---
title: How should doctors choose medications to treat premenstrual syndrome?
description: Doctors should try older established drugs first. Newer drugs should only be used when standard treatments fail and symptoms are severe enough to justify pote
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/progesterone-and-premenstrual-syndrome-1980/
---

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- How should doctors choose medications to treat premenstrual syndrome?

Study, 1980

# How should doctors choose medications to treat premenstrual syndrome?

Doctors should try older established drugs first. Newer drugs should only be used when standard treatments fail and symptoms are severe enough to justify potential risks. All medications should be given carefully with monitoring.

 Early or limited evidence

General guidance for healthcare providers

## What they did

An expert discusses guidelines for selecting and prescribing medications for PMS based on drug type, how established the drug is, and severity of symptoms.

## What they found

A framework for choosing PMS medications is outlined, prioritizing established drugs over newer ones. Careful and controlled administration is recommended for newer drugs, which should only be used when older options have failed.

## What it means for you

These are expert recommendations for how to approach PMS treatment. The main limitation is this is based on expert opinion and clinical experience rather than original research data with patients, so the strength of evidence is very low.

## About the study

Original title Progesterone and Premenstrual Syndrome Authors Richard H. Lawson Journal The British Journal of Psychiatry Year 1980 Study design Study What was tested None (prescribing guidance) Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1017/s0007125000045608](https://doi.org/10.1017/s0007125000045608)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)

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