Hot Flushes

[WhoDaresWins]

I am finished with menopause but still occasionally get mild hot flashes. Fans are great, ceiling or otherwise, as are natural fabric clothing and sleepwear. I find that my flashes are worse if I don't get fresh air and exercise or drink enough water. Sugary things are also a trigger for me as are caffeine and alcohol(not that I am so that I avoid these things, especially the latter two, entirely).

 

[kyounge1956]

Been there, done that, and all done now. pretty much. At about 49 I started them. Black Cohosh and progesterone cream helped for about 2 years, then that made them worse - quit using it and now I mostly never get any.

There's a lot of variation in who does or doesn't get them.

I had some hot flashes last fall, and black cohosh seemed to help. They haven't come back since then, but I don't know if that's from the black cohosh or because I had the [potentially TMI] which I'm using to treat my fibroids replaced last fall. Then again, maybe they did. ISTM I have insomnia more frequently now than I did a few years ago...

 

[freebird5825]

HRT is not an option for me...my Mom had breast cancer.
So I'm just gonna have to tuff it out with natural cooling methods. My female doctor is very up on the latest, so if there is something out there, she will tell me about it. We've already discussed the options for down the road if my symptoms get unbearable.
No grouchy mood swings, but some cyclic sadness (other factors at play).
I have a personal [-]oddball[/-] theory that if a person has a naturally pleasant personality, and really tries not to be grouchy, it may make a slight difference when the ol' hormones kick in.
Feel free to shoot me down on this one.

 

[bbbamI]

I am on hormone therapy for prostate cancer. It causes hot flashes, so I can sympathize with the women here. When I first heard about hot flashes, I assumed that it was a neurological thing: that the sufferer felt hot, but there wasn't any real heat transfer taking place.

Well, that proved to be a crock. I get hot flashes so intense that my glasses fog up. There is a huge transfer of heat from the body core to the surface.

I agree that the only thing to do is to cool down. I lie down on a tile floor if possible.

Mine, at least, are not random. I get one every night when dropping off to sleep. It jolts me to a wide awake state and delays sleep for 1/2 hour or so.

Hormone therapy like I take suppresses testosterone. Isn't it odd that sex hormones for both men and women are linked to the body temperature regulation system?

Oh...I am so sorry you're having to deal with cancer.

 

[Orchidflower]

I agree. Take care of yourself, IndependentlyPoor! I'm sure all are rooting for you here!

 

[unallowable]

I was thrown into menopause at age 47 from the Chemo due to Breast Cancer. Am now 57 and still have hot flashes. Intensity and Frequency have lessend over the 10 years. Stressful situations (interviews, public speaking) and alcohol were the worst to bring one on. Never used HRT or anything that mimics estrogen such as Black Cohash because of the Breast Cancer. I keep the house almost cold at night with ceiling fan and AC in warm months. I am in humid Tallahassee, Florida. It's a pain in the....hope goes away someday completely.

 

[mountaintosea]

Started the hot flashes at age 52. I'm 57 and still have them. They are worse during the summer. And yes I've walked through snow barefoot and could not feel the cold. I don't take anything for it. My mother is 85 and says that she still has them and her mother always had them.

 

[Moemg]

Started the hot flashes at age 52. I'm 57 and still have them. They are worse during the summer. And yes I've walked through snow barefoot and could not feel the cold. I don't take anything for it. My mother is 85 and says that she still has them and her mother always had them.

Well I can offer you hope ! I started with them in early 40's . I took HRT for 12 years and now in my early 60's I am completely hot flash free .

 

[Meadbh]

I get hot flashes so intense that my glasses fog up. There is a huge transfer of heat from the body core to the surface.

