---
title: Which antidepressant works better for PMS, sertraline or desipramine?
description: Sertraline was more effective than both desipramine and placebo at reducing PMS symptoms. This was a high-quality study with 167 women completing it.
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/sertraline-was-more-effective-than-desipramine-or-placebo-for-premenstrual-2000/
---

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- Which antidepressant works better for PMS, sertraline or desipramine?

Randomised trial, 2000

# Which antidepressant works better for PMS, sertraline or desipramine?

Sertraline was more effective than both desipramine and placebo at reducing PMS symptoms. This was a high-quality study with 167 women completing it.

 Strong study design

189 women aged 18 to 45 with moderate to severe PMS; 167 completed the study

## What they did

189 women aged 18 to 45 with moderate to severe PMS were randomly assigned to receive sertraline, desipramine, or placebo for three months. Neither the women nor the doctors knew who received which treatment. Women completed daily symptom reports to track their progress.

## What they found

Sertraline was significantly better than desipramine at reducing PMS symptoms. Sertraline was also significantly better than placebo. 88 percent of the women who started the study completed it (167 out of 189).

## What it means for you

For PMS, sertraline (an antidepressant that raises serotonin) works better than desipramine (which raises a different brain chemical). The study was conducted in the United States with women mostly in their mid-30s, so findings might not apply to all ages and populations.

189

women enrolled

167

women who completed

3 months

treatment duration

## About the study

Original title Sertraline was more effective than desipramine or placebo for premenstrual syndrome Authors J. D Haynes Journal Evidence-Based Mental Health Year 2000 Study design Randomised trial Participants 189 What was tested Sertraline, desipramine, or placebo for three months Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1136/ebmh.3.2.45](https://doi.org/10.1136/ebmh.3.2.45)

## 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

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What causes severe PMS and what treatments work?

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