Definition: Vasomotor symptoms is the label term for hot flashes (also called hot flushes) and night sweats. Moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms of menopause are an approved use of estrogen products such as Premarin, estradiol tablets, Bijuva and Duavee. Several other drugs list hot flashes as a side effect.
Premarin and oral estradiol tablets are approved for moderate to severe hot flashes from menopause. Bijuva (estradiol plus progesterone) and Duavee (conjugated estrogens plus bazedoxifene) are approved for the same use in women with a uterus. Each carries the estrogen warnings described under Women's Health Initiative. The Bijuva label says timing matters and to consider starting it in women under 60 or within 10 years of the start of menopause.
| Product | Rate on drug vs placebo |
|---|---|
| Tamoxifen (NSABP B-14 trial) | 64% vs 48% |
| Evista (prevention trials) | 24.6% vs 18.3% |
| Osphena (12-week trials) | 6.5% vs 2.6% |
| Clomid (no placebo group) | 10.4% |
These are drugs that block or modulate estrogen, so hot flashes are an expected effect. In the tamoxifen P-1 trial, severe hot flashes were reported by 45% on tamoxifen vs 28% on placebo.
Hot flashes come and go, so memory is a poor guide to whether a treatment is working or a new drug is causing them. A quick daily note of how many and how bad, next to your doses, shows the trend. Dose Track lets you log symptoms on the same timeline as each dose.
Read more on Dose Track: Premarin side effects · Bijuva side effects · Tamoxifen side effects · Black cohosh vs red clover