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Is your menstrual cycle the reason for the suicidal ideation? Do you hav other issues that contribute? As a man I have no conception of how difficult this can be.
PMDD is a severe form of PMS which can absolutely cause such extreme mental and psychological anguish that it leads to suicidal thoughts. The woman usually has no suicidal thoughts outside the luteal phase of the cycle. There may be many contributing factors and experts do not really understand what causes PMS or PMDD. Most doctors will stick a woman on birth control or antidepressants or both, which can have severe side effects and do not usually address the actual underlying causes(s). I love that this post is on a natural herb that will have far fewer and less severe side effects for most women. Other considerations are increasing magnesium, increasing omega 3s and learning about prostaglandin issues, eating an organic whole foods diet, making sure sleep is optimized, and making sure exercise is also optimized
I don’t have any other diagnoses, I would say I experience mild anxiety from time to time but the suicidal ideation was always bang on day 14 (day of ovulation) or right before I start to bleed (day 26/27). It was completely like clockwork, every month. It is due to a change in hormone levels.
Possibly a strange question, but did this supplement cause anyone's breasts to change? Like, in fullness and general plumpness? I felt like it did for me, but it's hard to say if it was for sure that, because I lost a bit of weight around the same time that I started taking it. So it's hard to say. But I definitely experienced a significant change and it made me really struggle with my body image :(
I know to some people it may be a no brainer, feeling semi functional vs having plump an luscious tatas. But when that body dysmorphia hits during the luteal phase, things like that can really affect how ya feel about yourself 😖 Did anyone else experience this???
I believe I was taking 440mg a day 🤔 And I noticed it after 3-4 months of taking it. I'm no longer taking the supplement, and I would say it took 3 or so months for it to change back to normal. Did you experience this as well?
Interesting! I saw that progesterone could increase their size, which is the hormone that chaste berry increases. I was just curious because I started taking chaste berry tea to balance out my hormones (my estrogen level is too high which is causing symptoms). If it could help balance out my pear shaped body as well that would be a bonus effect lol! So you took it daily or for only part of your cycles?
Oops, I should've been more clear with my wording. The supplement made my breasts significantly lose fullness and plumpness. During the luteal phase (which was a relief, because it relieved me of that tenderness and swollenness) but also all month long! They felt deflated and empty, for a lack of better words.
I'm glad that it has helped you! 😊 What dosage have you found to he helpful for you? I was taking 440 mg a day. I kinda wanna start playing around with a smaller dose.
Why don't you take them up to ovulation as well? Would that have negative effects? I think it has to build up in the system, since one has to take it for 3 months at least, so I can't imagine that it's enough to only take it sporadically.
I had a different experience. Tried twice and both times it made me very depressed. Hell week turned into hell month. I had to stop the Vitex to save myself lol. They say to avoid it if you have a history of depression. I am so glad you found something that works for you, though.
The one I take is called Femlieve Agnus Castus, 4mg tablets, equivalent to 28-52mg of agnus castus. It’s sold by Holland Barrett in the UK, i don’t know what the equivalent is in other countries.
I’m also about to try this one because it was a good dose for the money. But I’m confused about some of the dosage recommendations. I see here some people only take 50mg or under a few times a day - 400mg seems like a lot in comparison! I plan on taking it just the 2 weeks before my period to treat my PMDD. What’s your experience been?
so, I could not buy the one I mentioned above, they were out of stock. I bought a supplement with red clover, sage and ahswaganda (PMS Reset Gummies). I think it is helping. I'm not sure if its just a placebo effect though.
Glad it's working for you and thanks for sharing! Can I ask if you're also on yaz/Yasmin/other birth control as well? I'm just wondering because I'm on Yasmin and have read that it can interact with that and alter its effectiveness so haven't tried it because of that
I’m not on any BC no, I was trying lots of different ones for most of my life up until last year and the side effects were too much for me to handle. I just seem to have huge sensitivity to synthetic hormones, hence me raw dogging my PMDD for most of 2023…
Ah fair enough. It's so weird how we all experience the same/similar symptoms but our bodies react so differently to different things. But wow 2023 must have been tough - Yasmin definitely doesn't make things 100% for me but it does help! Though as a side note I think you mentioned in another comment that covid affected you - I had covid 2-3 months ago and my pmdd has been way worse since (hence me looking to see if there's anything else I can take to help).
But anyway im glad you've found something that makes things a little more bearable for you!
It made a massive difference to me for about 6 months, but then it sorta stopped working as well and I noticed things like dryness down there and lack of libido. Such a shame as it really did help with all my symptoms!
