---
title: Does levetiracetam help treat PMDD? | Niyora
description: In a small pilot study, 6 out of 7 women with PMDD had their symptoms improve considerably with levetiracetam over 4 months. Because there was no control grou
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/levetiracetam-for-treatment-of-premenstrual-dysphoric-disorder-a-pilot-open-2008/
---

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- Does levetiracetam help treat PMDD?

Randomised trial, 2008

# Does levetiracetam help treat PMDD?

In a small pilot study, 6 out of 7 women with PMDD had their symptoms improve considerably with levetiracetam over 4 months. Because there was no control group, we cannot be sure the improvement was due to the drug rather than other factors.

 Early or limited evidence

7 women with PMDD

## What they did

7 women with PMDD took levetiracetam in this pilot study over 4 months. The dose started at 250 mg and was gradually increased up to 1,500 mg twice daily. Symptoms were measured daily.

## What they found

6 out of 7 women had a considerable decrease in symptom scores starting from the first treatment cycle. One woman dropped out due to lack of efficacy after one cycle. Women also reported improvements in food cravings and premenstrual headaches. The medication was fairly well tolerated.

## What it means for you

Levetiracetam may help PMDD symptoms and was well tolerated. However, this is a very small pilot study with no control group, so we cannot be sure the improvement was not due to other factors like placebo effect or the passage of time.

7

women enrolled

6

had considerable improvement in symptoms

4 months

treatment duration

## About the study

Original title Levetiracetam for treatment of premenstrual dysphoric disorder: a pilot, open-label study Authors Kayatekin ZE, Sabo AN, Halbreich U Journal Archives of women's mental health Year 2008 Study design Randomised trial What was tested Levetiracetam, starting at 250 mg and increased to up to 1,500 mg twice daily over 4 months Read the paper [doi.org/10.1007/s00737-008-0014-9](https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-008-0014-9)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Pain and headache](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-pain/)[Epilepsy](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-epilepsy/)

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