Randomised trial, 1997
Do fluoxetine and bupropion treat PMDD symptoms?
Fluoxetine significantly reduces PMDD symptoms and is more effective than bupropion or placebo. Bupropion shows some improvement but is not significantly different from placebo.
What they did
34 women with PMDD completed 1 month of placebo treatment, then 2 months each of fluoxetine (20 mg daily), bupropion (100 mg three times daily), or placebo. Symptoms were rated before menstruation in each cycle.
What they found
Fluoxetine was significantly superior to both bupropion and placebo on symptom rating scales. Bupropion showed some improvement but was not significantly different from placebo. Women reported much greater satisfaction with fluoxetine.
What it means for you
Fluoxetine is an effective antidepressant for treating PMDD, more effective than bupropion. This was a relatively small trial with only 34 women, so results should be confirmed in larger studies.
20
mg fluoxetine per day
100
mg bupropion three times daily
34
women in trial
About the study
- Original title
- Comparison of fluoxetine, bupropion, and placebo in the treatment of premenstrual dysphoric disorder
- Authors
- Pearlstein TB, Stone AB, Lund SA et al.
- Journal
- Journal of clinical psychopharmacology
- Year
- 1997
- Study design
- Randomised trial
- Participants
- 12
- What was tested
- Fluoxetine 20 mg per day, bupropion 100 mg three times daily, or placebo
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1097/00004714-199708000-00004
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