CITALOPRAM IN PREMENSTRUAL DYSPHORIA - IS INTERMITTENT TREATMENT DURING LUTEAL PHASES MORE EFFECTIVE THAN CONTINUOUS MEDICATION THROUGHOUT THE MENSTRUAL-CYCLE

In a, double-blind trial, the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor c italopram was administered to women with severe irritability and/or de pressed mood in the luteal but not in the follicular phase of the mens trual cycle (premenstrual dysphoria), Treatment continued for three co nsecutive menstrual cycles. One group (N = 17 completers) was administ ered citalopram continuously at a constant dosage (20 +/- 10 mg/day) t hroughout the menstrual cycle. A second group (N = 17) also received c italopram continuously throughout the cycle, but at a lower dosage in the follicular phases (5 mg/day) than in the luteal phases (20 +/- 10 mg/day) (semi-intermittent treatment). A third group (N = 18) received citalopram (20 +/- 18 mg/day) in the luteal phase only and placebo du ring the follicular phase (intermittent treatment). A fourth group (N = 17) received placebo throughout the cycles. The side effects of acti ve treatment were generally mild and transient. Intermittent administr ation of citalopram was clearly more effective than placebo with respe ct to both reduction in self-rated irritability and self-rated global improvement; it is of interest that intermittent treatment with citalo pram also seemed more effective than continuous or semi-intermittent a dministration of the drug.