Sharing my experience with Prefemin (Vitex)

Oh God.

Yet another girl grumbling about her PMS.

 

Well, I decided to take a proactive measure to tackle it head on rather than wallowing in my PMS-amplified depression with a tub of Ben & Jerry’s chocolate fudge brownie and Vlasic dill pickles.

This is about my experience with a new drug / supplement that claims to have an effect on alleviating PMS/PMDD symptoms.

I searched the internet for quite some time and there seems to be very little information about it. So I decided to start a blog, at 2 a.m. to publicly keep track of my experience with this new drug.

THIS IS BY NO MEANS A PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL ADVICE.

THIS IS a VERY PERSONAL REVIEW (hence the name of the spontaneous blog), with hopes of helping other women out there who may be looking into taking Prefemin for their PMS related symptoms. Please consult your health care provider for professional opinion.

I’ve heard of Prefemin for some time now – an OTC drug being marketed as an ‘Herbal medicine for the treatment of PMS’ by a Swiss pharmaceutical company with emphasis on phytotherapy.

Prefemin is composed of 60% Agnus-Castus extract (active ingredient) and 40% colloidal silicon dioxide (inactive ingredient). I think the more widely used trade name in the States is ‘Vitex’

A quick web search revealed that much higher dose of Vitex fruit extract capsules by various health supplement manufacturers are available at a much lower price. Is Prefemin, which appears to have essentially the same active ingredient as many other more affordable options, worth the hefty price tag of approx. $60 (USD)? How much influence on retail price do lack of plausible substitute and it being imported from Swiss have? Is there a meaningful difference in the bio-availability and stability / effectiveness between Vitex products from Whole Foods and Prefemin from Zeller? I don’t know.

(Also, I currently live in an Asia, where Vitex is not readily available & a visit to an OB/GYN is not really a thing here. That’s a story for some other time.)

I, being a skeptic, decided to take a more conservative route to go with a product from a Swiss pharma. After all, my trusty doctor’s long-time go-to prescription for mucousy cough has been Prospan from the same manufacturer, and I have responded well to it.

So there you have it.

Once again,

I AM NOT A HEALTH CARE PROVIDER. NOT A MEDICAL ADVICE.

If there’s any legal issues with the information I am sharing, I am likely to be not aware of it. Please contact me and I will remove the content that violates the law.

 

Update – Management Technique

I am not able to post very often these days – and it will likely stay that way until this damn deadline on the first week of March. Today, I thought I’d share a self-developed technique to manage negative emotions. I am finding this to be very handy right now, and hope this can benefit anyone.

As March is rapidly approaching, the pressure is is immensely building up, and the potential adrenaline high keeping low moods at bay.. well, I might have to take it back. I’ve been in some shitty mood in the past few days, which I really can’t afford to wallow in crappy mood. I am trying to accept emotion as something that comes and goes, and with a life of its own – it’s not a static thing; it’s constantly changing and evolving, for the better or worse. But, also at the same time, there are times when it really gets in the way.

I tended to be quite withdrawn – and with a rather blithely personality I’ve adopted to play, my external appearance does not exactly reflect the bottomless hollowness that echoes depression. Being in therapy – it’s been a little over a year now – I am more ever so slightly more in touch with my emotions in general, but it is also like opening a can of disgusting insects crawling around (sorry insect lovers) and I don’t have a pesticide handy (Sorry PETA).

My point is, this cascade of shitty emotions hit me damn hard and I must stay afloat and stay productive. I want to ignore it and pretend it doesn’t exist, but I am trying to learn to live with it. So.. I set a timer for any length of time I wish, and tell myself that I will come back to the shittiness in few minutes. My timer segments are 15 min, 20 min, or 45 minutes. In a way, the end of each block of time becomes an achievable, manageable goal, and it is much less daunting to take few minutes at a time, than taking a whole day at a time. This way, I have a block of time, however long or short, that I am dedicating myself to stay as focused as possible, and somehow rewarding myself to explore the crappiness not long after.

