Hot Flash Forum!
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Hot flashes are horrid AGAIN. Start work in a couple weeks. I work as a food server at a local school. Two convectin ovens and me = HOT FLASH HAVEN. So praying this round of hot flashes ends before school starts again.
Hot flashes started when chemo started at age 45. Now 51 and hot flashes have started and stopped for approximately 6 or 7 times. Always praying each round is the end. So far that isn't the case.
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It seems like an hour after I take my arimidex - I have a hotflash...anyone else?
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My hot flashes started back up a little over a week ago. Have not been sleeping well because of them. Finally last night no hot flash and slept good but had hot flashes today. I was so use to not having them and sleeping really good. I hope that returns.
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Good Morning Ladies: Do you find that when its time to get out of bed in the morning you flash??? I want to sleep in sometimes but almost exactly at the time I usually get up (6am), I automatically wake up and have a hot flash... very weird..but I'm never late to work LOL...
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I found standardized black cohosh. It's the GNC brand that is sold at Rite Aid. I just took the first one and I'm sweating like a pig
I'll update if it seems to be helping the flashing in conjunction with the Clonidine.Thanks Ladies
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Having taken the first black cohosh yesterday, it occured to me that I didn't check to see if it was okay to take with Tamoxifen. I've don't a little investigating, and from what I've seen so far, it seems that it might not be a good combination. I'm hesitant to take another one until I know for sure. Do any our our medical sleuths know?
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wen - My onc approved it.0
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Wen I call my onc for all that and they have some big database they check it with.
My hot flashes have been so weird. My last post was no hot flashes at night, then next night hot flashes and then last night no hot flashes. Not complaining just is weird. I am 49 and I am wondering if maybe I am going through menopause and this is my bodies way of acting along with the tamox. I had my uterus out years ago so I have no idea when I am cycling but I am beginning to think maybe it is when I am having hot flashes. I wonder if my body is producing more estrogen during that time and hence the hot flashes because tamox is trying to take care of it. gee wish I knew.
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Omaz and Sherryc. Thank-you both!!0
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I was taking Hot Flashex, before chemo, and it was working great, but my oncologist won't let me take it during chemo, , he said there is something in it, that might not react well with treatment. I was in peri menopause for the last year, and since going through chemo, I haven't had a cycle in 3 months, and I hot flash all day long, and they are very intense, so I just fan myself with what ever piece of paper , magazine or what ever I can grab, and sweat through it.
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I haven't been in this forum for quite sometime but have been having hot flashes for many years now. They have become worse since changing to the generic of Aromasin. Nighttime was the worst time for me because I couldn't sleep with the intense heat. My doctor put me on Neurontin and have been getting some sleep - more than before. I was suppose to take them during the day as well but they make me too sleepy. I appreciate the one at night to get some kinda sleep. The hot flashes during the day are horrible. My husband cannot believe how even my clothes dampen when I have them. Its a terrible thing but if the meds keep the cancer away - then so be it. I was not allowed to take black cohosh as my cancer was ER+. Air conditioning is the greatest!
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Sorry I disappeared. Extremely busy at work.
I read through real quick and the Evening Primrose Oil is all natural, get it at GNC. I believe I have 1300 mgs.
It is for Hot Flashes. Also helps with hair growing back and achy legs Tamoxifen can cause.
One of the women who was stage IV recommended it for the ahces and she was right. She advised because it hydrates you from the inside out...also why you shouldn't take it before bed as I previously mentioned.
My Onc suggested it and when the woman from Stage IV also raved about it, I tried it. It's the best thing I could have done.
Hope someone tries it and it helps you too.
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Hi ladies. I've been on tamox since December. Had some hot flashes right along, but not often and not too strong. Now, all of the sudden they are occurring around the clock - day and night - virtually every hour and geez are they strong. Any idea why they have ramped up now? Should I be concerned or do they just come and go? I'm 48 and up until I started taking tamox I had a regualr period. None since I started the med. Also, 4 weeks ago I had to have an ovary removed. Still have one working, supposedly, but the intesnse hot flashes started about 2 weeks after that surgery. I've also asked my doc to check my thyroid - maybe need to adjust that med? I'm open to ideas and thoughts. Thanks!
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Flashing as I type.....grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr..................goes back to my job as a food server in a couple weeks. Two convection ovens in a small kitchen.......praying that flashes (at least during the day) subside while I have to work. Knows you guys understand.
