Hi everyone! I read the posts about PMS and moodiness and all the "nerves" many of us experience, mostly before our periods start. I, too, have this problem every month and I'm tired of becoming a yelling monster all the time..I don't even think it has so much to do with the candida diet, I had it even before..So..I bought VITEX , I heard it's a good tonic and helps a lot with PMS..Is there something else, maybe better anyone has tried ? Maybe Tarilee could recommend something ?
Thanks !
Raluca.

Hi there

I find oil of evening primrose is very good for the blues, it's also a good source of efa's - I used to get horrendous PMT, but actually it is a lot better since doing the diet... I still get it occasionally and I find that geranium and especially clary sage essential oils to be very calming for this time. I don't know really about any supplements or meds that could help, but I'm sure other people will have suggestions too

samxx

Hi Sam and Raluca--besides doing this diet and clearing out as much of this horrid candida as I can--I found Adreset by Metagenics to help with my PMS tremendously. you may want to give it a go...

Ashley

Hi Sam and Ashley! Thanks for your replies. I'll try your recommendations too, in case my Vitex doesn't work. Never heard about them before, but I'll surely keep them in mind!
Raluca.

Hi Raluca,

Clearing candida toxicity will normalize hormone levels greatly. There are also great products on the market like organic raspberry leaf tea (not raspberry flavoured...use seven to ten days before cycle starts 2 or 3 x a day), herbal liver support (used pre menstrually at bed time), krill oil (taken all month), b complex vitamins with high b 6 (taken all month), vitex or chaste tree berry, flax lignans and more.

You may want to try one or two supports while you're clearing candida since these things can feel even worse during detoxification. You may also consider consulting with a naturopath about this, someone who can look at your whole health picture and help by supervising you as you progress also.

Take good care,

TLC

Thank you Tarilee, I'll keep in mind everything you suggested! I am really not feeling too well these days, moreover I have to leave the country very soon, so when I come back in 2 months I'll take it all over again, and HOPEFULLY I'll be able to start the whole approach program. Thanks again for all your support!
Raluca

And here I am again, a year later! I started VITEX a few weeks ago, and although it is such a safe and great herb, it seems I am among those 1-2% of women who experience a totally adverse reaction from it! I started taking it for PMS and now I got my period 2 weeks earlier, I have hairloss, dandruff, and feel very tired...I really don't know if I should continue using it...And I don't even want to think about how this new "imbalance" in my menstrual cycle will affect my yeast problem...
PLEASE help! Did anyone experience something similar from Vitex or am I the only one ? Few months ago I also tried a combination of vitex, dong quai and something else...I forgot..And, again I experienced a heavier and earlier period..It seems that these "women herbs" don't work well for me..Maybe I didn't find the right one yet and maybe I should try to treat my PMS with other supplements and vitamins, minerals..Tarilee, what do YOU think ?

Thank you all and stay healthy and..."balanced" !
Raluca.

oh raluca...I feel you. I took Vitex for about a whole month after asking what to do about PMS on here...and Seriously, I had the worst cramps ever. Worst period ever...and I didnt think they could possibly GET worse. But I've got a prescription for the pain now....and im not so mean to everyone when Im not hurting. I still cry and feel more'up & down' than I should, but at least it's not severe.

So there ARE side effects..!! We should report them, because everywhere I read about Vitex there is "no or minor side effects like gastrointestinal upset or heavier menstrual flow.."..Nothing about what we experienced...
Thanks for writing "splishsplash"

you're welcome raluca!how would we go about that? I was highly upset, the site I got mine from said 100% safe and effective....and it was neither for me.

As far as I know we could report the side effects to FDA..I ran once into a link explaining how we could do that..I have to find it again..I'm very upset too, it was the LAST thing I needed right now, to mess with my menstrual cycle and everything what will follow...I actually got ALL the possible side effects + more..I can't believe it!!

Unless you got into a batch from a company that was not testing for purity and using natural growing techniques (in which case I'd report the company, not the herb), I would imagine that what happened was not a side effect but the result of using the wrong herb at the wrong time.

A naturopathic doctor who uses saliva testing for hormone assessment is the best person to help you customize a herbal program. If you are guessing (which lots of folks do when they use Vitex, since it is the closest to an all around balancer), then it can take some uncomfortable trial and error experiences to find the right herb(s). Also, sometimes you feel a bit worse before you feel better or sometimes it's confusing because it's actually something else causing the symptom that we attribute to the herb (more caffeine than usual for example.)

It costs a lot to do full testing with ND's but even without all the testing they are better able to help you figure these things out than most of us are on our own.

Hormone cycles can respond tremendously better to herbal balancing than to drugs that can worsen the problem in the long run but our bodies are complex so the over the counter solution is not right for everyone. Can you see an ND?

