glad to help! I'm new to all this, too! Funnily enough, I usually find myself on USA sites when looking up medical things! Years ago I once posted my experiences of migraine and the strange burnt sugar smell I got at the same time...that all appeared to be hormone related yet I haven't experienced such things all year...just worse mood swings.

Funny things, humans!

Hi, i got diagnosed with severe pmdd 2 years ago, i have been on anti depressents on off for the past 6 years and i can finally see that my depressed states were down to my hormones, i was so relieved to know that it wasn't just me going mad . " when i was diagnosed by my gp they put me on fluoxetine, and it really did help, but after being on it for 8 months i was tired of feeling like i was going to have to rely on an antidepressent all my life so i took myself off it . and anyway i was happy and in love for the first time in ages after my ex husband left me to bring up my three children all on my own , all under 6 at the time . so i felt i didnt need them . and for quite a few months i did really well, i was taking primrose oil, calcium , agnus cactus and other vits and i thought that wld keep the pre menstrual stuff away . But it didnt, i started to get teary before my period and with each period it got worse , some worse then others , the worse i got it seemed the heavier my period. I am like many of you a fun, (apparently sweet ) bubbly person, the life and soul of the party and a fun mum. But those few days before my period i become someone i dont like , and what scares me more is at those times i feel like i am becoming my mum! , which makes sense, my mum was very jekyll and hyde, shed have her weeks where she was pure evil and we stayed away, and then she wld return to normal, but we were all left so confused, shed lash out , cry , shout and scream at us all the time she was abusive. as a result myself and my brother have no relationship with her because of the way she was with us . But i see now that maybe i have what she had but she wasnt diagnosed, maybe they didnt know so much about it back then , she was always in medical encyclopedias trying to find out the reason why she was the way she was. for me i used the internet . and its such a relief to know i am not on my own and know that there are ways to help women with this horrible problem. so anyway , meeting my new partner i tried the pill a few of them and they made me worse, so i opted for the coil , at first it was great, my periods became regular ( i used to bleed during ovulation too) but then i felt like i was getting worse ,, those few days before my period my OCD comes back with a vengence, i get snappy, irratable , i have no patience with my children, and they call me mean , i get dizzy, sometime i cant stop eating sometimes i cant eat at all, sometimes i eat so much i have to make myself sick . the anxiety get me to the point where i have to stick my head out of the window so i can breathe , i cry , become lazy and un motivated its awful. and yes i have even contemplated taking myself out of the picture so the children dont have to live with a crazy person. once my period starts it all subsides but then i become anxious the closer it gets to the next bout of crazy so sometimes it feels like an on going cycle ! two weeks ago i decided to go back to the doctor and get myself back on the meds, im on 40 fluoxetine , and i have toi take that every day , i take one in the morning and one at lunch , i dont know why thats just the way i prefer to take them , i still take my primrose oil and calcium. And just before i start my period i will start to take my iron tablets again, i find that helps with the tiredness. i am hoping that my next period wont be as stressful, but i guess it is just a wait and see. I asked the doctor if it wld help having my ovaries removed or a full hysterectomy , she said they are unlikely to do it because of my age, im 32 , and that being on the hrt afterwards might be worse ??? i definately cldnt deal with worse! she said that having the coil was probably one of the best things i cld have done for it becausesome women stop there periods when they have it put in, but guess what ? not me!!! lol , yes more regular , but more heavier and twice the scary mare when i am about to cone on . she said diet and exercise help, i have lost 2 and 1/2 stone since my ex husband left and i am always active .... im doing and have done everything i need to . My partner wants me to try everything natural before i try the meds because he is scared ill change, im hoping i will , back to my normal self 100% of the time not just 70 % of the time , we will see. ! so any way, fluoxetine does work, hense the reason i am bk on it, and as long as it works for me now i have started it again, i will not be coming off it again until i stop my periods ! live and learn x

Hello Annie57098.

Please hang in there! I totally understand what you are saying. I had thought many times that my kids would be better off without a "crazy mommy" and then, once my period started and the PMS was over, I was so glad I had not gone further with those thoughts. For whatever reason, it is the hormones in our bodies that are making us feel this way! If only the medical community would get better at treating this problem and helping women. I have had a tough time with doctors taking me as seriously as I think they should. I too am on thesame drug as you. It does help (but I had to ask for this after talking with other moms who were having the same problems, not because my doctor had the answer ready for me. I wish they were more informed!). I hate being on it and wish I could just be "me" and deal with it, but I am doing it for my kids. Luckily, I am only on it for 10 days of the month and have not had bad side effects yet. I know what you mean when you say you don't want to be on medicationthe rest of your life, but I do think this is worth a try. I supplement with B vitamins and now will add calcium because you recommended that. Let's hope that we will get through this. It's very tough too because one day I(and maybe you) am/are completely fine and the next we feel like we are losing our minds. The days that Iam "good" I am the sanest person ever, talking with friend, being productive etc. The days I am having PMS I suffer attention deficit disorder, irritability, depression etc. It's a puzzle. Best of luck to you.

