In November, an FDA advisory committee recommended Prozac as a treatment for severe PMS, or premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). A new study suggests that another antidepressant, Zoloft, is just as effective.
Ellen Freeman, Ph.D., a research scientist in psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania, administered either Zoloft, a Prozac-like pill, or a tricyclic antidepressant, which has a different mechanism of action, to 189 women suffering from PMDD. The disorder afflicts about 5% of all women, and symptoms include intense anxiety, disordered sleep and mood swings to such a degree that they cause work and relationships to suffer.
The result? Women on Zoloft had a far greater reduction in symptoms, especially low mood and pain. In fact, almost two-thirds of the women taking it experienced only half their original symptoms after three months. This doesn't mean PMS is really depression in disguise. In the study, women who were rarely blue improved just as much on Zoloft as those once clinically depressed. Because serotonin-boosting antidepressants seem to combat PMDD best, researchers believe that the neurotransmitter may regulate the disorder, though they are not sure how. In any case, women with lesser symptoms don't likely need the drug; doctors recommend exercise and a low-sodium, low-sugar diet as a first line of PMS defense.
COPYRIGHT 2000 Sussex Publishers, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group
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