Review, 1995
What is premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and how should women be treated for it?
PMS is a well-defined cluster of mood symptoms that disrupt daily functioning. Most women with PMS can be helped, primarily with serotonin reuptake inhibitors, which are effective and well tolerated.
What they did
Clinical review of PMS diagnosis and evidence-based treatment approaches.
What they found
Serotonin reuptake inhibitors are becoming first-line therapy for PMS because they are effective, easily tolerated, and free of major side effects. Other antidepressants, anxiolytics, and GnRH agonists also have supporting evidence. Healthy diet, avoiding salt and caffeine, vitamin supplementation, and exercise have not been proved as effective treatment, but should be promoted for general health. Treatment should be tried for two or three menstrual cycles with dose adjustments before evaluating effectiveness.
What it means for you
Women with PMS have medication options that work for many, but finding the right treatment may require trying different approaches. The main limitation is that lifestyle changes widely recommended for health have not been proven specifically for PMS. This also reflects approaches from 1995 and may not reflect current practice.
2-3
menstrual cycles to trial a medication
About the study
- Original title
- A clinician's guide to the premenstrual syndrome
- Authors
- Barnhart KT, Freeman EW, Sondheimer SJ
- Journal
- The Medical clinics of North America
- Year
- 1995
- Study design
- Review
- What was tested
- Serotonin reuptake inhibitors, other antidepressants, anxiolytics, GnRH agonists, lifestyle changes
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/s0025-7125(16)30011-6
Topics
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