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  #1   ^
Old Mon, Aug-19-02, 11:09
paige17257's Avatar
paige17257 paige17257 is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 70
 
Plan: alittle of this, and alittle of that
Stats: 162/152/125
BF:dont know
Progress: 27%
Location: pennsylvania
Default pcos and depression? hormones?

i really hate to open up like this, and i hope someone out there will answer this post, but does anyone have problems with anxiety and depression with their PCOS? sometimes i just dont feel "right". i was doing really good for 2 years , then last week ,i caught this "flu" virus going around, and it makes you dizzy and fuzzy feeling. i also just got my cycle after 72 days, of not having it, so i guess it is the combo of being sick and hormone changes, but it stinks!! i hate not feeling "myself". can anyone relate?
i have been on glucophage for 6 wks, so i dont think i can blame it on this, or i would have felt bad before this. i have an appt, with my doc see if i need a medication change, but i was hoping that i wasnt alone out here. sometimes being a woman is so tough!! thanks for listening!!
why does God use cracked pots? because the LIGHT shines thru!!
paige17257
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  #2   ^
Old Tue, Aug-20-02, 13:58
specialgir specialgir is offline
Pending Member
Posts: 31
 
Plan: Atkins modified
Stats: 184/172/135
BF:
Progress: 24%
Location: Southern Ontario, Canada
Talking PCOS and Depression/Mood Swings

Hey girl. I was just diagnosed with this terrible disease. I believe I have every symptom except infertility. I got pregnant 2 times, first try each time. I'm never going to chance unprotected sex in my life. However, my doctor figures, the onset was when I became pregnant. My hormones, sugars went crazy, and never returned to norma. I know what it feels like. Sometimes, I'm on the outside of myself looking in. I was also told be someone,(I've talked to so many people about this I forget exactly who know) but one symptom is like PMS 24/7 to the extreme. Well yes I do cry at times, laugh and go into a rage sometimes at the drop of a hat. I hate it. It affects my children and especially my marriage. I often wonder how I will keep it all together.
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  #3   ^
Old Tue, Aug-20-02, 17:43
paige17257's Avatar
paige17257 paige17257 is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 70
 
Plan: alittle of this, and alittle of that
Stats: 162/152/125
BF:dont know
Progress: 27%
Location: pennsylvania
Default thanks

thanks for the reply special,
i got pregnant the first time very easy too. i would never chance not using anything. i dont want to be 40 and pregnant!! i am 34 now. it was 9 years until the second, but i was being careful. i think my first pregnancy started all this imbalance too. i was borderline diabetic, but my stupid male doctor said that since i was tiny, i didnt have to go on a special diet, so after the pregnancy, no one did any further checking. but after that pregnancy my weight and everything changed looking back. i think you attribute alot of it, to getting older and motherhood, so you dont notice right away when things arent right. i even had an OB, act like i was a vain person because i didnt want zits, or hairs!! here she was basically perfect looking, telling me that i wasnt THAT hairy or zitty!! i could have smacked her!! well, now i have a really great OB, that is helping me. i wish they knew more about the moods though. that exactly how i feel somedays, like i am just watching my life from afar. its a gross feeling. let me know if you take anything that helps. i am currently trying to research what might help this.maybe by lowering the insulin levels , it will also help the brain chemistry?
thanks again for replying. i "feel" for you!!
paige
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  #4   ^
Old Wed, Aug-21-02, 14:15
specialgir specialgir is offline
Pending Member
Posts: 31
 
Plan: Atkins modified
Stats: 184/172/135
BF:
Progress: 24%
Location: Southern Ontario, Canada
Default mood swings, depression

hello at one time i was on birth control and some other pill, i forget the name. but it wouldn't start to diminish any hair folicles until after about 6 to 8 months or so i was told because i quit taking them. the birth control pill and i have never gotten along. then i had electrolysis done for a few months, but I honestly can't afford it.

I do have a prescription for lorazepan. it is highly addictive. Used to take the edge off for other stresses in my life. such as work, separation that i'm going through, and it really helps me sleep. The doctor won't put me on any drugs because she believes you first must make a lifestyle change to diet and exercise. Easier said than done. I have started walking. And LCing. Hopefully.. Stay in touch.
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  #5   ^
Old Mon, Aug-26-02, 05:21
clodagh clodagh is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 115
 
Plan: Scharzbein principle
Stats: 187/187/147 Female 166cm
BF:
Progress: 0%
Location: Tipperary, Ireland
Default

Hi

I just wanted to say that I have suffered from depression too with my PCOS but since changing my diet in March ( I follow The Schwarzbein principle) I have noticed a marked change in my moods. but even more remarkable, my partner has noticed this too.

he can't believe it. I really feel that I am on an even keel most of the time , whilst before I was very up and down.

