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[Babsm67]

Hi,  I am aware that many women on here are suffering from horrendous symptoms so I hope this doesn't sound trivial.  I am 48 & recently started a thread about 'Rage & a question about Mirena' but I am hoping that someone may have some answers about combating severe pms as it is making my life (and everyone else's in our household) a living hell.  This month is particularly bad & I am concerned that I will end up losing my job, my marriage & any friends I have !eft over it before long.  Yesterday morning, I was on the verge of having a panic attack before work & took a BB to calm myself down but I am so full of rage, anxiety & sadness & am at the end of my tether because I have about one 'good' week every month.  I already experienced a breakdown early this year & ended up resigning from my old job.  I am due to volunteer at a charity shop this afternoon & I can't face getting out of bed, let alone going out.
I have tried AD's & they either !eave me 'foggy' headed, constipated & heavier (tricyclics - they didn't work anyway) or, if I take SSRI's, I become a constipated, overanxious (initially), nonsexually performing insomniac (sorry if this is tmi) but, more crucially, I also end up with sore, itchy eyes & bumps on my face, back & chest which makes me think that I now react with an ingredient in those pills (I have various food intolerances including dairy, eggs & yeast which flared up in autumn 2013 and I do react to two different antibiotics).   
I am wondering if HRT is now the route left to take but I'm obviously worried about the progesterone part of it (hence the Mirena question).  I know Utrogestan is the most natural progesterone to use & that it can be used vaginally.  I tried HRT in summer 2014 & the results were initially great but I then ended up with too much oestrogen in my system due to my own hormones fluctuating (I also did not give Utrogestan a chance because I was too scared - idiot!)
I have been reading Gypsy Rose Lee's 'My Pill Diary' with interest but am unsure if I could be prescribed the BCP as I had to stop taking it at 40 due to migraines.  I was prescribed the POP instead which was disastrous so ended up being sterilised at 41.  Has anyone else found a solution to this, p!ease?  Sorry to go on but I am now desperate  xx

[Kathleen]

Hello MadBloss and so sorry to see that you are suffering.

I am not one of the expert ladies but I've been where you are and you have my sympathy. I am post meno and have been using Evorel Conti 50 mcg patches for six months. I have noticed that my intolerance of other people has started to fade and emotionally I am much more like my old self, I even commented to a friend recently that I no longer hate everyone! I still have surges of anxiety but I seem to be on an even keel the rest of the time.
I think other ladies have mentioned that patches may be possible even with migraines, so perhaps this is something to consider. The progesterone in Evorel is Norethisterone but I understand there are kinder progesterones in other patches so it may be worth doing a bit of research.
I am sorry I can't be of more help but hang in there, I completely understand how you feel and it will get better.

Wishing you well and let us know how you get on.

K.

[honeybun]

You have my sympathy too.
I struggles with my temper pre HRT,now I have no mood swings at all but I am 55 so presumably my hormones are low and stay low which helps I think.

Isn't it strange that we can quite rationally post here about how irrational we are. It's like having a different person inhabit your body at times.
Patches are the most recommended if you suffer from migraines. As Kathleen said there are a couple of choices so have a look at the drop down menus to get clued up before you go to the GP.


Honeyb
x

[Babsm67]

Hello Kathleen,  thank you so much for your reply - I am currently sitting up in bed in my 'onesie' &  have told the charity shop manager that I am giving up volunteering for now (she was very understanding as they have plenty of volunteers).  I don't hate everyone but I feel that I want to hide away at the moment.  I only work two shifts per week in my supermarket job & I find even that physically tiring as it is very busy but I need to concentrate on that now & not take on too much.  I hadn't thought of patches - I will need to get referred to the gynaecologist GP who saw me at another practice as my own GP refuses to prescribe HRT - the standard practice for perimeno is 'to prescribe AD's'.
There is so much housework left to do this week & DH gets annoyed if it doesn't get done by the end of the week as I am home most days although this week has been different.   It is not a case of being lazy - doing ANYTHING is a major effort when I feel like this - going to get shopping, walking the dog, getting lunch, washing hair & even getting dressed.  I am also very upset with my so-called called best friend who has literally abandoned me for no apparent reason - all I did was mention in a reply to a text she sent me, that I wasn't feeling too good but I asked how her heavily pregnant daughter was etc.. I was there for her when she experienced a drink problem during her perimenopause 10 years ago so I am finding this extremely hurtful & it is fair to say that this has contributed to how I am feeling at the moment. 
My daughter has literally just texted me as she has been signed off work this week with gynae problems for which she needs strong painkillers (so she cannot drive or work) & she needs some help so I will HAVE to make myself go out which may be a good thing in my case as I will be concentrating on her instead (she lives 15 miles away - I also visited her on Tues before the PMS became so severe).  Time to sort myself out (I look hideous!)    xx

[Babsm67]

Hi Honeybun - I have just seen your post - thanks for the reply.  I will do my research about the patches - I definitely need something & the problems I have had with AD's are very frustrating!  I think it helps to come on here & 'offload' when we feel irrational - it is almost as if we can 'unpick the pieces' of our feelings whilst posting. Sometimes, I write things down on paper too. I took an AD called Cipralex for years without too many problems (they stopped panic attacks) but they didn't work for the severe depression I experienced in February.  I noticed that within 2 days of starting a new SSRI AD recently, the bumps started to appear & I got the dry, sore eyes again (just like I get when I eat the 'wrong' foods).  There must be something in those tablets that my body doesn't like anymore but I am not sure what as this never used to happen.      Thanks again  xx 

[LW44]

hi

sorry i cant help. .. i take an ssri and oestrogen only tablet..as cannot tolerate progrstrone at all.. can i just ask ? what were your symptoms of too much oestrogen ? x

[CLKD]

Sometimes patients can react to the 'packaging' which the medication is contained in, i.e. some have lactose coverings . 

