Antidepressant drugs may lower hot flash frequency

A new explains that women going through menopause may find significant benefits from taking a prescription antidepressant as it has been shown to reduce the frequency of hot flashes.

While many women seek various hormonal therapy options when going through menopause, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania found that Lexapro (escitalopram) may be an effective treatment for menopause symptoms.

For the study, researchers evaluated 205 women. Women were either given the escitalopram drug or a placebo.

Women charted their experiences and researchers analyzed what women wrote after four and eight weeks.

Women who took the antidepressant noticed a nearly 50 percent decrease in hot flashes. However, women taking the placebo pill also experienced a decrease in the number of hot flashes per day, but only by about 35 percent.

Researchers stress that this study is not enough data to make strong conclusions about the use of the antidepressant as a replacement for hormonal therapy, but may provide women with additional options who experience stresses from menopause symptoms.

The entire report can be found in the Journal of the American Medical Association.