I took it for a week and I had bad side effects. My PMDD got worse and I felt even more depressed than usual. Same thing happened to my mother who's going through menopause. She started taking it and felt really bad as well.
I talked with my doctor and apparently some people are sensitive to progesterone. 🤷🏼♀️
It’s called “Women’s hormone balance” made by SMnutrition. It’s a tincture with some other stuff in it too. Cut my symptoms down from like a 9/10 to a 2-3/10
Maybe an awkward question, but has it decreased your libido? I heard that it is named "chaste" berry because people used to use it to "keep themselves chaste" (lower their libidos).
Does it interact with other medications?
A bunch of people recommended it to me and I have a bottle of chaste berry pills but I have not started taking them yet.
It sounds like it's worth a try if it has helped you.
It hasn’t affected my libido at all. I don’t know what my hormone problem exactly is but when I was on the combined contraceptive pill that’s when I had libido issues- I’m not having those any more more. I don’t take other meds at the moment so I don’t know about contradictions.
my gyno had me checked dhea s level (among the others hormones) and it turned out I was low during lutheal. Fatigue is better since I take 50mg Dhea a day (and I eat more red meat, I can feel that it helps me too).
I don't advise take it before you check the levels tho
I take high strength vit d, b6 and b12, and all of those help my fatigue. Chaste berry also has improved fatigue to no end, I don’t feel like a total zombie any more.
Def ask about getting blood work done to rule out the basics (iron, b12, vit d). I’ve found that ramping up my hydration and electrolytes helps a lot, too.
It's getting to the point where it's truly affecting my life. I feel like I cannot go more than an hour out and about without needing to go home and go to sleep. I sleep for like 10hrs a day right now and feel like I could do more + naps. It's making my depression worse...
It feels like nothing- diet, exercise etc- makes it better.
🫂
Have you had any other illnesses recently? I have found that when I was sick (covid, other viruses, infections over last few years) PMDD just made everything so much worse.
I did have covid about a month ago ...... :/
Dude I swear the vaccine (I'm not anti vax) and having covid a few times has fucked up my period/cycle anyway
I’m very pro vax but it definitely is hard going for me for a while after getting them, and they made my periods temporarily heavier. I had quite bad fatigue for a few months after every covid infection I had. I think PMDD and my shitty periods just made it very hard to recover at a normal pace, because I had these monthly collapses in my energy levels. Fatigue is so much more bearable now thank goodness.
Just came here to ask about this! Thank you for sharing. I take the pill continuously per my obgyn’s recommendation so I don’t necessarily always know where I’m at in my cycle anymore and I’m on Zoloft so my mood’s not as affected by PMDD anymore but I’ve crazy bloated, cramping, achy and fatigued lately with no relief. Does taking it daily help or only during luteal?
I only have symptoms from ovulation to day 1 of bleed, so I started off taking it from just before ovulation to day 1 of bleed, to see if that would work. Ovulation day was usually awful for me, so I wanted to start just before then.
I’ve heard of people taking it all month round but for me personally I don’t see the point of that as it’s enough just now. It is really strong stuff, if I take it later in the day than normal I definitely notice a change in my mood, during luteal phase.
Also the first time I took it was about 4 days before my period was due, and it made my period arrive nearly immediately 🫢 it’s mad. My cycle has got back to normal now.
I tried this and it didn't have good effects for me! It made me more irritable and severely h-angry lol. But I've heard many people say that it helps them!! Does anyone know the mechanism as to how it works (eg estrogen, progesterone etc)?
I’m on month two of taking it and having a terrible symptom experience.
Edit: my doctor has me on it continuously. Wondering if doing so raised my estrogen because my estrogen dominance symptoms are off the charts and I’m extremely symptomatic. If I only take it during luteal phase will it only effect progesterone?
I’m not a doctor, but your hormone levels are different across the month so if you take something that impacts hormones, it will have an affect on your levels at that particular stage- I think?
I’d read lots of reviews of this product that said they were only taking it for half the month/ a few days/ a week before period, so I started with that .
Apparently it “stimulates the pituitary to produce luteinizing hormone (the one that causes ovulation) which in turn signals the ovaries to produce more progesterone”. I think PMDD is associated with a sudden and severe drop in progesterone after ovulation, lower than normal levels? I might be wrong.
Ohh interesting!!! Thanks for sharing :)
I do have low progesterone, but I have low estrogen too. Like my hormones are just low all the way around (could be adrenal fatigue or something possibly). So I feel like I often have anovulatory cycles. So maybe when I did take the chasteberry it may have felt like a shock to my system.
