Hi, I'm pleased to hear that Agnus Castus is working well for you. I tried it many years ago but unfortunately it made my symptoms worse It is listed in the guidelines as a beneficial treatment for PMS but as with all treatments, one size doesn't fit all unfortunately. Hope it continues to work well for you.

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38 years old. Suffered PMDD for many many years. Had very successful treatment on GnRH Analogues and oestrogen only HRT. Had TAH + BSO 15/11/12 for severe complex atypical hyperplasia. Hopefully now completely symptom free permanently.

Thanks for replying and sorry to hear it didn't work for you.

Clinical trials suggest 60%- 80% of women report a reduction in symptoms.

You're right there is not one treatment that 'fits all', but Agnus Castus is definitely worth a try, before more drastic medical treatments are started.

I just wish it could be prescribed alongside other treatments and before anti-depressants are offered.

Anus castus has a progesterone type effect so if you are sensitive to progesterone as most Pmdd ladies are then it will symptoms worse.

I have had a hyst and ovaries removed and I tried everything and everything pre op. part from suppression.

I didn't rush into this lightly.

X

Thanks for putting this up - think its a credible alternative for some!

Having just received the email from NAPS, I came on here to have a look at the guidelines for clinicians for treating PMS. I was really glad to see that NAPS treatment guidelines suggest, as second line treatment after diet and exercise changes, Agnus Castus 20mg-40mg, before the more drastic hormonal and SRRI drugs. However I was never offered this and was told by both my GP and Gynae consultant that they couldn't prescribe Agnus Castus because it did not appear in the BNF.

Link to NAPS guidelines http://www.pms.org.uk/images/moira/trea ... forPMS.jpg

Therefore I question the usefulness of guidelines, which recommend a complementary treatment that can neither be prescribed nor found at a reasonable price and at the efficacious dosage on the high street. (Since 2011 restrictions have been placed on herbal drugs. Agnus Castus can now only be sold at 4mg per tablet, with the recommended daily dosage of 4-8mg, which is not effective)

I did write to NAPS to find out if they were involved in any trials for Agnus Castus as I would obviously be interested in taking part, but they did not respond.

It also concerns me that NAPS is in part funded by pharmaceutical companies. After the Sarafem debacle in the US, where Prozac was rebranded as a cure for PMDD, just when the original patent was running out, I don’t think my concerns are unfounded.

What do others think about pharmaceutical donations? And has anyone been offered Agnus Castus as a credible treatment option?

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38 years old. Suffered PMDD for many many years. Had very successful treatment on GnRH Analogues and oestrogen only HRT. Had TAH + BSO 15/11/12 for severe complex atypical hyperplasia. Hopefully now completely symptom free permanently.

Thanks for your reply PMDDsurvivor.

Can you explain what you mean by AC being a progestogenic? And being progesterone intolerant?

In terms of sourcing AC that is my point, NAPS are recommending it as a second line treatment, but it is not available in the UK at the correct dosage (not since 2011 despite trials showing how effective it is), nor is it prescribable. Is NAPS doing anything about pushing this so it can be prescribed because if not the guidelines are of little use to doctors as more drastic treatments will be offered.

My concern over funding from big Pharma is that these companies are not altruistic - can their funding for example be used for research into herbal remedies by NAPS - and do they have any say in the agenda of NAPS and these study days? If so, then NAPS is not an independent organisation and non-medical treatments may not be given the same weight. This is important to know if you are following advice from NAPS as a skew towards patented drugs is clearly in the interests of Pharma and not necessarily women.

I would welcome a response from NAPS. I wrote to them months ago about Agnus Castus and whether they were involved in any trials, but have heard nothing.

I am sorry AC didn't work for you - although with dosage issues, it could be that you weren't taking the correct amount. I notice NAPS also recommend in their guidelines to doctors that women try Red clover Isoflavines. I have not read up on this, and have no idea if there is any research trials to support it, but has anyone found this to be effective?

Hi, Agnus Castus is what's known as a phytoprogesterone which means it is a phytosterol with progesterone like activity. Most of my worst PMDD symptoms were when my progesterone was high in my cycle and I reacted VERY badly to combined oral contraceptives, the mirena coil and combined HRT meaning I was able to determine progesterone intolerance. I am ok taking low dose oestrogen and testosterone HRT.


I found your blog whilst trying to find AC in the correct dosage and can see you've had problems with it for a while. It seema a bit strange that it's recommended and yet not available, I agree. As for the Isoflavones, if you look at the detailed guidelines here http://www.rcog.org.uk/files/rcog-corp/ ... ndrome.pdf you will see that whilst they appear on the guidelines, more research is required into their effectiveness and preferance is given to AC and Calcium with Vitamin D.

It's a minefield and I guess we need to tread carefully.

I'm sure that advice from NAPS as a charity is balanced towards the women's needs individually and someone from NAPS will respond to your queries later today.

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38 years old. Suffered PMDD for many many years. Had very successful treatment on GnRH Analogues and oestrogen only HRT. Had TAH + BSO 15/11/12 for severe complex atypical hyperplasia. Hopefully now completely symptom free permanently.

Thanks so much for explaining. Yes I am frustrated by the fact that AC is not available at the correct dosage. There is no will to do research into herbal remedies because there is no money to be made from the treatments. I really hoped NAPS would be championing this type of research but this would not sit well with pharma companies hence my concern over their donating to NAPS. I really believe that antidepresants are not the answer. I was depressed because my life was out of control. Balancing hormones was the answer not a druf that affects libido in 80% of those that take it. Many women have left testimonials on my blog abbout the huge benwfits of AC and it is so disheartening to realise most women do not know how effective it is and end up taking prozac and horrible hormonal treatment.

Agnus Castus and other less invasive options should always be tried first. But this is not happening and dosage restrictions has made the situation uch worse.

Please forgive typos on phone on train.