I just saw your post in another discussion. I am totally willing to try this. I did a search on it. Do you take the capsules? Do you know who has the best deal?

I just started taking some other herbal stuff and while it might have helped just a little with the mood stuff, I believe the Black Cohosh did away with the cramps this month. For that I am grateful. Huge improvement.

Well done, nothing to lose here.

Maca is available from most health food stores, if they don't have it, they will get it in for you. I take the powder, 1 tsp a day in the morning with water. I think the only thing is to make sure the maca is organic, it doesn't matter who supplies, some make claims to be better than others, but then that's marketing hey. I pay $20 au for 200 gm. It lasts about 6 months!

Just watch that it doesn't give you a funny tummy, if it does (which is has for some of my friends) it would probably be that is is really high in dietary fibre and protein. If that happens reduce your dose and skip days until your body adjusts.

This stuff is amazing! Truely and at the very worst you will be nourishing your body with some pretty amazing complete plant proteins and sterols.

Black Cohosh is great, as is vitex. I don't need any of those anymore with maca. I take a good multi, fish oil, evening primrose and my maca dose and I have never felt better.

All the best. I wish you all the improvement I have experienced.

Thank you. That seems like such a little amount to get such a big benefit by. I can't wait to try it. They sell it in the powder form on ebay and I will make sure it is organic. I am glad it has helped!

I use maca and love it........helps balance out moods for sure and has great properties...

Okay, I am definitely going to try this. I am so grateful I found this site. Thank you for posting. I much rather try this than start the meds my dr. gave me which I am so fearful of taking and not sure they would help or make me worse

Fantastic girls! I have been taking 1tsp for 4 months now and now take a heaped tsp. Don't forget your multi vit, evening prim and watch the diet. Sugar and salt a big no no for the second half of your cycle. Also get a least 1 1/2 to 2 ltrs of water, sunshine and laughter. A great diet filled with essential fats, low GI and lots of raw foods.

And that's all I have to say about that.....lol

Life is sooooo much better with Maca!!!

Hello guys...i just started maca 2 weeks ago for very debilitating PMDD.....i dont know if its just a coincidence or other supplements but i feel worse (as in more depressed and anxious) and its not even my bad two weeks of cycle!! but im so desperate for a solution and ive read so many amazing stories on maca that i dont want to give up...but maybe im being foolish.... im hoping maybe like the pill it takes a while too balance out ther hormones ??? im also on an antideppressant lexapro for 10 years so maybe its interacting with that..... i also have candida and been taking 3lac for it??? any insight guys...im so desperate for MACA to work....i cant keep going through these cycles i go so low i cant move from bed..... so for being so heavy...on a light note i agree with FiM laughter is wonderfully theraputic...sorry for being a downer guys xx

Hi Irish fairy,

Yes look unfortunately there is not a lot of study into the interactions between Maca and certain meds, as is so of lots of natural therapies. It can make people on thyroid meds a little jittery and I have read of a woman who insisted it made her nervous, but this seems to be rare.

In your case, if it is making you worse, stop taking it. I have looked into drug interactions and vitex interacts with anti depressants as well, so I can't recommend that either. Maybe black cohosh? Once again if you are taking the pill for contraception, both vitex and black cohosh can interact, best to talk to a doctor who is pro natural meds.

Perhaps once you have finished the 3lac, you could try again, but I'd bet its the anti-depressants which are the problem. Also anti depressents can increase your PMDD, it's a bit of a no win situation, if your need them you have to take them.

Is there anyone else out there who takes Maca and is on meds, perhaps you could shed some light.

Anyway I will send you a message privately and we can talk more.

I got my maca in the mail about a week or so ago and started taking about 1/2 or less a teaspoon in my smoothie once a day. It reallys smells bad and I could taste it in my smoothie but have gotten used to it.

I have to say that I feel my energy is a little better.

I have also been taking about 1/2 thre recommended dose of Change of Live herbs.

I have also been doing the natural progesterone cream but not religiously.

I do not feel jittery on Maca. I also take a mood stabilizer and Tramadol for chronic pain everyday. I do not feel there is any bad interaction.

Anyway, I am about a day from my period and usually I am so tired I can hardly move. I have been tired but not exhausted to where I can't take a walk. I am a depressed, but not totally psychotic and irritable. So something of either of these three things I am doing is helping.