As for PMS - have a look at the National Association for Premenstrual Syndrome web-site, in the 1990s I was advised to eat every 3 hours even through the night.  The idea is not to increase what we eat but to spread it throughout the 24 hours and make it high carb., so I had ginger biscuits by the bed; packets of fruits and nuts as well as sandwiches as stand bys.  Slow release foods, i.e. porridge and bananas, also worked well.

I don't think a GP is able to 'refuse' treatment, it is unethical!  GPs often say this as medication comes out of the annual budget  .

You could also consider sending an e-mail to Dr Currie on here (details above).

How would your daughter manage is you lived at the other end of the country, she would COPE!  You must look after yourself first. 

[Babsm67]

Hi LW44 & CLKD,

Thank you for your replies  . I did feel better for visiting my daughter earlier - she said it would help me to get out of the house rather than brooding at home which was right.  Unfortunately, after arriving home, I was furious with DH for not thinking to turn the oven on!     I had stopped at the supermarket on the way home to get something nice for tea & told him when I was !eaving the store. (about ha!f an hour away).  Unfortunately, I assumed he would think to turn the oven on (I stupidly didn't ask him) & he didn't.  My reaction was totally irrational & DH said he has had enough of it so I am extremely worried now.  I seriously need this to be sorted out asap.
LW44 - the symptoms I had last summer were extremely sore nipples & swollen breasts, a bloated tummy, a 6Ib weight gain within 3 weeks, terribly aching legs &, most bizarrely of all, a swollen, sore vulva!  Not nice!  Within around 3 weeks of stopping the HRT, my symptoms disappeared.  It was a shame because, when I was on the HRT (oestrogen only part) for the first five weeks, I felt fantastic, had about 2 days of mi!d pms & my period was actually 2 days late.  So, I know it definitely helped with the dreaded pms.!
CLKD - I will have a look at the tablet ingredients to see if !actose is involved & have a read of the NAPS site.  I can get a referral to the gynae GP at the other practice as she is really good & the appointments normally come through quite quick.  Emailing Dr Currie is something I hadn't considered before but it would make sense to do it as the charge is pretty reasonable & I will finally be getting a full month's pay packet soon (at last!).  My daughter did manage to get out to her evening class tonight as no one else cou!d take her so she was able to cope - I still worry though.  I took a 5mg Valium tab!et this evening after my outburst as I needed to calm down - slamming the kitchen cupboard door hard is NOT a good idea, especially when my adult autistic son is around as that scared him & that isn't fair     I need to sort myself out for his sake     xx

[Briony]

Hi

Just wondered if you'd be able to take Qlaira? It's a BCP but it's bio identical, so my GP lets me have it, despite me having had migraines with aura previously.

Another option is to take a very high dose patch which will stop ovulation. This link will explain it far better than I can!

http://www.studd.co.uk/dep_pms.php
http://www.pms.org.uk/assets/files/guidelinesfinal60210.pdf
http://www.studd.co.uk/dep_treatment.php

[CLKD]

Begin eating 3 hourly too!  Of course DH is fed up.  Men aren't mind readers and this time of Life is as confusing for the men in the household as for the sufferer. 

Maybe have a 'buzz' word for when you are upsetting them? something they can shout at you as they duck out of the room!  My pre-menstrual rage was uncontrollable so I had to learn strategies, i.e. punching a thick pillow!

[Babsm67]

Hi Briony & CLKD,

I did wonder about Qlaira - thanks for the links, Briony,  I have lots of research to do about the different forms of HRT & Qlaira as well as looking at the NAPS website.  I need to draft an email to Dr Currie too.  I like the idea of a 'buzz' word, CLKD - I am going to mention this shortly to DH! 

  xx

[CLKD]

Let him choose the 'buzz' word and don't be upset when he uses it 

Has he read the article aimed at 'husbands' on here? 

[Briony]

Hi Briony & CLKD,

I did wonder about Qlaira - thanks for the links, Briony,  I have lots of research to do about the different forms of HRT & Qlaira as well as looking at the NAPS website.  I need to draft an email to Dr Currie too.  I like the idea of a 'buzz' word, CLKD - I am going to mention this shortly to DH! 

  xx

Qlaira has been fantastic for me. It took several months to work, but I suddenly started to feel so much better. The only reason I am considering changing to 200mcg patches is that I get breakthrough bleeding and this is often a sign you need a stronger pill - which I cant have. x

[Babsm67]

Hello Briony & CLKD,
Thanks for the replies - sorry to hear, Briony, that you need to change your BCP.  That's the trouble with peri - nothing stays at an even keel for long   Had mad day at work yesterday & lost everything I typed late evening    .  I have given the 'Advice for Husbands' to DH to read but I think it will be a while before he gets through it!  I researched the links that you gave me, Briony & the articles by Professor Studd made a lot of sense to me with my history.  I also looked at the NAPS website, CLKD, & it is obvious that I have had the PMS problem throughout my reproductive years & that is likely to get worse before it gets better (without intervention).  My period started three weeks ago yesterday & I now have what suspiciously feels like a menstrual migraine starting up - if that turns out to be the case, then that will be my shortest cycle yet!  I got the impression from Professor Studd's site that, once I am postmenopausal, the wretched PMS shou!d be gone - just desperate to get something sorted asap. 
I haven't drafted email to Dr Currie yet (too shattered last night) but need to try & do it tomorrow when my son is at college.  Also need to follow a healthier diet & eat every three hours (have lapsed badly over the last five months!).

xx

[CLKD]

Eating before the body feels hungry can ease symptoms - could you have headaches due to hunger ?