I really beleive that a low carb diet can help moods. Of course extra exercise really helps moods too I think. Even if it's just 20 mins walking a day.

Clodagh
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  #6   ^
Old Mon, Aug-26-02, 14:33
specialgir specialgir is offline
Pending Member
Posts: 31
 
Plan: Atkins modified
Stats: 184/172/135
BF:
Progress: 24%
Location: Southern Ontario, Canada
Wink Mood Swings

Yes, I do believe that excercise helps your moods. Even a 20 minute walk can relieve so much stress. I do find that eventually on a low carb diet, that I have more energy because I don't feel so heavy. Or weighed down, and now, I feel ill with any thing deep fried or greasy.
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  #7   ^
Old Mon, Aug-26-02, 18:14
paige17257's Avatar
paige17257 paige17257 is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 70
 
Plan: alittle of this, and alittle of that
Stats: 162/152/125
BF:dont know
Progress: 27%
Location: pennsylvania
Default

i too felt 100 percent better on this WOE and also when i started this glucophage, but after 6 wks of being on the glucophage with the zoloft, something is off. i dont know if the glucophage has affected my chemistry but i am going to the OB on wednesday to see what is up. i have been good for over 2 years, last episode was brought on by the hormonal change of pregnancy, and the only thing i have changed is my diet and the glucophage.
i joke around that my body is rebelling and wants carbs!! lol.
will let you know how i make out!
thanks.
paige17257
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  #8   ^
Old Tue, Dec-31-02, 00:20
mommy2boys's Avatar
mommy2boys mommy2boys is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 70
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: -/-/- Female 5 feet 7 1/2 inches
BF:
Progress: 31%
Location: Wild & Wonderful WV
Default Re: pcos and depression? hormones?

Quote:
Originally posted by paige17257
i really hate to open up like this, and i hope someone out there will answer this post, but does anyone have problems with anxiety and depression with their PCOS? sometimes i just dont feel "right". i was doing really good for 2 years , then last week ,i caught this "flu" virus going around, and it makes you dizzy and fuzzy feeling. i also just got my cycle after 72 days, of not having it, so i guess it is the combo of being sick and hormone changes, but it stinks!! i hate not feeling "myself". can anyone relate?
i have been on glucophage for 6 wks, so i dont think i can blame it on this, or i would have felt bad before this. i have an appt, with my doc see if i need a medication change, but i was hoping that i wasnt alone out here. sometimes being a woman is so tough!! thanks for listening!!
why does God use cracked pots? because the LIGHT shines thru!!
paige17257


I'm so glad you posted this... I can't help but say that I really believe my anxiety & depression stems from my PCOS... I have never been depressed & anxious like I have been since my weight gain after conceiving our first child... I was thin before when I conceived my first-born son, but then gained weight excessively and quickly after having him and the depression & anxiety soon followed... I even take an anti-depressent and am so much more in-tune with being on it... more balanced and better coping... just everything...

I just wanted to comment on this... I do know where you are coming from and can totally relate.

Christy
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  #9   ^
Old Tue, Dec-31-02, 07:34
Yesican's Avatar
Yesican Yesican is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 676
 
Plan: LC & BFL
Stats: 214/175/150 Female 5'6
BF:will/update/:)
Progress: 61%
Location: North Carolina
Default

I completely relate!

I was a thin & active & had no depression until after the birth of my first child as well...Then I was in hormone-hell.

I was just diagnosed with PCOS this Fall & after eating LC & now being able to exercise (I never felt well enough for very long before)...I am finally feeling good.

I just wanted you to know that I understand.

Leslie
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  #10   ^
Old Tue, Dec-31-02, 10:15
paige17257's Avatar
paige17257 paige17257 is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 70
 
Plan: alittle of this, and alittle of that
Stats: 162/152/125
BF:dont know
Progress: 27%
Location: pennsylvania
Default thanks!!