Hey, welcome to the club IP!
Some of us call them Tropical Moments! (at least in Canada)

 

[Moscyn]

I menopause at 40. When I had my first hot flush, I thought I was going to faint. I did not have HRT or equivalent. I just lived with it and it was not that bad. Worst times are at night when I wake up in a pool of sweat. So, I learn to wear thin layers of night shirts and only cotton material. For blankets, I also cover in layers during winter. So, what happens is when I get that hot flush, I flap off a blanket, and if it get worst, I flap of a blouse. When it gets cold again, I slip it on again. The bright side is that the flushes are not permanent. They normally go off even without HRT or the like.

 

[DangerMouse]

Oh well, at least I am not alone in the hot flush club. However, I was hoping that someone would be able to mention something that was the magic cure besides HRT. Think I will sweat it out for a while, hopefully with summer coming on, it won't be such a pain at night when I kick the covers off. Maybe by some miracle they will improve on their own.

 

[Khan]

It is what it is and varies among women.

When it is the worst for me I drink a glass of icy cold water, which helps. Now that I am 55 they are about gone.

Acupuncture is theoretically bogus and suspect as a help for anything except maybe pain. Unless you believe it and then you may get some placebo effect. Even the help for pain may very well be placebo. (Sorry, I have this thing about acupuncture, chiropractic and some other alternative therapies).

Hot flashes are one of those conditions/events for which there is much in the way of 'old wives tales' and weird bogus treatments because (as you said) it varies so much.

Personally, I had several months of occasional mild hot flashes; same pattern as my mother.

 

[audreyh1]

Unfortunately my mother passed away before we could discuss her menopause experience. I was only 35 when she passed. My cousin says it was no big deal for her - so I'm hoping!!!

Audrey

 

[Moscyn]

Dangermouse, I forgot to mention something which really works for me. When I found out I was menopausing, I refused HRT and the doctor suggested I take the following vitamins daily - Calcium and D3, evening primrose oil and Vitamin E. I have taken that for 10 years and I have no big inconveniences with menopause. The hot flush is not important to me, what is more important is to protect myself from loss of bone density, dryness and heart conditions - all of which are the bad results of menopause. In addition to the vitamins, exercise regularly. There's no miracle cure, you have to learn to live with each phase of your life and still enjoy it. All the best.

 

[the babe]

Well, I'm totally new to this board and seem to be older than all the posters (70) so having said that, I have been having hot flashes for about 20 years. The first 5 were the worst.
Now, being of this age, and still having the dreaded flashes, I take hrt at the lowest dose in pill form three times a week. If I decrease that, then I can't sleep which makes me a bull the next day, so I take them.
I also take vitamin D which I consider my happy pill as I haven't been much of a bitch since taking both these little pills.

 

[DangerMouse]

I am actually on prescription Vit D because I am deficient so have that covered. However, will add EPO and Vit E to my daily mix. Dr did tell me to take Coenzyme Q10 and Omega 3s to try and lower my awful cholesterol numbers (thanks again menopause).

Freebird, I slept with the cold pack by my bed and when I flushed last night stuck at the back of my neck and think it did help as don't think that it was a often last night.

My menopause probably started around 40 and at 47 my Dr considers me post-menopausal. Kind of surprised me as my mother did not hit menopause until her early 50s and both my grandmothers had their last children at 44.

 

[Meadbh]

Well, I'm totally new to this board and seem to be older than all the posters (70) so having said that, I have been having hot flashes for about 20 years. The first 5 were the worst.
Now, being of this age, and still having the dreaded flashes, I take hrt at the lowest dose in pill form three times a week. If I decrease that, then I can't sleep which makes me a bull the next day, so I take them.
I also take vitamin D which I consider my happy pill as I haven't been much of a bitch since taking both these little pills.

20 years? That's just unfair!
Welcome to the Forum, Babe!

 

[the babe]

Yeah isn't it crazy...my doctor says that some women have it forever. well thank you very much. Sometimes though if I'm off the hrt, I do have changes to my sweet temperment...so it's safer for those around me if I just keep taking the little green pill.

