Menopause is the time in a woman's life when her body produces less progesterone and estrogen. Her ovaries stop creating eggs, and menstruation eventually stops completely. Along with psychological effects like irritability and anxiety, many post-menopausal women experience severe vasomotor symptoms.
Vasomotor Symptoms
Vasomotor symptoms include hot flashes and palpitations. A hot flash is a sudden, intense, hot feeling on the face and upper body, and a palpitation is an unpleasant sensation of an abnormal heartbeat, whether too slow or too fast.
Effects
Because they can disrupt life completely, these symptoms often lead to depression and insomnia.
Treatments
Various treatments are available for these symptoms. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants and the serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) are treatments that work for post-menopausal women.
SNRI
Cymbalta is a well-known example of an SNRI. It is a Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved antidepressant commonly prescribed for vasomotor symptoms. Women who suffer from narrow-angle glaucoma (an eye disease) or have recently taken another antidepressant should not take Cymbalta.
SSRI
Zoloft is a type of SSRI. It is also FDA approved and is prescribed for depression and certain types of anxiety conditions in .
Tags: post-menopausal women, reuptake inhibitor,