Treatments for Hot Flashes

Gotta tell all of you ladies who are considering antidepressants to kill those flashes: BEWARE! I took effexor for over a year. My ob/gyn prescribed it at an initial dose of 37.5 mgs. It worked like a charm for a couple months, then the flashes returned. He upped the dose. Same process. Upped it again after a few months to 112.5. I was noticing weight gain the whole time. By year's end, I was 30 pounds heavier, sweating like crazy, and, unable to stop the medication without horrendous withdrawal symptoms. It took 4 months of slooooowly tapering off the drug, and then a week off from work to stop it completely. I am now in full menopause, and still have 20 pounds left to lose. DON'T do it if you can help it. NOT WORTH IT!