Study: DHEA Better Than Paxil for Menopause
A new study has discovered that a hormone called DHEA should be considered to be used to treat menopausal woman and offer a boost to their sex drives. This finding could help to turn women off of using antidepressants like Paxil instead.
The Italian study, which the researchers wrote about in the journal of the International Menopause Society, Climacteric, has the researchers explaining that they had found the first real evidence that small doses of DHEA can assist with sexual function as well as the symptoms of menopause. This could mean that DHEA will replace antidepressants and hormone replacement therapy (HRT). However this study was small, so larger studies have to be done in order to substantiate their findings.
"We must bear in mind that this is a pilot study with a small sample," says Anna Fenton, co-editor of Climacteric. "We can't yet say that this study means that DHEA is a viable alternative to HRT, but ... we should be looking to do larger studies to confirm these initial results."
DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) is a natural steroid hormone that is created in the adrenal glands. HRT is basically just a combination of estrogen and progesterone, and is FDA-approved as a treatment for menopausal symptoms like hot flashes, lack of sex drive and mood swings. However, an old study from 2002 found that the drugs were linked to higher risks of ovarian cancer, which made the drugs a good deal less popular.
American studies had discovered that SSRI antidepressant medications like Paxil, Effexor and Prozac worked at treating the hot flashes and mood swings, but the drugs are known to cause just as much harm as good. Paxil and Effexor have been linked to various adverse side effects including aggressive thoughts and behavior, suicidal thoughts and behavior and birth defects in babies born to women who take the drug while pregnant. This new DHEA treatment may provide a safer alternative treatment for menopausal symptoms — and if the larger studies prove this one to be true, many patients will be better off.
