Hot Flash Forum!
Comments
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Menopret is still working for me - I have warm waves not hot flashes. The feeling right before one comes in very similar to a panic attack, so I do start my yoga breathing. Yes, they seem to come in spurts...If I drink something warm, if I drink alcohol or if I am anxious I will def get one. These waves are not bothersome at all, just that beginning feeling is frightening.
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I am going back to the menopret. Though as I said it didn't seem to stop them, now being off it a few days my flashes seem more intense. So I think the menopret (black cohosh) is helping me with the intensity. For those worried about estrogenic activity by black cohosh my onc PA said a new study came out that said it was safe to use. Here is the link to one article about it.0
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hillck - Good for trying the aroma! My flashes started just after round 1 of chemo and have been pretty steady every since. They were a little more clustered at the beginning. Starting tamoxifen didn't seem to change them for me.0
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Was taking Black Cohosh for nine months , it did absolutely nothing for me . What is the dosage you are all using ?
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menopret box says 'proprietary black cohosh 32.5mg' which compares to '42.45mg of black cohosh root'
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Omaz/SAS I wanted to include what dose of Clonidine I am taking, but when I wrote the post, I was away and didn't have the RX bottle with the info on it. It is the lowest dose, but I wasn't sure if it was 1 mg or .1mg. It is .1mg of which I take 1/2 in AM and the other 1/2 in PM. I am a small person, someone larger than myself might need a larger dose.
Mouse6 My flashes definetly come in waves. Always did even before BC, which BTW were practically gone before I started Arimidex and now Tamoxifen.
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Wenweb---thank you for writing your dosage, that will be very helpful to anyone trying clonidine. It's always best to start at the lowest dose possible on any drug, less side effects usually. Many drugs will do something at one dose and then do more at higher doses.
Omaz My memory may be faulty, but I believe the patches start at the 0.1 mg. It may be better to do the oral versus the patch. The patches are labeled TT1, TT2, TT3 again if memory serves me correct.-----remember though my brain is not what it once was. Are you on another antihypertensive? That will have to be considered when you start clonidine.
Katrina ----probably best to scan from first page forward. There are many suggestions from many women.
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SAS - I was taking 0.1mg pill for high blood pressure (along with ACEi and ARB). still take the ACEi and ARB. I think I have some rogue genes in the angiotensin arena!0
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Putting this topic on my favorites.
I not longer have hot flashes as I am no longer in treatment, but the Tamoxifen has forever raised my body temperature. I wonder if hot flashes are on the same continuum as high body temperature...
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Mouse6, my hot flashes have always waxed and waned. I get 2 or 3 months of heavy duty flashes, followed by a couple of months of barely noticeable warm flushes, then especially in hot weather, they always ramp up again.
Athena, interesting what you said about the tamoxifen. I"m currently on an extended break from it, and after several weeks, the flashes seemed to have almost completely stopped. Until the last couple of days. Now I'm feeling them increasing a bit again.
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Omaz---if you are on an ACE and an ARB check in with whomever is doing your management about the clonidine. The dosing schedule that Wenweb is on sounds like the lowest you can go. With your hx it truly sounds like that is where you should consider, because that was a cautionary re: clonidine was kidney function. ACE's and ARB's are in the chain of chemicals affecting the kidney involvement in BP control.0
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Thanks sas - I have been on that dose before and weened myself off with docs approval because of dry eyes. Hot flashes are worse than dry eyes so I think he would be ok with my going back on. I actually get a nice bp lowering with clonidine - so maybe I can drop something else.0
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It's my experience that dry eyes are worse than hot flashes. I usually bail when a med dries my eyes out because it's intolerable.
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wen - I just get the dry eyes at night. Right now I am doing the chlortrimeton to try to sleep through the hot flashes and it dries out my eyes.
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I work for an ophthalmology practice, and have dry eyes, I would also reccommend the Genteal Gel for night time use. There is an ointment that is OTC which is also helpful for night time use. I like the ointment because it's like vaseline, and when you wake up in the morning, the lower lid area is well lubricated...for those of us with wrinkles
Both work well to help with nightime dry eyes. 0 -
Yes, it's tricky, there is an h in there that doesn't seem like it belongs!!
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Hi, I have a quick question - has anyone noticed their hot flashese really rise up when they eat sweets? I am thinking I am noticing a connection. For me sweets/chocolate are really hard to give up. I'm wondering if its all in my head as I know I shoulnd be eating the stuff or if anyone else notices this.
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To ALL-------Another observation of posts: There is a continuous thread from near the beginning where women have taken a break for whatever reason from there Tamox/AI's after periods of long use. They had reached a point where the flashing was less. Then once the drugs were restarted, the flashing restarted with it's previous vengeance. Another intriguing point.
