Epilepsy Drug May Help Control Hot Flashes

Gabapentin is as effective as estrogen in easing menopausal symptom, study finds

FRIDAY, July 7, 2006 (HealthDay News) -- Gabapentin, a drug approved in the United States to control epileptic seizures, seems to control menopause-related hot flashes just as well as estrogen, researchers say.

The 12-week study of 60 women found that women who took gabapentin or estrogen reported a 71 percent to 72 percent reduction in hot flashes, compared with a 54 percent decline among those taking a placebo.

Researchers at the University of Rochester in N.Y. reported the findings in the July issue of the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology.

During the double-blind, placebo-controlled study, the women used diaries to record the frequency and severity of their hot flashes.

Headaches, dizziness, and disorientation were among the side effects reported by women taking gabapentin.

"Gabapentin does appear to be as effective as estrogen," study lead author Dr. Sireesha Y. Reddy, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology, said in a prepared statement. "Until now, its efficacy relative to estrogen was unknown," Reddy added.

Gabapentin (brand name Neurontin) was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1994 to treat epileptic seizures. But it's also used off-label to treat headaches, shingles pain and certain other health problems.

It's believed that the drug may reduce hot flashes by regulating the flow of calcium in and out of cells -- a mechanism that helps regulate body temperature.

One of the researchers involved in the study has a patent for the use of gabapentin in treatment of hot flashes. The study was funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

More information

The U.S. National Institute on Aging has more about menopause.

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