Depressing news: antidepressant does not work for hot flashes

Robert Freedman, a behavioral scientist at Wayne State University said he was “disappointed” by the results of his research. “We wouldn’t have done the study if we had not expected an effect.”

The new research seems to indicate that the antidepressant Lexapro does not help reduce the severity or number of hot flashes associated with menopause. Disappointing news indeed.

About 75% of women experience this sometimes debilitating symptom of menopause. Nearly half of those women say their experience is severe. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) often helps the symptoms subside, but the possible side effect of cancer and heart disease are simply not worth it to many women.

When news of Lexapro got out, many women (and doctors) were excited. A previous study suggested that it worked, but this one, with a more accurate method for measuring hot flashes, indicates that the drug, also called escitalopram, does not significantly improve hot flashes at all.

They measured hot flashes with a device that detects humidity off the body. It could detect a hot flash even when women were sleeping and unaware that they were occurring. They started with a small dose and found no effect. Then they increased the dose and still no effect.

Ellen Freeman, a menopause expert who contributed to the first study supporting Lexapro, acknowledged the more scientific testing. Still, if a woman’s perception is that the hot flashes are better, isn’t that the goal? If she feels better, then the drug is a success. She concluded, “An objective monitor has scientific appeal but may not relate to the clinical problem.”

Source: Menopause, Reuters