DANVILLE, Pa. — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved a new drug to treat hot flashes during menopause. The medication is an alternative to traditional hormone replacement therapies.
For women going through menopause, hot flashes can be debilitating. For decades, the most effective treatment for hot flashes has been hormone replacement therapy. But for many women with a history of stroke or certain types of cancer, hormone replacement therapy is not an option.
Last week, the FDA approved Veozah, a new drug to treat hot flashes during menopause.
"It's a new drug, so we don't have a lot of experience using it, but the preliminary studies look promising," said Dr. Sandra Culbertson, the chair of the Women's and Children's Institute at Geisinger.
Dr. Culbertson says Veozah could be a good alternative for women who can't use hormone replacement therapy. Veozah does not contain hormones. It is for women who experience significant and severe hot flashes.
"It works in the brain, on a certain receptor in the brain, to help regulate the temperature and prevent the fluctuations which cause the hot flashes."
For women who really suffer from hot flashes, this is a new option for them.
While Dr. Culbertson stresses there is still a lot we don't know about Veozah, she is happy to see more treatment options for women.
"It is really great to see new things being developed. It's just like I said, this one is so new that we're just going to have to see how it does when it's out in the market for people."
Talk to your Geisinger doctor if you think Veozah is a treatment option for you.
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