update on me...

~Roo'sMama~ wrote: I don't know if you remember me posting awhile back -I think it was in December- about my PMS and depression problems ~ I basically am just really depressed and anxious from the time that I'm ovulating until after I get Af, so I've been having 2 good weeks out of every month. I never did go to the doctor like I said I was going to... I have been looking for something natural that will help me.

My mom sent me some progesterone cream, and I started using it 2 days ago - I'm on about day 12 of my cycle and so far I feel ok. (this is about when I start going loco) I'm hoping this will help ~ I've used this cream before, but for cramps and for regulating my AF's. I don't remember if it helped my mood or not... I remember not having bad pms then but I was taking something else for it too so it could have been that.

If this cream works then I'll be so relieved. I don't want the hassle of trying to find an anti-depressant that I can take while nursing, and then having to stop taking it when I get pg again, and then start it up again after any babies are born... yadda yadda yadda.

kimberley replied: i am glad you found a natural remedy. i don't like pills either. i hope it works for you.

coasterqueen replied: That's good you found a natural source to control the problem.

I am starting to wonder if I need to do something about my highs and lows. I was just speaking to DH about it today, but he thinks it's just because I'm so darn tired (Megan has only been letting get about 3 hours each night of sleep for almost 2 weeks now ). But you have me thinking about the progesterone cream. I'm completely clueless about such things, but I had to take progesterone during my 1st trimester of my pg with Megan which I thought was completely strange but with all the bleeding, etc they said my progesterone levels were not too low but not where they want them to be. So who knows. I think I have a doc appt here in a month or so but I'm really afraid to say something in fear they will put me on anti-depressants. Nothing wrong with them, guess I'm just trying to deny a genetic problem maybe. Who knows.

Is the cream safe? I mean what does it do exactly? I just get leary about taking something I know nothing about.

gr33n3y3z replied: Oh I hope it works for you

jcc64 replied: Guys-
Don't fear speaking up to the dr about the side effectf of your hormonal fluctuations. It's so common, normal even, that the assumption will not be that you are about to go off the deep end. And you will never be put on anti-depressants unless that is what you want to happen. You, the patient, are in the driver's seat.
Having said that, I believe some of you know I have a history of anxiety/depression/ppd, for which I periodically take low doses of paxil. It really does help me even out my moods. I am not unhappy with my life, and I don't believe my depression/anxiety is situational. That is, I think it's all about my chemistry, which definitely takes a nosedive during ovulation/af. I did take paxil from about month 5 of my last pg right up to the last month. I cleaned it out of my system for the delivery, so that the baby would not suffer from any possible withdrawl symptoms. She was totally fine. I did go back on the meds about 3 months post partum, when the ppd popped up. I continued to bf with the blessing of my dr. I wasn't happy about having to take the meds, but I really felt I had no choice at that point.
Anyway, just want to let you know that I think it's great to explore all the holistic options first, but if they don't work for you, there are other options. There's always a way out of these kinds of problems.
Anyway, feel free to pm me about this if you want.

~Roo'sMama~ replied:
Karen, here's a link to the website of the company my mom got my cream from. Heartland Natural ProductsIt has all the info on it - there's too much for me to be able to tell it all. You should check it out - it apparently is good for lots of things besides PMS. I know it's safe to take, but I'm not 100% that it's ok to use while bf'ing. I just thought of that now actually. On the jar it says not to use while pregnant but it doesn't say anything about while nursing ~ I'm going to email them and ask about it, and probably ask my doctor too. But I don't really see any reason that it wouldn't be safe. I don't even take it all month, but only for 2 weeks out of the month. I remember from taking it before that... tmi ahead... when I would ovulate my cervical mucus was a lot less than when I didn't take it. I'll probably stop using the cream a month before we TTC.

I know what you mean about denying you have a genetic problem - it took me forever to admit I was depressed. I used to be on paxil but I didn't like the side effects - that's one of the reasons I'd rather take something natural. I feel better already now just knowing that I'm doing something. The thought of living like that forever just terrifies me.

jcc64 replied: Hey Sara-
Which of the side effects of paxil were most disturbing to you? Kwym, that's why I take such a low dose- actually it's so low that it barely does the job, but I'd rather sacrifice a little efficacy in order to avoid some of the side effects. I can't deal with the fact that it kills my interest in sex, and it also messes up my sleep.
I had never heard anything about the cream. Tell me more, if you don't mind. How does it work? Is it more for depression than anxiety?

jacobsmama replied: How exciting to hear you guys talking about progesterone cream!!! I don't use this but the Dr. I work for is a big prescriber of it from local compuounding pharmacy. YOu can get it Over the counter or you can talk with your dr about getting an rx that can be a little stronger. We actually give it to patients who are ttc because it helps with ovulation and keeping cycles regular. We also use it for moods/hotflashes and lots of stuff.

Like I said I don't use but I speak to pleanty of women being in OBGYN every day who do and our doing wonderful and wouldn't go without it!

Good luck to you hope you continue to do well.

coasterqueen replied: thanks Sara for the link and I will check with my doc as well as research the info you gave me.

I'm not even sure if I suffer from depression or what. I just have these highs and lows throughout my day. Dh says I go from happy to angry in seconds flat, lol. Course he says it's my german/irish temper and I've always been that way. I just know lately I can be happy one minute and sad the next. sorta like split personality or something.

Depression runs in our family and my aunt committed suicide late last year refusing to take anti depressants. I find myself afraid sometimes to mention something to my doctor because of my past. A LONG time ago I tried to commit suicide and had lots of issues around that time (during highschool). But the more I think about it, I've had these highs and lows for as long as I can remember. They just seem to affect me more now because my children see them.

I'll see what my doc says about the cream. Thanks again.

~Roo'sMama~ replied:
Well the one that bothered me the most was the night sweats. I had to get up once or twice a night to change my pj's and sometimes my sheets. I was on paxil before I got married so the sexual side effects didn't bother me, but that would be a biggie for me now. I think the only other one I remember noticing was the appetite change. I was on 20 mg a day, and then 40 a day for a while.

I'm just learning about all this myself so I don't know much, but a hormonal imbalance can cause lots of things like depression, anxiety, insomnia, decreased sex drive, mood swings, headaches, fatigue and of course pms... the list is pretty long and surprising to me. If you check out the site that I gave Karen a link to, they list some symptoms under "Should I use natural progesterone" in the FAQ's. Taking the progesterone cream can help balance your hormone levels. I use it mainly for PMS (but I have a lot of the other symptoms on the list), so I start applying it between day 10 and day 12 of my cycle and use it until AF shows up. I was looking at the website this morning and found this test to see if you have a hormone imbalance: Hormone Balance Test

I hope this helps! And Karen I hope you find out something too.

jcc64 replied: Thanks for the info, Sara. I have long suspected my problems to be related to a hormonal inbalance, but so far have been unable to get any of my drs to pay much attention to that theory. I am going to look into the link you provided- thanks again, and I hope it works for ALL of us!

A&A'smommy replied: Sara I'm glad you found something that might help you I hope that it works for you I hate to hear about you being miserable!! BTW how have you been feeling so far?

~Roo'sMama~ replied:
Thanks for asking Jessy... I'm still feeing really good. Normally by this time of the month I'm feeling pretty blue - I don't know if it's the cream working or just a good month for me. I guess after a couple months of using it I'll know!