Loibl, S., Schwedler, K., von Minckwitz, G., Strohmeier, R., Mehta, K.M., & Kaufmann, M. (2007). Venlafaxine is superior to clonidine as treatment of hot flashes in breast cancer patients—A double-blind, randomized study. Annals of Oncology, 18, 689–693.
Compare venlafaxine to another nonhormonal agent in the treatment of hot flashes in patients with breast cancer
Patients were randomized to receive 0.075 mg clonidine twice daily or venlafaxine 37.5 mg twice daily for four weeks then crossover.
University hospital setting
Double-blind, randomized study
At end of week 4, the median hot flash frequency dropped by 7.6 hot flashes per day for patients receiving venlafaxine and 4.85 hot flashes for those receiving clonidine (p = .025). Nausea was significantly greater with venlafaxine compared with clonidine. Mouth dryness, constipation, and restless sleep were reported more with clonidine but the difference was not statistically significant.