Are you among those thousands or more likely hundreds of thousands of women who suffer intensely every month with one or more severe symptoms of pms?

If you are, you will certainly be interested in learning about effective pms treatments.

What works and what doesn’t? What is the best treatment for pms and what treatments are just short term or a placebo with no effectiveness? 

There are so many remedies, treatments and options to choose from it can become overwhelming for a woman who is suffering from extreme pain or chronic cramping.

She can use medical treatments, natural remedies, over the counter, herbal, holistic, or homeopathic. There are remedies she can use at home and plenty of non-drug treatment plans that are as effective as or usually more effective than pharmaceutical options.  Let’s look at all of these potential activities and treatment guidelines.

Some of the symptoms that women struggle with during their menstrual cycle include mood swings, irritability, emotions, rage, water-fluid retention, insomnia, anger, breast tenderness, acne, dizziness, fatigue, headache, and migraines.

A woman can have one or more of these symptoms from a couple of weeks before her actual period starts and some will last beyond the end of the period. Sometimes these symptoms are mild and other times they are bad enough to be debilitating and cause a woman to be bedridden.

Stages of the Menstrual Cycle

Pre-menstrual – the one to two weeks before a woman’s period starts in which she may begin to produce extra estrogen. Some of the pms symptoms that are found in this stage include headaches and migraines, mood swings and depression, bloating and water retention. A woman might also experience sore and swollen breasts during this premenstrual stage.

Follicular – stage is when the body begins to prepare for the fertilization of the eggs. The lining of the uterine thickens and the egg moves into position to enter the fallopian tubes.

In this stage estrogen floods the system and overloads everything else. The pressure on the uterus and other organs causes cramping and back pain. In this stage there is usually also bloating and fluid retention.

Luteal – in this stage the production of estrogen is greatly decreased while progesterone is greatly increased. Bloating and water retention is reduced but nausea and vomiting can be increased. Almost all other symptoms of pms occur during this stage until the bleeding period begins.

Period – When bleeding begins and excess fluid, blood, water, and tissue from uterine lining is flushed from the body. Most symptoms of PMS are gone during this stage.

Post Menstrual – Most women have no pms symptoms in this stage for a couple weeks after bleeding stops. However there are some unfortunate women who experience all or some of the symptoms of pms during this post menstrual stage.

So let’s look at the treatments for PMS and what works well and what does not.

Medical Treatments

There are many medical and pharmaceutical treatments for many of the symptoms of pms and these include drugs for pain, depression, anxiety and fluid retention. The list of pharmaceuticals that includes Prozac, Lexapro, Zoloft,  Citalopram, Yaz, Yasmin,  Tri-Cyclen, Estrosten, Spironolactone, Estradiol,  danazol, Lortab or Tramadol, cyclobenzaprine, Verapamil,  Depakote, Propranolol and Cafergot, Benzodiazepine, and amitriptyline.

All of these medications will help to deal with or reduce the effects of pms; none of them will prevent or cure the causes of these symptoms. Within the above lists you have categories of NSAIDS (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory DrugS) and analgesics for pain.

There are birth control medications like Yaz and Tri-Cyclen along with narcotic pain relievers and muscle relaxers. There are diuretics, sedatives and anti-depressants that are also sedatives.

All of these medications work in the short term and none of them are meant to be taken for a long term.
Side effects of NSAIDS include stomach upsets, ulcers, GERD, acid reflux and potential heart disease.

Narcotic pain relievers always pose the risk of addiction if taken in high doses and/or for long periods of time.

Opioids also pose the issue of respiratory depression as a potential side effect in respect to increased dosage.  Milder side effects are drowsiness, dry mouth and potential nausea.

• Side effects of Acetaminophen can be serious liver damage if it is taken long term and/or in high doses.

• Side effects of birth control medications ironically include many of the things women with pms are trying to treat including acne, tender breasts, fluid retention and bloating and decrease in sex drive.

• Side effects of Spironolactone include sore breasts, irregular period, headaches and fatigue.

• Side effects of diuretics (besides the hassle of frequent urination) includes once again some of the pms symptoms such as headaches, irregular menstruation, lowered electrolytes, higher blood sugar, irregular heartbeats, and fainting.

• Side effects of muscle relaxers can include extreme drowsiness and fatigue, dry mouth and nausea/vomiting. You might also experience impaired cognitive ability and functions and they carry an addiction risk as well.

• Side effects of sedatives includes a strong addiction risk as well as sleep walking, sleep driving and sleep talking.

