General Health

A type of mood-altering therapy called melatonin inhibition—that is, treatments that affect the hormone melatonin—also seems to help fight PMS symptoms. Melatonin is connected to our sense of time of day, light and darkness, and therefore is tied to energy and mood as well. Also, “light therapy,” in which patients are put in front of banks of bright light to relieve depression, seems to help premenstrual depression. These treatments boost energy and vigor and reduce irritation. Sometimes a bit of this effect can be gained just by spending more time outside in daylight, but that’s not always easy in certain parts of the country at certain times of the year (for instance, in the Northeast in the dead of winter when days are cold and short).

The following medications are used to suppress ovulation and have been tried as treatments for PMS. They hold back the release of an egg from the ovaries, preventing the body from going into the second half of the menstrual cycle, when PMS signs develop. This is an extreme approach to treating PMS, far more potent than most women will need. But if your condition is serious, and your doctor recommends one of these drugs, here are some brief descriptions.

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General health