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[Wrensong]

Seems this drug has now been approved for private prescription in the UK & approval for NHS prescribing may follow.  Potentially great news for those women with a history of hormone sensitive cancers for whom HRT is contraindicated.

https://thebms.org.uk/2023/12/bms-update-fezolinetant-licensed-by-the-mhra/


https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/dec/18/veoza-fezolinetant-menopause-drug-hot-flushes-wins-uk-approval


https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/files/pil.15361.pdf


Not read this one in detail, just scanned it so far.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10026946/


Wx

[Meg]

I  was wondering how long it would take before someone finally posted on this matter.  There are thousands of women who cannot or do not wish to take HRT and hopefully this drug will be approved for prescription on the NHS as there is so little out there and vasomotor symptoms can go on and on.  My understanding is that this drug only helps with the sweating and none of the other synptoms so it is limited but I thnink that many will give it a try and hopefully it will get approval as a lot of work has gone into it.

Meg

[GypsyRoseLee]

What wonderful news. I can no longer take HRT thanks to BC a few years ago, so my GP started me on Sertraline to help with temperature control. It's worked brilliantly but it's so good to have other options out there.

[Nas]

It is good news to now see alternatives coming into fruition.
I will definitely be looking into that myself.

GypsyRoseLee

I am also thinking of giving sertraline a go in the near future. How do you find the it?  Did you start on the lowest dose? Any major side effects?

I knows we are all different when it comes to medications, but would be good to get an idea how others have found it ( sorry for the side track) 😊

Thanks.

[GypsyRoseLee]

Hi Nas

The first 2 weeks on Sertraline made me feel quite spaced out, but nothing unpleasant. I also had epic, vivid dreams which I really enjoyed. My sleep improved hugely too. I initially started on 50mg which my GP told me was a loading dose, then I increased up to 100mg which was the therapeutic dose (though plenty take much higher).

Sertraline has been brilliant for me. Virtually all my peri symptoms were psychological. Mood swings, awful anxiety and very low mood. HRT really helped (I saw the famous Prof Studd) but I think I also needed the Sertraline. Prof Studd told me that when women are severely progesterone intolerant (like me) then HRT + ADs are necessary.

This combination worked excellently for me for about 85% of the time. But a few times a year I would get a relapse and my symptoms would suddenly return, out of the blue. It would last a couple of weeks or so then disappear just as suddenly.

4 years ago, when I had to stop HRT, I was very frightened that the relentless low mood and anxiety would return, but they didn't really. Instead, it just followed the same pattern of just a brief relapse a few times a year.

No one has ever been able to explain these relapses to me. My GP insists that Sertraline doesn't stop and start working like that, but they can't explain why it happens?

I honestly feel Sertraline has been brilliant for me and I was lucky to not experience any nasty side effects. But I understand that any initial side effects don't last and are a small price to pay x

[Nas]

Thanks so much for sharing GypsyRoseLee

Sounds like it’s working really well for you, with minimum side effects .

I will have a chat with the medics to see if this can be an option for me also. It’s the anxiey I struggle with and being hyper sensitive towards everything. It’s quite debilitating.     

Thanks again x

[GypsyRoseLee]

You're very welcome. Anxiety was probably my worst symptom of perimenopause. From the very first day of taking Sertraline I could feel the anxiety quieten. I have two GP friends who both take Sertraline for anxiety which I find very reassuring.

[Wrensong]

GRL

my GP started me on Sertraline to help with temperature control.It's worked brilliantly

It's so good to know that Sertraline has been so helpful for you since you were obliged to stop HRT  .  I'm also considering meds other than HRT to help with relentless vasomotor symptoms at night which, long postmenopause, are totally wrecking my sleep & of course, consequently stamina & resilience by day.

I had to have numerous courses of antibiotics, some heavy duty IV, for some weeks after gynae surgery in Spring last year & since then my menopause symptoms have ramped up to a degree I'm really struggling to cope with & all tweaks to HRT have proved ineffective.  I suspect the beneficial gut flora involved in our feelgood neurotransmitter balance were all but decimated by the ABs & all attempts to redress that situation with probiotics, prebiotics & my habitual healthy, high fibre diet, have made no difference whatsoever.  So I'm interested to know of other meds women have found helpful for vasomotor symptom relief & may well ask to try Sertraline, though some of the side effects common to SSRIs are problematic for me due to other conditions.

