Hot flashes and other symptoms of menopause have become less unwelcome in the wake of research suggesting that women who suffer from such symptoms have a 50 percent lower risk of developing the most common forms of breast cancer. The study, conducted at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, surveyed 1,437 postmenopausal women about perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms ranging from hot flushes, night sweats and insomnia to vaginal dryness, irregular or heavy menstrual bleeding, depression and anxiety. A news release from the center reports that researchers found a 40 percent to 60 percent reduction in the risk of invasive ductal and invasive lobular carcinoma – the two most common types of breast cancer – among women who experienced hot flushes and other symptoms. Read an abstract of the study here.
In other postmenopausal news, the antidepressent Lexapro (escitalopram) has been found to reduce the frequency of hot flashes. The Washington Post reports that 205 peri- and post-menopausal women were randomly assigned to take the antidepressant Lexapro (escitalopram) or a placebo daily. After eight weeks, hot flashes were fewer and less severe among those taking the antidepressant than among the others. About 55 percent of the women taking Lexapro, vs. 36 percent of those in the placebo group, reported at least 50 percent fewer hot flashes, and 19 percent (vs. 9 percent) saw a decrease of at least 75 percent. Read an abstract of that study here.
I don’t take Lexapro but I do take Effexor XR and also
Mirtazapine at night, These have really helped me with
hot flashes. I also, have depresssion and anxiety.
A JAMA study by Ellen W Freeman shows that Lexapro is “marginally” more effective than placebo for Hot Flashes. This is laughable, and surely you must be joking? The authors received money from Forest labs, the makers of Lexapro for a “seeding study”. This is a form of marketing, designed to convince doctors to prescribe the drug for non-approved use. Last year, Forest Labs paid a 313 million dollar fine for Lexapro fraud. They haven’t learned their lesson or changed their behavior. This Lexapro study is another example of corruption in medical research and should have been rejected by the ethics review board. Using an SSRI antidepressant such as Lexapro for women with hot flashes is an outrage and a form of medical victimization.
For more:
http://jeffreydach.com/2011/01/19/lexepro-for-hot-flashes-medical-victimization-or-joke.aspx