--- title: Does spironolactone help premenstrual syndrome symptoms? | Niyora description: Spironolactone was significantly better than placebo for bloatedness only. No significant improvement was seen for other symptoms, weight, blood pressure or o url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/a-double-blind-placebo-controlled-evaluation-of-spironolactone-in-the-1987/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does spironolactone help premenstrual syndrome symptoms? Randomised trial, 1987 # Does spironolactone help premenstrual syndrome symptoms? Spironolactone was significantly better than placebo for bloatedness only. No significant improvement was seen for other symptoms, weight, blood pressure or other complaints. Moderate study design 63 women with premenstrual syndrome ## What they did Sixty-three women with premenstrual syndrome were randomly assigned to take either 100 mg spironolactone or placebo daily from day 12 of the menstrual cycle until the first day of the next menstruation, repeated for 2 consecutive cycles, in a double-blind study. ## What they found Spironolactone was statistically significantly superior to placebo for relieving bloatedness (p less than 0.001). No statistically significant changes were observed in weight, blood pressure, or the incidence and severity of other complaints. No significant changes were seen in blood hormone levels of oestradiol, progesterone or prolactin, though serum aldosterone levels increased in the spironolactone-treated group. ## What it means for you Spironolactone may help with bloatedness specifically, but there is no evidence it helps other PMS symptoms or physical measures like weight and blood pressure. 63 Women studied 100 mg Spironolactone dose 2 Treatment cycles ## About the study Original title A double-blind, placebo-controlled evaluation of spironolactone in the premenstrual syndrome Authors Vellacott ID, Shroff NE, Pearce MY et al. Journal Current medical research and opinion Year 1987 Study design Randomised trial Participants 63 What was tested 100 mg spironolactone or placebo daily from day 12 of cycle to first day of next menstruation, 2 cycles Read the paper [doi.org/10.1185/03007998709112403](https://doi.org/10.1185/03007998709112403) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Diuretics and other drugs](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-diuretics-other-drugs/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Guideline, 2019 How should doctors treat PMS and PMDD? Randomised trial, 2014 Does the combination of sumatriptan and naproxen sodium reduce menstrual symptoms and migraine? Systematic review, 2013 Does Vitex (chaste tree) help PMS and PMDD symptoms? Randomised trial, 2008 Does drospirenone with ethinyl estradiol birth control help PMDD? Systematic review, 2008 What treatments work best for PMS and PMDD? Systematic review, 2007 What treatments work for premenstrual syndrome? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