Hi ana,

Your symptoms are so like mine! Last month I cried on and off for 5 days in a row, starting on the day after my period began. I just felt so tired, depressed and unmotivated...I hardly got anything done (luckily I work from home) it was all just too much effort to get moving from my spot on the sofa where I'd find myself staring at the laptop for ages, unable to get my brain into gear! At such times I feel like my head is full of fog...I'm so forgetful, lack concentration and struggle to work out the simplest of problems!

I know that these symptoms are also very typical of the menopause and I did turn 49 last week. However, me periods are very regular, down to the day, so HRT isn't the answer yet, apparently. However, several months ago, out of the blue, after getting PMT as usual I was then 3 weeks late bleeding. The cycle settled down again but my PMT depression worsened, hence the desperate visit to my doctor. I fully expected to start my period yesterday but nothing has happened yet. Although I'm bloated, have indigestion, a little breast tenderness and the usual lower back twinges, I am not an emotional wreck...yet! It's weird!

Last week I should have made an appointment to see my doctor again as I started the Fluoxetine but before my period began. However, my mood swings didn't happen! I have friends who, even by text, can tell I have PMT...but not this month! I have stayed sunny and positive. I had a lovely birthday lunch and afternoon with my parents midweek, but expected my emotions to plummet afterwards...they haven't so far, although I did get a very brief slump yesterday morning. Even when a close friend was seeing the doctor about several suspicious mole-type spots and I was worried sick as they were, I felt positive (that isn't even like me on a non-PMT day! Turns out there was nothing to worry about with the moles, thank heaven.

It's not even as if the sun has been shining every day this week...but I've felt fine! Maybe it all has something to do with securing a temporary Christmas job, starting in November, so at least more money will be coming in and that thought certainly helps. I suppose I have no need to feel worthless and useless for now...just 2 more of the many negative emotions that are impossible to shake off during PMT time. Of course, my sunny disposition could all change in an instant any day now. When that happens I will start taking the Fluoxetine again, but I don't want to start them if I feel there is no need...all drugs carry side effects of some sort. I was prescribed Naproxen, a strong anti-inflamatory, for foot pain and I have found this works well on the awful, debilitating period pain I usually get for 24 hours on about day 4 now. However, it is also one of the many drugs listed as being unsafe to take when on Fluxetine! Which symptom is worse suffering?

Describing PMT as attention deficit disorder is the most accurate I've ever heard! That's exactly right!

The odd fits of rage, usually directed at myself (stupid woman, can't do anything right!) or inanimate objects, are definitely the most scary part though. o feel so out of control, even for a brief time....

Anyway, good luck to you and Annie, and all the ladies suffering and feeling alone and desperate. These forums are a wonderful tonic!

PS...

Period has just started with a vengeance and backache! I shall report back when the mood swings start and I have to try the Fluoxetine again!

Funny, but both myself and my husband commented on what a bad mood our cat was in last night! Grumbling and hissing every time I moved her from my seat or he stroked her for too long while she was fussing round his feet. Later on, after one such "hissy fit" she tentatively approached me, jumped on my lap, then pushed her head into my tummy whilst she purred.....as if to say sorry! Maybe she is hormonal too! She settled down for a while then jumped off and went to sleep under the sofa for the rest of the night. She's back to her sunny self this morning!

I have today just been prescribed 20mg capsules to take every day for my severe pms. Although I need to do something to sort out my terrible mood swings and rages I am absolutely terrified to take it when I read about its side effects. Has anyone experienced any negative side effects since beginning their course?

Hello Julie,

I experienced few side effects from this drug for the time I was taking them. For me I felt a bit more energetic (like I'd had one more cup of coffee than usual) and it did somewhat relieve symptoms. So I chose to take it in the morning. Some people have the opposite effect, I've read. Going off of it was a tiny bit weird and I felt slightly off for an afternoon, but then the next day I was my old self again. It is not a magic pill, but it may be worth a try. There are other antidepressants that I've heard work too, such as Zoloft and Paxil. I have not tried those though. I've also heard that the pill can work well. Tell your doctor if you are feeling scared and see if you can check in once you've started taking it. The frustrating thing for me has been having to try and try again to tackle my moods and PMS. I will try the Floxetine again this time (I've only tried it once) and will try to get back on here and post how it goes.