Hot Flash News!

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first non-hormonal treatment for menopause-associated hot flashes. Menopause-related hot flashes occur in up to 75 percent of women and may persist for five years or longer. Although they are not life-threatening, hot flashes can cause sleep disruption, discomfort and embarassment. The FDA approved Brisdelle for the treatment of moderate to severe hot flashes. This new drug contains paroxetine, which is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressant. It can be bought under the brand names Paxil and Pexeva. There are many treatments for hot flashes, but most will have either estrogen alone or estrogen plus a progestin. There are a large number of postmenopausal women who either don’t want to or unable to take Estrogen. Brisdelle was approved on the basis of two clinical trials. There were 1,175 postmenopausal women who