Posted by Doug Anderson on March 6, 2001, at 15:10:01
In reply to Re: experience w/ sarafem, posted by pattykay on March 6, 2001, at 11:32:02
> I just happened on to this site because I was doing research on sarafem. My mood swings and sensitivity during the one or two weeks before and first week of my period have affected my life for years. I started taking the pill for the first time in my life when I was 31. After trying 4 kinds of pills in a year I finally gave up since all my pms symptoms were so much worse no matter which pill I used (though lower levels of progestin seemed to be the best). My relationship has improved immensely since I ceased using the pill but the pms symptoms are still strong. I would really like to try the pill again and see how it works WITH sarafem. I almost started crying while I read all the postings from women with problems similar to mine. If you haven't experienced it it's so hard to comprehend. Thanks for all the good information. I'm going to see my doctor armed with a lot of pertinent questions about how my own chemistry is working (or not working).
> Patty
>
>
> > Hi Doug,
> >
> > Since you seem to know a lot about this, can I ask you a couple basic questions? Why would I still have PMS when I'm on birth control pills, since they regulate the amount of estrogen, etc in your body? Also, would a high estrogen birth control pill help control moods due to the seratonin connection?
> >
> > Thanks!
> >
> > > > > > > The physiology of each woman is very complicated. There are variations in each womans cycle can be explaned by the amout of estrogen secreted by the follicle as it matures. Estrogen enhances the amount of tryptophan in the brain which is a precursor to serotonin. Serotonin is the chemical in the brain responsible for mood stability. After ovulation, if an egg is not fertilized, levels of estrogen fall off. This rapid decrease may also decrease the availability of serotonin. Those of you who are sensitive to this fall off experience mood swings. If estogen levels are low from a particular follicle this may increase your symptoms in a particular month. Your estrogen levels are not constant from month to month. This month may be bad but the next may not be. Some women can tell which overy is active just by the symptoms they are having. Therefore a constant dose of Sarafem may be good for one month and not the next. This is a delemma. You don't want to have a higher dose just to cover the worst month. The matter of bloating and secondary symptoms is not clear since prostaglandins are responsible for this and SSRI's like Prozac(Sarafem) do not affect this. There is a very good book out there to explain alot of this called Women's Moods by Deborah Sichel and Jeanne Watson Driscoll. You may have to go on line to Amazon or Barnes and Noble to find it. I highly recomend it. I hope I was some help. Hang in there! Next cycle may be better.Most birth control pills are cyclical and contain various amounts of estrogen. When you end a cycle of pills there are only the few days of blank placebo's so that your cycle can run. Higher levels of estrogen don't help because it is the sensitivity to any fluctuations that cause the PMDD symtoms. Birth control pills containing progestins(A synthetic progesterone) can aggrivate the depression by competing for estrogen sites. from what I hear this can be much worse for severe PMDD sufferers. The book I mentioned goes in to greater detail and is much more clear that I am. Get it, read it. It is the best book that I have read so far. I can tell you from the experiences that I have had with my dear friend, the IUD's have progestin in them too. They compete with natural progesterone in the uterus and estrogen elsewhere in the body. If you have one you may want to ask about that. Good luck. I don't really think birth cotrol is the best method of controlling PMDD. Read up on Paxil. Heard that it might have some benefit.
Doug
poster:Doug Anderson
thread:3315
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010302/msgs/55745.html