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TUESDAY, May 2 (HealthDay News) -- Using non-hormone treatments, such as antidepressants and blood pressure medicine, for menopause-related hot flashes provides some relief. But they aren't as effective as estrogen therapy, a new study found.
And, like hormone replacement therapy, some non-hormone treatments may have adverse effects, making it best to limit their use, the researchers said.
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"For women who have mild to minimal symptoms, it would be better to not take anything," said study lead author Dr. Heidi D. Nelson, of Oregon Health & Science University in Portland.
The findings appear in the May 3 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Interest in non-hormone treatments for menopause symptoms has grown in the wake of the Women's Health Initiative study, which was halted three years ahead of schedule, in 2002, when researchers found a higher risk of breast cancer, blood clots, stroke and heart attack in women on hormone therapy.
For the new research, Nelson and her colleagues did a so-called meta-analysis, pooling and then analyzing the results of 43 clinical trials on non-hormone remedies. They looked at the effectiveness of each treatment for hot flashes, a common menopausal symptom.
"We focused on hot flashes, which can be counted," said Nelson.
What helped? Antidepressants; the blood pressure medicine clonidine (Catapres); and gabapentin (Neurontin), a seizure medication, all reduced -- to some extent -- the frequency and severity of hot flashes. Red clover isoflavone extracts didn't make a difference. And results of the studies on soy isoflavones, another popular remedy, were mixed.
The non-hormone treatments didn't provide complete relief, however.
"Clonidine reduced hot flashes by about one a day," Nelson said. The SSRI type of antidepressant, such as paroxetine (Paxil), also reduced hot flashes by about one a day. And gabapentin reduced them by about two a day, she said.
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