As reported by researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center in the July issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology journal, the seizure drug gabapentin is as effective as estrogen, which used to be the gold standard treatment for menopause symptoms.
Because large studies have linked estrogen to increased risk of heart disease, stroke, breast cancer and Alzheimer's disease for some women, it is no longer the preferred therapy for menopause symptoms. Reason enough for millions of women to seek alternatives in easing their symptoms like natural remedies such as soy, herbal products or even acupuncture which is not even proven effective up to this point.
"Gabapentin does appear to be as effective as estrogen," said lead author Sireesha Y. Reddy, M.D., assistant professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Rochester Medical Center. "Until now its efficacy relative to estrogen was unknown."
Marketed under the trade name Neurontin, gabapentin was approved by the USFDA in 1994 for the treatment of treat epileptic seizures but has been used off-label for years to treat headaches, shingles pain and other ailments.
Read more at URMC Press Release or get a copy of the article here.
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