You cannot even imagine what women in menopause go through. If men had to suffer hot flashes, wars would start. Like, every 30 minutes.
The FDA just approved a new prescription drug called fezolinetant (Brand name Veozah) for hot flashes. It should be in pharmacies the first part of June, 2023.
This is a non-hormone drug, first of it's kind that zeros in only on symptoms of hot flashes and night sweats. It blocks the binding of a peptide that's like a neurotransmitter in the brain to a nerve cell that effects the body's temperature regulation. Estrogen and other hormones normally do that, but in menopause those are nearly gone. I'm always nervous when we get a new drug that works by a mechanism we have never tried long term. No drug is laser precise with one effect exclusively. Although drugs are marketed that way. It has already shown in the clinical trial to be hard on the liver in some patients. I'm not saying it should not have been approved. We just have to watch it carefully. Remember it was only monitored for safety for 1 year in less than 500 women. Now comes the big clinical trial... general release. Just sayin,' we've seen disasters before.
I do think this drug could fill a gap in women who cannot take hormone replacement, like those with female cancers, or clotting problems. But... there's more! Watch for Part II on Veozah.
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