--- title: Does lamotrigine reduce menstrual cycle-related mood changes in women with bipolar disorder? description: Women with treated bipolar disorder showed greater mood and sleep changes across the menstrual cycle compared to healthy women. Women taking lamotrigine had l url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/lamotrigine-and-gabaa-receptor-modulators-interact-with-menstrual-cycle-phase-2015/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does lamotrigine reduce menstrual cycle-related mood changes in women with bipolar disorder? Case-control study, 2015 # Does lamotrigine reduce menstrual cycle-related mood changes in women with bipolar disorder? Women with treated bipolar disorder showed greater mood and sleep changes across the menstrual cycle compared to healthy women. Women taking lamotrigine had less mood fluctuation and were more similar to healthy women than those not taking lamotrigine. Moderate study design 42 women with bipolar disorder on lamotrigine, 30 without it, and 13 healthy controls ## What they did Researchers compared daily mood and sleep ratings over approximately 4 menstrual cycles in 42 women with bipolar disorder taking lamotrigine, 30 women with bipolar disorder not taking lamotrigine, and 13 healthy controls, all with natural menstrual cycles. ## What they found Women with bipolar disorder had lower average mood, longer nighttime sleep, and greater mood and sleep changes across cycle phases than healthy controls. Women with bipolar disorder taking lamotrigine had less mood change within and across cycle phases and were more similar to healthy controls. Medications affecting GABA-A receptors, when combined with hormonal contraceptives, showed improved mood ratings. ## What it means for you Women with bipolar disorder may experience stronger cycle-related mood swings. Lamotrigine may reduce this cycling. The finding about combining medications with hormonal contraceptives needs more research. A limitation is that this was observational, not an experiment. 42 women with bipolar disorder on lamotrigine 30 women with bipolar disorder without lamotrigine 4 menstrual cycles tracked ## About the study Original title Lamotrigine and GABAA receptor modulators interact with menstrual cycle phase and oral contraceptives to regulate mood in women with bipolar disorder Authors Robakis TK, Holtzman J, Stemmle PG et al. Journal Journal of affective disorders Year 2015 Study design Case-control study Participants 42 What was tested Lamotrigine and other mood-stabilizing medications Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2014.12.040](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2014.12.040) ## Topics [Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Irritability and anger](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-irritability-anger/)[Sleep and insomnia](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-sleep/)[Oral contraceptives and drospirenone](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-hormonal-contraceptives/)[Neurosteroids (allopregnanolone)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-neurosteroids/)[Anxiolytics and other psychotropics](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-anxiolytics/)[Bipolar disorder](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-bipolar/) 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 Survey study, 2011 Why do some women experience negative mood with hormone changes? Survey study, 2009 Why do some women feel depressed or anxious when progesterone increases before their period? Cohort study, 2026 Does sleeping longer improve mood and fitness in elite athletes? Systematic review, 2019 Do lithium and valproate levels change during the menstrual cycle? Randomised trial, 2017 Does Sepranolone reduce symptoms of severe premenstrual syndrome (PMDD)? Case-control study, 2007 Are there genes that increase the risk of PMDD? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