---
title: Do SSRIs help treat PMDD? | Niyora
description: Yes. About 65% of women respond well to SSRIs like fluoxetine or sertraline, with improvement in both mood and physical symptoms.
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/selective-serotonin-reuptake-inhibitors-in-premenstrual-dysphoric-disorder-2001/
---

- [Niyora](https://niyora.com/)
- [Research](https://niyora.com/research/)
- [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/)
- Do SSRIs help treat PMDD?

Survey study, 2001

# Do SSRIs help treat PMDD?

Yes. About 65% of women respond well to SSRIs like fluoxetine or sertraline, with improvement in both mood and physical symptoms.

 Moderate study design

Women with PMDD or late luteal-phase dysphoric disorder

## What they did

They searched published research from 1966 to August 2000 for studies on SSRIs (a type of antidepressant) used to treat PMDD.

## What they found

About 65% of women had good results from SSRI therapy, especially with fluoxetine or sertraline. Both emotional and physical symptoms improved. Studies lasting as long as 18 months showed continued benefit. Recent research suggested that taking SSRIs only during the luteal phase (second half of the cycle) may work almost as well as taking them continuously in some women.

## What it means for you

SSRIs are an effective treatment for PMDD, with about two-thirds of women responding well. This is a review of published studies rather than a new study, so quality depends on the studies included. It is unclear which women would do best with phase-only dosing versus continuous dosing.

65%

Response rate for global clinical outcomes

18 months

Duration of benefit shown in studies

## About the study

Original title Selective Serotonin-Reuptake Inhibitors in Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder Authors Irma G Barcelona, Laurie Slack Mauro Journal Journal of Pharmacy Technology Year 2001 Study design Survey study What was tested SSRIs (fluoxetine, sertraline, paroxetine) Read the paper [doi.org/10.1177/875512250101700403](https://doi.org/10.1177/875512250101700403)

## 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

↗