Low-dose estradiol and the serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor venlafaxine for vasomotor symptoms: a randomized clinical trial.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

Estrogen therapy is the gold standard treatment for hot flashes and night sweats, but some women are unable or unwilling to use it because of associated risks. The serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor venlafaxine hydrochloride is used widely as a nonhormonal treatment. While the clinical impression is that serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors are less effective than estrogen, these medications have not been simultaneously evaluated in one clinical trial to date.

Objective

To determine the efficacy and tolerability of low-dose oral 17β-estradiol and low-dose venlafaxine extended release in alleviating vasomotor symptoms (VMS).

Design, setting, and participants

In total, 339 perimenopausal and postmenopausal women with at least 2 bothersome VMS

SUBMITTER: Joffe H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4179877 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature