Zyrtec may reduce hot flashes in postmenopausal women: small trial

OB/GYN News, Nov 1, 2003 by Michele G. Sullivan

MIAMI BEACH -- Zyrtec may be able to treat more than just allergies in some postmenopausal women, according to the results of a small study presented at the annual meeting of the North American Menopause Society.

Zyrtec (cetirizine hydrochloride) reduced hot flashes by 40% in a placebo-controlled study of 100 postmenopausal women, Dr. Carlos Ramos Jr. reported. "Based on this data, Zyrtec may be a promising nonhormonal alternative for the treatment of hot flashes in this group of women," he said.

Clinical observation was the basis for the study, which won an award for best clinical poster presentation at the meeting. "We kept hearing our postmenopausal patients say that after they started Zyrtec, their hot flashes didn't bother them as much," said Dr. Ramos, a resident at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

He devised a small, randomized, placebo-controlled study to test the effects of the antihistamine on hot flashes associated with menopause. To enroll, women had to be postmenopausal and not taking hormone therapy, and to have at least 10 hot flashes per day; some women were having up to 50 hot flashes per day.

All the women completed a daily hot flash questionnaire for a 1-week baseline period, resulting in a hot flash score (frequency multiplied by severity). They were then randomized to either Zyrtec 10 mg/day or placebo for 4 weeks.

After 4 weeks of treatment, the average weekly hot flash scores were compared with baseline scores for both groups. Patients on Zyrtec had a 39.7% reduction in their hot flash score vs. an 8.8% reduction in the placebo group. The antihistamine was generally well tolerated.