I have a feeling the maca is a big part of it as I was doing the herbs longer.

I am also not nearly as bloated and my breasts are hardly sore at all.

My mother, after reading Suzanne Somer's book, "Breakthrough" in which she talks about bioidentical hormones, has made an appointment for me with a doctor and compounding pharmacist here in Denver.

I will get each hormone level tested and possibly get them to make me a compound of what i need out of natural plant based hormones.

I told her all this other stuff I am doing may be enough of a help, but I am still willing to see what else there is.

Oh fantastic!! I am so happy for you.

You have room to move there and could slowly bring your dosage up to 1 tsp. Really go on the way that you feel, listen to your body. The no sore breast thing will be the Maca. Mine used to be horrible and it was the first thing I noticed was that they weren't sore anymore (what a relief). The Maca should level your hormones and you may not need any further help, but in saying that I am a true believer in trying everything and anything natural, so good luck with the doctor in Denver. Also as I have said before Maca may not work for everyone so there needs to be more than one answer to try.

There is a PMDD support group on here to you should join, if you haven't already. I posted a discussion on there which has a few more tips on it, things that I have found useful to go hand in hand with Maca.

I went away on the weekend to a woman's retreat which I cater for every year. My girlfriend made a comment about how much things have changed in our lives since the last retreat. It really blew me away, because my life has changed so much in the last twelve months mainly because of Maca. (there are other things too, books I have read and stuff). I am a better person, better mum, better business woman and I am truly humble and blessed to be here now. Simple happiness, free from PMDD.

Just remember when you feel like you are 'nowhere', you are actually 'now here' and the present moment is all we have, it's the only thing that is real.

Keep me posted hun and all the best xxx

FIM - Thanks for the support. I am so happy you posted about Maca. I could not believe I was not so bloated and breasts sore.

I called the compouding pharmacy today and they are sending me a saliva kit to test my hormones. $90, Not a bad deal to test progesterone, estrogen, and testosterone.

I just had the idea that I might get it all tested, keep up with the maca and then get them tested again in a month and see where i am at.

that might then save me money buying some compounded hormone creams and be a good experiment.

Hello im with FiM on this one!!
im 3 and a bit weeks into Maca and im almost afraid to speak to soon but i can just say that
im 3 days before my period and most cycles this would have me suicidally depressed but today im in flying form....
loads of energy and was out at the beach today...
i have to add thought that i watched 'the secret' which might be a bit cheesy but i agree a hundred percent with the power of the mind and positivity and gratitude to heal.....
i went through a rough time getting used to the maca but im so glad that i stuck it out.....
ladies its so worth a try!! please you owe it to yourself...make sure you find a reputable brand and make sure you give it a fair trial and find the right dose...
also more than and drugs or supplement we all have to work really hard to try and change or thought patterns to be more positive.....i for one spent 10-15 years in self-pity and it just brought me spiralling down further....
by the way ive also added DLPA the amino acid a few days ago ...this has further boosted my energy..but we careful with this its very powerful....i had to open the capsule and just take a bit of the powder because even one was giving me palpatations...
keep the faith girls....lets stick together.
loads of love
katie from ireland

Oh sister, your gunna make me cry!! I'm so happy for you.

The Secret is awesome, as is "How to Heal your Life" by Louise Hay and don't forget "The Power Of Now".

If you don't have any of these in your lives, get at least one. It's amazing how much the power to heal is in your hands (or mind as it were).

And please please drink at least 2 litres of water a day (I swear it's amazing!!!)

Love to all
Fi

How much do you need to take? Mine are the 300mg capsules which is says to take 3x day but I've only been taking it once just so see how my body reacts.

Hi, I only use the powder so it's hard for me to tell you. I take one tsp a day in the morning. If you check your bottle it should tell you but they all vary. My girlfriends caps were 1 = 1/5 tsp, so she needed to take 5 tablets a day. If yours states 1 - 3, try one to start then build up. Try and take notice of what your body is telling you. Also at some stage you need to take time off them. One week of the month you need to be Maca free. I have just had to have time off and I can feel that I needed it. I actually had sore breasts, but when I stopped taking it went away, so it is important to have time off.

Good luck!! If you have any more questions I will try to help xx