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.
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
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