Randomised trial, 2015
Does quetiapine help women with PMS/PMDD who don't respond well to antidepressants?
This very small pilot study suggests quetiapine as an add-on to antidepressants may help reduce mood-related symptoms like anxiety and irritability, but the evidence is weak because only 20 women were studied.
What they did
20 women with PMS/PMDD who were not getting enough symptom relief from antidepressants were randomly assigned to quetiapine (starting at 25mg) or placebo during the luteal phase only. The study lasted 3 months, with symptom diagnosis confirmed by 2 months of daily tracking before the trial started.
What they found
Women taking quetiapine showed greater reductions in mood symptoms during the luteal phase compared to placebo, with the most improvement in mood lability, anxiety, and irritability. The researchers noted the study was underpowered to reach firm conclusions.
What it means for you
Quetiapine added to antidepressants may help women whose symptoms aren't adequately controlled by antidepressants alone, especially for anxiety and irritability. However, this is a very small pilot study with only 20 women, making it impossible to be confident in the results. Much larger studies are needed.
20
women enrolled
3
months of treatment
25 mg
starting dose of quetiapine
About the study
- Original title
- Double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study of adjunctive quetiapine SR in the treatment of PMS/PMDD
- Authors
- Jackson C, Pearson B, Girdler S et al.
- Journal
- Human psychopharmacology
- Year
- 2015
- Study design
- Randomised trial
- What was tested
- Quetiapine sustained-release starting at 25mg during the luteal phase
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1002/hup.2494
Topics
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