Lab study, 2013
Could antidepressants help prevent PMS by keeping brain chemicals stable?
This is a theory based on how antidepressants work and animal research, but it has not yet been tested in women.
What they did
Researchers reviewed how a class of antidepressants called SSRIs affect brain chemistry. They discussed animal studies in female rats showing what happens to the brain when progesterone drops rapidly before the cycle restarts.
What they found
In female rats, when progesterone drops sharply, a brain chemical called allopregnanolone also drops sharply, causing brain changes that lead to anxiety. Low-dose fluoxetine (an SSRI) prevented these brain changes and prevented the anxiety.
What it means for you
This suggests SSRIs might prevent PMS by keeping allopregnanolone stable in the brain when progesterone drops before menstruation. However, this remains a theory that has not been tested in women. Animal research does not always translate to humans.
About the study
- Original title
- SSRIs and the female brain--potential for utilizing steroid-stimulating properties to treat menstrual cycle-linked dysphorias
- Authors
- Lovick T
- Journal
- Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England)
- Year
- 2013
- Study design
- Lab study
- What was tested
- Low-dose SSRI (fluoxetine) during late luteal phase (proposed but not tested in women)
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1177/0269881113490327
Topics
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