Prescription menopause medications can relieve the agony of hot flashes and mood swings that accompany this phase of life. They may also ease other symptoms such as a rapid heartbeat, blood pressure problems, dryness of the vaginal area, sleeplessness, depression, anxiety, fatigue and irregular periods. These symptoms occur because the normal hormones in the body are depleted or nearly depleted as a woman enters menopause.

One of the most common symptoms of menopause is hot flashes. A woman will experience a flushed face, heavy perspiration and the feeling of hot air enveloping the body, although the feeling of heat usually affects her only from the chest up. Some hot flashes can last only a few minutes and others can last about half an hour, and they can happen any time during the day or night, without any warning at all.

It has been proven that antidepressants may help with certain menopause symptoms. Many doctors prescribe Effexor to help stop hot flashes and aid in relieving depression. Prozac also seems to have a positive effect on the same symptoms as well as mood swings. Other prescriptions that have been helpful in relieving the symptoms of menopause are Aventyl, Zoloft, Tofranil, and Norpramin. These drugs relieve problems like hot flashes and help put a stop to the confusion that some women experience while going through menopause.

Some women experience high blood pressure during menopause, even if they have never had it before. Clonindine is the drug that is usually prescribed in these circumstances, because this drug also aids in stopping hot flashes. There are some nasty side effects such as insomnia which can compound sleep problems that are already associated with going through menopause. On the other hand, this drug can also make you sleepy when you don't want to be.

During the 1970's synthetic drugs were developed to treat the symptoms, including progesterone and estrogen, but they were unfortunately linked with endometrial cancer and eventually to cancer of the breast, strokes, and heart problems. Consequently, there was a need to find alternate substances to ease the symptoms of menopause with fewer risk factors.

Bio-Identical Hormones was one substance that was developed for this purpose. These synthetic hormones are molecularly the same as the hormones found naturally in a woman's body, namely progesterone, estrogen and androgen. There have not been many studies on these substances so there is no real proof that they work, but those who take them say they do wonders.

Another option is to give over the counter menopause medication a try. Some of the natural, herbal products are quite effective at managing menopausal symptoms without the negative reactions you might experience with prescription menopause medications.