--- title: How long should women take SSRI antidepressants for PMS or PMDD? description: Longer treatment helps prevent relapse for mild PMS, but symptom severity matters most: women with mild PMS relapsed one-third of the time regardless of how l url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/premenstrual-symptom-severity-should-determine-time-on-ssri-2009/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - How long should women take SSRI antidepressants for PMS or PMDD? Randomised trial, 2009 # How long should women take SSRI antidepressants for PMS or PMDD? Longer treatment helps prevent relapse for mild PMS, but symptom severity matters most: women with mild PMS relapsed one-third of the time regardless of how long they took the medication, while women with severe PMDD relapsed two-thirds of the time regardless of length. Strong study design 174 women with either PMS or PMDD ## What they did A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial of 174 women with either PMS or the more severe form PMDD. Half took sertraline for 4 months, half for 12 months. All women took 50 mg daily only during the luteal phase (after ovulation). After stopping the medication, all women were switched to placebo and followed for 6 months to see who relapsed. ## What they found During 6-month follow-up, 51% of the short-term treatment group relapsed compared to 33% of the long-term group. However, women with PMDD relapsed two-thirds of the time regardless of whether they received 4 or 12 months of treatment, while women with PMS relapsed only one-third of the time regardless of treatment length. ## What it means for you For mild PMS, taking SSRI for 12 months instead of 4 months helps prevent symptom return. For severe PMDD, even 12 months does not prevent relapse in most women. Initial symptom severity is more predictive than treatment length. This was a well-designed, reasonably large trial but tested only one dose of one medication. 174 women studied 50 mg daily sertraline dose 33–51% relapse rate by treatment ## About the study Original title Premenstrual Symptom Severity Should Determine Time on SSRI Authors Joan Arehart-Treichel Journal Psychiatric News Year 2009 Study design Randomised trial Participants 174 What was tested Sertraline 50 mg daily during luteal phase for either 4 months or 12 months Read the paper [doi.org/10.1176/pn.44.14.0026](https://doi.org/10.1176/pn.44.14.0026) ## 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/) 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 Systematic review, 2024 What are the best treatments for PMDD and PMS? Review, 2024 What are the most effective treatments for PMDD? Systematic review, 2024 Do SSRI antidepressants help treat PMS and PMDD? Randomised trial, 2023 Does taking sertraline when PMDD symptoms start improve how well women function? Guideline, 2023 How are GnRH agonists used to treat PMDD that doesn't respond to standard medications? Review, 2022 What causes severe PMS and what treatments work? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