Posted by Heather Hall on July 26, 2004, at 20:39:33
In reply to Ritalin for Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, posted by gracie99 on July 26, 2004, at 19:57:40
My doc put me on it with Prozac for awhile. The Prozac didn't have any effect but the Ritalin worked really well. I chose to discontinue it because I kept crashing harder and harder when it wore off. She had me on it continually, 2 doses a day, but at the lowest available potency. I wonder if the occasional would have been better. At the time, I was over the top all the time, it was just worse with my cycles. I am much better now. I did some progesterone, some NeuroModulation Technique. Those got me a little better, now I am going to a homeopath with FABULOUS results. I only had a 2 hour freak out this months, padded by a mildly cranky day on either side.
> A couple of doses of Ritalin over the few days prior to end of cycle was amazingly effective -- just canceled out my pre-menstrual snarling misery.
>
> At any other time of the month, a drug like Ritalin would make me unpleasantly antsy. But at that time of the month, it seemed calming and cheering, the perfect combination.
>
> I felt it is was a fairly safe, low toxicity treatment, given that it was just two doses/month.
>
> It's a pity that more doctors don't know about this treatment PMDD and/or are willing to prescribe it.
>
> (When the doctor who prescribed it for my PMDD moved away, I was never able to find another doctor who would prescribe it for that reason -- they all treated me like a drug abuser, some even became hostile and ordered me out of their offices! Fortunately my PMDD eventually got better over time, and I no longer need to treat it.)
poster:Heather Hall
thread:3315
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040724/msgs/370928.html