Costs of hormonal and nonhormonal prescription medications for hot flashes.

Hot flashes are the cardinal symptom of menopause and can be treated with hormonal and nonhormonal prescription medications. However, considering that 6000 women enter menopause daily in the USA, and many of these women are symptomatic, the costs of these treatments can be a significant public health issue. We evaluated annual individual and population costs of hormonal and nonhormonal prescription treatments for hot flashes. Cost information may be helpful to clinicians and consumers in making treatment decisions.