thanks ladies, for the replies. i havent been to this site for so long, due to the flustration of PCOS, but i am still subscribed to this thread, so when i got this email, this morning, it was appreciated.
i will catch you both up with my life since i last wrote about the glucophage and it messing with my head. while on the gluc. i was getting flu like symptoms. i loved taking it because i was losing weight and i wasnt hungry all the time, but i kept getting sick, then the dizziness started, and anxiety. i still have some spells, that i am going to get checked out in the next couple of wks, to make sure it isnt my heart. so, they took me off of the gluc. and the zoloft, and tried celexa, then lexapro. i thought i was going to jump out of my skin, and my chest hurt on these. so, now i am trying effexor xr. i was fine when i was younger , before having children. after my first, i started gaining alot of weight, like 10 lbs, a month, and i didnt even get to enjoy eating all the food!! lol..
i kinda stabalized until 2 years ago. i somehow got pregnant again, (i had been excercising, so i guess i ovulated!) , i had no idea i was, and the docs, didnt either because my cycles were so irregular, that no one tested me for pregnancy, they thought i was in a major depression, i couldnt function, i thought i was losing my mind, it was awful. well, i was getting ready to go to an endocrinologist, to figure out what i could do to get my life back, and my mind, and i took one last home preg. test and it was positive!! so, i figured after 9 years of irregular cycles, and then to become pregnant, was so much of a hormone change that my body and mind just went bonkers. so, with safe meds, and God, i got thru it all, but i still deal with the depression and anxiety daily.
i suppose the irregular cycles and hormones really mess with our chemistry. this is an awful disease to have, but it helps knowing that there are other ladies out there, for support. i am hoping someday that they understand this disease better, and know how to treat the whole body for it. i sometimes wonder if i took the BC pill , if it would help the moods because it would regulate the hormones some. i have read that it helps some, and some it doesnt, and i hate to mess with my body anymore than i have to.
i wish there was a doctor that could test your hormones, and just give you what you are lacking to balance the rest, instead of giving you the BC pill, which might or might not give you more of the one hormone than you need, and not enough of the others, you know? when i, or my husband gets permantly fixed, i want to try spirolactone, it blocks the testosterone. i think if i could take that, then my female hormones might kick in more.
so for now, i am trying to low carb. i do feel better on it, but somedays i HAVE to eat carbs, they make my head feel better! so, then i say, lean and mean, or fat and happy!!
sorry, this was so long, i just wanted to let you all know what i have been dealing with, and give you support!!
take care,
paige17257
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  #11   ^
Old Wed, Jan-01-03, 18:55
mommy2boys's Avatar
mommy2boys mommy2boys is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 70
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: -/-/- Female 5 feet 7 1/2 inches
BF:
Progress: 31%
Location: Wild & Wonderful WV
Default

Hi there Leslie & Paige!!!

I can so relate to each of your stories... There is no doubt in my mind if my hormones are off like they are drastically, that it has to imbalance your body so much as to affect your whole being with depression, anxiety, moodiness...

I started out on Celexa too... but it really didn't do much for me... When I went on Effexor XR (75)... wow, I was amazed at the difference it made in my life... It stabilized me very much. I was just reading somewhere that they also use Effexor for ADD/ADHD... which I found very interesting and intriguing b/c when I am in my depression or anxiety (and yes, I have even had panic attacks)... I had the symptons of an ADHD adult... lack of focus, fidgety, etc... Just something to throw out there...

I feel a ton better on Effexor, that is the anit-depressant I would recommend. I believe I started on Effexor XR (35), but that just wasn't enough for me... but the 75 does wonders for me... and helps me focus on the day's task at hand...

I just can't help, but believe that depression & anxiety are tied in with PCOS, but I have not read that in any journals or anything... Has anyone attended any of the PCOS conferences out there? One day, I hope to attend.

Just my 2c worth,
Christy
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  #12   ^
Old Wed, Jan-01-03, 23:06
Luisa777 Luisa777 is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 196
 
Plan: WW Lowcarb style
Stats: 280/269.5/250 Female 5'7"
BF:
Progress: 35%
Location: Florida
Default

Talk about deppressing...I have been sitting here at the computer, feeling so miserable and teary-eyed just from relating to your post!...you are not alone, I guess is one more of the "gifts" that come with PCOS ...I hate feeling this way. I act so irrational sometimes and it is hurting my marriage... Sorry I can't give you any support, but at least I can tell you that you are not alone..

