Hot Flashes & Antidepressants

A drug commonly used to treat depression might help with hot flashes as well.

As a matter of fact, in this new study, hot flashes were cut in half when women used an antidepressant.

Hot flashes affect most women going through menopause. For some it's an inconvenience, but for others they can be so frequent and severe they can affect their lifestyle. Not all menopause symptoms need treatment but if it is needed there are a variety of options, including hormone therapy. Because of health risks, that's being used less often.

This new study, just published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, looked at the antidepressant citalopram, often sold under the brand name Celexa. Researchers found that in the 254 women tested, hot flash frequency and severity declined by 50 percent after using the medication for six weeks. They also found the lowest of three doses was as effective as the highest dose. Although other antidepressants in the same class as citalopram, known as SSRI's, have been shown to reduce hot flashes, researchers involved in the study felt this medication in particular had some advantages in that it could be given with medications like tamoxifen---used for breast cancer treatment-- and could be effective at low doses. And since breast cancer treatment and menopause can both be sources of hot flashes, medications like this antidepressant that can be taken along with on-going breast cancer treatments, can be a helpful tool.