Anti depressants for hot flushes?

[RunMummyRun68]

Was taking conti 7 patch but was reacting to the glue. Doctor wanted me to try a different method

Citalopram. Anti depressants when I'm the happiest person in town! But of course I listened and took the prescription to the pharmacy

Pharmacist was surprised as she hadn't ever heard of this. So now I'm worried and may end up googling. Any advice of experiences?

I use this as an example of a coincidental off-target pharmacology in class!

It's a fairly mild SSRI for depression but a side effect is that those who were experiencing hot flushes stopped.

When you go off them again you'll need to step down to limit CNS effects but citalopram is very successful for hot flushes.

..are you in the UK? I don't think it's on-label for hot flushes here yet, though widely used elsewhere, perhaps that's why pharmacist was unaware.

I never knew that about citalopram! Very interesting.
Wasn't minoxidil originally used to treat high blood pressure until users found a common side effect was hair growth so now it is licensed to treat hair loss?
I find this kind of stuff fascinating.

Yes, I'm on Citalopram for hot flushes as I've had breast cancer and the oncologist has recommended that I don't take HRT. It works!

NICE NHS guidance 2017:
**Do not routinely offer selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) or clonidine as first line treatment for vasomotor symptoms alone.
** Where SSRIs and SNRIs are offered (unlicensed indication), a short term trial of one to two weeks may be adequate to assess the effect (three weeks for fluoxetine) for hot flushes.

I stopped all dairy and processed food. Stopped my hot flushes.

As the PP says, ADS are used only for women who cannot use HRT for medical reasons (and being allergic to glue doesn't count!) You should go back and ask for another topical kind of HRT like gel, which you just rub on your skin, and a separate progestogen . NICE has really slammed Gps for giving women ADs and there is a big drive to stop this, for obvious reasons. There's nothing wrong with your mind, it's your circulations system reacting to loss of estrogen.

What strength Citalopram? I'd be very cautious of taking it long term. It slows you down to a zombie. A very happy, sleepy, fat, contented zombie, but a zombie nonetheless. I had to come off it (as a low dose AD, not for menopause) as I was literally so zonked I couldn't finish a sentence or stay awake for more than an hour.

No way! Avoid antidepressants and go on with hrt.
Antidepressants will make you a zombie and you will depend on them. If you don’tfeel Ok with your current hrt, try another.
Antidepressants aren’t a therapy for meno symptoms! Antidepressants are for clinical depression and not for hormonal fluctuations!

Oh god! Really?

Yes I'm definitely in the uk

I asked about side effects but wasn't told I'd end up as a fat zombie!

Absolutely! If you have no clinical depression you DON’T need antidepressants. They are more risky due to chemicals in them than hrt. Get informed and find a gyn who knows and cares.

Well, if you can't take HRT then the hot flushes are genuinely enough to make you depressed!
I'm on 20mg of Citalopram and while I'm overweight (I blame 3 children and chemo!), I'm working in a professional role and am by no means a zombie!

Yes, wee for women who cannot use hrt, non-hormonal treatments such as the antidepressants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are often suggested to reduce hot flushes and sweats due to the serotonin action.
But if there is no history of breast cancer antidepressants are no recommended.

Harvard study. Citalopram was linked to avg gain of 1-2 lbs.

There are plenty studies that suggest citalopram doesn't help with hot flushes, either.

No breast cancer history in my family

I'm not sure what to do now

Full time job which is physical at times and using machinery/working at height. Drive to work

I was prescribed Sertraline low dose for night sweats. It worked though has become a little less effective as time goes on. HRT didn't work - and I tried different types.

I'm not sure what to do now

Go back to your GP and show him the Nice information. A PP has posted that line upthread.

Dr Louise Newson (meno specialist) did a survey on Twitter @mymenopausedr recently on how many women were being given ADs instead of HRT and the results were shocking. she was trying to make a point.

Average gain of 1-2lb - I ownder how long the subjects had been on it. Ime and that of other people I know, it's an average gain of 4lb per year you are on it. I gained weight on Citalopram, having not gained on other ADs and now I'm on a different one my weight hasn't increased despite menopause. The weight gain isn't just carb cravings (which are almost unbeatable on Citalopram.) It's also that your body slows, (don't know whethe rit's the mind or the metabolism) so you just amble at snail's pace through life, sitting or lying at every opportunity, putting off small physical tasks like housecleaning for ever and ever. I was in a smiley haze for years. And too 'happy' at the time to realise it until I took stock that I was sleeping 16 hours a day and had reduced my work hours to 1-2 hours a day.

I don't disapprove of Citalopram; it was fantastic - the best yet, for quickly helping recovery from severe depression. But it's not something to stay on long term.

It's also that your body slows, (don't know whethe rit's the mind or the metabolism) so you just amble at snail's pace through life, sitting or lying at every opportunity, putting off small physical tasks like housecleaning for ever and ever. I was in a smiley haze for years

I work in a fairly physical job and my hobby is running! I just ran London Marathon last weekend which the doctor knew.... he said if anything, citalipram would give me more get up and go! So he lied?

It felt like he had an agenda but what? What is the difference between hrt and ad's being prescribed,is it cheaper or something?

I took fluoxetine for a year for my hot flushes. The GP wouldn't prescribe HRT because my mum had breast cancer.

I found it worked and also had the added bonus of levelling out my moods.

I stopped after a year as I thought I'd see if the flushes had passed and had no trouble coming off them (reduced to every other day for a while then stopped).

oh, and I didn't gain any weight or feel lethargic. If anything I had a bit more get up and go!

It felt like he had an agenda but what? What is the difference between hrt and ad's being prescribed,is it cheaper or something?

No HRT is very cheap. Cheaper than the NHS prescription charge.
It's because drs are ignorant. Some are 20 years behind and don't 'like' HRT because of the old research showing risks (now disproved as duff research.)

At the very least he ought to have read the NICE guidelines which were published Nov 2105.

Kenny (good name ) I'm currently on Fluoxetine and agree - no weight gain, no doziness. Very different from Citalopram. I don't get that warm, happy fuzzy feeling on it either. I just feel normal.

I absolutely agree with you!
They don't tell us anything about the risks for not taking hrt, especially at younger ages!
The antidepressants can help with some meno symptoms but they don't protect us from the long term consequences for estrogen deficiency._

I've had probably the easiest menopause on record, heavy periods being my only symptom. I'm on sertraline for depression so I wonder if that's why