Randomised trial, 1992
Does clomipramine help premenstrual irritability and dysphoria?
Yes. Clomipramine reduced symptoms by more than 80 percent compared to about 40 percent with placebo, with a response rate close to 100 percent.
What they did
Double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. 40 women were observed for 2 baseline cycles, then treated for 3 cycles with either clomipramine (25-75 mg per day, flexible dose) or placebo. They rated their irritability and dysphoria daily.
What they found
Both groups showed improvement compared to baseline, but clomipramine reduced symptoms by more than 80 percent while placebo reduced them by only about 40 percent. Clomipramine showed significantly lower symptom ratings than placebo at all 3 treatment cycles.
What it means for you
Clomipramine works well for premenstrual irritability and dysphoria. However, this is a small study with only 40 women, so results should be confirmed in larger groups.
40
Women in the study (20 per group)
>80%
Symptom reduction with clomipramine
40%
Symptom reduction with placebo
About the study
- Original title
- Clomipramine effectively reduces premenstrual irritability and dysphoria: a placebo-controlled trial
- Authors
- Sundblad C, Modigh K, Andersch B et al.
- Journal
- Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica
- Year
- 1992
- Study design
- Randomised trial
- Participants
- 20
- What was tested
- Clomipramine 25-75 mg per day, flexible dose
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0447.1992.tb01440.x
Topics
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