Noradrenergic and serotonergic modulation to treat vasomotor symptoms

The Journal of the British Menopause Society
P Albertazzi

Abstract

Hot flushes are a major clinical problem for many menopausal women. Their aetiology is unknown. Centrally acting neurotransmitters are involved, but this involvement is yet to be fully characterized. In clinical trials with optimal patient selection and compliance, estrogen can reduce the frequency of hot flushes by 70-80%, and placebo by 20-40%. For some women, however, there are contraindications to the use of estrogen, and others are unwilling to use it. Furthermore, hot flushes may persist in spite of adequate estrogen replacement, and to improve symptoms physicians then have either to add another drug to the regimen or find an alternative to estrogen. The most commonly used non-hormonal alternatives for climacteric symptoms are neurotransmitter modulators such as the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. These reduce the frequency of hot flushes by 60%. The mechanism of this effect appears to differ from that underlying their effect on mood. They are generally well tolerated and rates of adverse events are far lower than those reported in studies of the use of these agents for depression. The limited efficacy of clonidine suggests that adrenergic mechanisms may be involved and data are awaited for more specific selectiv...Continue Reading

Citations

Oct 27, 2007·Climacteric : the Journal of the International Menopause Society·P Albertazzi
Sep 11, 2008·Climacteric : the Journal of the International Menopause Society·J WesstromJ Ulfberg
Nov 24, 2011·Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine : ECAM·Anna-Clara E Spetz HolmMats L Hammar
May 2, 2009·Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy·Wen Shen, Vered Stearns
Mar 6, 2018·Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry·Masayuki Uchida, Orie Kobayashi
Mar 11, 2010·Menopause : the Journal of the North American Menopause Society·Andreea L SeritanEllen B Gold
Feb 5, 2019·Climacteric : the Journal of the International Menopause Society·M BirkhaeuserY Ramos
Jul 9, 2016·Journal of the Chinese Medical Association : JCMA·Rafat KazemzadehHosein Norouzi
Jan 31, 2014·Supportive Care in Cancer : Official Journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer·Jessica W FriskAnna-Clara E Spetz Holm
Mar 23, 2011·Clinical & Translational Oncology : Official Publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico·Santiago Vilar-GonzálezRuben Cabanillas-Farpón

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