 

[Dreamer]

I was pretty lucky. I only had mild symptoms with menopause. I went through a relatively short period of time where I would throw the blankets off of me at night. Sometimes, I would get up and throw some cold water on my body. My worse time was at work when I would get stressed and then feel the hot flash. Only happened a few times at work, thank goodness.

 

[rescueme]

When I saw the thread title "Hot Flushes", my first reaction was to suggest checking the water supply on the toilet

Great minds think alike ...

Reminds me of the movie "Under the Tuscan Sun" (with an actress that I adore - Diane Lane) in which her toilet is "serviced by hot water".....

 

[shoe]

I will soon be 56 and have not yet medically entered menopause. A few months ago I sought help for the hot flashes and my internist prescribed 75mg of Effexor. It worked alright, it worked great, but the vivid dreams were so disturbing that I stopped taking it after 10 days. I dreamed I was standing in front of a maternity room window looking down at my baby. The "baby" was conjoined frozen Butterball Turkeys with the cartoon heads of Foghorn Leghorn from Bugs Bunny. I dreamed that James Earl Jones poked a hole thru my tonsil. I dreamed that people were driving up to my mailbox and putting babies in the newspaper slot and they were coming out the back and piling up like cordwood. I just couldn't take it anymore! I guess I will just suck it up like my ancestors did!

 

[Janet H]

I will soon be 56 and have not yet medically entered menopause. A few months ago I sought help for the hot flashes and my internist prescribed 75mg of Effexor. It worked alright, it worked great, but the vivid dreams were so disturbing that I stopped taking it after 10 days. I dreamed I was standing in front of a maternity room window looking down at my baby. The "baby" was conjoined frozen Butterball Turkeys with the cartoon heads of Foghorn Leghorn from Bugs Bunny. I dreamed that James Earl Jones poked a hole thru my tonsil. I dreamed that people were driving up to my mailbox and putting babies in the newspaper slot and they were coming out the back and piling up like cordwood. I just couldn't take it anymore! I guess I will just suck it up like my ancestors did!

Wow - remind me not to take that - I already have vivid dreams and always have. A couple of nights ago I dreamed that my DH was a USB thumb drive, kept on my key chain. Freud would have a field day...

 

[DangerMouse]

Ok I had enough of the hot flushes so I went to my Dr to discuss my options. She went thru the medication channels but also suggested acupuncture.

I have decided to go down the acupuncture route before I try any of the drug options. As the acupuncturist said, taken estrogen etc. is just trying to fool your body. The idea of the acupuncture is to try and help your body ease into menopause rather than fight it. Supposedly we need to create more water in my body to put out the fire which is the flushes.

Will be interested to see how I go. Dr said try it for 4 to 6 weeks, so today was visit 2. I also have some chinese herbs to try. To me it is worth trying rather than getting addicted to taking more medication.

 

[Khan]

Ok I had enough of the hot flushes so I went to my Dr to discuss my options. She went thru the medication channels but also suggested acupuncture.

I have decided to go down the acupuncture route before I try any of the drug options. As the acupuncturist said, taken estrogen etc. is just trying to fool your body. The idea of the acupuncture is to try and help your body ease into menopause rather than fight it. Supposedly we need to create more water in my body to put out the fire which is the flushes.

Will be interested to see how I go. Dr said try it for 4 to 6 weeks, so today was visit 2. I also have some chinese herbs to try. To me it is worth trying rather than getting addicted to taking more medication.

Acupuncture is totally worthless crap. You might as well have someone dance around you waving feathers and screaming like a chicken.

 

[Nova]

Since you are open to acupuncture, you might want to see if you can locate an acupuncturist who is trained in NAET. I was all grumpy when I went in for a treatment (balanced my harmones) and was chriping like a happy little bird when I came out. DH said I don't know what the doctor did, but you need to make another appointment!

NAET is actually an allergy treatment program...yes, I know, it's all smoke and mirrors, but it worked for me. Actually, it worked for my granddaugher, too. Poor kid was allergic to almost everything and she's doing quite well now.

I hope you find some relief...soon!