Antidepressants Used as a Treatment for Hot Flashes

Hot flashes are nothing new. Women have been seeking treatment for hot flashes for as long as women have experienced menopause. While there are many different kinds of treatment for hot flashes, one of the most interesting medications used to rid women of the problem known to cause hot flashes are antidepressants.

Long used to elevate mood, antidepressants have an interesting history. Most antidepressants work by altering the chemicals that are available to your brain. Because hot flashes are controlled by the part of your brain that regulates your internal thermostat, it makes sense that a drug that plays with your brain could theoretically sooth hot flashes.

So far, seven different published clinical trials have evaluated the efficacy of venlafaxine, fluoxetine, and paroxetine as a viable treatment for hot flashes. These aren’t the only antidepressants that have been studied as a possible cure for hot flashes. The newest drug to claim it can reduce hot flashes is Effexor. With all of the hype about antidepressants and hot flashes, it is hard to cut down to the truth of the matter and know if drugs are the right option for your treatment.

While many doctors think that using an antidepressant to conquer menopausal hot flashes is a much better alternative to adding estrogen to your body, others aren’t sold on the benefits of any drug therapy to reduce things like:

• Severe hot flashes
• Night sweats and hot flashes

Any drug that you take has the potential to have serious side effects. While antidepressants are widely prescribed, it is only recently that doctors are finding the list of side effects caused by antidepressants is rapidly growing. Some of these side effects include headache, dizziness, paranoia, nausea, weight gain, lethargy, violent mood swings, and even suicidal tendencies. It seems silly to take a drug that has side effects which are much worse than hot flashes.

A better alternative to prescription drugs is finding an herbal remedy for hot flashes. Natural remedies such as Hot Flash Freedom don’t contain any drugs that could do severe damage to your system. Made from botanicals, these natural cures only put good things in your body.

Before you consider drug therapy to get you through menopause, learn every thing that you can about hot flashes. As you research what causes hot flashes, you will realize that you can treat them without resorting to drugs your body does not need. You can also learn ways to control them through lifestyle changes, such as diet, exercise, and even the clothes that you wear.

You don’t have to take an antidepressant to alleviate hot flashes. There are so many more beneficial natural ways to give yourself hot flash relief.