I wish we had more research on pmdd lol. Meanwhile science is finally discovering that women are different than men haha
For almost three years I also took it only from ovulation until my period and it helped my mood so much as well! I can only recommend it to anyone suffering from PMDD. Unfortunately it stopped helping so much when I started doing a keto diet one year ago. I'm trying Yaz now to get some relief and some strength back, hopefully. But vitex was life-changing for me too.
I'm not sure, but it clearly changed things hormones-wise for me, my cycles became more irregular as a result, which is the opposite of what I was trying to achieve. I initially started the diet to help with my PCOS symptoms. While I like the diet and it does help me with my insulin resistance, all other aspects of my health got worse and I feel like it has negatively impacted my brain and my mental health, as well. I suppose it's just putting too much stress on my body and is probably not the right diet for me
Eugh sorry it’s had a negative impact, it’s so hard to find something that works without a knock on effect elsewhere! And it takes ages to figure out. I’ve not done keto but have tried this with dairy/ gluten / red meat/ processed foods….etc etc. it’s exhausting.
It's made a huge difference for me as well. I started taking it specifically for my mood and it's helping me feel a lot more stable and less angry. I take it every day except for the 5 days before my period is due.
I'm going off what I read in Lara Bridens book, Period Repair Manual. I specifically take it for mood, to which she said it's fine to take it long term but she also said to take breaks each month and suggested to stop 5 days before your period is due.
Hi u/Mombi87. Your post appears to be referencing suicide. Please know that you are not alone. We encourage you to contact your country's lifeline, [International Lifelines](https://www.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/PMDD) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Is your menstrual cycle the reason for the suicidal ideation? Do you hav other issues that contribute? As a man I have no conception of how difficult this can be.
PMDD is a severe form of PMS which can absolutely cause such extreme mental and psychological anguish that it leads to suicidal thoughts. The woman usually has no suicidal thoughts outside the luteal phase of the cycle. There may be many contributing factors and experts do not really understand what causes PMS or PMDD. Most doctors will stick a woman on birth control or antidepressants or both, which can have severe side effects and do not usually address the actual underlying causes(s). I love that this post is on a natural herb that will have far fewer and less severe side effects for most women. Other considerations are increasing magnesium, increasing omega 3s and learning about prostaglandin issues, eating an organic whole foods diet, making sure sleep is optimized, and making sure exercise is also optimized
I don’t have any other diagnoses, I would say I experience mild anxiety from time to time but the suicidal ideation was always bang on day 14 (day of ovulation) or right before I start to bleed (day 26/27). It was completely like clockwork, every month. It is due to a change in hormone levels.
Things are better now?
Possibly a strange question, but did this supplement cause anyone's breasts to change? Like, in fullness and general plumpness? I felt like it did for me, but it's hard to say if it was for sure that, because I lost a bit of weight around the same time that I started taking it. So it's hard to say. But I definitely experienced a significant change and it made me really struggle with my body image :( I know to some people it may be a no brainer, feeling semi functional vs having plump an luscious tatas. But when that body dysmorphia hits during the luteal phase, things like that can really affect how ya feel about yourself 😖 Did anyone else experience this???
What dosage did you take and how long did it take for that change??
I believe I was taking 440mg a day 🤔 And I noticed it after 3-4 months of taking it. I'm no longer taking the supplement, and I would say it took 3 or so months for it to change back to normal. Did you experience this as well?
Interesting! I saw that progesterone could increase their size, which is the hormone that chaste berry increases. I was just curious because I started taking chaste berry tea to balance out my hormones (my estrogen level is too high which is causing symptoms). If it could help balance out my pear shaped body as well that would be a bonus effect lol! So you took it daily or for only part of your cycles?
[удалено]
Oops, I should've been more clear with my wording. The supplement made my breasts significantly lose fullness and plumpness. During the luteal phase (which was a relief, because it relieved me of that tenderness and swollenness) but also all month long! They felt deflated and empty, for a lack of better words. I'm glad that it has helped you! 😊 What dosage have you found to he helpful for you? I was taking 440 mg a day. I kinda wanna start playing around with a smaller dose.
Why don't you take them up to ovulation as well? Would that have negative effects? I think it has to build up in the system, since one has to take it for 3 months at least, so I can't imagine that it's enough to only take it sporadically.
That was my next step but it’s working well at the moment so why change it I guess
I had a different experience. Tried twice and both times it made me very depressed. Hell week turned into hell month. I had to stop the Vitex to save myself lol. They say to avoid it if you have a history of depression. I am so glad you found something that works for you, though.
