---
title: What medications work best for treating PMS? | Niyora
description: SSRIs like fluoxetine and benzodiazepines like alprazolam have clear benefits for PMS. GnRH agonists also work well but cause too many side effects for routin
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/from-gnrh-to-ssris-and-beyond-weighing-the-options-for-drug-therapy-in-1997/
---

- [Niyora](https://niyora.com/)
- [Research](https://niyora.com/research/)
- [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/)
- What medications work best for treating PMS?

Study, 1997

# What medications work best for treating PMS?

SSRIs like fluoxetine and benzodiazepines like alprazolam have clear benefits for PMS. GnRH agonists also work well but cause too many side effects for routine use, and other drugs can treat specific symptoms like headaches or fluid retention.

 Strong study design

Women with premenstrual syndrome

## What they did

Reviewed research on medications used to treat PMS.

## What they found

Three main classes of medications help PMS. GnRH agonists (leuprolide acetate, nafarelin acetate, goserelin acetate) are highly effective in select cases but their side effects limit use to women who don't respond to other treatments. SSRIs (especially fluoxetine) and benzodiazepines (like alprazolam) have proven benefits and are more widely used. Danazol helps premenstrual headaches and spironolactone helps fluid retention.

## What it means for you

Women with PMS have multiple medication options. SSRIs and benzodiazepines are preferred first because they work well with manageable side effects. If these don't help, stronger options like GnRH agonists are available, though their side effects limit regular use.

3

Classes of medications shown to help PMS

## About the study

Original title From GnRH to SSRIs and Beyond: Weighing the Options for Drug Therapy in Premenstrual Syndrome Authors Mortola JF Journal Medscape women's health Year 1997 Study design Study What was tested Multiple medications: SSRIs, benzodiazepines, GnRH agonists, and symptom-specific drugs Read the paper [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9746708/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9746708/)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[SSRIs and antidepressants](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-ssri/)[GnRH agonists and ovarian suppression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-gnrh/)[Psychotherapy, counselling and education](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-psychotherapy/)[Anxiolytics and other psychotropics](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-anxiolytics/)[Diuretics and other drugs](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-diuretics-other-drugs/)

Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits.

Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor.

## Related studies

Review, 1991

What treatments are available for late luteal phase dysphoric disorder?

Systematic review, 2007

What treatments work for premenstrual syndrome?

Review, 2002

What treatments work best for PMS and PMDD?

Review, 2006

What treatments work for premenstrual disorders?

Review, 2003

What role do hormones play in PMS and how should we treat it?

Review, 2002

What treatments work for PMDD?

Ask AI about this page

Copy prompt

ChatGPT

↗

Claude

↗

Perplexity

↗

Google AI Mode

↗

Grok

↗