Depomedroxyprogesterone acetate for hot flashes

To evaluate the efficacy of a long-acting preparation of medroxyprogesterone acetate for hot flash management, 3 men receiving androgen ablation therapy for prostate cancer and 15 women with a history of breast cancer were treated as part of clinical practice with three biweekly intramuscular injections of 500 mg depomedroxyprogesterone. A review of hot flash diaries and patient charts were completed to evaluate the effectiveness and tolerability of these injections for managing hot flashes. Treatment was associated with an approximate 90% decrease in hot flashes (95% CI 82-97%). Daily hot flash frequency decreased from a mean of 10.9 on the first day of treatment (95% CI 8.0-13.8 hot flashes per day) to a mean of 1.1 hot flashes 6 weeks later (95% CI 0.5-1.8 hot flashes) and to a mean of 0.7 hot flashes 12 weeks following therapy initiation (95% CI 0.1-1.2). Improvement in the hot flashes remained for months after discontinuing the injections in many patients. Reported side effects were minimal. This experience suggests that treatment with depomedroxyprogesterone may be an effective and well-tolerated option for the treatment of hot flashes.