Overall, 55 per cent of the women in the drug group versus 36 per cent taking a placebo reported a decrease of at least 50 per cent in “hot flash frequency,” according to the study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

But the prospect of large numbers of essentially healthy women being treated “off label” with psychiatric drugs for symptoms of menopause is making critics uneasy.

“You’re looking at something that is actually a drug for a fairly serious psychiatric disorder that is being used for something that is a normal part of menopause,” says Barbara Mintzes, an assistant professor with the Therapeutics Initiative at the University of B.C.

The new study involved 205 healthy women, aged 40 to 62, with moderate to severe hot flashes who were randomized to receive 10 or 20 mg a day of escitalopram or a matching placebo. The frequency and severity of hot flashes or night sweats were recorded in daily dairies. The researchers looked at the total number of hot flashes or night sweats in a 24-hour period; the women also rated their “hot flash bother” on a scale from one to four – none, a little, moderately or a lot. To read the whole story from Canada.com, click here!

Among them.. Kym Crowe and 45-year old Patti Gadaria. Both say the treatment changed their lives. Kim’s first reaction “I feel 10 years younger”