Public service announcement: PMDD or Why Should Men Whimper in Fear

[KillerMuffin]

http://www.womens-health.org/PMDD.html
http://www.drdonnica.com/display.asp?article=1086
http://www.usatoday.com/life/health/doctor/lhdoc094.htm
http://www.womensmentalhealth.org/resources/ForPatients/pdd.html

PMDD is Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder. A little under 5% of menstruating women in the US have PMDD. PMDD is a severe, debilitating form of PMS.

What is PMDD?

"PMDD is characacterized by severe monthly mood swings, as well as physical symptoms, that interfere with everyday life, especially a woman's relationships with her family and friends. PMDD's symptoms go far beyond what are considered manageable or normal premenstrual symptoms, and occur the week before, and disappear a few days after, the onset of menstruation. PMDD is a combination of symptoms that may include irritability, depressed mood, anxiety, sleep disturbance, difficulty concentrating, angry outbursts, breast tenderness and bloating. The diagnostic criteria emphasize symptoms of depressed mood, anxiety, mood swings or irritability."

It sounds like PMS, what's the difference?

"The physical symptom list is identical for PMS and PMDD; while the emotional symptoms are similar, they are significantly more serious with PMDD. In PMDD, the criteria focus on the mood rather than the physical symptoms. With PMS, sadness or mild depression is not uncommon. With PMDD, however, significant depression and hopelessness may occur; in extreme cases, women may feel like killing themselves or others. Attributing suicidal or homicidal feelings to “it’s just PMS” is inappropriate; these feelings must be taken as seriously as they are in anyone else and should be promptly brought to the attention of mental health professionals.

Women who have a history of depression are at increased risk for PMDD. Similarly, women who have had PMDD are at increased risk for depression after menopause. In simplest terms, the difference between PMS and PMDD can be likened to the difference between a mild headache and a migraine."

What's the big deal?

"PMDD is sort of the severe end of the PMS continuum," adds Roca. "Women with PMDD actually have impairment in either social or occupational functioning. For these women, it's fairly consistent. Most months they are impaired."

How do they figure out if you've got it?

"Since PMDD symptoms are related to the menstrual cycle, many women may turn to their gynecologist for help. On the other hand, since the symptoms that usually bother patients the most are depression, anxiety, or irritability, women may instead seek treatment from mental health professionals such as psychiatrists. If a woman decides to see a mental health professional, she should also be evaluated by a gynecologist, especially if she is over 40. To confirm the diagnosis of PMDD and distinguish it from other conditions that are not related to the phase of the menstrual cycle, the doctor may ask the woman to keep a daily symptom diary. Ideally women should keep such a diary for 2 months before treatment is begun, although some experts would consider starting treatment earlier if the symptoms are severe."

Okay, now what?

If you suspect you may have this problem, make an appointment to see your gynecologist. Don't self-treat.

Here's a little self-test: http://www.womens-health.com/health_center/mental/depress_pms.html

 

[Scabbers]

Whimpering

I'm thinking trigger locks would be appropriate

 

[Marxist]

Let me be the first to say to you KillerMuffin that this is utter horseshit dreamt up by Eli Lilly.

Prozac by any other name is still Prozac.....


How do I know? It's my business.

 

[seXieleXie]

marxist, if it improves the quality of these women's life how is it bullshit?

 

[Marxist]

marxist, if it improves the quality of these women's life how is it bullshit?

Re-read the article. How long has PMDD existed as a condition? Does the article mention HOW to treat the condition? Who did the research that led to this? And the doctors cited, what grants do they receive to invent this condition and come up with this diagnosis?

This is a prime example of patent extension, not seeking to help women with a bad or worsening condition.

Imagine the studies and "female conditions" you could come up with if Tylenol or Midol, hadn't gone generic.

The ONLY drug that TREATS this condition is fluoxetine, also known Prozac. Or as Lilly has rebranded it SERAFEM (seratonin, female).

It's like Clear Pepsi. It satisfied your thirst for a clear beverage that tasted just like Pepsi. Funny, I didn't remember having a need for a clear cola, but now that you mention it...

 

[seXieleXie]

i understand what you're saying marxist. that kind of things happen all the time... i think SAD (seasonal (something) despression.... i think that's the acronym... whatever) is a prime example. "you're depressed because it's winter, have some prozac..... doncha feel better now?"
but on the other hand, if serafem or whatever makes these women with pmdd (or just pms, or whatever you want to call these symptoms) then why is it such a big deal?

 

[KillerMuffin]

So a male pharmacuetical salesman knows more about premenstrual dysphoric disorder than my gynecologist. Gee. Maybe you can tell me all about my problems with depression and a generalized seizure disorder. Go ahead, Doctor. Discourse.

