Posted by Larry Hoover on October 10, 2003, at 8:23:17
In reply to PMS relief, posted by almondjoy on October 9, 2003, at 16:29:31
> My depression and especially ANXIETY are magnified the second half of my cycle. For 2 weeks i feel like doo-doo, dont want to go anywhere or be around anyone, but bcos of obligations i do almost the same as the rest of the time. does any one have suggestions though of alternative treatments for pms that wouldn't interfere with an ssri. I've tried progesterone cream, not sure that worked, and calcium/magnesium, which helps just the littlest bit. one big thing is bloating...have any of you tried a diuretic before? Any related info or links are helpful...thanks ;)
All the ideas I've seen in this thread may be useful to you, alone, or in combination.
Magnesium deficiency is clearly linked to PMS symptom intensity. So are omega-3 deficiency, low anitoxidant status, and B-vitamin deficiency (in this context, a functional B-vitamin deficiency is more likely than a gross deficiency).
The recommendation for krill oil was intriguing, as I had not heard of this product before. My immediate thought was that it might contain a unique balance of omega-3 fatty acids, and a key omega-6 called GLA, gamma-linolenic acid (or perhaps its metabolite dihomogamma-linolenic acid). I'm sorry, I don't make these names up. They're geek-speak, but that's what they're called.
What I found was that krill oil supplies phospholipids and antioxidants, apart from the omega-3 fatty acids that are in fish oil. You could probably do as well supplementing fish oil with soya lecithin granules and alpha-lipoic acid.
Evening primrose oil is often recommended for PMS, because its a reasonably good source of GLA. Better sources are borage oil or black currant seed oil. Anyway, none of these will be very effective if you are concurrently deficient in omega-3 fatty acids. You have to have supplies of both at the same time.
About the B-vitamins, I know someone who went through hell being medically treated for PMS (SSRIs in particular) without relief, who found total remission of symptoms with B-complex, zinc, and selenium supplements. You never know what will work for you.
My sister found that if she replaced cow's milk with soy milk, her PMS disappeared entirely.
The anxiety especially might respond to niacinamide, one special form of vitamin B-3. You could take up to two grams a day, in divided doses (e.g. 500 mg four times a day).
None of these will interfere with an SSRI (except, if you're really lucky, rendering the SSRI unnecessary altogether).
Good luck,
Lar
poster:Larry Hoover
thread:267411
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20031003/msgs/267734.html