---
title: Does atenolol, a blood pressure medication, help PMDD symptoms?
description: Atenolol improved some symptoms including irritability and mood, but not all symptoms. Women who had PMDD for more than 5 years showed more improvement. The s
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/atenolol-treatment-of-late-luteal-phase-dysphoric-disorder-1988/
---

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- Does atenolol, a blood pressure medication, help PMDD symptoms?

Randomised trial, 1988

# Does atenolol, a blood pressure medication, help PMDD symptoms?

Atenolol improved some symptoms including irritability and mood, but not all symptoms. Women who had PMDD for more than 5 years showed more improvement. The study was very small with only 16 women.

 Early or limited evidence

16 women with PMDD

## What they did

Randomized double-blind placebo-controlled crossover study in 16 women with PMDD. Women were treated with atenolol 50 mg once daily or placebo and compared on multiple symptom rating scales.

## What they found

Atenolol improved irritability, vigor, elation, and friendliness compared to placebo. It did not produce significant improvements on several other rating scales. In the subgroup of 8 women who had PMDD symptoms for more than 5 years, atenolol improved most of the rating scales. Atenolol decreased plasma aldosterone to a limited extent and showed a trend toward higher luteal progesterone levels.

## What it means for you

Atenolol may help some PMDD symptoms, especially in women with long-standing disease, but does not address all symptoms. The mechanism is unclear. This is a very small study from 1988, so results should be confirmed in larger modern trials before atenolol could be recommended for PMDD treatment.

16

women in the study

8

women with symptoms lasting more than 5 years

50 mg

atenolol dose given once daily

## About the study

Original title Atenolol treatment of late luteal phase dysphoric disorder Authors Rausch JL, Janowsky DS, Golshan S et al. Journal Journal of affective disorders Year 1988 Study design Randomised trial Participants 8 What was tested Atenolol 50 mg once daily Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/0165-0327(88)90082-1](https://doi.org/10.1016/0165-0327(88)90082-1)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Anxiety and tension](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-anxiety/)[Major depressive disorder](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-major-depression/)

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