Loved the tweet, loved the column.

give the Paleo diet a try; it can really help smooth out the mood swings

I remember the rage. It ain't pretty. And it also seems that other people go out of their way to be pests and idiots in the presence of said rage. Way can't they all Just Shut Up And Go Away.

Buproprion's sides effects are massively understated--or at least that's my experience. One pill, and a few hours later, I was so filled with rage and extreme agitation, I nearly destroyed my apartment. I barely kept it under control until the effects wore off. I know people who have been on buproprion and founds it helped, but be prepared for some potentially dangerous side effects. Don't spend the first 24 hours on psychiatric medications alone!

Are there any studies that show that women who formed a relationship with their future partner while they were taking birth control pills tend to have less successful relationships?

She could also try exercise - it gives you a bump in endorphins, and you could also wear yourself out enough that you're too tired to rage.

But all that aside - I've been on the pill for many years now and have no intention of going off of it, because not being "subtly more attractive" to men a few days out of the month is worth it not to be pregnant (in which case I'll be very unsubtly unattractive for at least nine months). I met my SO while I wasn't on it, and he still smells good even though I got on it about six months after we started dating.

The LW didn't mention actually using the pill to prevent pregnancy, but I don't think the findings of the study are worth advising someone to ditch the pill if they're using it as BC. It's still the most effective form of birth control (I mean, aside from abstinence or homosexuality, I guess.).

Sucks about the strippers, though.

Magnesium malate is glorious stuff. What it does is relax every muscle in your body, so it is indeed great for headaches and insomnia. Stop dosing when you get the runs.

Exercise...eh, exercise keys me up, and weight training in particuar makes the muscles permanently tensed (muscle bound) so it tends to hold stress in your body.

It also makes you body tired, not brain tired. I know when my brain is a buzzin but I physically can't move *that's* when I move into anger territory. The worst era of my life was when I was going to the gym at 8pm, getting home at 10p, laid in bed physically exhausted but wide-fucking-awake, stayed awake til after midnight, and usually had to get up at 5a to get to work.

The whole cycle didn't stop until I was in a car accident that prevented me from working out. Only then was I able to get my body and brain back in balance.

Snoo, your experience is fairly common. If you had switched to morning exercise you might have found some balance. Exercise itself is great for the rage, though.

This is not an attack on women who love their birth control pills, but more women should really consider the copper IUD.

It's a fantastic solution if you are hesitant about possible side effects of taking hormones, as I was--and I hadn't even heard about the effects on mate-seeking and mate-attracting till just now. Frankly, those would give me significant pause. And the copper IUD is actually MORE effective at preventing pregnancy than birth control pills, even when taken perfectly. Plus you don't have to take your IUD at the same time every day, or indeed at all. You also can't forget to take it, either accidentally or "accidentally"--take heed men!

You need never have been pregnant to get one. Insertion hurts a lot for a few seconds and then it's done. Periods may get heavier and more painful, particularly in the first few months. They tend to normalize the longer you have the device. No other side effects. And it may cost a bit more up-front, but then you're all set for 5-10 years. Way more cost-effective for most people! Can you tell I'm thrilled with mine??

You may have to shop around to find a doctor who'll put one in, but don't listen to the excuses--"they're not safe," "only for women who've give birth"--all long-outdated bullshit.

I was on the pill when I met my husband, and I came off it after we got married. I didn't notice a difference in how I felt about him, or how he reacted to me. The benefits of not being pregnant were worth the risk.

Especially for young women (such as teenagers), the pill may be the best option. Getting an IUD can be a big expense upfront, and doctors can be reluctant to do it if you haven't been pregnant.

I switched to an IUD because I was screwing up the pill (a lot of stress made me forgetful). It's not for everyone. They had to try twice, and it hurt like hell. I didn't know whether I wanted to pass out or throw up. A friend of mine tried, and they couldn't get it in at all. So people have to explore their options and know the risks.

Buproprion's sides effects are massively understated--or at least that's my experience. One pill, and a few hours later, I was so filled with rage and extreme agitation, I nearly destroyed my apartment. I barely kept it under control until the effects wore off. I know people who have been on buproprion and founds it helped, but be prepared for some potentially dangerous side effects. Don't spend the first 24 hours on psychiatric medications alone!

Probably good advice in general. Also, keep in mind that there's nothing like a good psychiatrist when you're dealing with neurochemistry. My husband saw a social worker for depression -- very helpful -- but had less success with consulting the nurse practitioner who he generally teamed with for prescribing meds. She put him on Wellbutrin (bupropion) and it resulted in several days of barely-controlled panic attack.

OTOH, Wellbutrin has been excellent for me, helping with ADD, depression and sex drive, all three. I consulted the best psychiatrist in town -- got referrals from several people I trusted, both professionals and patients. She took me off of Adderall, which had done little for me, and gradually jacked up my dose of Wellbutrin to the highest dose. It has done me nothing but good, and I am hopeful that I may get through this winter without crippling SAD. I also feel like I have a prayer of actually succeeding in the three major professional projects I'm juggling right now, not easy for a girl with ADD.

It's your brain, fercryinoutloud. Go see a specialist.

Right, Amy. And I realize the pill can offer benefits to some women other than birth control, and the copper IUD may not be the best option for all women. I just think many don't have enough information about it--if they did, more might choose it over the pill.

