If hot flashes are so severe that they interfere with your daily life, you may want to explore medical options that provide relief. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is one option that reduces symptoms as well as other long-term health risks including cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis.
Estrogen - by far the most effective medication to relieve hot flashes, sleep distuption, short term memory loss, impaired concentration, vaginal dryness, and other quality of life symptoms.Risk of coronary heart disease reduced by 50 % with benefits to all aspects of the cardiovascular system.
Progestin - this hormone, usually taken with estrogen for women with an intact uterus, can also be taken alone. Its benefits were accidentally discovered by women who were taking progestin for the treatment of endometrial cancer and reported relief from hot flashes as an added benefit. The greater the dose, the greater the relief. Side effects may include uterine bleeding, weight gain, breast tenderness, mood changes, and abdominal bloating.
Androgen - this hormone may be effective in controlling hot flashes when used alone or with estrogen. When used together with estrogen, lower does of androgen can be used, reducing most of the hormone's side effects which include facial hair growth, a deepening voice and negative blood lipids.
Clonidine - low doses of this medication, typically used to treat high blood pressure, can sometimes relieve hot flashes. Although researchers are uncertain how it works, it appears to stabilize the temperature-regulating center of the brain and to help prevent the blood vessel dilation that triggers hot flashes. Clonidine is usually prescribed in the form of a skin patch worn on the shoulder. Side effects from high doses include fatigue, dizziness, and dry mouth.
Designer Estrogens - Once thought impossible, Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators (SERMs) are selective about how and where they do their "stuff." SERMs mimic beneficial estrogen, lowering cholesterol and protecting bones from osteoporosis. But they also act as estrogen blockers in organs where the hormone can be harfmul - limiting risks of breast or uterine cancer. While they reduce the risks of heart disease and osteoporosis, SERM's don't eliminate symptoms such as hot flashes and thinning of vaginal tissues. The SERM Raloxifene (Evista) was approved by the FDA in December, 1997. Intense studies by the Mayo Clinic involving more than 18,000 women in 28 countries show:
- increased bone density
- decreased cholesterol and LDL with no increase in triglycerides
- no effect on breast tissue or tenderness
- no uterine tissue stimulation, no bleeding, no increased risk of uterine cancer.
- won't eliminate hot flashes and may stimulate them.
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