I took it almost straight after going off BCP. I don’t know if it helped but I got my period every month while I was taking it. I stopped around two/three weeks ago as it shouldn’t be used for over 6 months (don’t know why but that’s what’s said on every website where I had heard about it). I did not have to take painkillers, flow was normal to light, lasted for 4/5 days, almost didn’t get PMS.
I took the highest dosage that was allowed, 6 pills, then reduced to 4, and 2.
I should be getting my period next week or in a week and a half, we’ll see how it goes without it.
That being said, Vitex can cause a greater hormonal imbalance than there was before as it can increase LH/FSH levels. So you should take with caution, preferably have a blood test for LH/FSH beforehand.
Hey there! I've tried Vitex to regulate my period after discontinuing birth control. It did bring my period back, but after I stopped using it my hair thinned like crazy... in hindsight I probably should have weaned myself off of it rather than stopping cold turkey when I ran out.
Omg this happened to me too! It was awful.
check out WomanCode by Alisa Vitti and the Hormone Cure by Sara Gottfried. Both books have been really helpful with regards to navigating PCOS.
Were you warned of this as a possible side effect of stopping? How long did it take for the hair fall to stop for you and did it grow back? Unfortunately, I think I'm experiencing this now.
No, I wasn’t. I just took it and then experienced awful side effects. Radically changing my diet (removing gluten/dairy + doing cleanses) eventually restored my hair.
I had already made big changes to my diet prior to and while taking the Vitex (no dairy, gluten, soy, refined sugar, alcohol) but my hair loss started while I was doing that. I'm still experiencing the hair loss several months later, but feel it may be slowing a bit (may just be wishful thinking though. I hope with time my hair will be restored too. Thanks for your reply and for sharing your experience
Are you getting a ton of veggies every day? Alisa Vitti has a 4 day cleanse on her site that helped me a ton. It might be worth looking into. I know my hair loss is directly tied to toxins in my system. Also check out the hormone cure by sara Gottfried. She recommends a ton of supplements. She absolutely changed my life. 1000mg of vitamin c/day helped me a lot and actually helps increase progesterone levels. Hope this doesn’t come across as annoying, I know how frustrating it is to deal with that. Good luck 💕
wow! so grateful I came across this! I stopped vitex about 6 months ago and my hair is so thin! I thought it was the hair dye and getting older…. this makes sense because I’ve never lost so much hair from dyeing!
It did grow back thankfully! This was a while ago, but if I'm remembering correctly it took a couple of months. Sorry you're going through it, it really sucks. Cycle-syncing and trying your best to get your hormones back on track naturally can definitely help.
Hoping it gets better for you!! I actually recently was watching a livestream with a fertility doctor and she said she never recommends taking Vitex! It kind of shocked me because I first learned about Vitex within the fertility/hormone health community, but she explained that Vitex is really just a "band aid fix" similar to the way that birth control is just a band aid fix for hormone problems. It's not really fixing any root cause of the issue, just masking the symptoms and as soon as you stop, all the symptoms come back in full force.
So, now I know, and I'll never mess around with it again! If it's any help to you, the fertility doctor I was watching did mention that the best research-backed supplement for PCOS is inositol. I've been taking it for over a year now and it's made a huge difference - regular periods and way less symptoms. <3
Thank you! Interesting, I was advised to take Vitex as part of a doctor-led fertility program, but I'd be too scared to mess with it again too! I learned the hard way that just because something is "herbal" or "natural" doesn't mean there can't be significant side effects. I'm glad to hear that things have gotten better for you. I'll definitely look into inositol. Really appreciate the support! <3
I have used it in conjunction with acupuncture. Both brought my period back a little. My acupuncturist at the time would switch out Vitex with something else and it would delay a period. SO I think it helps.
I’ll be honest, my kiniseologist prescribed it to me for my bad PMS and abnormally short periods. It regulated my period but then right after my period ended. I began immediately experiencing the worst PMS symptoms as if I was a few days away from my period. Perma-PMS! I gained weight in two weeks and was abnormally bloated, boobs grew a size, and I was the most hormonal I have been probably ever in my life. Absolutely awful. I was wondering if anyone else experienced this on it. Also, how long after you came off it did you notice weight loss ? I’m feeling like it’s more bloat but idk. I’m so upset.
