Palkoski, a breast cancer survivor and Ford Motor production-line worker who lives near Ann Arbor, Mich., said that Effexor cut her daily hot flashes from about 20 to three. Loprinzi admits he doesn't know exactly why the drug works, but says it appears to affect certain chemical receptors in the brain that influence the body's response to temperature. Other preliminary studies have suggested that other antidepressants, such as Paxil and Zoloft, may have similar effects on hot flashes. And just last week, researchers at the University of Rochester reported that a blood-pressure drug, clonidine, also reduced hot flashes in breast cancer patients, though by a more modest amount. While hot flashes aren't the first thing women worry about when they get breast cancer, they can loom large after the initial crisis, she said.
Hot flashes are enormously difficult and bothersome.
Loprinzi acknowledges that his study may not seem as important as a new cancer treatment. And in the meantime, patients are living with its aftereffects.