Great to see you posting again & to know you're doing well.  I wish you all the very best.
Wx

[Ayesha]

Science has taken a long time to get to this interesting stage of treatment for menopause symptoms.
In the late 90's the only reason I went on HRT was to relieve hot flushes that were crippling me, total exhaustion. I stayed on it for 5 years only and when I came off it was great, no more problems with any other menopause symptoms.

Its great news for women who don't want to use hormone treatments and I will say this with another thread in mind, that I am not falling apart with heart problems, bone issues or anything else related to not taking HRT, but one has to bear in mind, a healthy lifestyle with a good diet and exercise is an essential part of aging.

My only issue after turning 70 has been vaginal atrophy and I am happily taking topical HRT to rid me of the nasty symptoms. 

[Nas]

I must agree with you Ayesha, science has certainly taken a while to get to this stage. I’m so glad advances are being made at long last.

Good to hear that you are ticking along nicely, particularly with the help of VA treatments. I’m hoping to be able to continue with them too 🤞

[Nas]

You're very welcome. Anxiety was probably my worst symptom of perimenopause. From the very first day of taking Sertraline I could feel the anxiety quieten. I have two GP friends who both take Sertraline for anxiety which I find very reassuring.

.


Yes reading this, also makes me feel reassured that it could work for my anxiety also. It’s at the top of my list of things to ask my doctor on Thursday. I’ve got 6 weeks until I return to work, so if  the sertraline can work a bit of magic prior to my return, I will be happy 😃

[GypsyRoseLee]

Hi Wrensong, I remember how helpful and supportive you were when I was posting more jregularly on here. I still often come back to read, just don't often post.

I agree with you that your gut biome is very significant when it comes to hormones and symptom control. One of my GP friends is involved in research into this and apparently gut biome is massively more influential than previously thought. Though I wonder whether stuff we can buy OTC is actually strong enough to repair our biome? Like you, I've spent a fortune on Actimel, Kefir and Yakult but never felt they really worked.

I would definitely give Sertraline a try, it may well prove helpful even in only a small dose as you're sensitive to ADs.

[GypsyRoseLee]

You're very welcome. Anxiety was probably my worst symptom of perimenopause. From the very first day of taking Sertraline I could feel the anxiety quieten. I have two GP friends who both take Sertraline for anxiety which I find very reassuring.

.


Yes reading this, also makes me feel reassured that it could work for my anxiety also. It’s at the top of my list of things to ask my doctor on Thursday. I’ve got 6 weeks until I return to work, so if  the sertraline can work a bit of magic prior to my return, I will be happy 😃

It's definitely worth a try. My GP friend told me that even if you get negative side effects in the first couple of weeks this just shows that the Sertraline is starting to do its job.

[Summer-sky]

Thank you Wrensong for the information and links on Fezolnetant, it's encouraging to see other avenues for this particular symptom especially when it is playing havoc with daily life or sleep and HRT is not an option or for women who don't want to go that route. 

Hi Nas,
Just to echo what has already been said on Setraline on this thread, it helped me over a massive hump when I couldn't take HRT post endometrial cancer.  I am super sensitive to any drugs / antibiotics etc but post hysterectomy I took the plunge (I was very reluctant in all honesty) to help with night sweats and some other meno symptoms that were pretty bad and it helped to push me back out in the world without feeling like I was going to faint in supermarkets, palpitations and all manner of things, especially with driving.  Of course some of these challenges are due to lack of oestrogen but it certainly helped with the post meno mental side of things.  The starting dose is usually 50mg but I started on 25mg and couldn't handle that so I literally restarted on approx 6mg for a week (with pill cutter) then moved to 12.5mg for around 3 weeks then to 25mg and now 37.5mg and it has made a huge difference.  It's a very low dose and I did it slowly but definitely by week 9 the difference was immeasurable and way before that definitely things were settling.  Of course, if Setraline doesn't work or your doctor says it is contraindicated for your treatment there are other ones to try and as other ladies on the forum have mentioned in other threads. I have a few friends on Citalopram and they are doing well with that.  The Oncologist I see recommended Venlafaxine specifically for hot flushes too. Remember there are always options     I hope it's a good appointment on Thursday and you are settling ok on the drugs.  xx

[GypsyRoseLee]

Hi Summersky. Can I ask do you feel Sertraline very effectively suppresses your symptoms all of the time? Or do you have the occasional resurgence of symptoms like I do?