Mean symptom intensity, mean interference lower for OLP with treatment rationale versus treatment as usual<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
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FRIDAY, March 28, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Open-label placebo (OLP) provided with a treatment rationale is effective and safe for premenstrual syndrome (PMS), according to a study published online March 25 in BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine<\/em>.<\/p>\n Antje Frey Nascimento, from the University of Basel in Switzerland, and colleagues conducted a randomized controlled trial involving 150 women aged 18 to 45 years with PMS or premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Participants were randomly assigned to treatment as usual (TAU; 50 women), OLP without treatment rationale (OLP\u2212; 50 women), or OLP with treatment rationale (OLP+; 50 women); OLP consisted of two placebo pills per day for six weeks.<\/p>\n The researchers found that across three menstrual cycles (MC1 to MC3), there was a difference between the groups in symptom intensity and interference. At MC3, mean symptom intensity was lower for OLP+ versus TAU and OLP\u2212 (b = \u22129.97 and \u22126.10), while no difference was seen between TAU and OLP\u2212. At MC3, mean interference was lower for OLP+ than for TAU or OLP\u2212 (b = \u22121.23 and \u22121.10), with no difference between TAU and OLP\u2212. There were reports of four nonserious adverse events in OLP\u2212 and OLP+ (one and three, respectively). High adherence was seen to the OLP intervention (93.18 \u00b1 18.95 percent), with no between-group difference.<\/p>\n “Considering our results as much as the individual and societal burden of PMS, OLP treatment could serve as an acceptable, efficacious, and safe intervention for PMS,” the authors write.<\/p>\n