Premenstrual Disorders

Because of this, a physician will start the woman on a lower dose and increase it only if the symptoms are ongoing. If a dose of Zoloft is missed, it must be taken as soon as possible. If, however, several hours have passed, the dose should be skipped, as no one should ever take a double dose. The pills are best stored at room temperature. As with Prozac, the physician should always be informed of any changes that the person experiences, good or bad, while taking Zoloft. Studies that compare women who take antidepressants contin- uously with women who take them only during their luteal phase have found that those medicated during the luteal phase reported the same results as those who took the drug as a continuous daily dose. Because of this study, many physicians advocate the use of the drug only intermittently instead of continuously. The benefits of this At a British boarding school, the faculty recorded in discipline books the dates and reasons girls were disciplined.They also kept a book recording when girls signed that they needed sanitary protection. By comparing the books, the faculty could see that immediately before and during menstruation there were twice as many disciplinary problems as otherwise. Offenses included forgetfulness, tardiness, and irritability. There also seemed to be a slow reaction time, so things like talking in class were disci- plined more often before and during their menstrual periods. (If a teacher entered the room, those with a slower reaction time did not realize it soon enough and were caught talking.) Another in- teresting fact was that teacher’s helpers, those who were allowed to discipline fellow students to help keep order in the classroom, gave more disciplinary punishments during their own menstrua- tions than any other time of the month. Adapted from Once a Month by Katharina Dalton, M.D.

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Treatment Using SSRIs