NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Desvenlafaxine, a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, is a safe and effective treatment for hot flushes in postmenopausal women, according to a report in the March issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

While hormone therapy is the most effective treatment for vasomotor symptoms, there remains a need for safe and effective non-hormonal agents, Dr. David F. Archer, from Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, and colleagues note. Prior research has suggested that desvenlafaxine may be such an agent.

In the present study, 484 women with moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms were randomized to receive desvenlafaxine, at 100 or 150 mg/d, or placebo over a 26-week period. Of these subjects, 81.2% completed 12 weeks of therapy and 76.0% completed 26 weeks. Standard questionnaires were used to assess hot flush frequency and severity.

Both doses of desvenlafaxine were significantly better than placebo at reducing hot flush severity at 12 weeks. By 26 weeks, however, only the higher dose was more efficacious than placebo (p = 0.008). Both doses were effective in reducing hot flush-related nighttime awakenings.

Overall, 28.5% of desvenlafaxine-treated patients discontinued treatment due to adverse events compared with 8.9% of those given placebo (p < 0.001). Nausea was the most common side effect in the desvenlafaxine group, reported by 44.6% of users versus 8.3% of patients given placebo.

The results indicate that desvenlafaxine is an effective and general safe and well-tolerated treatment for reducing the frequency and severity of hot flushes in postmenopausal women, the authors conclude.

Reference:
Am J Obstet Gynecol 2009;200:238-240.