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Efficacy of a biobehavioral intervention for hot flashes: a randomized controlled pilot study
Debra L Barton1, Kelliann C Fee Schroeder, Tanima Banerjee
11University of Michigan, School of Nursing, Ann Arbor, MI 2Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 3University of Texas, Austin, TX 4Baylor University, Waco, TX.
Menopause (New York, N.Y.)
|March 8, 2017
Summary
This pilot study found that hypnosis alone or venlafaxine alone effectively reduced hot flashes in postmenopausal women. Combining both treatments did not offer additional benefits over single therapies.
Area of Science:
- Gynecology
- Psychiatry
- Behavioral Medicine
Background:
- Hot flashes are a common menopausal symptom impacting quality of life.
- Effective nonhormonal treatments with minimal side effects are needed.
- Combining pharmacologic and behavioral therapies may offer synergistic benefits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of combining a nonhormonal pharmacologic agent (venlafaxine) with a behavioral treatment (hypnosis) for reducing hot flashes.
- To compare the combined treatment against monotherapy and placebo conditions.
Main Methods:
- A pilot study randomized 71 postmenopausal women into four groups: venlafaxine + hypnosis (VH), venlafaxine + sham hypnosis (VSH), placebo + hypnosis (PH), and placebo + sham hypnosis (PSH).
- Participants recorded hot flash severity and frequency daily.
- Hot flash scores (frequency × severity) were analyzed at 8 weeks using a General Estimating Equation model, with VSH as the referent group.
Main Results:
- Both the placebo + hypnosis (PH) and venlafaxine + hypnosis (VH) groups showed approximately 50% reduction in hot flashes.
- The venlafaxine + sham hypnosis (VSH) group also showed significant reduction.
- The placebo + sham hypnosis (PSH) group reported a 25% reduction, significantly less than the VSH group (P=0.001).
- No significant adverse side effects were reported across all groups.
Conclusions:
- Hypnosis alone demonstrated comparable efficacy to venlafaxine alone in reducing hot flashes.
- The combination of venlafaxine and hypnosis did not yield superior results compared to monotherapy.
- Further research is warranted to explore the potential synergistic effects of hypnosis with alternative antidepressant agents.
