Question: Is paroxetine effective for treatment of premenstrual dysphoric disorder?

Context:
To evaluate the cost effectiveness of the four medications with a US FDA-approved indication for PMDD: fluoxetine, sertraline, paroxetine and drospirenone plus ethinyl estradiol (DRSP/EE).
All SSRIs (fluoxetine, paroxetine, sertraline, fluvoxamine, citalopram, and clomipramine) were effective in reducing premenstrual symptoms.
Paroxetine has been approved for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD), obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder (PD), generalised anxiety disorder, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and social anxiety disorder (SAD) in adults, whereas paroxetine CR is approved for the treatment of MDD, SAD, PD and premenstrual dysphoric disorder in adults.
Selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have been proven safe and effective for the treatment of PMDD and are recommended as first-line agents when pharmacotherapy is warranted. Currently fluoxetine, controlled-release paroxetine, and sertraline are the only Food and Drug Administration-approved agents for this indication.
When compared with placebo, patients treated with paroxetine 20 mg attained a significant reduction in irritability (difference in median percent change: -23.9, 95% CI = -51.3 to -6.2, p = .014; difference in mean absolute change: -18.6, 95% CI = -32.5 to -4.6, p = .007). A statistically significant difference was not observed when the patients treated with the lower dose of paroxetine (10 mg) were compared with placebo. Treatment was well tolerated with no unexpected side effects.
Intermittent administration of paroxetine 20 mg significantly reduced irritability symptoms in patients with PMDD.
All these women had significant improvements in the HAMA, HAMD, CGI, and PRISM calendar. The rate of response to paroxetine treatment lay between 50% and 78.6% in the continuous-treatment group, and 37.5-93.8% in the intermittent-treatment group, as determined at the study end-point.
The present results indicate that paroxetine is effective in both continuous and intermittent treatment of oriental PMDD women, and that the effects of active treatment lasted for six consecutive treatment menstrual cycles.
Paroxetine CR is approved for the treatment of major depression, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder and premenstrual dysphoric disorder in adults.
Continuous treatment with paroxetine reduced premenstrual symptoms effectively with a response rate of 85%.
Intermittent treatment was as effective as continuous treatment in reducing irritability, affect lability, and mood swings, but had a somewhat weaker effect on depressed mood and somatic symptoms.
Daily Record of Severity of Problems scores were lower in the paroxetine group compared with the placebo group, although the differences were not statistically significant.
However, the mean on-treatment Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (clinician-rated) score for the paroxetine group was 17.9 +/- 8.3 compared with 31.5 +/- 11.2 in the placebo group (adjusted mean difference = 13.6, P = 0.009).
Response (Clinical Global Impressions Scale score of 1 or 2) occurred in 70% of subjects randomized to paroxetine CR and 10% of those assigned to placebo (chi2(1) = 7.5, P = 0.006).
The US Food and Drug Administration and Health Canada recently approved paroxetine for the treatment of premenstrual dysphoric disorder.
Patients treated with either dose of paroxetine CR demonstrated significantly greater improvements on the primary efficacy measure (change from baseline in mean luteal phase VAS-Mood scores) and on the majority of secondary efficacy measures compared with patients randomly assigned to placebo.
For the treatment of PMDD, luteal phase dosing with 12.5 mg and 25 mg of paroxetine CR is effective and generally well tolerated.
A statistically significant difference was observed in favor of paroxetine CR 25 mg versus placebo on the VAS-Mood (adjusted mean difference = -12.58 mm, 95% CI = -18.40 to -6.76; p < .001) and for paroxetine CR 12.5 mg versus placebo (adjusted mean difference = -7.51 mm, 95% CI = -13.40 to -1.62; p = .013).
Paroxetine CR doses of 12.5 mg/day and 25 mg/day are effective in treating PMDD and are well tolerated.
At end point, subjects treated with paroxetine CR (12.5 mg and 25 mg) demonstrated significant improvement in VAS-Mood scores compared with those who received placebo (paroxetine CR 12.5 mg mean treatment difference vs. placebo, -8.7 mm; 95% CI, -15.7, -1.7; p =.015; paroxetine CR 25 mg mean treatment difference vs. placebo, -12.1 mm; 95% CI, -18.9, -5.3; p <.001).
Both doses of paroxetine CR 12.5 mg and 25 mg daily are effective and well tolerated in patients who suffer from PMDD.
Of these agents, sertraline, fluoxetine and paroxetine (as an extended-release formulation) are approved by the US FDA for luteal phase, as well as continuous, administration.
In well designed placebo-controlled trials in patients with major depressive disorder (including a study in the elderly), social anxiety disorder or premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), paroxetine CR was consistently superior to placebo with regards to primary endpoints (i.e. mean Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression total score [major depressive disorder], Liebowitz social anxiety scale total score and Clinical Global Impressions-Global Improvement score [social anxiety disorder] and Visual Analogue Scale-Mood score [PMDD]).
Paroxetine is a potent selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) with indications for the treatment of depression, obsessive- compulsive disorder, panic disorder and social phobia. It is also used in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, premenstrual dysphoric disorder and chronic headache.
Studies having compared the efficiency of antidepressants according to their serotonin activity (paroxetine or sertraline versus maprotiline, that is a selective noradrenaline re-uptake inhibitor), showed that serotonin re-uptake inhibitors were significantly more efficient on all symptoms than maprotiline, that was not more efficient than placebo.
Paroxetine is a potent and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) with currently approved indications for the treatment of depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder and social phobia. It is also used in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, premenstrual dysphoric disorder and chronic headache.
Preliminary data suggest that paroxetine has potential in the treatment of social phobia, premenstrual dysphoric disorder and chronic headache.
The effects of active treatment were marked by the first active cycle with luteal phase 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression scores decreasing from 14.9 (+/- 5.3) to 8.2 (+/- 4.9) in the first, 7.8 (+/- 5.1) in the second, and 7.8 (+/- 6.8) in the third active treatment cycles (F[1,13] = 17.6; p < 0.0001).
The most conservative measure, the Clinical Global Impression (CGI), revealed that 7 of 14 patients had a complete response (CGI = 1 or 2) whereas 4 patients had a partial response (CGI = 3).
These open trial findings are consistent with the notion that paroxetine is effective in the acute phase for the treatment of PDD.
The rating of premenstrual irritability, depressed mood, increase in appetite, and anxiety/tension was markedly lower during treatment with paroxetine than before, and this reduction in symptomatology appeared unabated for the entire treatment period.

Answer: Yes, paroxetine is effective and FDA approved treatment of women with  premenstrual dysphoric disorder. A number of well designed clinical trials have confirmed efficacy and safety of both continuous or intermittent regiments of paroxetine for treatment of premenstrual dysphoric disorder. A number of other antidepressants and hormaonal therapies were also shown to be effective and are FDA approved for treatment of women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder.
Exact answer: yes