March 23, 2007 — Citalopram was an effective alternative therapy in reducing climacteric symptoms, such as hot flashes, in postmenopausal women who did not want to use hormone therapy (HT), according to the results of a study reported in the March/April issue of Menopause.
"The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of citalopram for climacteric symptoms and to assess the combined effect of citalopram and hormone therapy (HT) on climacteric symptoms in women inadequately responsive to HT alone," write Aysegul E. Kalay, MD, from the Alanya Sifa, Medical Center in Antalya, Turkey, and colleagues. "The most effective therapy for relieving vasomotor symptoms is hormone therapy (HT). However, based on the results of the estrogen/progestin arm of the Women's Health Initiative study, women who fear the potential for breast cancer and thromboembolism as a result of HT do not to want to take estrogen/progestin therapy."
Climacteric symptoms, especially hot flashes, involve vasoactive and endocrine factors as well as estrogen deficiency. The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have been shown to reduce hot flashes by 50% to 60%, and citalopram is the most selective of the clinically used SSRIs.
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