---
title: Does citalopram help women with PMS who did not respond to other antidepressants?
description: Yes. 76% of women had significant symptom improvement and 41% experienced complete symptom remission, though this was a small study without blinding or a cont
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/citalopram-in-pms-patients-with-prior-ssri-treatment-failure-a-preliminary-study-2002/
---

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- Does citalopram help women with PMS who did not respond to other antidepressants?

Randomised trial, 2002

# Does citalopram help women with PMS who did not respond to other antidepressants?

Yes. 76% of women had significant symptom improvement and 41% experienced complete symptom remission, though this was a small study without blinding or a control group.

 Early or limited evidence

17 women with PMS who had not improved with previous SSRI treatment

## What they did

17 women who had not improved after treatment with other SSRIs were given citalopram (20-40 mg daily) in an open-label design. 11 women took it only during the luteal phase (the two weeks before their period) and 6 took it all month for one menstrual cycle.

## What they found

Total premenstrual symptom scores improved significantly. 76% of women had a 50% or greater reduction in symptoms from baseline. 41% experienced complete symptom remission, meaning their symptoms returned to levels seen after their period.

## What it means for you

Citalopram may help women whose other SSRI treatments failed. However, this is a small study without blinding or a control group, so results should be viewed as preliminary.

17

women studied

76%

with 50% or greater improvement

41%

with complete remission

## About the study

Original title Citalopram in PMS patients with prior SSRI treatment failure: a preliminary study Authors Freeman EW, Jabara S, Sondheimer SJ et al. Journal Journal of women's health & gender-based medicine Year 2002 Study design Randomised trial Participants 6 What was tested Citalopram 20-40 mg daily (luteal phase only or full-cycle) Read the paper [doi.org/10.1089/15246090260137635](https://doi.org/10.1089/15246090260137635)

## 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/)

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