Premenstrual Disorders

•

only prove that PMS existed but that there were ways it could be

treated to normalize women’s lives.

Although there has been widespread belief that most cases of

PMS can be treated with diet, exercise, and even diuretics, there

are those like Emily who are unable to function each month with all

of these changes. Even though she is careful about what she eats

(except when she can’t control her cravings) and exercises regu-

larly, Emily still suffers. Women like her need more help, and for

them antidepressants have often been able to change their lives.

Christiane Northrup, M.D., in her book

Women’s Bodies, Women’s

Wisdom

, says she always advises women to make lifestyle changes

Facts about Selective

Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors

• Since their introduction in 1988, the SSRI antidepres-

sants have become the most widely used antidepressants.

• SSRIs were specifically designed for help with treating de-

pression. Unlike many medications, they were not found

accidentally while trying to find something else.

• Unlike some other antidepressants, SSRIs are not addic-

tive.

• Because they change the way the brain works, which can

be different for each person, individual SSRIs do not

change one person’s symptoms the same way they do an-

other’s. Sometimes those who take antidepressants must

try more than one before they find the medication that

works best for them.

• At least fourteen subtypes of serotonin exist, which could

lead to the development of even more specific drugs that

will act on these serotonin subtypes.