There's potential in antidepressants as a cure for menopause-related hot flashes in women. One study examines Effexor.
By
Kelly McCarthy, published on September 01, 2000 - last reviewed on May 03, 2005
In this Prozac nation, doctors continue to identify new and
important uses for antidepressants. The latest discovery may lead to a
cure for menopause-related hot flashes in women, particularly those
undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer.
Chemotherapy causes acute menopausal symptoms like hot flashes in
women, treatment of which is tricky since the traditional remedy for hot
flashes -- estrogen or progesterone -- could potentially stimulate regrowth of
the cancer. Though there is no consensus among scientists as to whether
fear of cancer regrowth is rooted in fact, doctors have preferred to play
it safe with nonhormonal treatments, such as Vitamin E and Clonidine, a
medication for lowering blood pressure. These methods, however, have
proved largely unsuccessful.
But recent research examining a new antidepressant called Effexor,
or Venlafaxine, conducted by Charles Loprinzi, Ph.D., chairman of the
Mayo Clinic Cancer Center's oncology department in New York, found that
breast cancer patients who were given relatively low doses of the drug
experienced 40% to 60% fewer hot flashes. The study's findings, presented
recently at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical
Oncology, also suggest that women without breast cancer could take
Venlafaxine to treat hot flashes. And men who experience hot flashes
after having their prostate gland surgically removed for prostate cancer
treatment may benefit, too: Of the study's 16 male participants, 63% had
a greater than 50% decrease in hot flashes.
Encouraged by his findings, Loprinzi believes his study "represents
a new treatment modality for people suffering from hot flashes." He is
planning future research on other antidepressants such as Prozac and
Paxil to determine the effects of these drugs on breast cancer patients
who experience hot flashes.
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