---
title: Can starting paroxetine only when symptoms begin help PMDD if stopped within days of menses?
description: Yes, 70% of women improved on symptom-onset paroxetine compared to 10% on placebo, and depression scores improved significantly. This is a very small study, s
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/symptom-onset-treatment-for-women-with-premenstrual-dysphoric-disorder-2006/
---

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- Can starting paroxetine only when symptoms begin help PMDD if stopped within days of menses?

Randomised trial, 2006

# Can starting paroxetine only when symptoms begin help PMDD if stopped within days of menses?

Yes, 70% of women improved on symptom-onset paroxetine compared to 10% on placebo, and depression scores improved significantly. This is a very small study, so larger trials are needed.

 Moderate study design

20 women with PMDD

## What they did

Randomized, double-blind, crossover study. Twenty women with PMDD were assigned to paroxetine CR or placebo for one cycle, then switched to the other for a second cycle. They started treatment when premenstrual symptoms began and stopped within 3 days of menses.

## What they found

Women took medication for an average of 9 days (range 3-15 days). Depression scores were significantly better on paroxetine (17.9±8.3) than placebo (31.5±11.2, p=0.009). Response rate was 70% on paroxetine versus 10% on placebo (p=0.006). Daily symptom severity scores trended lower on paroxetine but not significantly. No difference in withdrawal symptoms between groups.

## What it means for you

Very short-term paroxetine (about 9 days per cycle) may help PMDD symptoms effectively while limiting medication exposure. This is a very small study with only 20 women, so larger trials are needed to confirm.

20

Women studied

70%

Response rate on paroxetine

9 days

Average treatment duration

## About the study

Original title Symptom-onset treatment for women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder Authors Yonkers KA, Holthausen GA, Poschman K et al. Journal Journal of clinical psychopharmacology Year 2006 Study design Randomised trial Participants 4 What was tested Paroxetine CR started when symptoms began and stopped within 3 days of menses Read the paper [doi.org/10.1097/01.jcp.0000203197.03829.ae](https://doi.org/10.1097/01.jcp.0000203197.03829.ae)

## 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/)[SSRIs and antidepressants](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-ssri/)

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