No, wait... you're just a pharmaceutical peon. Does it? Could it? Oh my gawd... Marxist knows jackshit about PMDD!

Wow, Marxist. Could it be that there are things in this world that might actually exist despite your cynical pharaceutical outlook? Maybe Eli Lilly just leaped onto it with Serafem? There are other and far better ways of treating PMDD than Serafem.

Don't call me a liar to my face.

 

[seXieleXie]

i think i may need to evacuate this thread quickly as it seems a fight is on the wind but um.... KM.... he didn't call you a liar.

 

[KillerMuffin]

this is utter horseshit

He called me a liar.

Most research about most conditions in this world is funded by private corporations looking to profit from the cure. The origin of penicillin is bread mold. Does that make it less valuable? Yes, Lilly wants people to buy prozac. Well there is a big surprise.

Big hint: Corporation does not equal satan.

I don't care where the information comes from so long as things like human rights aren't overlooked in getting it. Motive is not a justifiable reason for discredit. Otherwise, you'd better ban stuff like Silly Putty, the microwave oven, and nuclear medicine.

In other words, who the fuck cares who funded it? Does that make the research any less valuable? If it said that the only way to cure it was Serafem, that would be bullshit. In fact my gyno says the best way to control it is through diet, exercise, sleeping, proper nutrition, and a meditation program.

Sorry, Marxist has no knowledge of this beyond who forked over some of the cash and what the so-called wonder drug is. Ergo, his opinion on it is ill-informed at best, and destructive at worst.

 

[Marxist]

but on the other hand, if serafem or whatever makes these women with pmdd (or just pms, or whatever you want to call these symptoms) then why is it such a big deal?

Aha young willow, you are learning!

It's a big deal for several reasons. One of which is not everybody in America needs to be on psychotropic medications. The long term effects aren't truly known. Those psychotropic drugs that we thought were the safe answers in the not so distant past have turned out to be troublesome (Valium and MOAI's are good examples). In the case of Serafem, it's pretty much like using a sledgehammer on a fly. And if you do get relief, in all likelihood, you didn't have PMDD, but were depressed to begin with!

The other is that at the corporate level, this is a fraud that takes away from those in real need (the clinically depressed poor) that struggle to afford the drug at brand name prices.

In addition to that, how is this effort to invent a new condition to which Lilly "magically" had the cure affecting the development of new and more needed drugs?

It's a complex issue, but Lilly are the bad guys in this no matter how it's played.

 

[KillerMuffin]

Very well then. Explain to me how PMDD is horseshit. I expect you to cite sources beyond your own opinions.

 

[Andreina]

i drink ginger tea, bath with a neroli oil bath ballistic, eat a 2 bars of chocolate and pop some painkillers. i also bitch around a lot and am nasty to man when i'm surfing the red wave.

i figured i am a PMS sufferer when I started crying watching Superman being exposed to Kryptonite.

Life sucks.

 

[VanB]

Actually Marxist has a point about Pharmas and not just Lilly and it's not limited at all to PMDD. There do seem to be ever more treatments available from Pharmas for a host of new "problems" as discovered by recent medical research funded by - you guessed it - Pharmas.


BTW PMDD sounds horrendous

 

[LukkyKnight]

discovery does not equate to creation

People doubted the existence of germs. Learning they existed and finding ways to combat them has rather improved the standard of living, even though drug companies make a profit from selling anti-bacterial agents.

One infers Marxist doesn't work for Lilly. ~LOL~

There now, go on with the fight, for your apparent foes are insipid enough to warrant it - right?

 

[seXieleXie]

He called me a liar.

he said you were wrong, it's not the same thing.



oh, and while not all corporations are santan, i do think eli lilly has it in with the devil i've read too much about him/them/it to believe otherwise.

 

[Marxist]

Muffy, you fight like a .....girl.

Swinging blindly with your eyes closed, you don't care who or what you hit. You're dangerous, you've told us that a thousand times.

I never called you a liar. I simply said your info was horseshit. The people at Lilly know it's horseshit as well. They're abandoning ship at the top. It's pretty nasty. Oh yeah and the FDA is on their ass as well.

I'm not going to go into a long rant about the dangers of SSRI's because their long term benefits usually outweigh their dangers.

However, I'm not going to let you blindly COPY and PASTE an article written by a corporate shill for a website they created and let it go unchallenged.


And watch who you call peon. You just might hurt my feelings.

