Managing Hot Flashes in Women with Breast Cancer

Hot flashes are common and distressing among perimenopausal women. Hormonal therapy provides the most effective symptom management; however, it is contraindicated in women with histories of breast cancer. Alternative therapeutic agents, such as antidepressants and antiseizure medications, control hot-flash occurrences and intensity in some patients, but their effectiveness is limited. U.S. investigators sought to determine whether multidrug therapy is more effective than a single agent.

In this multicenter study, 118 women with histories of breast cancer or risk for breast cancer who were receiving antidepressant therapy without satisfactory hot-flash control were randomized to receive gabapentin plus continuation of antidepressant therapy o…