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DG DISPATCH - ECNP: Severe PMS Can Be Treated With SSRIs By Olwen Glynn Owen Special to DG News LONDON, UK -- September 23, 1999 -- Prozac (fluoxetine) is highly effective in reducing symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) or premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), according to studies presented at the 12th congress of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP), in London, UK. Fluoxetine, one of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), improved both the physical symptoms (breast tenderness, bloating) and the emotional symptoms (irritability, mood change, anxiety) in studies led by Professor Meir Steiner, of McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario. In these studies, 320 women with PMDD were randomised to treatment with either 20 or 60 milligrams of fluoxetine daily or placebo. Symptom scores at baseline and after treatment were assessed by patients and physicians’ rating scales and by visual analogue scales ratings on standard measures of PMS symptoms. Both active treatment doses were statistically significantly superior to placebo, but not different from each other, on all measures except headache and were especially effective in relieving mood changes (p<.001). "The anti-irritability influence of serotonin is the main reason SSRIs work so well in PMS," said Professor Elias Eriksson, Associate Professor of Pharmacology, Gsteborg University, Sweden. Treatment takes effect almost immediately. PMS/PMDD impacts on women’s ability to function well at work and in social and family relationships. "It affects most women of reproductive age to some extent," he noted. "But the most severe form - PMDD - is a serious disorder, putting women at risk of suicide if left untreated." Results of a new five-country European survey involving 1886 women, presented at the meeting by Professor Eriksson, show four out of five European women recognise physical and emotional symptoms of PMS in their own menstrual cycles or those of close friends; and almost half correctly attribute them. Similar findings emerged in a 1045-women survey conducted in the US, UK and France. "But the surveys show only a small proportion currently seek or receive medical help" he revealed. Less than10 percent know that SSRIs are effective in PMS/PMMD. Fluoxetine has now been granted a license to treat the condition in England and approval in other countries is expected to follow shortly. "Now that a treatment is licensed for PMS, awareness is certain to rise and more women will ask doctors to prescribe it," he predicted. Related Link: Fluoxetine. E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version