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. 2018 Dec;24(3):183-187.
doi: 10.6118/jmm.2018.24.3.183. Epub 2018 Dec 31.

The Beneficial and Adverse Effects of Raloxifene in Menopausal Women: A Mini Review

Imaneh Khorsand  1 , Reyhaneh Kashef  2 , Masumeh Ghazanfarpour  3 , Elaheh Mansouri  4 , Sareh Dashti  5 , Talat Khadivzadeh  4
Affiliations

The Beneficial and Adverse Effects of Raloxifene in Menopausal Women: A Mini Review

Imaneh Khorsand et al. J Menopausal Med. 2018 Dec.

Abstract

Objectives: The present mini review aimed to summarize the existing knowledge regarding the beneficial and adverse effects of raloxifene in menopausal women.

Methods: This study is a review of relevant publications about the effects of raloxifene on sleep disorder, depression, venous thromboembolism, the plasma concentration of lipoprotein, breast cancer, and cognitive function among menopausal women.

Results: Raloxifene showed no significant effect on depression and sleep disorder. Verbal memory improved with administration of 60 mg/day of raloxifene while a mild cognitive impairment risk reduction by 33% was observed with administration of 120 mg/day of raloxifene. Raloxifene was associated with a 50% decrease in the need for prolapse surgery. The result of a meta-analysis showed a significant decline in the plasma concentration of lipoprotein in the raloxifene group compared to placebo (standardized mean difference, -0.43; 10 trials). A network meta-analysis showed that raloxifene significantly decreased the risk of breast cancer (relative risk, 0.572; 95% confidence interval, 0.327-0.881; P = 0.01). In terms of adverse effects of raloxifene, the odds ratio (OR) was observed to be 1.54 (P = 0.006), indicating 54% increase in the risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) while the OR for pulmonary embolism (PE) was 1.05, suggesting a 91% increase in the risk of PE alone (P = 0.03).

Conclusions: Raloxifene had no significant effect on depression and sleep disorder but decreased the concentration of lipoprotein. Raloxifene administration was associated with an increased risk of DVT and PE and a decreased risk of breast cancer and pelvic organ prolapse in postmenopausal women.

Keywords: Depression; Lipoproteins; Raloxifene hydrochloride; Sleep wake disorders; Venous thromboembolism.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

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