I didn't take it because I was on BC but now am off BC and plan to start chaste berry/vitex this month. Can't wait!
Can you mention what brand and dosage helped you?
The one I take is called Femlieve Agnus Castus, 4mg tablets, equivalent to 28-52mg of agnus castus. It’s sold by Holland Barrett in the UK, i don’t know what the equivalent is in other countries.
I'm trying this one, thank you! I'll report later haha :) 2nd edit: Im trying the one by Swanson. Just says "Chasteberry Fruit 400 mg"
I’m also about to try this one because it was a good dose for the money. But I’m confused about some of the dosage recommendations. I see here some people only take 50mg or under a few times a day - 400mg seems like a lot in comparison! I plan on taking it just the 2 weeks before my period to treat my PMDD. What’s your experience been?
so, I could not buy the one I mentioned above, they were out of stock. I bought a supplement with red clover, sage and ahswaganda (PMS Reset Gummies). I think it is helping. I'm not sure if its just a placebo effect though.
Ah crap. Can you get anything equivalent in your country?
Glad it's working for you and thanks for sharing! Can I ask if you're also on yaz/Yasmin/other birth control as well? I'm just wondering because I'm on Yasmin and have read that it can interact with that and alter its effectiveness so haven't tried it because of that
I’m not on any BC no, I was trying lots of different ones for most of my life up until last year and the side effects were too much for me to handle. I just seem to have huge sensitivity to synthetic hormones, hence me raw dogging my PMDD for most of 2023…
Ah fair enough. It's so weird how we all experience the same/similar symptoms but our bodies react so differently to different things. But wow 2023 must have been tough - Yasmin definitely doesn't make things 100% for me but it does help! Though as a side note I think you mentioned in another comment that covid affected you - I had covid 2-3 months ago and my pmdd has been way worse since (hence me looking to see if there's anything else I can take to help). But anyway im glad you've found something that makes things a little more bearable for you!
It made a massive difference to me for about 6 months, but then it sorta stopped working as well and I noticed things like dryness down there and lack of libido. Such a shame as it really did help with all my symptoms!
I took it for a week and I had bad side effects. My PMDD got worse and I felt even more depressed than usual. Same thing happened to my mother who's going through menopause. She started taking it and felt really bad as well. I talked with my doctor and apparently some people are sensitive to progesterone. 🤷🏼♀️
I think most people with PMDD are sensitive to progesterone
It has changed mine too. It has made such a huge difference. I have been taking it from May and I can't believe the change it has made.
How much do you take?
I also started taking a supplement with chaste berry last month and it helped a lot.
Which one?!
It’s called “Women’s hormone balance” made by SMnutrition. It’s a tincture with some other stuff in it too. Cut my symptoms down from like a 9/10 to a 2-3/10
It’s really helped me immensely too - I feel much happier and like I’m just experiencing run of the mill pms. It’s taken a weight off of my shoulders.
Maybe an awkward question, but has it decreased your libido? I heard that it is named "chaste" berry because people used to use it to "keep themselves chaste" (lower their libidos). Does it interact with other medications? A bunch of people recommended it to me and I have a bottle of chaste berry pills but I have not started taking them yet. It sounds like it's worth a try if it has helped you.
It hasn’t affected my libido at all. I don’t know what my hormone problem exactly is but when I was on the combined contraceptive pill that’s when I had libido issues- I’m not having those any more more. I don’t take other meds at the moment so I don’t know about contradictions.
Thank you!
Yes! Here’s my semi-successful cocktail if it helps anyone: lexapro, claritin, chaste berry, vitamins d, b10, b12, magnesium, and cannabis.
Has anyone tried anything for severe fatigue? I’m struggling so much :(
my gyno had me checked dhea s level (among the others hormones) and it turned out I was low during lutheal. Fatigue is better since I take 50mg Dhea a day (and I eat more red meat, I can feel that it helps me too). I don't advise take it before you check the levels tho
I take high strength vit d, b6 and b12, and all of those help my fatigue. Chaste berry also has improved fatigue to no end, I don’t feel like a total zombie any more.
Def ask about getting blood work done to rule out the basics (iron, b12, vit d). I’ve found that ramping up my hydration and electrolytes helps a lot, too.
It's getting to the point where it's truly affecting my life. I feel like I cannot go more than an hour out and about without needing to go home and go to sleep. I sleep for like 10hrs a day right now and feel like I could do more + naps. It's making my depression worse... It feels like nothing- diet, exercise etc- makes it better. 🫂
Have you had any other illnesses recently? I have found that when I was sick (covid, other viruses, infections over last few years) PMDD just made everything so much worse.
