The menopause hot flushes are known as the most common symptom of menopause. About 3 out of 4 women are affected by it. A flush usually lasts for a few minutes, during which the cheeks, neck and chest becomes red, and it is possible to be sweating during the flush.
Lifestyle as a remedy for hot flushes of menopause
It has been sowed that the women who have a more active lifestyle experience fewer of the menopause symptoms. Nonetheless not all of the activities decrease the occurrence of the symptoms. Even more, the high impact exercises could make the symptoms even worse.
The best thing you could do regarding the hot flushes of menopause is to have regular aerobic exercises, such as jogging or swimming. In the same time it could help to wear lightweight clothing, reduce stress in your life and sleep in a cool room.
According to some women there are some things that trigger the menopause hot flushes, such as spicy foods, smoking, caffeine or alcohol. If you avoid these you may have less chances of being affected by these hot flushes.
SNRI and SSRI
These are known to be antidepressant drugs. They come with fluoxetine, paroxetine, citalopram and escitalopram. A few years ago it has been observed that the women taking these drugs have been affected by fewer hot flushes of menopause.
The researches that have been conducted since then have confirmed that some of these drugs reduce the menopause hot flushes in some women, but not all women. This happens regardless of their psychological state.
There is another antidepressant that has been shown to have the same effect, venflaxine. Although the researches have shown that these are effective, the specialists still don’t know how they work and how they affect the hot flushes.
Clonidine
There have been some clinical trials regarding hot flushes of menopause and these have shown that some of the symptoms of menopause have been made better by the drug known as clonidine.
Nonetheless there are also some side effects, such as drowsiness, dry mouth, dizziness and a feeling of sickness.
This is why the drug isn’t frequently used in case of menopause hot flushes, but if nothing else seems to work, it might be worth to try. The drug acts through affecting a chemical known as noradrenaline that influences sweating and flushing.
Gabapentin
In the majority of the cases the drug is used to control pain and epileptic seizures. The researches conducted have shown that it also makes the hot flushes of menopause better. Still more research is needed to know exactly the place of the drug in the treatment of menopause.
Warning
The SSRIs and SNRIs aren’t licensed for the treatment of the symptoms of menopause. Nonetheless there are some doctors who are willing to prescribe them to their patients, with their consent, of course, to see whether the drugs are effective.
Before taking any medication for menopause hot flushes, you should discuss with your doctor the best course of action.
