PMS Health Center

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For more information about birth control pills and progestin, see the topic Birth Control.

Additional hormone treatments

• Danazol, a synthetic male hormone, can relieve breast pain by decreasing estrogen production. It isn't often prescribed.
• Gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRH-a). A GnRH-a is a last-resort treatment for severe PMDD symptoms. This medicine stops the monthly menstrual hormonal cycle and results in a condition similar to menopause.

Other antidepressants

• Tricyclic antidepressants are not as well studied as SSRIs for PMS and are generally less favored because of their possible side effects. But they do improve severe depression and insomnia for some women.

Other medicines

• A beta-blocker medicine, propranolol, may be used to treat migraines or headaches related to PMS.

What to think about

Using your menstrual diary, show your health professional which symptoms are the most bothersome to you. He or she can then recommend treatment that focuses on relieving your worst symptoms. See examples of symptom diaries or use this menstrual diary(What is a PDF document?).

If you are considering medication treatment, it may be helpful to think about and discuss some of the following questions with your health professional:

How effective has the medicine been for other women?

Some medicines and dietary supplements have been shown to be effective in relieving symptoms of PMS. Other medicines used to treat PMS have been shown to be no more effective than a "sugar pill" (placebo). Some of these medicines, such as progesterone, may be recommended. But it is better to use medicines, vitamins, or minerals that studies have shown to be effective. You may also want to think about the cost of a medicine that may or may not work.

What are the medicine's side effects?

The side effects of some medicines may be just as unpleasant as your PMS symptoms. For example, gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists (GnRH-a) and danazol have significant adverse side effects. In other cases, the relief from symptoms that a medicine gives may far outweigh any side effects it causes.

How often will you have to take the medicine?

Some medicines must be taken every day, but others may only be taken when your symptoms are present. If your symptoms are not severe and do not last long, you may not think the benefits of medicine treatment are worth taking the medicine every day.