Prozac May Cool Down Hot Flashes

Prozac may do more than just raise people's spirits.

The medication often prescribed for treatment of depression may also relieve hot flashes in women, according to a Mayo Clinic study.

In the study, published in the March 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, women taking Prozac experienced a 50 percent decrease in the frequency and severity of their hot flashes.

"Our findings provide proof of principle that some of the newer antidepressants can relieve hot flashes," said Dr. Charles Loprinzi, a Mayo Clinic medical oncologist and lead researcher on the study.

Previous Mayo Clinic research found that Effexor, also one of the newer antidepressants, alleviated hot flashes.

Hot flashes affect most postmenopausal women. In women without breast cancer, hormone replacement therapy involving estrogen is the typical treatment for relief.

Chemotherapy used to treat breast cancer patients often leads to early menopause -- accompanied by severe hot flashes, according to the study.

However, women with breast cancer are often denied estrogen for their hot flashes, because of concern that estrogen may cause more breast cancer cells to grow.

"The encouraging news for women, particularly those who have had breast cancer and for whom estrogen may not be recommended, is that they have another effective alternative treatment for controlling their hot flashes," Loprinzi said.

Loprinzi said that one of the next steps in the research process is to compare and contrast the newer antidepressants for their effectiveness in relieving hot flashes and to measure their side effects. It is likely that some of them will be better than others, he said.