I'm sorry that you had a hellish insertion, MonicaP. I guess it can go either way. Mine lasted just a few seconds, and I've never been pregnant. The doctor plays a big role in the process. Mine seemed very IUD-saavy. I was in my mid-twenties, but as soon as I told him my concerns about hormones he suggested it, and he seemed very experienced with the insertion. Some doctors have done few insertions, though they won't tell you that. I'm not saying your doctor was inexperienced, but it's something for women to keep in mind.

It's your brain, fercryinoutloud. Go see a specialist.

Yes! I'm tired of people treating meds like a crutch. If I had cancer, no one would say, "Suck it up, buttercup. You don't need chemo."

Science has made our lives better in many ways, and psych medication is one of them. People who bash antidepressants and ADD meds are often the same people who self-medicate with alcohol or drugs or TV.

Everything has risks. Know the risks and make the best decision you can.

How old is the Wedekind study, Amy? I've read that the effective dose in birth control pills has dropped a lot since they were first released but I don't know the timeline.

"The article you read references the research of Swiss biologist Claus Wedekind, who made a bunch of women sniff a bunch of men's stinky T-shirts... "

I hope those women were paid well.

Knowledge was its own reward, I'm sure.

1) Anecdotally I would add that I suffered these type of rages, once to the point of sending a chair through a window, when I was a young woman but during the latter part of my 20s I was overall, much more even tempered.

2) Personally I doubt you would lose interest in reproducing with the partner you choose while on the pill simply because the studies you may concerned with are not long term studies of men and women in love. Your response to your husband or mate during the time immediately preceding conception, when you are off the pill, would come from that mature love. In addition, making a baby is pretty sexy stuff in and of itself. Therefore don't sweat it.

3) Being on the pill because it eliminates a significant mood swing is not lying about who you are as long as you don't withhold that information from your mate. There are people that need to take anti-depressants and they are not lying about who they are. There are people that need to take insulin and they are not lying about who they are. You are a wonderful passionate person and when you are off the pill your partner will be informed and you will make every effort to ameliorate your behaviour.

There's of course the other side to this - there are many cases of men who no longer find their partner sexually attractive when she goes on or off the pill. This is well documented.

We mess with our biochemistry at our own risk (and the docs have really no idea what they are doing, so don't rely on them).

The advantage of the pill is that, even if you don't have insurance, it's affordable and very good at preventing pregnancy. It is also good at relieving symptoms not related to pregnancy. My infertile friend, who couldn't use an IUD, took the pill to manage extremely painful periods. She would have been paralyzed for a week a month without it.

I loved my IUD, once I got past the pain, but my insurance didn't cover it, and it cost me $1000 out of pocket. Over the course of the IUD's life it would have been cheaper than the pill, but that's a lot of money all at once.

Some doctors are more informed than others. I could have gotten a prescription for my Wellbutrin from my GYN, but I wanted to speak with someone who specialized in antidepressants and how they work on the brain. Keep jumping from doc to doc until you're happy with one.

I had to have an early hysterectomy due to many problems, but when I was in my early 20's I was diagnosed with premenstrual dysphoric disorder, which is like PMS on steroids. And it sounds like what this woman is describing. I saw a psychiatrist and he put me on a low dose of Zoloft, a quick acting SSRI and he told me to start taking it the day I noticed the symptoms and stop as soon as I started to feel 100% better. The half-life was just long enough that it would get out of my system (and stop working)when the hormonal problem ended. And that was about when I was ready for sexual activity again.

In addition to the theory that we prefer the smell of people with dissimilar immune systems, which seems very plausible to me, our noses also may be very good at picking out the scent of our partner. About twenty years ago, National Geographic had an issue devoted to the sense of smell and one of the writers mentioned another study - this one by Germans, as I recall - where 100 or so couples wore the same white t-shirts for a week. At the end of that time, the t-shirts were all put on a table and people were instructed to find their mate's t-shirt. Apparently most of the people were able to do so.

Also, while searching online, unsuccessfully, for some reference to that study, I happened to come across this bit by Ian Kerner on CNN's "The Chart" blog...

While there is little to evidence to suggest that scent plays as powerful a role for men in sexual attraction, another study by [Dr. Alan] Hirsch [director of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation] found that the scents of lavender, pumpkin pie, donuts, and black licorice increased blood flow to the penis by nearly 40 Percent.”

Which explains the popularity of pumpkin spice donut porn.

For what it's worth, I've found that running or going to the gym in the evenings keys me up and makes it hard to sleep. Doing it in the mornings, however, actually helps me sleep. And it definitely helps my killer PMS. Running is my cure for bitchiness and stress. Your results may differ.

LW, sometimes, people need a chemical solution to their problem. I have OCD and take a couple of medications for it, for example. If I did not take them, my mental state would be a sort of living hell. Even with the meds, things can be difficult at times, in addition to my bouts of anxiety.

So take the medication, get off the pill, find the right-smelling man and have a bunch of healthy kids. Hopefully, the meds will lessen or eliminate your rages.

As an aside, I'd really love to take Chantix. I miss the vivid dreams I had during the times off the meds, and Chantix really stokes those types of dreams, I hear. Unfortunately, I don't smoke, and Chantix can also cause suicidal thoughts, so I'll go without.

Could the drop in serotonin levels be alleviated somewhat by taking 5-hydroxytryptophan? Dr. Eades recommends 5-HTP for craving control, and it worked for me. I didn't think to take it for my PMS, but I'm going to try it next time.