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Low-Dose Anti-Depressant Helps PMS

Posted on: Monday, 16 October 2006, 09:00 CDT

Women with moderate to severe premenstrual syndrome may benefit from taking a low dose of an anti-depressant drug, say U.S. researchers.

Researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University led the study of 300 women with PMS performed at 22 sites around the country.

The drug tested was sertraline, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor that has been approved for the treatment of premenstrual dysphoric disorder, a severe form of PMS.

While 60 percent of women suffer from PMS, only 5 percent develop PMDD. PMS symptoms include irritability, depression, anxiety, mood swings, bloating and breast tenderness. PMDD is characterized by mood disturbances so severe they interfere with functioning.

The trial was the first study to test the effects of symptom-onset dosing, which involves waiting to take medication until symptoms start. The women were randomized to placebo and 25 mg or 50 mg doses of the drug taken every day of the cycle for two weeks before the onset of menses and when symptoms began.

All three strategies were useful, but the researchers were particularly encouraged by the effectiveness of the symptom-onset strategy, which involved the least amount of medication.

The findings appear in the October issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

Source: United Press International

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