OT: SSRI's for PMS?

Does anyone here take SSRI's to help with mood swings/anxiety from PMS?

I feel like I have moderate PMS every single month where I am very moody, emotional.. I can go from being fine to in tears in a matter of moments.  Today I'm fighting off anger and anxiety with work and at least 2-3 times last week I was crying over stuff that I just feel like I should be more stable about.

My period is supposed to start in a couple days.  I can't wait.  I get immediate relief from the moodiness the day it starts.  I had been starting to get frustrated with the length of my PMS because it seemed to be happening sooner than 7 days before my period was going to start, but I read today it happens post-ovulation.. and the timing definitely lines up with that.

This is just getting really old.  My cycle is short too, so the window of non-pms is small :( 

Sorry you are having such a hard time today Frances.

HUGS!

By the way, I don't know what SSRIs are.

Email me at work if you want to vent.

Jan

SSRIs are often prescribed for severe PMS (If the doctor thinks its bad enough to be classified as PreMenstrual Dysmorphic Disorder, PMDD).

SSRIs saved my life... I had the most horrible mood swings and would go from laughing to crying in a matter of moments... not to mention that I was a total b*tch! I had a total hysterectomy 11 years ago and with it came a whole new set of emotional challenges. For the first year or so my doctor increased my meds and now I am back to where I was. I would ask about them. They can really take the edge off and help it to be more manageable.

Oh - I take Paxil (20mg/daily)... this is NOT an endorsement - just for informational purposes.

They have helped me. I pms so bad  it was ruining my relationship with my fiance. I still have mood swings and I am emotional but not nearly as bad.

I'll start off by saying I am on SSRI's for depression.  I'm not against them.  But I would be cautious about using them for PMS.  I guess I would only use them (for any reason) as kind of a last resort.

You can't just take them when you have PMS because they take a few weeks to build up in your system and "kick in."  So you'd have to be on them all the time.  They can have a lot of side effects, although what I am on now, Effexor, doesn't do much besides make my mouth dry all the time.  I've had very bad side effects with some others, though.  And everyone is different so there's no way to predict what side effects you might have.  They can also be hard to come off.  With some, including Effexor, you have to be weaned off pretty slowly or you can have horrible withdrawal symptoms.

Maybe you would want to talk to your doc about something you can take for anxiety just on an as-needed basis?  Try that first?  I use Visteril for that and it doesn't take away the depression but it helps with the anxiety and the overly emotional, can't stop crying kind of stuff.

 Usually what will happen is I will start feeling like I'm so tired of being emotional and anxious.. and then a few days later my period will hit and I'll be fine, and then I think I was overreacting before.

I haven't done a ton of research yet, and the quick searches I read indicated they could be taken only for the time post-ovulation up until your period started if taking for PMS.. 

I'm due for my yearly physical so I should just get that scheduled and talk to them about what's going on.

Maybe I"m mistaken and sometimes they are used only during that time.  I know with every one I've ever been on, they've told me not to expect it to start working for two to four weeks, though.

SSRIs (at least what I have been told by my doctor) are not something you can go on/off randomly.  They need to be in your system for awhile to be affective - and you don't want to stop them cold turkey.