--- title: Does longer sertraline treatment prevent PMS symptoms from returning? description: Yes. When women took sertraline for 12 months, 41% had symptoms return, compared to 60% who took it for only 4 months. Women with more severe symptoms at the url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/time-to-relapse-after-short-or-long-term-treatment-of-severe-premenstrual-2009/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does longer sertraline treatment prevent PMS symptoms from returning? Randomised trial, 2009 # Does longer sertraline treatment prevent PMS symptoms from returning? Yes. When women took sertraline for 12 months, 41% had symptoms return, compared to 60% who took it for only 4 months. Women with more severe symptoms at the start were much more likely to have symptoms come back. Strong study design 174 women with PMS or PMDD ## What they did 174 women with PMS or PMDD took sertraline for either 4 or 12 months, then switched to placebo. Researchers followed them for 18 months total and tracked when their symptoms returned using daily symptom records. ## What they found 41% of women on 12-month treatment had symptoms return compared to 60% on 4-month treatment. Women on longer treatment waited 8 months before symptoms came back, compared to 4 months in the shorter group. Women with severe baseline symptoms were much more likely to relapse. Women whose symptoms went away completely were the least likely to have them return. ## What it means for you Longer treatment with sertraline may help prevent PMS symptoms from coming back. However, even with 12 months of treatment, symptoms returned for many women. The best results were in women whose symptoms completely disappeared during treatment. The study only examined one medication, so it is unclear if other treatments would show the same pattern. 41% relapse rate on 12-month treatment 60% relapse rate on 4-month treatment 8 vs 4 months median time until symptoms returned ## About the study Original title Time to relapse after short- or long-term treatment of severe premenstrual syndrome with sertraline Authors Freeman EW, Rickels K, Sammel MD et al. Journal Archives of general psychiatry Year 2009 Study design Randomised trial What was tested Sertraline for 4 or 12 months Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2008.547](https://doi.org/10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2008.547) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[SSRIs and antidepressants](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-ssri/)[Adolescents and young people](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-adolescents/)[Economic burden](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-economic-burden/) 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 Guideline, 2023 How are GnRH agonists used to treat PMDD that doesn't respond to standard medications? Systematic review, 2017 Does Vitex agnus castus help treat premenstrual syndrome? Review, 2005 Do antidepressants improve quality of life in women with PMDD? Survey study, 2021 What happens when someone has both bipolar disorder and PMDD? Review, 2006 How common is PMS in teenagers and how should it be treated? Review, 2002 What treatments work for PMDD? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