---
title: Do fluoxetine and bupropion treat PMDD symptoms? | Niyora
description: Fluoxetine significantly reduces PMDD symptoms and is more effective than bupropion or placebo. Bupropion shows some improvement but is not significantly diff
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/comparison-of-fluoxetine-bupropion-and-placebo-in-the-treatment-of-premenstrual-1997/
---

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- Do fluoxetine and bupropion treat PMDD symptoms?

Randomised trial, 1997

# Do fluoxetine and bupropion treat PMDD symptoms?

Fluoxetine significantly reduces PMDD symptoms and is more effective than bupropion or placebo. Bupropion shows some improvement but is not significantly different from placebo.

 Moderate study design

34 women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder

## What they did

34 women with PMDD completed 1 month of placebo treatment, then 2 months each of fluoxetine (20 mg daily), bupropion (100 mg three times daily), or placebo. Symptoms were rated before menstruation in each cycle.

## What they found

Fluoxetine was significantly superior to both bupropion and placebo on symptom rating scales. Bupropion showed some improvement but was not significantly different from placebo. Women reported much greater satisfaction with fluoxetine.

## What it means for you

Fluoxetine is an effective antidepressant for treating PMDD, more effective than bupropion. This was a relatively small trial with only 34 women, so results should be confirmed in larger studies.

20

mg fluoxetine per day

100

mg bupropion three times daily

34

women in trial

## About the study

Original title Comparison of fluoxetine, bupropion, and placebo in the treatment of premenstrual dysphoric disorder Authors Pearlstein TB, Stone AB, Lund SA et al. Journal Journal of clinical psychopharmacology Year 1997 Study design Randomised trial Participants 12 What was tested Fluoxetine 20 mg per day, bupropion 100 mg three times daily, or placebo Read the paper [doi.org/10.1097/00004714-199708000-00004](https://doi.org/10.1097/00004714-199708000-00004)

## 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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Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor.

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