Of course, this doesn’t work very well if I can’t catch myself before I fall too deep into the dump. But at that point, I find that no socially acceptable coping strategy really helps, and unfortunately, I find self sabotaging activities to be the most grounding.

Anyway, I thought I’d share the timer trick. as for the Prefemin update, I won’t be going back on it until Mid March, which will be around my next cycle. I do plan on going back on it, just after things calm down a bit.

No Prefemin Week – FloDay3

 

Hello All!

Thanks for visiting this corner of my Very Personal Review, where I share all sorts of details about very womanly issue – period / menstrual cycle / PMS / PMDD, whatever you’d like to call it – along with my ups and downs of emotional state. I am calling it an emotional state rather than any formal psych diagnostic label, because, one, the whole process of labeling one’s mental state is a very subjective business (despite there being an official diagnostic guideline. Also, the development and revision process for such is very messy), and two, it very often becomes such an ‘identity’ for a person, that it actually gets in the way of recovering, and restoring balance.

I am unusually upbeat right now, probably from being so zoned into work to meet this damn February deadline. I am actually scared of the ‘low’ I will hit once I meet the deadline and have nothing to obsess over. Obsession of sorts have always helped me to appear a very high-functioning human being. But, I am being chased by time and here goes my report of this cycle, partially on Prefemin.

Not proof read, not edited, not thought-out ahead of time. Free-association style.

Skin	I have been complaining about my skin all acting up enough, that if you are a regular visitor to this odd corner of the internet, you already know that my skin has been less than ideal. I had a pretty brutal visit to my dermatologist, during which he zapped the living heck out of existing & budding breakouts. I had to use fair amount of makeup to cover up the redness and the scabs resulting from it for a few days. Since then, I did have some additional zits showing up, but nowhere near the extent of my previously bitched-about level. I went back for a tune-up the other day. He lasered some zits again, not nearly as many as the last time. It seems like my skin is finding somewhat of a balance again. Considering that it was PMS week, it actually was pretty average.
Fatigue Level	I’ve been trying to get around 7 hrs of sleep every night. Sleep is crucial in maintaining mental acuity, regulating mood, and obviously so, fatigue level. Groundbreaking, I know!! But here, I am not just saying it, the difference is very noticeable. During the week leading up to my expected P date, I made sure I got 8.5 hrs of sleep. I know this seems like a lot of sleep for someone who claims she has no time for anything. Right. I’ve cut people, exercise, and some minor entertainment time (youtube watching) to make sure I get adequate amount of sleep. I was still tired, I minimized physical activity level at the slightest sign of fatigue. I did squeeze in some light exercises here and there when I felt like I would benefit from it. I was still more tired than usual, but I didn’t feel like I would fall asleep whilst walking down a busy street.
Cognitive Ability	I had no motivation to do complicated mental work, which is not good considering I needed it. I tried my best to get more simple, busy work done and save more complicated business for later. Noticeably shorter attention span per usual, but I think I managed it a litte better.
Food Cravings	I paid particular attention to eating more balancing / slow releasing food. When I had cravings for sweets, I allowed myself to a sensible amount. I’ve also cut back on caffeine this week.
Mood Swings	This. I had many many occasions which I had to hold myself back from giving the world a piece of my mind. I was mostly very impatient.

So, overall, This particular round of PMS was significantly more manageable than usual. I’ve only been on Prefemin for about 15 days, and I’ve been off of it for almost two weeks now. Honestly, I think I am just high on adrenaline, rather than it being the effect of Prefemin. It’s this weird co-existence of depressing undercurrent and adrenaline high. The fall will be a bitch.

No Prefemin Week – Day -0

So According to my tracker app, my monthly Aunt Flo is due to arrive very soon. Starting today. I am currently swamped with work with rapidly approaching work deadline, which leaves me with little time for anything else.

I have not noticed any dramatic PMS symptoms so far. You know, the usual.. uncontrollable cry spells, having to hold back urges to lash out at people, crazy appetite, extreme fatigue, feeling bloated, etc.

So I thought, perhaps I am so swamped that I am distracted from my own senses, or perhaps that almost 3 weeks of on-off Prefemin intake did have some positive impact on me?