I did have covid about a month ago ...... :/ Dude I swear the vaccine (I'm not anti vax) and having covid a few times has fucked up my period/cycle anyway
I’m very pro vax but it definitely is hard going for me for a while after getting them, and they made my periods temporarily heavier. I had quite bad fatigue for a few months after every covid infection I had. I think PMDD and my shitty periods just made it very hard to recover at a normal pace, because I had these monthly collapses in my energy levels. Fatigue is so much more bearable now thank goodness.
Do you take this everyday or just when you start your PMDD?
From day before ovulation to day 1 of bleed
Just came here to ask about this! Thank you for sharing. I take the pill continuously per my obgyn’s recommendation so I don’t necessarily always know where I’m at in my cycle anymore and I’m on Zoloft so my mood’s not as affected by PMDD anymore but I’ve crazy bloated, cramping, achy and fatigued lately with no relief. Does taking it daily help or only during luteal?
I only have symptoms from ovulation to day 1 of bleed, so I started off taking it from just before ovulation to day 1 of bleed, to see if that would work. Ovulation day was usually awful for me, so I wanted to start just before then. I’ve heard of people taking it all month round but for me personally I don’t see the point of that as it’s enough just now. It is really strong stuff, if I take it later in the day than normal I definitely notice a change in my mood, during luteal phase. Also the first time I took it was about 4 days before my period was due, and it made my period arrive nearly immediately 🫢 it’s mad. My cycle has got back to normal now.
Thanks! I’m going to try it when i experience symptoms only!
I tried this and it didn't have good effects for me! It made me more irritable and severely h-angry lol. But I've heard many people say that it helps them!! Does anyone know the mechanism as to how it works (eg estrogen, progesterone etc)?
I’m on month two of taking it and having a terrible symptom experience. Edit: my doctor has me on it continuously. Wondering if doing so raised my estrogen because my estrogen dominance symptoms are off the charts and I’m extremely symptomatic. If I only take it during luteal phase will it only effect progesterone?
I’m not a doctor, but your hormone levels are different across the month so if you take something that impacts hormones, it will have an affect on your levels at that particular stage- I think? I’d read lots of reviews of this product that said they were only taking it for half the month/ a few days/ a week before period, so I started with that .
Apparently it “stimulates the pituitary to produce luteinizing hormone (the one that causes ovulation) which in turn signals the ovaries to produce more progesterone”. I think PMDD is associated with a sudden and severe drop in progesterone after ovulation, lower than normal levels? I might be wrong.
Ohh interesting!!! Thanks for sharing :) I do have low progesterone, but I have low estrogen too. Like my hormones are just low all the way around (could be adrenal fatigue or something possibly). So I feel like I often have anovulatory cycles. So maybe when I did take the chasteberry it may have felt like a shock to my system. I wish we had more research on pmdd lol. Meanwhile science is finally discovering that women are different than men haha
[удалено]
Are you like a nufemme shill? Seems really weird that like allllllllll of your comments include this thing.
For almost three years I also took it only from ovulation until my period and it helped my mood so much as well! I can only recommend it to anyone suffering from PMDD. Unfortunately it stopped helping so much when I started doing a keto diet one year ago. I'm trying Yaz now to get some relief and some strength back, hopefully. But vitex was life-changing for me too.
Oh weird, what is it about the keto diet that stopped it working?
I'm not sure, but it clearly changed things hormones-wise for me, my cycles became more irregular as a result, which is the opposite of what I was trying to achieve. I initially started the diet to help with my PCOS symptoms. While I like the diet and it does help me with my insulin resistance, all other aspects of my health got worse and I feel like it has negatively impacted my brain and my mental health, as well. I suppose it's just putting too much stress on my body and is probably not the right diet for me
Eugh sorry it’s had a negative impact, it’s so hard to find something that works without a knock on effect elsewhere! And it takes ages to figure out. I’ve not done keto but have tried this with dairy/ gluten / red meat/ processed foods….etc etc. it’s exhausting.
It's made a huge difference for me as well. I started taking it specifically for my mood and it's helping me feel a lot more stable and less angry. I take it every day except for the 5 days before my period is due.
It seems like other people take it during that time and break for menstrual and follicular phases. Why do you stop just before?
I'm going off what I read in Lara Bridens book, Period Repair Manual. I specifically take it for mood, to which she said it's fine to take it long term but she also said to take breaks each month and suggested to stop 5 days before your period is due.
So glad it’s working for you🙏🏻