Jenny
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 Posted: 05/03/06 - 16:08 Post subject: Non-Hormone therapies offer hot-flash relief |
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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.
Some non-hormone treatments may have adverse effects, making it best to limit their use, the researchers said. For women who have mild to minimal symptoms, it would be better to not take anything.
The researchers 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. They focused on hot flashes which could be counted.
The non-hormone treatments didn't provide complete relief.
With hormone replacement therapy, there was an average reduction of two-and-a-half to three hot flashes a day, Nelson said. Whether that reduction is worth it depends on how many hot flashes a woman has in a typical day.
Many doctors suggest that women with symptoms severe enough to disturb their life can take the lowest effective dose of hormone replacement therapy for the shortest period of time possible. |
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