KathyH and Candi...regarding the "Over 40" post...
- Thread starter TerryMia
- Start date
RE: KathyH and Candi...regarding the
Terry:
you should probably go see your gynecologist and discuss this. What works for one woman in terms of hormonal treatments may not work ofr another. You may use mircette to good effect, or depening upon your health, size, etc, your gyne may suggest a diferent prescription. I think hormones are definitely worth trying before taking the prozac.
For example, I suffered terrible PMDD for 7 years and could take no more. I tried several different bc pills, and none of them helped, in fact they made it all worse with terrible bloating. A new gyne prescribed Nuvaring for me and it hs turned my mood swings around. It dispenses a continuous, LOW dose of hormones into the bloodstream for 3 weeks, so it cuts out the drastic highs and lows of my mood swings because my hormone levels never change. Something like Nuvaring may work for you too. And you never have to remember to swallow a pill on a daily basis! Check it out online (last time I looked, they had a coupon for a free Nuvaring up on their web page, I used it and got a free month's contraception, this could help you decide) and speak to your gyne about it. Some form of hormonal treatment could make all the difference, and make that Sarafem prescription redundant.
Note: If the doctor who prescribed the Sarafem to you has also suggested that you take it only for up to 15 days per month, I would say, be extra cautious. Doctors said this to me also regarding the antidepressant Celexa that I take for depression, and I cannot believe that method of dosing of an antidepressant could be good for anyone. These are powerful medications that can take up to 4-6 weeks to take effect in your system: so how can they take effect if you just take them for 15 days? Also, during those 4-6 weeks, you experience varying degrees of side effects. What happens to those side effects if you take the medication for 15 days, then not for 15 days, then start taking them again? Would you have to go through all the nasty side effects again from scratch? This would be too much to bear.
To my mind, having tried 5 or 6 different antidepressants and stopped and started the Celexa 3 times, I would never advocate the use of Prozac or any other antidepressant on the on-off schedule of dosing that doctors and advertisements recommend for treating PMS and PMDD.
Hope some of this helps,
Clare
Terry:
you should probably go see your gynecologist and discuss this. What works for one woman in terms of hormonal treatments may not work ofr another. You may use mircette to good effect, or depening upon your health, size, etc, your gyne may suggest a diferent prescription. I think hormones are definitely worth trying before taking the prozac.
For example, I suffered terrible PMDD for 7 years and could take no more. I tried several different bc pills, and none of them helped, in fact they made it all worse with terrible bloating. A new gyne prescribed Nuvaring for me and it hs turned my mood swings around. It dispenses a continuous, LOW dose of hormones into the bloodstream for 3 weeks, so it cuts out the drastic highs and lows of my mood swings because my hormone levels never change. Something like Nuvaring may work for you too. And you never have to remember to swallow a pill on a daily basis! Check it out online (last time I looked, they had a coupon for a free Nuvaring up on their web page, I used it and got a free month's contraception, this could help you decide) and speak to your gyne about it. Some form of hormonal treatment could make all the difference, and make that Sarafem prescription redundant.
Note: If the doctor who prescribed the Sarafem to you has also suggested that you take it only for up to 15 days per month, I would say, be extra cautious. Doctors said this to me also regarding the antidepressant Celexa that I take for depression, and I cannot believe that method of dosing of an antidepressant could be good for anyone. These are powerful medications that can take up to 4-6 weeks to take effect in your system: so how can they take effect if you just take them for 15 days? Also, during those 4-6 weeks, you experience varying degrees of side effects. What happens to those side effects if you take the medication for 15 days, then not for 15 days, then start taking them again? Would you have to go through all the nasty side effects again from scratch? This would be too much to bear.
To my mind, having tried 5 or 6 different antidepressants and stopped and started the Celexa 3 times, I would never advocate the use of Prozac or any other antidepressant on the on-off schedule of dosing that doctors and advertisements recommend for treating PMS and PMDD.
Hope some of this helps,
Clare
RE: KathyH and Candi...regarding the
Thanks for the info, Clare...can you tell I'm dragging my feet on taking my script? lol...The whole thing is just enormously frustrating because I'd like to be able to handle it all with just eating well, exercising, getting the right amount of sleep, etc., etc., doing all the "right things"...and it's worked for me for the most part, but this peri is just a huge drag sometimes, ya know?
Anyway, appreciate the info you've given me...I'm definitely going to be checking Nuvaring out!
Thanks for the info, Clare...can you tell I'm dragging my feet on taking my script? lol...The whole thing is just enormously frustrating because I'd like to be able to handle it all with just eating well, exercising, getting the right amount of sleep, etc., etc., doing all the "right things"...and it's worked for me for the most part, but this peri is just a huge drag sometimes, ya know?