TLC

Thanks Tarilee for your answer! I took the Nutraceutical Sciences Institute (NSI) brand for Vitex ( 800 mg, twice daily). I took some by Nature's Way too, but much less..As far as I know, they are ok brands...?
I've already done some blood tests, and my MD checked the hormone levels, which were fine...Only he added, we never know for sure how hormone levels are, because they always change..You'd have to have many tests for a few months, to see when and if they are at normal levels...I can't do that..But I decided to stop taking vitex for my PMS and try something else...
My naturopath gave me that tincture mixture with vitex, dong quai, etc,, which had no good effect on me either..
I know you told me once not to give up on him and I really dont (only money keep me away from seeing him again and ask him more questions..) ..but to tell you the truth..I felt he treated the whole "candida problem" way too superficial...Like : "take propolis for ...I don't know how long, depends..but I guarantee you it kills candida"...So, I didn't feel the "whole approach" to the problem, that I felt here...
Raluca

Hey Raluca!

I'm sorry to hear of what happened here. I can say for myself that I had real hormonal issues in relation to the candida. I went to an ND who did the saliva test (which is a month-long test btw)--blood tests are not particularly indicative of what's happening because it's more of a snap shot of the whole story. I can't recommend this test enough for people struggling with these issues.

I seriously forget exactly what my issues were--this was close to 5 years ago now, but he put me on three things--pregnalone, licorice root, and adreset. The first two my body simply could not handle--as Tarilee said, a lot of this is trial and error till you find what works for you. the adreset, however, was a lifesaver and if I could afford it I'd still take it today.

All that being said, as my body healed, my period became regular, with very little pms.

I hope you find your way through this and please share what you end up doing ok?

Ashley

Hi Raluca,

That's too bad that your ND didn't know how to help you cope with candida with a more "whole approach." Sadly, not all ND's do take it as seriously as they could and it can take some searching to find an expert in candida. If you choose to do some more hunting for another ND, we have some recommendations on the site at this link: http://wholeapproachforums.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/8446011311/m/7051025471

I've used Nature's Way before though I don't use them regularly and don't know much about their quality control. I usually ask questions about third party testing for all possible contaminants, organic growing or ethical wildcrafting techniques and about how they insure their products are GMO free. I also do whatever I can to purchase additive free products.

I wish you luck with this. Hopefully you won't have to just do the 'trial and error' approach since the result of these experiments can be hard to assess.

TLC

Thank you Tarilee and Ashley ! I didn't know about the saliva test, but now I do, thanks to you and I'll try to get it done some day..Surprising though, Ashley, that even after this test you still had to do the "trial and error", since not all 3 medicines/supplements were good for you..Anyway, right now I decided to stay away from herbs like that, I really can't afford another "episode" like this..I'll try milder things and more vitamins...By the way, I still don't know how to reverse the whole thing..Now it seems I have like a month-long PMS,with little blood spotting every day, due to my new generated hormonal imbalances..I can only wait for my real period and see what happens next, I suppose..Probably another yeast infection following...
Tarilee, thanks for the info again, I'll check it out..Yes, it's a pitty, I thought only regular MDs treat candida problems so superficial but I guess not..I still think he is a good ND, and I think he had good intentions but I also believe that you have to be into the core of this problem, to really understand what is it all about..
Take care!
Raluca.

Hey Raluca--give your body some time and please let us know how you're doing okay?

Tarilee, where do you ask about testing for all possible contaminants, organic growing or ethical wildcrafting techniques and about how they insure their products are GMO free ??
Can you give some information about those companies who can provide this ? How is this working ?
Thank you !!

Raluca

Hi Raluca,

You can start by asking your knowledgeable local health food store employees (those who work in the herbal isle). This is not always a useful endeavour however since health stores typically pay low wages and don't always attract the most knowledgeable staff. If you see some companies who sell formulas that you like the look of, check the label or available paper or web literature for more information. If you don't see these specifics on the label it is unlikely that this care is taken in its production. A final strategy that may work is to contact the company directly and ask them.

You could also look in your business listing for herbal producers. Not all herbs are available organically but most should be available wild crafted if not and all should be guaranteed to be GMO free. The GMO detail is one that you will likely need to contact the company to ask as it is not always presented on the label.

St Francis Herb Farm has very good quality control standards here in Canada. If you need products not sold on the site here, you will likely be some that are local to your area that are also good qualilty.

Cheers,

TLC

Hello everybody, again ! I'm continuing my "trial and error" process, and I'm still struggling with PMS symptoms...Yes, I know, once I solve the candida problem, they will eventually improve..Unfortunately I can't change much in my life right now, but I look for an improvement at least, since I experience bad mood swings, fatigue and breast pain before my period and then big blood clots during my period..(I've read about this, and it doesn't seem to be a real problem, but it disturbs me!)
Anyway...So I tried Evening Primrose oil now, since it didn't work with Vitex with me..And, "surprise"! I had the same problem..I got my period almost 2 weeks earlier, and with bigger blood clots than ever...COULD ANYBODY EXPLAIN WHY IS THIS HAPPENING, UNTIL I GET TO A DOCTOR AND FIND OUT (HOPEFULLY!) MORE ?? I TRY TO UNDERSTAND ALL THIS HORMONE CYCLE WE HAVE TO GO THROUGH EVERY MONTH BUT I FEEL THERE IS SOMETHING I DON'T GET...MAYBE WE SHOULD USE DIFFERENT PRODUCTS, DURING DIFFERENT PERIODS OF TIME ? (like maybe dong quai in the estrogen phase and then vitex or primrose oil during progesterone phase ?)
PLS HELP! THANK YOU!
Raluca