What medications can relieve the severity of hot flashes?

The epilepsy and pain relief drug gabapentin has been shown to ease both the severity and the frequency of hot flashes by almost 50 percent. It may be the new best thing other than estrogen for the flash.

Also, a class of antidepressant drugs called SSRIs has been shown to reduce symptoms by 60 percent, as have alpha blockers such as clonidine (used to treat high blood pressure). All have side effects that many consider more problematic than estrogens, but some women prefer these choices.

I do not recommend clonidine because of the risk of rebound hypertension if it's abruptly discontinued. Patients are supposed to taper down use of the drug to avoid the side effects, but many patients don't comply with those rules, risking the chance of developing high blood pressure when they stop taking it suddenly.