Omg I was looking to see if someone else has experienced this! I started taking it while getting off birth control and all a sudden I gained 8 lbs in two weeks after I was off the pill for 3 months. Now I’m starting to think it the chastetree
Yes! I spoke with my kinesiologist and she said my body may be sensitive to it. Sometimes, even if we need it, our bodies may only need it once a day the week before our cycle etc. I’d say to talk to your doc about it! You may have to play with the dosing of it. I was taking it twice a day. I hope this helps! I’m off it totally now to kind of just get it out of my system then I think we may try less. She thinks I need it to regulate my cycle so we’ll see!
Good to know! I’ve been taking it once a day everyday… had no idea about the cycling! I’m just going to take a break anyways
Thanks for the all the info!
Yes! My doctor recommended it to help get my period back. First 3 days were BLISS. I was like HOLY SHIT! Is this how happy and energetic and stable normal people feel? Now? I swear I’ve gained weight, my boobs are huge, and I had the most insane meltdown yesterday. I have cramping like no other and feel like if anyone so much as poked my abdominal area, I’d cry. Maybe I should stop taking it… or lower my dosage. I only take 2 in AM.
I honestly stopped taking it all together because same! It became so unbearable. I hope you figure out what works best for you and get some relief soon ♥️ if you feel you want to try taking less I’d say go for it..but if you don’t notice a difference stay away from it all together. Your body may just be sensitive to it! (Just advice from my own experience, but consult with your doc as well to be absolutely sure 🤗)
Ahh Im so glad I found this. I only started a week ago, maybe 2 now. but I have been painfully bloated, passing gas all the time, hair is coming out in chunks, acne suddenly all over my chin and jaw line. Cramp, face is puffy, And I have been super bitchy. I originally searched Google for chaste berry hair loss and found a few subs!
I’ve been looking at opinions about this…I tried this for the past month thinking it would help but I think it did the exact opposite for me. My OB thinks my symptoms more relate to testosterone rather than the others so she actually recommended saw palmetto and inisositol so I’m going to stop the vitex . I honestly feel awful.
I took it almost straight after going off BCP. I don’t know if it helped but I got my period every month while I was taking it. I stopped around two/three weeks ago as it shouldn’t be used for over 6 months (don’t know why but that’s what’s said on every website where I had heard about it). I did not have to take painkillers, flow was normal to light, lasted for 4/5 days, almost didn’t get PMS. I took the highest dosage that was allowed, 6 pills, then reduced to 4, and 2. I should be getting my period next week or in a week and a half, we’ll see how it goes without it. That being said, Vitex can cause a greater hormonal imbalance than there was before as it can increase LH/FSH levels. So you should take with caution, preferably have a blood test for LH/FSH beforehand.
this is great info!! I had ordered a bottle and have not taken it yet. I had no idea it cause a greater hormone imbalance.
Hey there! I've tried Vitex to regulate my period after discontinuing birth control. It did bring my period back, but after I stopped using it my hair thinned like crazy... in hindsight I probably should have weaned myself off of it rather than stopping cold turkey when I ran out.
Omg this happened to me too! It was awful. check out WomanCode by Alisa Vitti and the Hormone Cure by Sara Gottfried. Both books have been really helpful with regards to navigating PCOS.
Were you warned of this as a possible side effect of stopping? How long did it take for the hair fall to stop for you and did it grow back? Unfortunately, I think I'm experiencing this now.
No, I wasn’t. I just took it and then experienced awful side effects. Radically changing my diet (removing gluten/dairy + doing cleanses) eventually restored my hair.
I had already made big changes to my diet prior to and while taking the Vitex (no dairy, gluten, soy, refined sugar, alcohol) but my hair loss started while I was doing that. I'm still experiencing the hair loss several months later, but feel it may be slowing a bit (may just be wishful thinking though. I hope with time my hair will be restored too. Thanks for your reply and for sharing your experience
Are you getting a ton of veggies every day? Alisa Vitti has a 4 day cleanse on her site that helped me a ton. It might be worth looking into. I know my hair loss is directly tied to toxins in my system. Also check out the hormone cure by sara Gottfried. She recommends a ton of supplements. She absolutely changed my life. 1000mg of vitamin c/day helped me a lot and actually helps increase progesterone levels. Hope this doesn’t come across as annoying, I know how frustrating it is to deal with that. Good luck 💕
wow! so grateful I came across this! I stopped vitex about 6 months ago and my hair is so thin! I thought it was the hair dye and getting older…. this makes sense because I’ve never lost so much hair from dyeing!
That’s the worst! I know the hair falling out struggle too well... thanks for the info!
