DawnMN73 Posted August 7, 2006 Posted August 7, 2006 Hello All Ok i just went on medication for Severe PMS or PMDD. Its for PMS symptoms. I need advice I have been dating my new man for almost 6 months now. He told me a few months ago about one of his ex girlfriends that was on paxil & addicted to Ambien cause she had major depression. He referres to her as a wacko. I was just diagnosed with severe pms or PMDD & my doctor put me on the lowest dose of Paxil. He said that it helps for severe pms. I told him that i don't like the fact that i have to go on paxil, he said to me, "u have pms symptoms, not major depression" I was just wondering. I'm a little nervouse...... How do i tell my new man that i have to take paxil for my sever pms? when he thinks his ex was a wacko cause she had to take it??
milvushina Posted August 8, 2006 Posted August 8, 2006 I don't think you really have to tell him; if he asks or notices you could just say, "yeah, it's an antidepressant, but at lower doses it's also used to treat PMS." or something along those lines. What's the lowest dose? Is it 10mg? The therapeutic dose for depression or anxiety is, if I recall right, 20 mg and up. I took Paxil for a long time, 40mg, for anxiety, but they started me on 10 to get used to it and worked up. So I have not heard of this before but I'm sure your dr. is right, if he says it can be used for that. I'm interested to know if it makes you feel better!
Author DawnMN73 Posted August 9, 2006 Author Posted August 9, 2006 Yeah thats true But i will probably end up telling him. Yes the lowest dose is 10mg which is used to help PMS. Depression is like 40mg & up to like 100 or something like that. I was on paxil before & it cured my PMS, didn't feel any symptoms it was great! thanks
Outcast Posted August 9, 2006 Posted August 9, 2006 Who needs a man in their life who's so lacking in knowledge about health issues that he thinks people on needed meds are 'wackos'. Tell him. If he freaks out, ditch the jerk.
Rikka Posted August 9, 2006 Posted August 9, 2006 Who needs a man in their life who's so lacking in knowledge about health issues that he thinks people on needed meds are 'wackos'. Tell him. If he freaks out, ditch the jerk. exactly. When I told my SO about my illness it was my "make it or break it" point. I figured that if I was going to be with him, he would have to accept all of me. Turns out he is very open minded and loves me for me. I'm on 30mg of paxil (combined with another med). I have only recently been bumped up from 20mg. It has a lot to do with the patient's metabolism as well. As an aside, good for you DawnMN73 for seeking help for your condition. It takes guts. And unfortuneately there are people who are stuck in the mindset of "whackos" and so on. There is still a big social stigma involved with taking medications for certain problems. I am glad you found a treatment that helps you.
Craig Posted August 9, 2006 Posted August 9, 2006 There are other drugs that are called one thing but used for something else. For example, Wellbutrin is an antidepressant but the same drug sold under the name Zyban is used to help people quit smoking. Tricyclic antidepressants are used as antidepressants yes but in low doses some of them are excellent drugs for certain sleep disturbance issues. Aspirin is a pain killer but in low doses is used to reduce the chances of having a heart attack. Etc., etc.
Author DawnMN73 Posted August 9, 2006 Author Posted August 9, 2006 HI Thanks guys for your advice. I don't know why i am embarrased to tell my man that i have to take paxil , at its lowest does, for my PMD symptoms. Its PMS for god's sake, thats it. Rikka, if u don't mind me asking, why r u taking paxil?
Rikka Posted August 9, 2006 Posted August 9, 2006 Not at all DawnMN73. I have bi-polar disorder. So the paxil is used in tandem with a mood stabilizer to help keep everything in check.
Author DawnMN73 Posted August 11, 2006 Author Posted August 11, 2006 HI Rikka I was just wondering. I know i am being stupid & childish. But I have to be on paxil due to hormones & u have to be on it for bipolar, do u feel inside that u are a mental case & need medication? I feel like something is really wrong with me , that like i'm a mental case, since i need medication, even though mine is just hormonal. Do u feel that way sometimes?
Outcast Posted August 11, 2006 Posted August 11, 2006 There is no such thing as a 'mental case'. Your brain is an organ. It's a hunk of meat just like your kidney or liver. Sometimes it quits working properly just like any other organ. Well you know what happens when a pancreas stops working? Diabetes. Are you a 'pancreas case'? Somebody to be criticized? Did you make your pancreas quit working? Of course not. Same goes with the brain. It needs the right chemicals to work right. Sometimes the body isn't making the chemicals in the right proportions so your brain doesn't work that well. But because your brain does the job of thinking, the symptoms are often that the way you think and feel are off. Kindly don't refer to yourself or anybody else as a 'mental case' when all's wrong is that one body part is malfunctioning.
Rikka Posted August 11, 2006 Posted August 11, 2006 Thank you Outcast. exactly what i was going to say.
Author DawnMN73 Posted August 11, 2006 Author Posted August 11, 2006 Yes Outcast & Rikka U r correct! I just never looked at it that way. Please don't take what i said the wrong way, it was never meant to be mean. I didn't mean to refer to other people as a mental case, i was just saying that thats what i felt like sometimes since i have to take medication. Rikka, i didn't mean to refer to u as that, i hope u didn't take it that way! Outcast, what you said, makes sense. I'm just feeling sorry for myself i guess hahaha.
Outcast Posted August 12, 2006 Posted August 12, 2006 Why not? If you have cramps or a headache, you get to feel a little sorry for yourself so why not if your brain is ailing, too? Just don't do it too much
Rikka Posted August 14, 2006 Posted August 14, 2006 no worries Dawn, I never took it that way. As Outcast says, sometimes we do get to be self-indulgent, it is important from time to time. It isn't always easy. There is still a large social stigma attached to certain medications and conditions. Heck, I am guilty of it from time to time. Thankfully more and more people are being open with illnesses and more and more uses are being found for medications (I have been on everything from anti-psychotics to epilepsy medication for my condition). And I alway love when there are people who actually "get it" (like Outcast) and who do not hesitate to share their knowledge.
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