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Randomised trial, 1999

Does menstrual cycle phase affect how women respond to triazolam?

No. The effects of triazolam on mood and performance were stable across all three phases of the menstrual cycle.

Moderate study design 20 healthy women

What they did

Twenty healthy women received either triazolam 0.25 mg or placebo at three different phases of their menstrual cycles in a crossover study. Researchers measured mood, arousal, psychomotor performance, and hormone and drug levels in the blood.

What they found

Most women reported the expected increases in fatigue and decreases in alertness and psychomotor performance after triazolam at all three cycle phases. Neither blood levels of triazolam nor mood and performance effects differed across follicular, ovulatory, and luteal phases.

What it means for you

Menstrual cycle hormones do not substantially change how this sleep medication affects mood and performance. The main limit is the small sample size and that all women were healthy, not people with anxiety or sleep problems.

20

Women studied

3

Menstrual cycle phases tested

0.25 mg

Triazolam dose

About the study

Original title
Effects of triazolam at three phases of the menstrual cycle
Authors
Rukstalis M, de Wit H
Journal
Journal of clinical psychopharmacology
Year
1999
Study design
Randomised trial
What was tested
Triazolam 0.25 mg oral dose or placebo

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