Clinical Question: Are citalopram a...

Clinical Question: Are citalopram and fluoxetine effective therapies for vasomotor symptoms in menopausal women? Setting: Outpatient (any)

studious mood Design: Randomized controlled trial (double-blinded)

Allocation: Concealed

Synopsis: In this well-designed clinical trial, 150 symptomatic, naturally menopausal women were assigned to single in kind of three treatment groups: citalopram (10 mg) fluoxetine (10 mg) or placebo. The women were instructed to take single dose daily for month 1 couple doses daily for months 2 by means of 6, and three doses daily after month 6 with permission to answer to two doses per day if they experienced bothersome side efficiencys Only 30 women (approximately 60 percent) from each assemblage completed the nine-month study, which was sufficient to discover a 20 percent difference in the principle issue the Kupperman index score, a many times used menopause symptom index.

No differences were noted in the Kupperman index scores during the cogitation No dose-response effect was observ as dos-ages increased. No differences were set up in other secondary measures, including number of furious flashes and Beck Depression Inventory score. Insomnia improved more in the citalopram cluster than in the placebo clump As in other studies of menopausal vasomotor symptoms, improvement through the whole extent of time was noted in all groups; approximately 60 percent of women in all three assign places tos reported that vasomotor symptoms had decreased by dint of one half or more at six months

Bottom Line: Neither citalopram nor fluoxetine improved the vasomotor symptoms (i.e., furious flashes) of menopausal women more than placebo. As in other well-designed clinical trials of treatments for irascible flashes, there was a marked placebo meaning and improvement in all arranges over time. (Level of Evidence: 1b)

LINDA FRENCH MD

close attention Reference: Suvanto-Luukkonen E, et al. Citalopram and fluoxetine in the treatment of postmenopausal symptoms: a prospective, randomized, 9-month placebo-controlled, double-blind consideration Menopause January-February 2005;12:18-26.

Used with permission from French L SSRIs ineffective for oppressive flashes. Accessed online March 31 2005 at: http://www.InfoPOEMs.com.

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