New nonhormonal menopause pill for hot flashes available next month

Hot flashes bothering you? There’s a new pill for that.

Starting as early as next month, there will be another option for the 85% of women dealing with the uncomfortable and unpredictable temperature changes that come with menopause.

The first and only treatment was recently approved by the FDA — and it’s hormone-free.

The drug, Lynkuet, comes in the form of a daily pill to treat vasomotor symptoms — hot flashes and night sweats — in menopausal women.

This new treatment from Bayer works by blocking two receptors in the brain that affect temperature regulation and may even positively affect mood and sleep.

Lynkuet, which is expected to become available in November, is also only the second FDA-approved nonhormonal pill available for hot flashes.

While hormonal treatments of estrogen paired with progesterone are often effective, they do come with an increased risk of breast cancer, blood clots and gallbladder disease.

The other FDA-approved nonhormonal drug for hot flashes, Veozah — the brand name for the active ingredient fezolinetant — became available back in 2023.

However, Veozah only blocks one of the brain receptors that trigger menopause-related hot flashes, while Lynkuet blocks two.

By blocking the second receptor, researchers believe Lynkuet may also improve disrupted sleep and insomnia commonly associated with night sweats. No trials have looked directly at these effects though.

For several years before Veozah was approved, the only nonhormonal treatment for menopausal hot flashes was paroxetine, an antidepressant.

Other antidepressants have been used to treat menopause symptoms like nighttime hot flashes. But these drugs can cause side effects like dizziness, nausea, dry mouth and constipation.

Of course, Lynkuet is not without side effects as well. Trials by the manufacturer reported that patients experienced headache, fatigue, dizziness, joint pain and more.

But these clinical trials also showed the unique medication significantly reduced the frequency and severity of moderate to severe hot flashes.

Hot flashes can last for years during menopause, disturbing sleep and everyday life, with some women experiencing them for up to 13 years.

But Lynkuet may offer relief for the millions of women looking for a nonhormonal treatment that’s the only one of its kind.