PMDD Medication and Drugs

PMDD medication and drugs in general are something that can be difficult to get away from in the medical system. Doctors are very quick to sign off a prescription on their pad for you to deal with the immediate symptoms of PMDD. This might help in the short term but does nothing to end the condition itself - it will just mask the problems (while giving you a bunch of other side effects to worry about!)

Here are a few of the typical drugs you might have heard of or are taking now.

• Pills for birth control which can help deal with some symptoms but of course come with their own challenges.
• Hormone medication - the logic is that you can balance hormones by adding MORE hormones of a different type that might be needed. This might help for a short time but the original reason for the imbalance remains and will quickly make these drugs worthless.
• Anti-anxiety Drugs such as Xanax, Klonopin, Ativan and so on have been shown to give short term relief to sever anxiety. Again, not a lasting solution, just a band aid measure.
• Antidepressants – Drugs such as Zoloft, Paxil CR and others are a mainstay of dealing with depression, but are certainly not a long term solution and have been proven to have some serious side effects. 
• Pain relievers are also used quite often for headaches and cramping, in short amounts these can be helpful because you at least KNOW they are a short term solution for some ease not a cure.

I am not going to totally blame your doctor for this though. They are very busy and must see many patients very quickly and giving them all the in depth advice on exactly how to deal with these hormonal problems takes some effort. Also many people do not follow this advice so they often end up just giving vague directions and helping with the symptoms. Of course some doctors just do not believe PMDD exists either which is very frustrating and humiliating to the poor women who see them.
Doctors are not completely to blame for this; there are many reasons why they do not give you the help you need to really eliminate PMDD such as:

• Busy - They simply need to see as many patients as they can to help as many as they can so your ailments might seem like an easy fix with drugs
• Lack of information - some doctors still do not understand PMDD properly
• Jaded - Some doctors used to give lots of advice to people about how to eat right, and change their lifestyles but find their words rarely heeded in favour of drugs (I know a doctor like this - it is sad)
• Unbeliever - Some doctors simply do not believe PMDD is as bad as it is and put it down to over reacting to PMS which can be humiliating for a woman to hear as it is not true!

So in my opinion, PMDD medication and drugs are not a solution - they are a short term pain reliever that you will need to become addicted to every month if you do not tackle the root cause of the disorder using natural and holistic measures that bring LONG TERM benefits to PMDD sufferers!

PMDD Symptoms and Causes

Those who suffer form PMDD know just how appalling this condition can make their lives. In fact, until recently PMDD was not acknowledged widely as a proper disorder because the causes and symptoms were not well understood, and often confused with PMS.

This has now been remedied and it is recognised as a psychological disorder, but the real causes of the condition are actually quite biological.

Causes of PMDD

This disorder is actually caused by sever fluctuations in hormones just like PMS is, but on a much greater scale (and you probably have a genetic disposition towards PMDD as well). The exact connection between this change in hormones and how it causes the symptoms is still not fully understood, but there is a strong correlation between the two making it unmistakable they are linked. This crazy hormone time interferes with the mood regulators in the brain and can also lead to other problematic hormonal conditions such as Polycystic Ovary Syndrome as well.

Symptoms of PMDD

There are a number of ways this shows in a woman’s mood and body, below are a list of common symptoms associated with PMDD. You need to have these in the last week of your menstrual cycle, at least one must be in the first 5 points listed, and they must ease after the onset of bleeding also to be classed as PMDD.

• Depression and self deprecating thoughts
• Anxiety and feeling on edge and frazzled
• Sudden crying and sadness, also a sensitivity to criticism
• Anger, irritability and outbursts that lead to conflicts with friends and family
• Less interest in usually activities and hobbies
• Difficulty in concentrating on even simple tasks.
• Lethargy and lack of energy
• Increased appetite and sometimes a craving for some foods.
• Sleeping too much, or too little
• A feeling or sense of being overwhelmed and out of control of things
• Other physical symptoms, such as breast tenderness or swelling, headaches, joint or muscle pain, a sensation of bloating, or weight gain