Study, 1992
Can a chemical called lactate trigger panic attacks in women with PMS?
Yes. In this study, infusing lactate triggered panic attacks much more often in women with PMS than in women without PMS, suggesting people with PMS may be more sensitive to this trigger, though this extra sensitivity was not mainly explained by also having panic disorder.
What they did
35 women with confirmed PMS and 16 women without PMS (controls) were given a sodium lactate infusion during the premenstrual phase to see if it would bring on a panic attack. The women with PMS were also interviewed using a structured clinical tool to check for anxiety or mood disorders alongside their PMS.
What they found
Only 31% of the women with PMS had no depressive or anxiety disorder at all. Nine women met criteria for panic disorder, and 15 others had some anxiety and/or mood disorder. The lactate infusion caused panic attacks in 22 of the women with PMS (62.9%), compared with two of the controls (12.5%). Panic attacks happened about equally often whether or not the woman with PMS also had another anxiety or mood disorder. Heart and blood vessel responses to lactate were similar across the PMS group, but cortisol levels and panic and mood scores during the test were higher in those who also had panic disorder.
What it means for you
This suggests PMS itself, not just a co-existing panic disorder, may involve heightened sensitivity to this kind of chemical trigger. The study was small and only looked at this one test, so it cannot show whether this sensitivity directly explains PMS symptoms in daily life.
62.9%
Women with PMS who had a panic attack after lactate
12.5%
Controls who had a panic attack after lactate
31%
Women with PMS free of any depressive/anxiety disorder
About the study
- Original title
- Lactate infusion induces panic attacks in patients with premenstrual syndrome
- Authors
- Facchinetti F, Romano G, Fava M et al.
- Journal
- Psychosomatic medicine
- Year
- 1992
- Study design
- Study
- Participants
- 35
- What was tested
- Sodium lactate infusion used as a trigger test for panic attacks.
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1097/00006842-199205000-00005
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