• Side effects of Anti-depressants with and without sedative properties includes as most people know the possibility of more extreme depression leading to suicide or suicide attempts. Other milder side effects include dry mouth, erectile dysfunction, and blurred vision.

Given all this there are much better choices for women with pms than medications. These are herbal, natural, vitamin/mineral supplements and lifestyle changes.

Herbal and Vitamins and MineralsTreatments

Many clinical studies as well as medical experts such as Dr. Oz have concluded that herbal, vitamin and mineral supplements are quite effective for pms without the side effects of pharmaceutical drugs.

Some of these treatments include natural progesterone, chaste berry, cramp bark, evening primrose, Ayurveda, vitex, black cohosh, St Johns Wort, Evening Primrose, magnesium, calcium, vitamin b complex, vitamin E, and vitamin K among many others.

Here is what Dr. Oz had to say about treating pms naturally.

“Symptom: Mood Swings. Fluctuating progesterone levels cause your hormones and your mood to yo-yo. Attack Plan: Take 100 mg of vitamin B6 a day.  Studies show that B6 reduces irritability and depression.

Symptom: Enlarged or Tender Breasts. Fluctuating estrogen and progesterone levels result in fluid retention, especially in the breasts. Attack Plan: Try chasteberry extract.  Studies show that chasteberry can help relieve this PMS symptom.

Symptom: Bloating. PMS can cause both air and fluid retention. Attack Plan: Take 200 mg of magnesium daily to reduce fluid retention.  Magnesium rich foods, like navy beans or unsalted pumpkin seeds, are a good natural source of this mineral.”  (doctoroz.com/videos/pms-attack-plan)

Lifestyle

There are lifestyle changes that you can make that will help with pms and diet is certainly one of them. You can see that from Dr. Oz’s recommendations in terms of foods.  Over all the recommendation is for a low fat (not no fat), low glycemic index carbohydrates (complex carbs not simple carbs), lots of vegetables and fruits.

Other activities such as exercise, meditation, acupuncture and relaxation exercises are all helpful in both preventing and treating the varied symptoms of pms.
Finally, you are postpartum and breastfeeding you will have some natural resistance to pms as well as the start of the menstrual cycle itself.

Combined Treatments

This is far and away the most effective and most sensible option for women with pms. You want a combination of vitamins, minerals and herbal remedies and you want them in the right dosages. In this regard we would recommend Period Vitamin.

Why?

Let’s just take a quick look at what is included in Period Vitamin keeping in mind the recommendations we have already made for herbs, vitamins and minerals.

• Chasteberry – “. Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics, The Journal of Women’s Health and Gender Based Medicine and the British Medical Journal have all reported on the positive results realized by daily Chasteberry use.”

• White Willow Bark – this is an herbal pain reliever used heavily before aspirin was discovered.  It lowers the levels of progesterone helping to balance the hormones.

• Red Raspberry – this filters out any excess hormones in the blood and you can easily see how this can help reduce or alleviate all pms symptoms.  It also treats cramping and contains many of the vitamins and minerals needed to treat pms. This includes Vitamin C, niacin and manganese.

• Black Cohosh – regulates the estrogen levels and contains phytoestrogen.

• Calcium – “A 10-year study at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst revealed women who included a sufficient amount of calcium in their diets reduced PMS symptoms by 30%.”

• Magnesium – “Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center reports Magnesium effective in controlling mood swings and reducing fluid retention related to PMS. In another study reported by Beth Israel, women experienced significant reduction in weight gain, breast tenderness, swelling and bloating. A smaller study reveals magnesium may help prevent migraines associated with PMS.”

• Vitamin B1, B3, B6 – corrects an irregular menstrual flow and helps treat and relieve cramping.

• Niacin – another B vitamin and it also relieves the cramps of pms.

• Vitamin K – improves blot clotting properties.

• Vitamin C – this is a helper to other ingredients and a great example of why a compound or formula is so much better than these ingredients on their own. Helps with absorption and action of Evening Primrose Oil, Calcium and Iron.

• Vitamin A – prevents acne.

• Iron – replenishes iron and energy.

• Folic Acid – relieves the anxiety and tension of pms.

• Vitamin E – antioxidant effects moodiness, cramps, headaches and overall soreness of pms.

• Pantothenic acid – relieves moodiness and irritability, insomnia, fatigue and depression.

So you can easily see that a combined treatment such as Period Vitamin is the best way to fight the symptoms of pms and win the battle time after time. It is these elements in combination with each other that are the most effective pms treatment available today.