Take care
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  #13   ^
Old Thu, Jan-02-03, 15:00
paige17257's Avatar
paige17257 paige17257 is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 70
 
Plan: alittle of this, and alittle of that
Stats: 162/152/125
BF:dont know
Progress: 27%
Location: pennsylvania
Default

hi ladies,
wow, there has to be a connection! i havent got to go to endocrinologist yet, to get their view on this, but i bet one of the seminars, would be very helpful. it looks like they cover the whole body. mommy2boys, if there are any in Pa, maybe we could go.
on the PCOS site, sometimes, the girls meet up at them. anyways, my doc told me today that he could refer me to a local endocrinologist, which i didnt know one was even close to my home, so that was promising. i would like to get their take on this.compared to the OBGYN ideas.
i am currently on effexor 75. it does seem to be working 100 percent better than the other drugs. i may have to up it, but doc told me 150 was the normal dose. so, i have some play with it. i think if i start eating better and excercising, i can keep it at 75. it works on 2 chemicals in the brain, instead of just one. i think i was burning out on the "one chemical " drugs. doc did tell me though that sometimes, if you give a drug a break, you can go back later, and try it, and it will work. i still feel if they could balance my hormones, i wouldnt need any of this crap!!.
luisa, you need to find a doc that is qaulified to help you with your moodiness. you dont have to feel bad all the time. its hard for husbands to understand this disease. but if you get help for yourself, then you will be able to handle stress, and your life better. i dont how understanding your husband is, but maybe if he could read, how some of us feel, he could understand , alittle better.
i have been told that i have symptoms of adult ADD too. my older brother is on meds. for this. i have trouble finishing things, hyper, type A, etc... some of the meds. help with a variety of problems.
i think he would do better on something like i am on, compared to the adderal, they have him on!!
maybe someday, our daughters, and nieces, wont have to go thru all this stuff!!! hopefully, they will find some answers.
take care!!
paige
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  #14   ^
Old Fri, Mar-07-03, 12:13
seekanswer seekanswer is offline
New Member
Posts: 1
 
Plan: researching
Stats: 136/136/108
BF:
Progress: 0%
Lightbulb Suspicions about endocrinology

I've not been diagnosed with PCOS yet, but I am in the middle of comprehensive testing for all sorts of stuff. I've felt like crap overall most of my life . . . depression, difficulty healing when I get injured or sick, ovarian cysts, hypoglycemic symptoms, all kinds of stuff. I'm sure most of you are familiar with the treat each symptom syndrome most doctors start with. Who knows which came first, anyway? . . . the chicken or the egg . . . or, rather, which problem causes the others?

My theory after researching is that when I start to categorize my symptoms, they all come back to endocrinology in one way or another. All of the hormones affect the levels of the others, so my hypoglycemic reactions may be caused by faulty levels of norepinephrine, epinephrine, or adrenaline. Low levels of seratonin from taking the effexor (a reuptake inhibitor) may cause or exacerbate the "must have sugar" attacks, which in turn cause too much insulin to be released and my blood sugar to dramatically drop; the sum of all of the hormones could be causing the ovarian cysts or the cysts my have begun the process of out of balance chemicals, likewise my suspected immune suppression could be causation itself or a side effect of the others. Who knows??????

My point is that I feel the endocrinologist is best suited to treat my symptoms as a whole. Any advice from those of you who've been around the block with this? I finally feel like I can see light at the end of the tunnel. Something inside is just telling me that I'm on the right track if I can only get my doctor to listen and keep an open mind. I want to feel healthy and energetic again.

When I first started Effexor, I felt better. After a few weeks, my depression and low blood sugar attacks got really bad. The higher my doctor put my dose, the worse it has become. Anyone else have this type of experience? She also has me on Zoloft simultaneously.

Any comments, advice, or "I can relate to that"s will be very appreciated.

Thanks . . .

Teri
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  #15   ^
Old Wed, Sep-07-05, 22:25
megs317 megs317 is offline
New Member
Posts: 2
 
Plan: south beach
Stats: 202/198/160 Female 5 ft 4 in
BF:
Progress:
Default

hi...i'm 21 and have been diagnosed with pcos for almost five years now...however i was younger then and in extreme denial so i am only recently dealing with my issues...i have upped my dosage of metformin (glucophage) and am on spironolactone for the hair growth (these i've been on for years)

however, i was recently told that not only do my ovaries have cysts on them inhibiting fertility, but that my uterus is also misshapen...meaning that if i were to get pregnant i would most likely miscarry continuously

my question i guess for most of you is that you found out about your pcos after having children...i'm lost on how to feel being only 21...i never even thought seriously about kids before and now that i've been told it's virtually impossible...i can't seem to get over it

i see kids in strollers and start crying and am constantly depressed over what i've been told i can't have...i just wanted to know if any of you know what kind of psychiatrist to see for pcos...or how i'm supposed to get used to the idea of not having children...before i've even reached the age when it's important?
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