 

[KillerMuffin]

Yeah whatever. My info comes from books not published on the 'Net. Most of my info from my doc comes from NIMH. It just might have escaped your notice, but I'm not blindly cutting and pasting anything. You're just not reading. You may not have noticed this either, but not once did I post a thing about SSRI's or medication. I didn't even post a thing about dietary restrictions, vitamin therapy, or anything about methods of treating it. The only thing I c'nped about treatment is that it's given by gynecologists or psychiatrists and that you should see a gynecologist for it. That and not to self-treat. I c'nped because I did a quick search for PMDD to spell it and found information that jibed with mine. I pasted the links because, unlike some other local assfuckshits, I cite my sources and don't try to pass them off.

You fight like a pussy. Quit prevaricating. You're just not getting into because you don't know anything about PMDD beyond the medications for it.

I don't believe in psychological disorders, particularly when they're applied to me. Words like PMS have been thrown around as a fucking crutch for every wuss ass motherfucker to use as an excuse for their behavior. I've found that the PMDD diagnosis and information has been valuable because it not only explains why I behave badly, but helps me recognize when and what not to do to make shit worse. I'm almost fucking impossible to live with at times. My shrink thinks I'm fucking bi-polar because once or twice a month I'm the bitch you have nightmares about. I was on depakote for two and half years. My levels averaged 155 on the shit. I didn't change behaviorally. Medication, for the most part, is ineffective. Serious change starts within.

Fuck, Marxist, don't get stupid on me now.

 

[sexy-girl]

Very well then. Explain to me how PMDD is horseshit. I expect you to cite sources beyond your own opinions.

it is not horsecrap ... i've seen a lot of storys about this and it makes you realize however bad PMS you get there are some very serious sufferers out there that there lives are almost unliveable because of PMDD


so before you say its horsecrap do some research on it ... because there is some very real sufferers out there of it ... especially when these suffers had to spend such a long time to get this recognized

 

[Marxist]

KillerMuffin, I hope you feel better in whatever course of treatment you find to be effective.

That said, your doctor is probably willing to tell you anything to shut your big under-educated trap up.

Just a peon's opinion.

 

[Moridin187]

i understand what you're saying marxist. that kind of things happen all the time... i think SAD (seasonal (something) despression.... i think that's the acronym... whatever) is a prime example. "you're depressed because it's winter, have some prozac..... doncha feel better now?"

It's Seasonal Affective Disorder.. And it's not just a made up thing lexie, I have it.. And I know a lot of other people who do too. Half of my friends (including me) have to sit around and console eachother all winter.. Even my sex drive drops to nearly nothing when the snow flies.. It's a combination of an already existing depressive disorder coupled with cold and less daylight and other factors.

 

[bluespoke]

Marxist

If you're as smart as you seem to think you are, why don't you call up a search engine, type in PMDD and start reading.

When you've finished, in a few days time, come back and tell us that there's no such condition, if you dare.

Until then, give us peace!

 

[KillerMuffin]

I'm not nearly this effusive in real life.

That's what I thought, Marxist. Nothing to say about the disorder itself so you have to personally attack me. How Perot of you. My education on the disorder isn't in question. Yours, on the other hand, has rapidly proven non-existent. All you can talk about are SSRI's and Lilly. Whoopee do. That happens to be a miniscule issue in the big PMDD picture.

Unless of course, you're an arrogant ignorant more interested in minimalizing issues that pertain to other people because you have no real input to add beyond negative comments respective to a tertiary issue.

Chalk this up to a underwhelming failure on your part. You can't offer any evidence to disprove that PMDD is a genuine disorder beyond the fact that Lilly funded some of its research and that Lilly wants prozac to fix it. If that's the criterion that you evaluate research, then you've got some serious delusional issues to deal with. You're bias in this comes entirely from motives of profit. Would you be touting SSRI's for PMDD if you sold it? Yes.

If you can't say anything that doesn't resemble your hind end breaking wind, then you might want to consider saying nothing at all.

 

[sexy-girl]

marxists dont attack killermuffin just because you've found out you were wrong ... this is actually quite a recognized thing now and i've read a fair bit about it ... i expect being that you're not a woman and you dont have to deal with things like PMS you've never read about it ... theres no shame in that but dont start attacking killermuffin ... shes anything but uneducated as she proved that she knew a lot more about this then i did

 

[p_p_man]

I think depression in women is an overrated thing...

I don't remember them walking the streets, wringing their hands and beating their brows, chanting, "PMT! PMDD! SAD!" before the drug companies became what they are!

 

[bluespoke]

Oh dear pp_man, the mood she's in you are ripe for a thrashing!

Apart from which your shit stirring comment is way over the top, as usual.

If you need it I've got a fire extinguisher handy!