Hi Erika,
I am reading this article in isolation and I’m not even sure what PMDD stands for.

Sonia,

Ah, sorry. I will edit this quickly to add a few examples of the full name. It is Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, a severe type of premenstrual syndrome. Thanks for the comment.

Erika

Sorry! I originally posted this comment in the wrong post…I posted it on your post about family and mental health stigma…sorry! Feel free to delete it!

What about opiates? I know finding a doctor that prescribes them is a chore in itself and they should only be used as a last ditch effort…but wouldn’t they help at least take the edge off of the pain? They are my saving grace and the only thing that makes the deep muscle pain go away due to my fibromyalgia.

I have always gotten severe cramps at that time of the month, although I’m not sure that I meet the full criteria for PMDD (I usually only have one really moody day in a cycle, and some months I don’t even seem to have trouble with mood-related symptoms). However, I do get an awful lot of cramping, nausea, headaches, bloating, fatigue, etc. The cramping and headaches have been even more severe than usual this year because for me, SSRI’s started interacting with Advil, causing petechiae. This meant I had to cut out Advil or other NSAID’s completely, and I couldn’t find a satisfactory substitute to treat the cramps. The Advil certainly wasn’t taking all the pain away, but having cramps without it has been absolute torture. My doctor suggested birth control as a solution, but I have ADD and don’t remember to take meds 100% regularly, so after a few months of getting my period because I had missed one dose (or taken a dose 12 hours late), I gave that up. Finally, after losing 1-2 days per month all year to lying in bed in complete agony, most of the day, I have decided to get off the antidepressant - it’s just not worth the pain and hassle. I look forward to being able to take Advil again this month for the first time all year, and I really hope it will help.

I was wondering if anyone else had had problems with SSRI’s interacting with Advil or other NSAID’s.

kate - Sorry about your confusion. The comments get moderated so they may not appear right away. Thanks for your comment and I hope you get a response from someone in your situation.

Potassium has helped me a little. Made the cramps a little less severe. Not completely gone but keeps them from where I’m doubled over in bed. I try to make sure I take them at least every other day if not every day the week before my period and of course the week during.

I don’t use a specific kind, whatever fits my budget and is available at the store. That and gas pills. Although I think you’re not supposed to take them within an hour or two of each other because the gas pill will prevent absorption of other pills. This may be specific to me though as my potassium levels have always been on the low side. However, stress can deplete potassium, so seems fitting it would apply to many out there, especially those of us with mental issues. We’re stressed to the limit.

I did suffer from extreme cramps all my life. I’m 50 now and thank God it’s gone. But I threated the way our grandmas would. You do have to do it as soon your sypmtoms start. This is just like having a baby, the stronger the contractions, the harder for the medicine to star working. Get a bag of hot water and put it on your lower stomach. The heat works pretty good. Whitin 15 or 30 minutes, you’ll be better. Along with it I take my Ibuprofen. good luck I hope this help

Raspberry leaf tea has been helpful for me for severe cramping, although it is often difficult to find it in the grocery store (they usually only carry tea flavored with the fruit) but it can be found in health food stores. I have heard that it can be detrimental to the heath of a fetus, so you shouldn’t consume any within 3 to 6 weeks of becomming pregnant.

Unmedicated I often spend 2 days a month being able to do very little besides lie in bed and vomit, but a combination of mint and raspberry leaf teas, cola, and maximum strength Midol (the kind with caffeine and pyrilamine maleate) helps to take some of the edge off.

Heating pads or hot water bottles have also been very helpful to me. If you dont have one or can’t afford one you can tie 3-6 cups of dry rice in a towel and pop it in the microwave for 2-5 minutes and it will keep warm for about 30 minutes.

Hormonal treatments are helpful, if you can take them, for a more preventative treatment. Unfortunately i cannot take hormone-altering medications, so if anyone knows how to prevent the pain from happening, rather than just ways of coping with it, that would be very helpful.