Definition: Given a paragraph, generate a claim that is supported by the given paragraph. 1) The claim must contain information from within the paragraph. 2) A sentence within the paragraph can be used as a claim. 3) The claim should not have contradictions within the paragraph. 4) The claim should be at most one sentence long.
Input: The article did notinclude information about the cost of this medication. According to recent Consumer Reports data, Lexapro at the dosages studied here would cost about $110 a month. This significant cost is something to bear in mind considering the modest benefit the drug confers compared to a sugar pill. The story quantifies the benefits of treatment in appropriate absolute terms. It explains that women taking theantidepressant went from about 10 hot flashes per day to5.26 hot flashes a day, a decline of 47% or about4.5fewer hot flashes a day. By comparison,women taking the placebo reported 6.43 hot flashes a day after treatment, a decline of 33% or about3 fewer a day. The story also quantifies the severity of the hot flashes in terms that are useful to the reader. The story perhaps could have provided some contextregarding the size of the benefit compared with placebo, which was relatively small. It also could have noted noted thatsymptom reductions were much more modest thanthose seen with hormone treatment. The story wasn't thorough enough in its exploration of potential harms. The only adverse effect noted is the potential loss of libido discussed in the last line of the story. At one point, the story seems to dismiss thepotential for harm by noting that "no serious adverse events were reported" in the study. However, minor adverse effects take on greater importance when a drug provides only a modest benefit over placebo which is the case with this medication. The study should have provided more detail on what harms were observed (even "minor" ones), and how frequently. Lexapro, when used for depression, commonly results in gastrointestinal disturbance such as nausea, vomiting, loose stools, and indigestion. A variety ofother adverse effects are possible, including include difficulty sleeping and headaches. It is quite conceivable that an increase in theseproblems might outweigh the small benefit associated with the reduction in hot flashes, so the storyshould have provided this information. Another issue not addressed by the story is the potential for uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms when stopping this medication. This point is particularly relevant to make here because Lexapro hasn't been extensively studied in women who are healthy and don't have symptoms of depression. We know that some people with depression experience withdrawal symptoms after they stop taking the drug, but we don'thave much evidence on what happens to healthy non-depressed people when they stop taking it. The risk of a discontinuation syndrome increases the longerantidepressant therapy lasts, so an 8-week study may not capture the problems that womenmay experience with longer-term use of Lexapro for relief of hot flash symptoms. The story could have mentioned thatwomen should never abruptly stop taking an antidepressantmedication like Lexapro, as this can increase the risk ofmore severe withdrawal symptoms. The story includesenough details about how the study was conducted and what the researchers observed to earn a satisfactory. It notes that this was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study the "gold standard" of medical evidence. It explains that outcomes were based on women'srecords of how often and how severe their hot flashes were a relevant clinical endpoint. Although the story notes that women in the study tookthe drug for 8 weeks, it could have explained that 8 weeksisn't longto meet FDA criteria for a hot flash treatment; the FDA requiresthat benefits be maintained for 12-weeks. The study also should have explained that we have no idea how well these drugs will work over the longer term (menopause symptoms can last for years) or whether problems might occur with longer use (more onthis in the Harmscriterion). Lastly, it would have been useful to havesome discussion of how the treatment affected general health-related quality of life; this would have helped readersunderstand the importance of the observed benefit on hot flashes when considering overall health/function. Menopause has been the subject of considerable disease mongering over the years see here for some examples. This story, though, confines the discussion to women whose symptoms are severe enough to disrupt their lives and quality of life. That seems to be a fair basisupon which toidentify women who might be candidates for some kind of medical treatment ofmenopause symptoms. The story could haveprovided data on how many women suffer from moderate to severe hot flash symptoms, to give a betteridea of how widespread the problem is. The story quotes an independent expert who seems generally supportive of antidepressant therapy for hot flashes. While we don't think it would have been difficult to find someonewith a more skeptical takeon the results, which would have added value for readers,the storydid enough to satisfy this aspectof the criterion. (UPDATED COMMENT INSERTED ON 2/24/11: We originally but erroneously wrote that this story failed to disclose potential conflicts of interest. But it actually did, when it stated:"The study was funded by the National Institute on Aging and other sources. Freeman reports having received research support from Forest Laboratories Inc., and other pharmaceutical companies that make antidepressants. For this study, Forest, which makes escitalopram, provided the drug and placebo pills but no funding.") The story mentions that hormone therapy is another treatment option for hot flashes, but it doesn't provide enough informationto allow the reader to compare the two approaches. The story should have mentioned that hormone therapy seems to be more effective than antidepressants at reducing hot flash symptoms, although the risks may also be greater. It also could have mentioned that complementary and alternative medicine approaches are often used for hot flashes.
Output:
Antidepressant May Help Ease Hot Flashes