Anyway, appreciate the info you've given me...I'm definitely going to be checking Nuvaring out!
RE: KathyH and Candi...regarding the
Hi Terry! This is an estrogen pill to regulate the levels nothing more. You need to consult your physician. Usually the first sign of perimenopause is irregular periods & mood swings. I was getting my period every 2 weeks. BLECH! The Mircette helped me tremendously. I stayed on it for 2 years & then went off of it. I started developing too much estrogen & it was causing my breasts to fill up & hurt. I couldn't even take my bra off. Once I went off the estrogen I took AM/PM Balance from Natrol to help me w/hot flashes & night sweats. As far as my workouts were concerned, I kept up w/interval training & heavy weight training as well as yoga to help destress myself. HTH, Kathy
Hi Terry! This is an estrogen pill to regulate the levels nothing more. You need to consult your physician. Usually the first sign of perimenopause is irregular periods & mood swings. I was getting my period every 2 weeks. BLECH! The Mircette helped me tremendously. I stayed on it for 2 years & then went off of it. I started developing too much estrogen & it was causing my breasts to fill up & hurt. I couldn't even take my bra off. Once I went off the estrogen I took AM/PM Balance from Natrol to help me w/hot flashes & night sweats. As far as my workouts were concerned, I kept up w/interval training & heavy weight training as well as yoga to help destress myself. HTH, Kathy
RE: KathyH and Candi...regarding the
Thanks for replying, Kathy. I'm gathering as much info as I can on the subject...one of these days I'll get where I want to be (maybe after I've actually gone through and come out the other side of menopause?) lol...thanks for the advice...appreciate it.
Thanks for replying, Kathy.
I'm gathering as much info as I can on the subject...one of these days I'll get where I want to be (maybe after I've actually gone through and come out the other side of menopause?) lol...thanks for the advice...appreciate it. RE: KathyH and Candi...regarding the
Hi TerryMia,
I've been taking Mircette for 5 years for symptoms relating to perimenopause. It is nothing more than a very low dose birth control pill.
My perimenopause symptoms were severe.
-Waking up several times a night.
-Adult acne.
-Anxiety and mood swings.
-Irregular periods.
-Dryness of the vagina.
-Recurring yeast and bladder infections.
My gynecologist prescribed the low dose birth control pill and within a week I was transformed. No kidding. That's how good this worked for me.
Because of the breast cancer scare, a lot of women are afraid of taking hormones and rightly so. For me it's a must because I was a mess when my estrogen receptors were searching for estrogen and could barely find any. I also apply testosterone cream which helps my energy level and my libido.
I haven't had a period for a few months so I have a feeling it will be on to regular HRT after my gyn visit in December. I'm looking forward to getting off the synthetic pills and going to a more natural estrogen/progestin.
If you want to do some reading about the subject, I highly recommend The Power of PeriMenopause by Stephanie DeGraf-Bender.
HTH
Hi TerryMia,
I've been taking Mircette for 5 years for symptoms relating to perimenopause. It is nothing more than a very low dose birth control pill.
My perimenopause symptoms were severe.
-Waking up several times a night.
-Adult acne.
-Anxiety and mood swings.
-Irregular periods.
-Dryness of the vagina.
-Recurring yeast and bladder infections.
My gynecologist prescribed the low dose birth control pill and within a week I was transformed. No kidding. That's how good this worked for me.
Because of the breast cancer scare, a lot of women are afraid of taking hormones and rightly so. For me it's a must because I was a mess when my estrogen receptors were searching for estrogen and could barely find any. I also apply testosterone cream which helps my energy level and my libido.
I haven't had a period for a few months so I have a feeling it will be on to regular HRT after my gyn visit in December. I'm looking forward to getting off the synthetic pills and going to a more natural estrogen/progestin.
If you want to do some reading about the subject, I highly recommend The Power of PeriMenopause by Stephanie DeGraf-Bender.
HTH
RE: KathyH and Candi...regarding the
Hi Candi Wow! It's amazing it worked that fast for you...that is sooo encouraging. Those are basically MY symptoms as well...though the predominant one these days is the mood swings. I've sure had the others you mention and more, though. Thanks for the book suggestion...I'll look into it.
Hi Candi
Wow! It's amazing it worked that fast for you...that is sooo encouraging. Those are basically MY symptoms as well...though the predominant one these days is the mood swings. I've sure had the others you mention and more, though. Thanks for the book suggestion...I'll look into it.