Intermittent SSRI Treatment Helps PMS
Research has shown that serotonin-selective reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants can be useful for severe premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). According to a 2006 article by Steiner et al. in the Journal of Women’s Health, there are various ways that SSRIs can be used to treat PMS symptoms such as irritability, depressed mood, dysphoria, bloating, breast tenderness, appetite changes, and psychosocial function, including intermittent dosing just in the two weeks prior to PMS. Usually doses for PMS are lower than those used to treat depression.
For those with mood symptoms that continue throughout the month, continuous (daily) dosing may improve PMS symptoms. For those whose mood symptoms worsen during PMS, continuous dosing can be intermittently increased from around the time of ovulation to a few days after the period begins. For those women with mood symptoms only during PMS, intermittent dosing only during those weeks between ovulation and the period seems to be helpful and minimizes side effects of the SSRIs.
Editor’s Note: While SSRIs sometimes take weeks to reach maximum benefit for those with depression, intermittent dosing for women with severe PMS seems to be helpful. This may be because SSRIs acutely increase the neurosteroid allopregnanolone, which enhances GABA-A receptor activity, associated with improvement in mood and anxiety.
