Allameh Zahra, Rouholamin Safoura, Valaie Sonia
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
J Res Pharm Pract. 2013 Apr;2(2):64-9. doi: 10.4103/2279-042X.117392.
Various non-hormonal agents have been used for the treatment of hot flashes in women with menopause. Some studies have reported that gabapentin appears to be an effective and well-tolerated treatment modality. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the treatment with gabapentin is effective in reducing hot flash frequency and severity and also to compare gabapentin 100 mg/day, 300 mg/day and conjugated estrogen in this regards.
In this comparative clinical trial, 100 post-menopausal women attending outpatient clinics of Isfahan University hospitals were included from April 2008 to February 2009. Participants randomly received gabapentin 300 mg/day, gabapentin 100 mg/day, or conjugated estrogen 0.625 mg/day for 12 weeks. Frequency and severity of hot flashes and adverse effects were compared among the three groups.
From all, 16 participants dropped out. There were no significant differences among the groups before intervention in terms of age, body mass index and baseline hot flash frequency and severity. Hot flash diaries were used to record the frequency and severity of hot flashes. After the treatment period, there was a significant decrease in both severity and frequency of hot flashes in all three groups. Post-hoc analyses showed that the frequency and severity of hot flashes were significantly lower in those who received gabapentin 300 mg/day or estrogen 0.625 mg/day compared to those who received gabapentin 100 mg/day. There was not statistically significant difference between those who received gabapentin 300 mg/day and those who received estrogen. Very few adverse effects, mostly gastrointestinal discomfort were observed in both gabapentin groups (8%).
Gabapentin 300 mg/day could be useful to relieve hot flashes in women for whom hormone therapy is not suitable or when hot flashes do not respond to other therapies. Further researches are needed to determine the efficacy of gabapentin use for longer periods or at higher doses.
多种非激素药物已被用于治疗绝经后女性的潮热。一些研究报告称，加巴喷丁似乎是一种有效且耐受性良好的治疗方式。本研究的目的是评估加巴喷丁治疗在降低潮热频率和严重程度方面是否有效，并在这方面比较每日100毫克、300毫克的加巴喷丁与结合雌激素。
在这项比较性临床试验中，2008年4月至2009年2月期间纳入了100名在伊斯法罕大学医院门诊就诊的绝经后女性。参与者随机接受每日300毫克加巴喷丁、每日100毫克加巴喷丁或每日0.625毫克结合雌激素治疗12周。比较三组潮热的频率、严重程度及不良反应。
共有16名参与者退出。干预前，三组在年龄、体重指数以及基线潮热频率和严重程度方面无显著差异。使用潮热日记记录潮热的频率和严重程度。治疗期结束后，所有三组的潮热严重程度和频率均显著降低。事后分析显示，与接受每日100毫克加巴喷丁的参与者相比，接受每日300毫克加巴喷丁或0.625毫克雌激素的参与者潮热的频率和严重程度显著更低。接受每日300毫克加巴喷丁的参与者与接受雌激素的参与者之间无统计学显著差异。两个加巴喷丁组均观察到极少的不良反应，主要为胃肠道不适（8%）。
对于不适合激素治疗或潮热对其他治疗无反应的女性，每日300毫克加巴喷丁可能有助于缓解潮热。需要进一步研究以确定长期或高剂量使用加巴喷丁的疗效。
