---
title: Does citalopram help women with PMS who did not respond to other antidepressants?
description: Yes. 80% of women taking citalopram intermittently and 66% taking it daily showed at least 50% improvement in PMS symptoms.
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/a-pilot-study-of-the-effectiveness-of-citalopram-in-patients-with-premenstrual-2001/
---

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- Does citalopram help women with PMS who did not respond to other antidepressants?

Randomised trial, 2001

# Does citalopram help women with PMS who did not respond to other antidepressants?

Yes. 80% of women taking citalopram intermittently and 66% taking it daily showed at least 50% improvement in PMS symptoms.

 Early or limited evidence

16 women with PMS who had no symptom improvement after two menstrual cycles on another SSRI

## What they did

Pilot study of 16 women with PMS who had tried other antidepressants without improvement. They received citalopram (20-40 mg per day), either every day or only during specific phases of their menstrual cycle. Symptom severity was measured daily.

## What they found

Symptom scores improved significantly in both groups (P=0.02). 80% of women on intermittent dosing and 66% on daily dosing showed at least 50% improvement. Mood and appetite improved significantly (P=0.01 for both). 60% of the intermittent group improved to postmenstrual symptom levels.

## What it means for you

This is a very small pilot study, so results should be seen as preliminary. It suggests citalopram may help women whose PMS did not respond to other antidepressants, but larger studies are needed. Intermittent dosing appears to work as well as daily.

16

women studied

80%

intermittent dosing showed ≥50% improvement

P=0.01

mood and appetite improvement

## About the study

Original title A pilot study of the effectiveness of citalopram in patients with premenstrual syndrome with prior selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor treatment failure Authors Ellen W. Freeman Journal Obstetrics and Gynecology Year 2001 Study design Randomised trial What was tested Citalopram 20-40 mg per day, taken intermittently (luteal phase only) or daily Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/s0029-7844(01)01169-3](https://doi.org/10.1016/s0029-7844(01)01169-3)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[SSRIs and antidepressants](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-ssri/)

Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits.

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