The problem of medicating women like the men: conceptual discussion of menstrual cycle-dependent psychopharmacology
10.12793/tcp.2019.27.4.127
- Author:
Sun Kyoung YUM
1
;
Sun Young YUM
;
Tak KIM
Author Information
1. Department Obstetrics and Gynecology, Korea University Anam Hospital, Seoul 02841, Korea. tkim@kumc.or.kr
- Publication Type:Clinical Trial
- Keywords:
Clinical trial design;
Drug dose;
Menstrual cycle;
Schizophrenia;
Sex steroids
- MeSH:
Biochemistry;
Brain;
Clothing;
Female;
Humans;
Male;
Menstrual Cycle;
Menstruation;
Pharmacology;
Pharmacology, Clinical;
Physiology;
Psychopharmacology;
Schizophrenia;
Steroids
- From:Translational and Clinical Pharmacology
2019;27(4):127-133
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
While hormonal changes during the ovulatory cycles affect multiple body systems, medical management, including medication dosing remains largely uniform between the sexes. Little is known about sex-specific pharmacology in women. Although hormonal fluctuations of the normal menstruating process alters women's physiology and brain biochemistry, medication dosing does not consider such cyclical changes. Using schizophrenia as an example, this paper illustrates how a woman's clinical symptoms can change throughout the ovulatory cycle, leading to fluctuations in medication responses. Effects of sex steroids on the brain, clinical pharmacology are discussed. Effective medication dose may be different at different phases of the menstrual cycle. Further research is needed to better understand optimal treatment strategies in reproductive women; we present a potential clinical trial design for examining optimal medication dosing strategies for conditions that have menstruation related clinical fluctuations.