But now I am noticing some signs, like.. general tenderness in physical sensation, and feeling a little heavier.. not by far, but a couple of pounds. I AM in the window of PMS, but does this mean that I have gained non-PMS related weight??? HAVE I JUST GOTTEN FATTER. 

So I will have to give it few more days, and possibly even a week, to see when Aunt Flo comes and how I experience it this cycle, but this feeling fat really doesn’t feel good. I am still on the leaner side, but I am used to having working out intensely for 4+ times a week, with very little body fat (around 18-20% ish). I feel like I am around 22-23% now, which, makes me feel like a failure. Can you tell I am obsessive? Yeah, I have a little bit of a problem on that front. I am obsessive about the general fitness and food intake, because I feel like this is one area in my life where I (can) have a physical control over, so I took the control thing a tad far and.. this is story for.. not today. I keep saying later, later, for some stories, but 1. I like to think through rather than doing this stream of consciousness style for certain topics 2. I genuinely cannot afford to get to it this month 😦

I will keep the general status update regarding Prefemin, or lack thereof, so keep your eyes peeled if you are interested!

 

I did have some emotional roller coaster and some anxiety issues, so I took half a dose of anxiety medication two days in a row to help me get some sound sleep. Which I got. Except, the thought of one-less-pill-available is inducing another kind of mild anxiety.

Physical front.. my zit pretty much cleared up, I will likely drop by my dermatologist’s for a quick maintenance early next week. and I FEEL FAT.

No Prefemin Week Day -4

Another quick report here –

I am physically achy and tired, but nothing out of ordinary for this time of the month. I did practice yoga yesterday, and I have a bit of soreness from it. Not bad though! It feels oddly pleasant. I feel a little ‘gutty’ – I am a pretty lean body, but I feel a little… meaty? gutty? around this time of the month and it drives me nuts. In the past, this has repeatedly led to a.. behavior very much like an eating disorder. I am trying to move a little more – whether it be by incorporating some light yoga (as I can’t afford a major fatigue and DOMS right now), or taking several short walks through out the day. I also am very aware of what and how I am eating.

Anxiety is.. definitely here, trying to channel this energy that is anxiety for some productivity.

I am definitely at a less than optimal functioning right now, but I am not suicidally depressed and weeping (yet), so I guess this is a green light for today.

No Prefemin Week – D-6

I am constantly hungry.

Definitely watching what I eat – a dose of serotonin boosting, sugary treats (it’s chocolate chip biscotti this month, in case anyone is wondering), but mostly comprised of a plateful of fresh veggies and a palmful of protein source, with half a fist-sized serving of carbs.

I also went easy on caffeine today.

For two reasons: anxiety and blood sugar.
I experience plummeting blood sugar during PMS, and having a lot of caffeine almost had me faint few times in the past. Not a fun experience by the way.

My usual caffeine intake these days.. probably equals two cups of black tea and 3-4 shots of espresso. That’s a lot of caffeine. Instead, I had a cup of mate in the morning, a shot of espresso mid-day, a cup of black tea in the evening, and a cup of decaf to accompany me pounding out some quality work late night.

Thankfully, I’ve had a little tiring, but very motivated day today. I really need to stay motivated right now, and I will do anything to retain this energy for the next few weeks.

A quick note to conclude today’s short musings: 
I am obviously able to acknowledge and say this about myself because I am in the ‘up’ of my depressive cycle. It occurred to me during a conversation with a friend (which happened literally four minutes before I started today’s entry) that I am not a settler. I always thought I had low standards, but turns out that is very very not true. I am very often in a depressive rut, but I have a substantial part of me is definitely a go-getter and an achiever.

 

No Prefemin Week D-7

Hello there –

Another quick check in for the day here!

