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Case report, 2007

Does taking citalopram starting when symptoms appear help PMDD?

Yes. All eight women had clear improvement in PMDD symptoms when they took citalopram from the start of premenstrual symptoms until their period began.

Early or limited evidence 8 women aged 18-45 with PMDD

What they did

Eight women aged 18-45 with PMDD took 10-20 mg of citalopram starting when their premenstrual symptoms appeared and continuing until their period began.

What they found

All women showed clear improvement in PMDD symptoms with this approach.

What it means for you

Taking an antidepressant only when symptoms start, rather than every day, may help PMDD. The main limits are that this was a small study with only eight women and there was no control group to compare against.

8

women studied

10-20 mg

citalopram dose per use

18-45

age range in years

About the study

Original title
Symptom-onset dosing with citalopram in the treatment of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD): a case series
Authors
Ravindran LN, Woods SA, Steiner M et al.
Journal
Archives of women's mental health
Year
2007
Study design
Case report
What was tested
Citalopram 10-20 mg from symptom onset until menstruation

Topics