Evaluation and Comparison of Citalopram and Venlafaxine for Management of Hot Flashes in Women with Breast Cancer.

Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide. Premature menopause and hot flashes are the main complications of breast cancer treatments. About 40 to 50 percent of breast cancer women who undergo chemotherapy are experiencing premature menopause symptoms, including hot flashes. Some endocrine therapies such as tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors are associated with induction or aggravating hot flashes. Hot flashes are often debilitating and significantly impair daily functions. Therefore many therapeutic options have been studied so far for the management of this adverse effect. However, there are still some clinical challenges in managing hot flashes in patients with breast cancer.

Objective: We aimed to evaluate and compare the efficacy of venlafaxine and citalopram on hot flashes in breast cancer women receiving tamoxifen.

Design: We conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in forty-one, 35 to 65 years old female patients. The study lasted for four weeks, and the follow-up was for two months. Venlafaxine and citalopram treatments started with doses of 37.5 mg or 10 mg, respectively. Venlafaxine and citalopram dosages were increased in the second week to 75 and 20 mg, respectively. The study was conducted during the year 2017.

Key results: The results indicated that the total efficacy was significantly different in groups receiving citalopram, venlafaxine, and placebo. Total efficacy in the placebo group, venlafaxine, and citalopram was 14.3, 53.8, and 64.3%, respectively (p=0.02). During the second week, the efficacy in groups receiving citalopram, venlafaxine, and placebo was 57.1, 53.8, and 14.3%, respectively (p=0.04). Generally, both citalopram and venlafaxine were well tolerated. The associated adverse effects were mild to moderate in both groups.

Conclusions: Although citalopram was associated with more adverse effects, including constipation, it was more effective in reducing the frequency of hot flashes when compared to venlafaxine or placebo.