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Randomised trial, 2016

Does sertraline help control high blood pressure in women with both high blood pressure and PMS?

Yes. Women taking sertraline had significantly greater reductions in blood pressure than those who did not, especially in diastolic blood pressure.

Moderate study design 40 women with refractory high blood pressure and PMS, average age 43.60 years

What they did

40 women with both refractory high blood pressure and PMS were divided into two groups. One group took sertraline 50 mg daily for 5 weeks. The other group received no treatment. Blood pressure was measured before and after treatment in each woman, and the two groups were compared.

What they found

The sertraline group had a reduction of 40.86 mmHg in systolic blood pressure while the control group had a reduction of 16 mmHg. Sertraline was more effective in lowering diastolic blood pressure.

What it means for you

Sertraline may be useful for treating high blood pressure in women who have both high blood pressure and PMS. The study was small (40 women) and lasted only 5 weeks, so longer and larger studies would help. Results may differ in other settings since this study was done in Iran.

40

women in study

50 mg

daily sertraline dose

40.86 mmHg

systolic reduction in sertraline group

About the study

Original title
The Effects of Sertraline in Controlling Refractory Hypertension in Women with Premenstrual Syndrome
Authors
Ranjbar F, Akbarzadeh F, Asadlou M
Journal
Iranian journal of psychiatry
Year
2016
Study design
Randomised trial
Participants
40
What was tested
Sertraline 50 mg daily for 5 weeks
Open access
Yes
Original abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) on treatment response of refractory hypertension of the patients. Method: This was a triple-blind randomized clinical trial conducted on female patients suffering from refractory hypertension and PMS at the same time. We obtained informed consent from 40 patients who had inclusion criteria and selected 20 patients for the intervention (sertraline 50 mg daily) and 20 for the control groups. The study period was five weeks. The mean of systolic and diastolic blood pressure before and after intervention was measured separately for each individual in each group and the mean of blood pressure of the members of the two groups were compared with each other. Results: The mean age of the participants was 43.60 ± 4.57. In this study, systolic and diastolic blood pressure of both groups reduced after intervention. The mean of systolic blood pressure was reduced by 40.86 mmHg in the intervention group and this reduction was 16 mm Hg in control group after intervention (P Conclusion : Administration of sertraline is more effective in controlling diastolic blood pressure in women suffering from refractory hypertension and comorbid PMS.

Reproduced under CC-BY.

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