--- title: Does acetazolamide help PMDD symptoms in women who don't respond to standard treatments? description: In 8 women with PMDD who hadn't improved with standard treatments, adding acetazolamide 125 mg per day for 7-10 days before each period made their symptoms di url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/low-dose-acetazolamide-in-the-treatment-of-premenstrual-dysphoric-disorder-a-2014/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does acetazolamide help PMDD symptoms in women who don't respond to standard treatments? Case report, 2014 # Does acetazolamide help PMDD symptoms in women who don't respond to standard treatments? In 8 women with PMDD who hadn't improved with standard treatments, adding acetazolamide 125 mg per day for 7-10 days before each period made their symptoms disappear. They stayed symptom-free for at least 12 months. Early or limited evidence 8 women with treatment-resistant PMDD (5 with mood disorder, 1 with anxiety disorder) ## What they did A case series of 8 women with PMDD who hadn't responded to standard treatments. Five also had a mood disorder and one also had an anxiety disorder. They took 125 mg of acetazolamide daily for 7-10 days before their period each month. Doctors followed them for 12 months. ## What they found All 8 women had their symptoms disappear after taking acetazolamide. They had no premenstrual symptoms at the 12-month follow-up. ## What it means for you Acetazolamide might help women with PMDD who don't get better with standard treatments. This is a small group without a comparison group, so we can't be completely sure it was the acetazolamide that helped. The medication works on a brain chemical called GABA, which may be involved in PMDD. Larger studies would be needed to confirm this. 8 women studied 125 mg daily dose 12 months follow-up period ## About the study Original title Low-dose acetazolamide in the treatment of premenstrual dysphoric disorder: a case series Authors Sani G, Kotzalidis GD, Panaccione I et al. Journal Psychiatry investigation Year 2014 Study design Case report What was tested Acetazolamide 125 mg per day for 7-10 days before menses each month Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.4306/pi.2014.11.1.95](https://doi.org/10.4306/pi.2014.11.1.95) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Diuretics and other drugs](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-diuretics-other-drugs/)[Anxiety disorders and OCD](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-anxiety-disorders/) 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 Study, 2026 Do anxiety and depression get worse before your period if you already have a mental health condition? Study, 2026 What are premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder? Cohort study, 2020 Are women with PMDD more likely to have generalized anxiety disorder? Case-control study, 2019 Does the menstrual cycle affect how women's brains process emotions? Cohort study, 2012 How quickly does fluoxetine start working for PMDD symptoms? Review, 2003 What treatments work best for PMS and PMDD? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