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There are many treatments for PMS available for women suffering from the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS).
Treatments can be diet, exercise, lifestyle changes, and medications, supplemental and alternative remedies.

Some women choose to make dietary changes such as increasing carbohydrates and avoiding alcohol, salt, refined sugar and dietary fats. It has also been shown that exercising can help to reduce some of the symptoms of PMS. Reducing your intake of caffeine, alcohol and cigarettes can also reduce the symptoms of PMS.

There are some non-hormonal treatments that can have a positive effect on your PMS symptoms. Taking adequate amounts of Vitamin B6 can reduce mood swings and irritability. It is important to be careful not to take too high of a dose of Vitamin B6, so check with your doctor. Evening primrose oil (EPO) has also been used to slightly relieve women of premenstrual breast pain. Bromocriptine and cabergoline have also been shown to reduce the hormone prolactin, which stimulates breast soreness. These drugs should NOT be used long-term and should be used under a doctor’s supervision. Diuretics or water tablets, can give some relief to those who suffer from ankle swelling, but will not have an effect on abdominal bloating. Diuretics should be taken in the lowest dose possible, and for only a few days each month. Antidepressants called SSRIs such as Prozac are often used in severe PMS cases where symptoms such as irritability, mood swings and depression are present.

Hormonal preparations have also been used to elevate progestogen in the bloodstream but scientific studies do not support the use of progestogens to treat PMS.

Some women experience increased PMS symptoms when oral contraceptive pills are used, so these pills should not be prescribed if the woman is experiencing any PMS symptoms.

There are some initial studies that show that the particular pill called Yasmin, shows some benefit to women with PMS, but more studies are needed.

Scientific studies do support the usage of Danazol which is a synthetic hormone based on male hormone (testosterone) and may be suitable to be used in low doses. There are side effects to using Danazol including body hair growth and other masculinising effects.

Anyone using Danazol must avoid getting pregnant while on this medication.

Oestrogen patches, implants, and Mirena intra-uterine system (IUS):

Patches or implants can suppress ovulation and reduce the naturally occurring hormone fluctuations. There is some evidence that using these can benefit women with PMS but patches and implants should only be used when being seen by a gynecologist. Most women experience improvement in PMS symptoms when using the intra-uterine contraceptive device called, Mirena and this device can be combined with a patch or implant.

If the woman is experiencing severe PMS symptoms medications such as LHRH analogues or GnRH analogues (Zoladex, Prostap, and Synarel) can be prescribed by a gynecologist. These can only be used short-term and only up to 6 months. These medications can increase your risk for osteoporosis and must be used under medical supervision.

Women who have severe PMS symptoms and do not have any relief from natural or medicated treatments may consider having surgical removal of the ovaries, which will allow them to be free of PMS symptoms.

Your Options for Treating Severe PMS Problems:

Cramps, mood swings, depression, bloating, body aches and pains in the muscles and joints, headaches … these are just a few of many symptoms of PMS that can plague you each month after ovulation. For a large majority of women, these symptoms are self-treatable without medical intervention. Using over the counter pain relievers like ibuprofen and naproxen sodium reduces body aches and pains as well as headaches and cramping. Changes in diet and exercise help with mood swings, bloating and more.

What happens with that small percentage of women who do not show significant improvement of PMS symptoms? Chances are PMDD or premenstrual dysphoric disorder is the culprit, a more severe and intense form of PMS. Prescription medications and even surgery are options in this case.

Before turning to more drastic measures such as drugs that can cause side effects and irreversible surgery, make sure all options have been exhausted as far as diet and exercise are concerned. Also, try an herbal regiment for a few months to see if it can help. Only once you have tried everything else should you turn to medical science.

Medications that May Be Prescribed

There are drugs that work by temporarily shutting off the ovaries to avoid ovulation, the release of mature eggs. It may take a month or two, but this can help women find relief pretty quickly. The only drawback is that the medications that do this can only be used in the short term. Long term use has not been adequately tested to determine health safety. The drugs that can shut the ovaries off for a while are called GnRH or LHRH analogues. GnRh analogues work to reduce the output of estrogen and have also been prescribed for shrinking fibroid tumors. The LHRH analogues also suppress estrogen as well as ovulation itself.

These analogue drugs help doctors with firming up the diagnosis of PMDD. Because of the side effects of them, they are only prescribed in serious conditions which are hard to treat otherwise. You can expect possible side effects like sweating and skin flushing which are caused by estrogen drops and retaliation from the body due to the ovaries shutting down for a while. These symptoms are similar to that of menopause. Another side effect that is definitely not beneficial is the higher risk of osteoporosis.

Surgical Options

The most drastic of PMDD cases may require surgery to remove the ovaries, the primary gland in the endocrine system in charge of the reproductive system and responsible for these intense PMS symptoms. Surgery is for those women who have no where else to turn to resume a normal lifestyle unless the ovaries are removed.

Hormone replacement therapy is likely once the ovaries are removes, at least until menopause hits. Because surgery is quite drastic, those analogue drugs that suppress ovary function are used first to find relief. Many surgeons hesitate to remove the ovaries at all and often want to wait for other conditions to come up that may warrant such an extreme measure, especially if the woman is still in child-bearing age.