• I am not particularly depressed today, but the level of anxiety is definitely  rising. Thanks to the anonymity, I admit that I had an urge to SH, but I was able to fight it off with some brisk walk out in the cold. I am also trying to deal with my anxiety by dealing with a very well defined cause of anxiety for me – work deadline.
• I had been complaining about major breakouts. After a visit to my dermatologist last week and lasering the crap out of potential zits, the spots are healing and I am seeing no new problematic sites coming up as of now. Breakouts like these are not one of the major PMS concerns for me – I do appear very tired and makeup looks ‘off’, but I rarely have uncontrollable breakouts because of PMS. It’s been about a week since I’d been off Prefemin/Vitex, and also a week since my visit to the derm. My skin did not improve much after my previous visit to the derm because I was still on Prefemin. Now I am starting to think that my breakouts and Prefemin are correlated.

• PMS appetite that makes me feel like an animal IS back, and I am trying to make sure my diet is heavier on protein and veggies than sugar and caffeine.
• Speaking of diet, I am not short of vitamin, but the inside of my mouth feels like I am short of Vitamin C. And so does my throat. And my eyes feel somewhat inflamed and uncomfortable – and just feel like I am coming down with cold. I wish I could afford to sleep it off. I am starting to feel tired and definitely not getting sick from some infection, but still feel sick from PMS.
• I had been having dreams of getting raped. I don’t think I was ever raped, but it really is a shitty feeling to get up to.

Question – should I be putting a trigger warning for things like this?

Please tell me in the comment below, and I will take in the feedback. I just don’t know where to draw the line and how cautious I should be.

No Prefemin Week – D-8

The alarm went off this morning and my body immediately felt heavier than usual.

I was starting to see noticeably increased appetite since two days ago.

Since this morning, I was starting to feel a little off –

I could feel my heart pounding after my usual morning cup of coffee, and I did not feel satiated after meals. Today, I found myself looking through the fridge when I felt physically full, yet not satiated.

…and my P Tracker shows I am 8 days out from my period this month.

So here I am, back at my daily report.

I should probably be taking Prefemin right now to see if it will have any effect on me, but I have a major breakout situation I am trying to tame before resuming on it.

The most noticeable symptom(?) of PMS/PMDD I am starting to see today is insatiable appetite and tiredness. Lack of focus/motivation isn’t here yet, thank god. I am also noticeably more anxious. I usually like to take a brisk walk for 20 minutes or so to relieve anxiety and clear my mind, but the air quality where I am was quite shitty that it felt like the world had a yellow dust filter, and even the thought of voluntarily walking around outside in such situation made me cringe hard. The 15 minute meditation mid-day helped to refresh a little bit. My plan is to do a 25 minute self-paced yoga sequences, followed by another 15 minute meditation right before bed, with the hopes of muffling the emotional bust.

As for the appetite front.. this makes me feel like an animal. I know humans ARE animals, but it makes me feel like I have so little self control that I can’t even control my own appetite. Unless I eat more though, I get hit with low blood sugar and feel like I am going to faint, so I do have to eat more. But, that still makes me feel like a loser with weak self control. I also quite strongly dislike feeling fat, whether it be water weight or fat.

I will eat things with more texture, and with more protein and complex carbs tomorrow and see if it makes any difference.

Edit: I also have few things that’s bothering me. One of my resolutions for this year is improving the way I communicate with other people. To sugar coat less, and to be more direct about things especially when it has to do with my dissatisfaction or annoyance. But I also do not want to make the mistake of impetuously lash out, which becomes a verbal attack. Where’s the balance tho..

Not taking Prefemin this week

A quick check in at 3:20 am here.

I have not been taking Prefemin this week. I probably won’t take it for at least another week or so. The main reason is a major acne explosion on my forehead, and my forehead only.

I am relieved that I am not breaking out in more obvious, and easily scarred areas of my face. However, I can’t even count how many zits I have on my forehead right now – none are obvious, or painfully infected with lots of redness, but enough that I keep touching it out of habit (and concern). I thought it would merit a visit to my dermatologist. I went few days ago, and he lasered the zits for extractions. I have never had to get so many zits lasered in my life. And in one specific area of my skin too.

I admit that getting all the content(?) extracted was cathartic in some odd way, because it was a painful procedure, and parts of it made the hair at the back of my head stand up very hard.

