Hot flashes in 11-year-old girl linked to herbal medicine

An 11-year old girl in Italy experienced hot flashes after taking a commonly used herbal medicine, according to a new report.

The herb, called saw palmetto or Serenoa repens, is most commonly used to treat symptoms of an enlarged prostate in adult men, but has also been used to treat baldness.

The girl had been taking daily doses of an oral supplement containing saw palmetto to treat a condition called telogen effluvium, a common cause of hair loss in children.

During the second month of treatment, the girl experienced hot flashes several
times a day for many days, according to the researchers at the
University of Messina in Italy who evaluated her case. Because of her
symptoms, the girl stopped taking the supplement, and her hot flashes
went away.

Shortly
afterward, the girl had her first period. Her periods were abnormal,
with heavy bleeding that lasted 15 days, the researchers said. These
abnormal periods continued for about a year.

Saw
palmetto is known to decrease estrogen levels in the body, and so a
relationship between the herb’s use and hot flashes is plausible, the
researchers said.

The supplement is generally thought to be safe, and when people do experience side effects, the symptoms are usually mild.

However,
most studies on the herb's safety have been conducted in adult men, the
researchers said. Little information exists concerning side effects in
women or children.

The
researchers said they can’t say for certain that the young girl's hot
flashes were indeed caused by taking saw palmetto. However, she was not
taking any other medications, did not have any known hormonal disorders,
and her symptoms stopped when the supplement was discontinued — all
signs that point to the herb as the culprit, they said.

The
researchers called for more research into the herb's effects on young
people. Although generally used by adult men, saw palmetto is available
in health food stores, the researchers said, so anyone can buy and use
it.

The report is published Oct. 1 in the journal Pediatrics.

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