Antiseizure Drug May Treat Hot Flashes
June 12, 2000 -- Either before or during menopause, three of every four women will experience hot flashes -- the sudden bursts of skin-searing heat that can quickly leave the sufferer glistening with sweat. But no one knows what causes this alarming symptom.
The best known treatment for hot flashes is estrogen, but many women are afraid to take the hormone for fear that it may increase their risk of breast cancer. Women's health experts have long been eager to find an alternative, and now a new report suggests that a drug used to treat epilepsy may be the best option.
Neurologist Thomas J. Guttoso Jr., MD, noticed that a woman who was taking the drug for treatment of migraine headaches reported that after just two days on the drug "her hot flashes were gone," he tells WebMD, adding that it didn't help her migraines.
The drug is called gabapentin and, in addition to its FDA-approved use to control seizures associated with epilepsy, it is now used to treat bipolar disorder as well as some social phobia disorders, he says.
Published side effects of the drug include convulsions that occur after suddenly stopping the drug, hypertension, fatigue, dizziness, and a variety of other symptoms. The way in which the drug works is unknown, according to the authors, and they note the need for further studies to determine how it works and whether it can be used to treat hot flashes.
There have been other drugs that work on the brain and central nervous system that appear to reduce hot flashes, but more research is needed before they can be approved or prescribed for that use. It is important that you only take medication prescribed for you and for your specific conditions.
Guttoso, who is an instructor of neurology at the University of Rochester School of Medicine, says he thinks the drug affects an area of the brain called the hypothalamus, which he thinks has a role in regulating the body's temperature. Specifically, he suggests the drug works on the levels of substances called tachykinins, which regulate the contraction and dilation of smooth muscles. The drug appears to affect the flow of these tachykinins, he says.