A woman’s life is full of turns and transformation.
Menopause is a significant transformation in a woman’s life that marks the end of her menstrual period and fertility. Most women near age 50 meet menopause with many of its symptoms. A hot flash is one such symptom that affects your life immensely.
The hot flash is a sudden feeling of heat in your body’s upper part that accompanies sweating, shivering, and a blushing red face. They can be disturbing and annoying. So, many take different medications, including antidepressants, as their treatment.
However, can antidepressants treat hot flashes? Research shows that low doses of antidepressants (SSRIs or SNRIs) may help reduce night sweats and hot flashes, nearly 50% less than average.
A hot flash is a sudden warm feeling that you feel in your upper body. It’s more intense in your neck, chest, and over the face. During a hot flash, your skin, especially your face, may turn red, almost like blushing. It can also cause sweating. You may feel chilled later if your body heat decreases excessively. Hot flashes may also occur at night, waking up suddenly all drenched and sweaty. It’s called night sweats, a real disruption to your sound sleep.
Hot flashes are common symptoms of the menopausal transition. However rare, other medical conditions can cause them too – medication side effects, thyroid problems, certain cancers, and their treatments, stress, etc.
Before, during, and after menopause, your body goes through severe hormonal changes. When your estrogen level decreases, your body’s thermostat or hypothalamus becomes extra sensitive to slight fluctuations in body temperature. Therefore, if your hypothalamus thinks your body is warm, it ignites a series of events to cool you down. Thus you encounter a hot flash.
There is no specific timeline for hot flashes. Many women encounter it for a short period. In the worst cases, many deal with it years after years. However, on average, women experience hot flashes or night sweats for approximately 7 to 10 years.
Symptoms, frequency, and intensity may vary from woman to woman. However, on average, maximum women face the following symptoms.
Antidepressants are medications that patients take to treat depression. Neurotransmitters are brain chemicals that carry messages between the cells in your brain. Certain neurotransmitters: serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine, have a direct connection with depression.
Most antidepressants affect these neurotransmitters and relieve depression. Though antidepressants are familiar for treating depression, doctors prescribe them to treat many other conditions such as anxiety, insomnia, migraines, menopause symptoms, etc. Yes, you have heard me correct. The research found that antidepressants may also reduce menopause symptoms, mainly hot flashes and night sweats.
Antidepressants for hot flashes, is it possible? Yes, they may help you reduce your many menopausal symptoms, including hot flashes. Hot flashes are inevitable for most menopausal women that can change the quality of their life.
To treat menopausal symptoms, doctors used to suggest menopausal hormone therapy previously. However, when an NIH-funded study shows the overall risk of hormone therapy like heart disease, stroke, blood clots, and breast cancer, menopausal hormone therapy decreases.
A recent study (NIH-funded) shows that certain antidepressants medications may help to relieve hot flashes. However, much research is yet to be done. In the analysis, a group of researchers gave several women either a daily dose of escitalopram or a placebo for eight weeks to survey their hot flashes’ frequency, intensity, and irritation.
After four weeks, the researchers found that women taking escitalopram experienced nearly 50% fewer hot flashes. On the other hand, women taking a placebo had hot flashes almost 26% less. After eight weeks, those women recorded even more reduction of hot flashes frequency, severity, and intensity. They also recorded fewer side effects of these medications.
Though the research is assuring, experts still couldn’t answer how antidepressants reduce hot flashes. However, few experts suggest that antidepressants can affect and balance certain neurotransmitters to help sustain your body’s temperature.
SSRIs, aka selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, and SNRIs, aka serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, are the two U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved antidepressants that may help reduce hot flashes. SSRIs and SNRIs are shown to balance the amounts of certain brain chemicals-serotonin and norepinephrine that can stabilize your temperature.
A low SSRI paroxetine (Paxil) dose is the antidepressant best for hot flashes and sleep. The women, who took part in the research, recorded improved sleep and fewer night sweats while taking paroxetine.
The FDA suggests Brisdelle, one effective antidepressant to reduce hot flashes and night sweats during menopause. Doctors may recommend antidepressant treatment for hot flashes in older women too.
Other antidepressants to treat hot flashes include:
However, remember that antidepressants are helpful to treat hot flashes and night sweats only. If you want to treat other menopausal symptoms, doctors may suggest hormone therapy.
SSRIs usually cause fewer side effects; however, antidepressants can cause the following side effects in many.
The common side effects of antidepressants are:
Some severe side effects of antidepressants are-
It is a rare but life-threatening side effect of antidepressant treatment. It happens when you use two drugs together that can raise serotonin levels in your brain. It can cause hallucinations, poor coordination, fever, rapid heart rate, and vomiting.
Avoid the following medications with your antidepressant medication to avoid serotonin syndrome.
Loss of libido, poor sexual drive, and inability to attain orgasm are usual symptoms of menopause. However, SSRI or SNRI treatment may often reduce your sexual desire and performance.
Antidepressants medication can increase the risk of suicide in young people.
Can Antidepressants Treat Hot Flashes? Yes, certain antidepressants like SSRI and SNRI may reduce hot flashes. However, take some precautions to avoid the side effects.
If you don’t want to rely on antidepressants, there are other medications you can take to treat your hot flashes.
How to stop hot flashes fast? There are no medications to prevent hot flashes instantly. However, lifestyle changes can help you considerably to manage your hot flashes.
Hot flashes can be disrupting and annoying symptoms of menopause that can affect your life adversely. However, can antidepressants treat hot flashes? Yes, antidepressants (SSRI and SNRI) can reduce the frequency and intensity of your hot flashes.
If you are experiencing hot flashes and night sweats, Contact Dr. David Nazarian at Hormone Replacement Therapy Los Angeles. He specializes in hormone replacement therapy and internal medicine and provides a quality life by managing your hot flashes.