I discussed my situation with my derm – that I am in a high stress environment, have not changed any products I am using, no change in diet (if anything, I am eating cleaner than before), and that I am taking Prefemin as a self-clinical-trial for PMS.

Basically, what we concluded is that 99% of the time, nobody knows what causes acne. We concluded that something caused my body to go off balance, and acne is one of the more visible manifestation of such off-balance. Although my derm told me to continue taking Prefemin, I am making an executive decision to take some time off from Prefemin until the current spots are healed. I am guessing it will be around a week or so, since I am not seeing any new ones coming up and the spots that got lasered few days ago are red and in the process of healing.

I am about 2 weeks away from my period, meaning that I should be seeing PMS symptoms soon enough. I have enough going on as is, and I am scared that my taking a break may present me with more unpleasant uncertainties.

But, right now, I have a very visible discomfort and I decided to address it first for the time being. I will continue to report on this issue even during this break. I plan on resuming prefemin once my current spot situation is under control. If it acts up again, then I think it’s safe to hypothesize that my out of control acne is related to Prefemin, and I will have to explore different options to relieve PMDD.

 

 

Day 14-ish

Time taken: 2am

 

Just a quick check-in here.

This past week had been incredibly busy for me. With the Chinese New Year holiday, I had to fit in extra grocery shopping in my already overbooked schedule for this week.

On the brighter side, I felt pretty good in general. Even giddy! You know how doctors, books on mental health, your fitness instructors, all sorts of wellness magazines, and basically every mental-health related advice tells you to stay physically active? Well, that seems to be definitely true in my case. I had to be on my feet all day on Wednesday and Thursday, and definitely moved around a lot more in general this week. It is Sunday night here, and I am happy to report that I am giddy enough that I feel motivated to plan next week and get even get a head start on next week’s to-do list right now. And much less anxious that I was able to eat with people without feeling guilty! I do not enjoy eating out, especially with other people, because there tends to be limited choices that meets everyone’s budget and preferences, and it usually ends up being high-calorie, high sugar/salt/saturated fat options. I have a complicated relationship with food, and such situation makes me anxious. I promise, a post dedicated to this story is coming very soon.

Anyhow, my prefemin intake has been less than regular. I think I took it twice this week. I skipped a day by mistake, and I was already in bed by the time I remembered I hadn’t taken it for few days. And you know what I noticed? I think my skin started to clear up in the few days that I skipped, and then zits started to show up again once I started taking it again. I am exactly right in the middle of my cycle, and I am expecting PMS in about a week – 10 days or so. Not sure if I will stick it out.. the forehead zits are starting to get a little out of control.

 

Perceived Level of Emotional State (1-10)

Day 14ish  : 6.5- 7*

*The most stable and, dare I say, positive week I’ve head in a long time!

Day 12&13/90

Day 12 Time Taken: 3:00 a.m.

Day 13 Time Taken: 1:30 a.m.

General

I felt exceptionally good Sunday afternoon – probably a sugar high from the heavenly ice cream I had in the morning. And I was not short of eating well all day, as I had dinner plans with some colleagues. Which brings me to discuss.. my broken relationship with food. I started writing that part, but it’s turning out to be a bit longer than I expected, so I will post that in few days time. Generally speaking, I try to eat regularly to maintain a steady energy level. I may not feel hungry or be aware of it in the moment, there is a very clear causal relationship between my food intake, energy level, and mood.

Skin

Today, I am keeping the post short and reporting that my forehead is breaking out like a hormone raging teen self. I had such clear skin until October. Now I am consistently getting annoying breakouts that I can cover up with a bit of makeup, but it is less than ideal. Still not sure if this is linked to Prefemin intake? Acne seems to be a pretty common side effect of Prefemin. I think I will stick out and continue taking Prefemin for now. The breakouts are annoying for sure, but it can be easily dealt with a few dabs of concealer, while PMDD has me debilitated with crippling depression and fatigue. So I think it’s worth giving it a try.

 

Perceived Level of Emotional State (1-10)

Day 12: 5

Day 13: 6.5 during the day, and 4.5 since around 10pm.