Randomised trial, 2006
Do different types of PMS symptoms respond better to different medicines?
Yes. Different medications work best for different symptoms. SSRIs help irritability and anxiety. Birth control works broadly. Other drugs target specific symptoms. However, current treatments help fewer than 60% of women.
What they did
Literature review of research on which symptoms respond to which PMS/PMDD treatments, including SSRIs, birth control pills (ovulation suppression), anti-anxiety medications, and dopamine agonists like bromocriptine.
What they found
Birth control that stops ovulation helps both physical and behavioral symptoms broadly. SSRIs work best for irritability and anxiety but less well for other symptoms. Anti-anxiety medications work for anxiety and depressed mood. Bromocriptine works best for breast pain. Overall, fewer than 60% of women respond to any single treatment, regardless of type.
What it means for you
No single medicine works for everyone with PMS. Doctors might get better results by matching treatment to a woman's specific symptoms. The main limit is that most original studies were not designed to examine symptom-specific responses, so the evidence for this approach is incomplete.
<60%
of women respond to current treatments
About the study
- Original title
- Are there differential symptom profiles that improve in response to different pharmacological treatments of premenstrual syndrome/premenstrual dysphoric disorder?
- Authors
- Halbreich U, O'Brien PM, Eriksson E et al.
- Journal
- CNS drugs
- Year
- 2006
- Study design
- Randomised trial
- What was tested
- Various pharmacological treatments: SSRIs, birth control (ovulation-suppressing medications), anti-anxiety drugs, and dopamine agonists
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.2165/00023210-200620070-00001
Topics
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