PMDD stands for premenstrual dysphoric disorder. This is not to be confused with Premenstrual Syndrome or PMS. PMS is changes in mood during certain parts of the menstrual cycle. It affects 80% of women. The mood changes can be mild to moderate. In fact, some women will just see it as feeling a little moody the week before their menstrual cycle.
PMDD is a severe form of PMS. It’s almost like turning into the werewolf when the full moon rises. For some people, it’s just that drastic. It affects 3% – 8% of women. So it’s not as common as PMS.
We treat PMDD with antidepressants or hormone therapy. I show you why some women get PMDD and why the antidepressants help. I discuss the difference between intermittent and continuous dosing with antidepressants. I also discuss the two main hormone treatments. If you do not want to take any kind of medication, you can try lifestyle changes. The first are diet modifications such as eliminating caffeine, sugar, nicotine and alcohol and minimizing sodium. You would combine this with sleeping 7-9 hours a night and getting regular exercise – like 3-5 times a week.
Some nutritional supplements have shown to be helpful. These would be Calcium 1200mg/day, Vitamin B6 50-100mg/day. Other supplements would be Magnesium 200 – 360mg/day, Vitamin E 400 IU/day. There are some herbal remedies that have been shown in studies to be helpful. Agnus castus fruit extract, also known as chasteberry and Gingko biloba.
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References:
Article about how SSRI’s increase allopregnalone
Griffin LD, Mellon SH. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors directly alter activity of neurosteroidogenic enzymes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1999;96(23):13512–13517. Bäckström T, Bixo M, et. al. Allopregnanolone and mood disorders. Prog Neurobiol. 2014 Feb; 113:88-94. Epub 2013 Aug 23.
Schiller CE, Schmidt PJ, Rubinow DR. Allopregnanolone as a mediator of affective switching in reproductive mood disorders. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2014;231(17):3557–3567. doi:10.1007/s00213-014-3599-x
Griffin LD, Mellon SH. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors directly alter activity of neurosteroidogenic enzymes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1999;96(23):13512–13517.
Khine K, Rosenstein DL, Elin RJ, Niemela JE, Schmidt PJ, Rubinow DR. Magnesium (Mg) retention and mood effects after intravenous Mg infusion in premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Biol Psychiatry. 2006 Feb 15;59(4):327-33.
Yonkers KA, Pearlstein TB, Gotman N. A pilot study to compare fluoxetine, calcium, and placebo in the treatment of premenstrual syndrome. J Clin Psychopharmacol. 2013 Oct; 33(5):614-20.
Disclaimer: All of the information on this channel is for educational purposes and not intended to be specific/personal medical advice from me to you. Watching the videos or getting answers to comments/question, does not establish a doctor-patient relationship. If you have your own doctor, perhaps these videos can help prepare you for your discussion with your doctor.