Posted by Kaysey on October 15, 2001, at 0:38:46
In reply to Re: Loestrin 1/20 and paranoia--more info » Kaysey, posted by AnneL on October 15, 2001, at 0:00:21
> Hi Kaysey,
>
> This sounds like a tough one. I too take Effexor XR at 225 mg. daily, but I don't find that it helps me with PMS one bit. The reason why I know that I was depressed on the Pill was the excessive fatigue. I would come home from work and fall asleep for about an 1 1/2. Since it sounds like adding to your family is not an issue, why not try seeing how you feel with adjusting your AD's, etc. and doing a trial off the pill for about 3 months? Maybe you will be able to find your happy medium without hormonal mediation. It really dosen't sound like it's helping you out. It is conclusive, the Pill does not alleviate PMS symptoms for the majority of users and therefore should not be prescribed for such. Suppression of ovulation would be helpful for heavy menses (menorrhagia), but IMHO you might want to try working out your AD combinations and see how you do without the Pill.
> If you really want to try out another Pill, ask your GYN about Yasmin. Even though it has a higher level of estrogen (just 10 mcgs more), it really is the combination of the progestin and estrogen that make it either a success or a failure. You might like to give it a try. I understand that Yasmin may apply for a new indication in 2 to 3 years as a therapy modality for PMS due to its novel progestin, drosperinone.
> Check out Berlix website for more info. Anne :)Hi Anne,
Thanks again for the assistance, and yes, I have actually been considering going completely off the pill to see what happens, since I have never been away from it while on ADs. Probably will try Yasmin first.
I returned to your original post and re-read the information about your progestin-IUD. Were there any other options available besides this or hysterectomy (D and C? daily OGEN--progestin--suppositories?). I understand that even though the dosage is lower than pills, the progestin in the IUD is directly absorbed (doesn't have to go through the GI tract)and therefore is just as potent. Have you discussed the possibility of using natural progesterone either transdermally or vaginally? Though I have no personal experience with this, I understand that this can be quite effective for progesterone supplementation without the typical side effects--depression/water retention etc. I have actually considered this if I go off bcps. It may be that this won't provide enough continuous progesterone to subdue the adenomyosis, but it would be worth checking into. Otherwise, increasing the Effexor may be your best bet. I slowly titrated up to 300mg and am now back down to 225 (trying to balance with the Wellbutrin to see what works best). I didn't have any problems at 300mg, but as I mentioned previously, Effexor is extremely sedating for me, and I was trying to achieve some norepinephrine effect (I didn't and thus the Wellbutrin addition).
Let me know what you try with either the progestin or the Effexor (or both). Good luck and thanks again!
Kaysey
poster:Kaysey
thread:80411
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20011007/msgs/81321.html