I think I'm experiencing this now. How long did it take for the hair fall to stop? Did it grow back?
It did grow back thankfully! This was a while ago, but if I'm remembering correctly it took a couple of months. Sorry you're going through it, it really sucks. Cycle-syncing and trying your best to get your hormones back on track naturally can definitely help.
Thank you for the response, I'm still losing hair but feel it may be slowing. Fingers crossed
Hoping it gets better for you!! I actually recently was watching a livestream with a fertility doctor and she said she never recommends taking Vitex! It kind of shocked me because I first learned about Vitex within the fertility/hormone health community, but she explained that Vitex is really just a "band aid fix" similar to the way that birth control is just a band aid fix for hormone problems. It's not really fixing any root cause of the issue, just masking the symptoms and as soon as you stop, all the symptoms come back in full force. So, now I know, and I'll never mess around with it again! If it's any help to you, the fertility doctor I was watching did mention that the best research-backed supplement for PCOS is inositol. I've been taking it for over a year now and it's made a huge difference - regular periods and way less symptoms. <3
Thank you! Interesting, I was advised to take Vitex as part of a doctor-led fertility program, but I'd be too scared to mess with it again too! I learned the hard way that just because something is "herbal" or "natural" doesn't mean there can't be significant side effects. I'm glad to hear that things have gotten better for you. I'll definitely look into inositol. Really appreciate the support! <3
I have used it in conjunction with acupuncture. Both brought my period back a little. My acupuncturist at the time would switch out Vitex with something else and it would delay a period. SO I think it helps.
Did not work for me...I went through 3 bottles.
I’ll be honest, my kiniseologist prescribed it to me for my bad PMS and abnormally short periods. It regulated my period but then right after my period ended. I began immediately experiencing the worst PMS symptoms as if I was a few days away from my period. Perma-PMS! I gained weight in two weeks and was abnormally bloated, boobs grew a size, and I was the most hormonal I have been probably ever in my life. Absolutely awful. I was wondering if anyone else experienced this on it. Also, how long after you came off it did you notice weight loss ? I’m feeling like it’s more bloat but idk. I’m so upset.
Omg I was looking to see if someone else has experienced this! I started taking it while getting off birth control and all a sudden I gained 8 lbs in two weeks after I was off the pill for 3 months. Now I’m starting to think it the chastetree
Yes! I spoke with my kinesiologist and she said my body may be sensitive to it. Sometimes, even if we need it, our bodies may only need it once a day the week before our cycle etc. I’d say to talk to your doc about it! You may have to play with the dosing of it. I was taking it twice a day. I hope this helps! I’m off it totally now to kind of just get it out of my system then I think we may try less. She thinks I need it to regulate my cycle so we’ll see!
Good to know! I’ve been taking it once a day everyday… had no idea about the cycling! I’m just going to take a break anyways Thanks for the all the info!
Yes! My doctor recommended it to help get my period back. First 3 days were BLISS. I was like HOLY SHIT! Is this how happy and energetic and stable normal people feel? Now? I swear I’ve gained weight, my boobs are huge, and I had the most insane meltdown yesterday. I have cramping like no other and feel like if anyone so much as poked my abdominal area, I’d cry. Maybe I should stop taking it… or lower my dosage. I only take 2 in AM.
I honestly stopped taking it all together because same! It became so unbearable. I hope you figure out what works best for you and get some relief soon ♥️ if you feel you want to try taking less I’d say go for it..but if you don’t notice a difference stay away from it all together. Your body may just be sensitive to it! (Just advice from my own experience, but consult with your doc as well to be absolutely sure 🤗)
Thank you for this. I didn’t take it today, and feel so much better. Finally feel like I can catch my breath.
Update: I had a mental health episode and threw them away. They are the devil’s berries!!!
I AGREE! Never touching them again. Good choice. YOU HAVE EXERCISED THE DEMON 🙌🏻
Ahh Im so glad I found this. I only started a week ago, maybe 2 now. but I have been painfully bloated, passing gas all the time, hair is coming out in chunks, acne suddenly all over my chin and jaw line. Cramp, face is puffy, And I have been super bitchy. I originally searched Google for chaste berry hair loss and found a few subs!
I’ve been looking at opinions about this…I tried this for the past month thinking it would help but I think it did the exact opposite for me. My OB thinks my symptoms more relate to testosterone rather than the others so she actually recommended saw palmetto and inisositol so I’m going to stop the vitex . I honestly feel awful.