---
title: Can metformin help psychosis that happens with the menstrual cycle?
description: Maybe. One woman with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and menstrual-linked psychosis had significant improvement when metformin restored her normal menstrual
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/metformine-for-psychosis-associated-with-the-menstrual-cycle-in-a-patient-with-2008/
---

- [Niyora](https://niyora.com/)
- [Research](https://niyora.com/research/)
- [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/)
- Can metformin help psychosis that happens with the menstrual cycle?

Case report, 2008

# Can metformin help psychosis that happens with the menstrual cycle?

Maybe. One woman with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and menstrual-linked psychosis had significant improvement when metformin restored her normal menstrual cycle.

 Early or limited evidence

One woman with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and psychosis linked to menstrual cycle

## What they did

This is a case report of one woman with PCOS who had psychotic episodes connected to her menstrual cycle. She was given metformin, a medication usually used for diabetes and PCOS. The doctors describe what happened after treatment started.

## What they found

When metformin helped restore the patient's normal menstrual cycle, her psychotic symptoms improved significantly. The patient had abnormal patterns before treatment (not ovulating regularly), which likely caused abnormal hormone levels that contributed to her psychiatric symptoms.

## What it means for you

Abnormal hormone levels from irregular menstrual cycles might contribute to some psychiatric symptoms. Restoring normal menstruation with metformin may help improve these symptoms. This is only one patient with a specific combination of PCOS and menstrual-linked psychosis. Many more women need to be studied to know if this treatment would help others with similar conditions.

1

Patient case studied

## About the study

Original title Metformine for psychosis associated with the menstrual cycle in a patient with polycystic ovary syndrome Authors Andreou C, Syngelakis M, Karavatos A Journal Archives of women's mental health Year 2008 Study design Case report What was tested Metformin to restore normal menstrual cycle Read the paper [doi.org/10.1007/s00737-008-0032-7](https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-008-0032-7)

## Topics

[Menstrual psychosis](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-menstrual-psychosis/)[Diuretics and other drugs](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-diuretics-other-drugs/)[Schizophrenia and psychosis](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-psychosis/)[Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-pcos/)

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

Case report, 2020

Can psychosis get worse before your period if you have PCOS?

Review, 2002

What treatments work best for PMS and PMDD?

Survey study, 2026

Should PMDD be recognized in Indian law as affecting criminal responsibility?

Case report, 2026

Can hormonal therapy treat psychotic symptoms tied to the menstrual cycle?

Study, 2024

Can PMDD cause psychosis that returns with each menstrual cycle?

Case report, 2023

What is menstrual psychosis?

Ask AI about this page

Copy prompt

ChatGPT

↗

Claude

↗

Perplexity

↗

Google AI Mode

↗

Grok

↗