So, that's three things we have found that are common--1. "something Aura, 2. timing of flashing, 3. Symptom increase/return after a hiatus from drugs.
What has been unsaid in many cases was why was there a hiatus. Were other symptoms involved? . Was there a return of other symptoms?
edit Aug 5th----next page is a mention of a break from Gabepentin/ Neurontin with the same effect that has been described with above, And Omaz mentioned she saw the same change with stopping Menopret.
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Re: above post--------I quit Arimidex after 7 months-------symptoms to numerous to count. Worst was fibromyalgia induced by arimidex, pain off the charts. Flashing bad enough, lead to a very serious scalp infection. Then did an 2 month washout and started with Femara. Symptoms started within 1 week . Quit drug after three weeks. Concurrently found in the second week of Femara, that there was a significant drug interaction with Norvasc and AI's through the Genelex drug checker.
Based on what I'm reading, not with standing the drug interaction, there is a connection between the stopping and starting of this family of drugs, that a standard washout period is not involved. So, if this be true, then it would / is helpful to know. A hiatus may allow symptoms to reduce, but the resumption puts us at ground zero. For myself, I will think twice about a hiatus, as flashing is much less than it used to be. On Aromasin 8 months. Fibromyalgia symptoms have followed the same path as with Arimidex. Know on several meds to control pain. Had considered stopping . Now rethinking that position b/c at least the flashing is much less.
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HIllck and Wenweb great addition re: eye care Thanks
Omaz--well that works then doesn't it, better Bp control and flashing and some suggestions for the dry eyes---A triple.
Bevin--The common thing between us all, is that we have noticed certain triggers and that these triggers are not common to us all------we have different things that increase flashing. If you see a connection --it's probably there. You could run your own experiment. Increase your sugars for 2 weeks. Then abstain for 2 weeks. If you see an increase within the sugar time and a decrease in the reduced sugar time, then you can say there's a connection. I suggest 2 weeks b/c it will/may take your body a few days to adjust to the change, but if you see an immediate change with the increase in sugars, then obviously reduce.
You might want to do some reading on the Glycemic index. Certain foods will increase blood sugar more than others. In your case, if your self testing on sugar/candy type foods, you would want to watch the foods your eating through the whole period. i.e make sure they are on the lower side of the Glycemic index. If you don't make this part of your self experiment. You could inadvertently screw up your results. If this isn't clear, please, tell me and I will try to clarify.
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I'm 51. Diagnosed at 45 and that's when hot flashes started. Severe during chemo. Off and on since then. Sometimes real bad...sometimes mild.....a reprieve at some points, for a year, but they always seem to return. Always hoping when they stop that they are finally done. Nope. I, too, feel anxious right before one hits.......feel kind of agitated too....also, my nose runs....wierd huh?
Mary Jo
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Marejo-------your symptoms aren't weird at all, if we have learned anything from this thread, is many things are possible and the science resolving the understanding of the W's/H's ---who/what/when/where/why/ how much/how often------has not been resolved.
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SAS Thanks for your hard work and input into organizing and trying to make sense of what everyone is saying about their hotflash symptoms. I always like to find the "root" cause of an issue, but since BC have kind of given up. There are too many issues to keep track of.0
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Just checked the dosageof Black cohosh I was taking , it appears that it could vary between 29.25 -55mg , don´t ask me why , thats what it said on the box , but as I said , it definately did´nt work for me . I really need something non herbal to work against these , the gabapentin halved my flashes , but that meant 12 a day instead of 24 , Brill or what ?!
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How about an auto-chill suit. Hot flash, push button, super chill (with turbo button optional). That might work!
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How about cool weather forever - none of this 90-plus degrees crap we have to put up wioth every summer.
I hate hot weather....loathe it. May it be 50 degrees always.
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Omaz: Haha Chill Suit. Funny you mention that, I saw a headline on MSN today that the Japanese like their air conditioned clothing.
Maybe thats the ticket.... a trip to Japan to purchase some of this clothing!
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Temps in the 60's are my favorite. Many years ago I had bilateral knee arthroscopy, and was sent home with a machine that pumped ice cold water through tubes that were enclosed inside of pads that I wrapped around my knees. At the time I was frozen in spite of sleeping in a sweat suit. Now, it sounds like the perfect companion
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Figures the Japanese have invented an AC clothing. They already have toilets that wash your bottom and then blow it dry
So, how come we haven't got it in the stores???????
, Boy have they missed a market.Wenweb Thanks
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I think it was also the Japanese who also came up with the idea of "sleeves" as in not a whole sweater.
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