VITAMIN B1 & PMS
IMPORTANT!
Please consult your doctor prior to starting therapy with vitamins and food supplements. Don’t make yourself your own doctor. You should take blood test to find your vitamin levels and take appropriate dose of vitamins and food supplements.
Example -VITAMIN E[1]: Eating vitamin E in foods is not risky or harmful. In supplement form, however, high doses of vitamin E might increase the risk of bleeding (by reducing the blood’s ability to form clots after a cut or injury) and of serious bleeding in the brain (known as haemorrhagic stroke).
[1] Source: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminE-Consumer/#h8
The Effects of Vitamin B1 on Ameliorating the Premenstrual Syndrome Symptoms
Study published on 29.07.2014[1] was conducted to determine the effect of vitamin B1 on the symptoms of PMS in students in 2013. 80 students with PMS were divided randomly into two groups, vitamin B1 and placebo.
The premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a series of physical, mental, and behavioral symptoms with various severities, and disturbs social and personal relationships.
Results:
It seems that vitamin B1 is effective in recovery of mental and physical symptoms of PMS. Therefore, this vitamin can be used to reach a major goal of midwifery, that is, reduction of symptom severity of PMS, without any side effects.
There was a significant difference between vitamin B1 and placebo groups in terms of mean mental and physical symptoms, as mean symptoms in vitamin B1 group was significantly lower than that in the placebo group.
DETAILED:
The premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a common disorder in the reproductive age and appears in 85-90% of women in the reproductive age with various degrees. The disorder consists of a series of physical, emotional, and behavioral symptoms. Symptoms of the PMS are as follows: fatigue, irritability, edema, anxiety, tension, mastalgia (breast tenderness), mood swings, depression, acne, increased appetite, crying for no particular reason, headaches, forgetfulness, gastrointestinal symptoms, poor concentration, flushing, flatulence, limb edema, and dizziness. The disorder may cause marital relation disruption, mother-child problems, social isolation, decreased attention, increased psychosomatic symptoms, and even suicide and legal problems.
The real cause of PMS is almost unknown, and theories in this regard include the increased aldosterone activity, elevated adrenal function, hyperprolactinemia, hypoglycemia, decreased levels of central dopamine and serotonin, decreased vitamin B6, and decreased essential fatty acids, of which the decreased levels of central dopamine and serotonin has been receiving more attention than other causes.
Many treatment protocols have been suggested because there is no specific pathophysiology for PMS. The suggested treatments are as follows: bromocriptine for breast congestion and pain, serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as fluoxetine, antiprostaglandin medicines, GnRH analogues, vitamins, and herbal medicine. Currently, the most efficient treatment is the use of fluoxetine that has side effects, including insomnia, nervousness, and decreased libido-
The overall goal of treating PMS is the adequate control of the symptoms in a way that the patient can function appropriately in the entire menstrual cycle. There is no unique treatment for PMS. The treatment approach is that all the patients with PMS should be followed up using treatments with least side effects. In this regard, treatment methods include medical therapy, the use of food supplements and vitamins, surgeries, and complementary alternative medicine.
The use of vitamin is one of the most common treatment for every disease because they have fewer side effects than other medications, and they are also safe, cost-effective, and accessible. Furthermore, vitamins have been recommended as the benefit treatment that is safe, inexpensive, and effective in treatment of PMS.
Vitamin B1 (Thiamin) is used to treat varieties of physiological problems, such as nausea and vomiting; increase the quality of life; and decrease depression, fatigue, dysmenorrhea, muscle cramps, and anxiety in middle-aged women and women of reproductive age.
Some studies have reported the therapeutic effect of vitamin B on mild and moderate depression, and also its positive results in problems related to women of reproductive age. No side effect has been reported in patients using vitamin B in different studies.
This study revealed that using vitamin B1 in luteal phase could reduce overall severity of physical and mental symptoms of PMS needless of using it in the entire menstrual cycle. Furthermore, vitamin B1 has no side effect and does not change menstrual bleeding pattern. Therefore, vitamin B1 is recommended for treatment of PMS.
Further studies are recommended to obtain enough evidence for injection of vitamin B1 and its different dosages as a safe and effective medication for patients who do not desire to or cannot undergo invasive treatments.
[1] Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4825494/