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For two days in a row I wasn't able to get out to walk and guess what? Last night I had a bunch of hot flashes, more than normal. My conclusion - for me exercise seems to be helpful to keep down the frequency. I usually do at least 30 minutes of brisk walking, often more, each day.0
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No hot flashes last night, yeah I slept all night without waking up.
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Please see the latest research news on soy and hot flashes
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I've been on Famara for over two years and the hot flashes are bearable, but the prickly feeling that proceeds the flash is disturbing in a way I can't explain. When it started, I tried finding anything listing it as a side effect but found nothing. When I told my doc, she looked at me like I was a bit off and could offer no explaination.
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Thank you moderators for the link!0
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OK, I finally got some information for you all on serotonin syndrome.
Serotonin syndrome is caused by having higher levels of serotonin in the system than your body can tolerate, and most often occurs when two drugs that affect the body's level of serotonin are taken together at the same time. The drugs cause too much serotonin to be released or to remain in the brain area. Serotonin syndrome is more likely to occur when you first start or increase the medicine.
For example, you can develop this syndrome if you take migraine medicines called triptans together with antidepressants called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and selective serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SSNRIs). Popular SSRI's include Celexa, Zoloft, Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, and Lexapro. SNRI's include Cymbalta and Effexor. Brand names of triptans include Imitrex, Zomig, Frova, Maxalt, Axert, Amerge, and Relpax.
Symptoms occur within minutes to hours, and may include:
- Agitation or restlessness
- Diarrhea
- Fast heart beat
- Hallucinations
- Increased body temperature
- Loss of coordination
- Nausea
- Overactive reflexes
- Rapid changes in blood pressure
- Vomiting
Patients may get slowly worse and can become severely ill if not quickly treated. Untreated serotonin syndrome can be deadly. However, with treatment, symptoms can usually go away in less than 24 hours.
Call your health care provider right away if you have symptoms of serotonin syndrome.
Prevention: Always tell all of your healthcare providers and pharmacists what medicines you take. Patients who take triptans with SSRIs or SNRIs should be closely followed, especially right after starting a medicine or increasing its dosage.
A good idea is to ask your pharmacist to review ALL your medications with you if you are taking more than 3 or 4 (including supplements!). The chance for drug-drug interactions goes up with each additonal drug, and for those of us who are on 5 or more, there is a very high likelihood that there are at least a couple of potential interactions just waiting to happen!!!!
Adverse drug reactions kill a lot of people every year, so we need to be very informed about what we are taking, why we are taking it, any potential interactions between our drugs/food/supplements, and whether we are taking them correctly. If you need the meds, take them so they give you the best benefit with the lowest risk. And DON'T DISCONTINUE ANY MEDICATION WITHOUT TALKING TO YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER!!!
If anyone wants more of the physiology of this, let me know and I will produce another tome for your reading pleasure!
Linda
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Question for anyone: Has anyone taken Cymbalta, had SEs, then switched to Effexor and had NO SEs? I was on the Cymbalta for neuropathy, got no relief but lots of other problems, now am afraid to try Effexor. Hot flashes continue, neuropathy continues, aches & pains continue, fatigue continues, insomnia continues, and the nurse at the breast center told me that I am not a whiner! Imagine that! I sure feel like I am a whiner some days.... damned if I do, damned if I don't take the drugs.... *sigh*... just trading symptoms day-to-day....
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n3ypb I don't have an answer to your question, but you don't sound like a whiner to me. You sound like someone who is stating their experience(s) in order to find relief from particular symptoms.
FYI for anyone who is interested. I needed to call my onc today, and while leaving a message decided to ask about taking Black Cohosh in conjuction with Tamoxifen, which I started 3 days ago. To my great surprise I got a return message saying that she did not want me to take the Black Cohosh. The reason given was that there are no studies stating the safety of the combination. To me that doesn't mean it's a no, no, but rather that my onc is on the conservative side. (even though she has given me her blessing to take only 10mg of Tamoxifen rather than 20mg) As Omaz stated, her onc said Black Cohosh and Tamoxifen was okay.
IMHO there are too many options and too many opinions. I've said it before, and I'll say it again...the whole thing is a crap shoot
P.S. My onc recommened fish oil/vitamin E which I already take. If they make a difference, then my flashes would be worse than they already are.
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Can"t use soy because my cancer is ER+
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N3ypb: I am taking gabapentin (neurontin) for nerve pain - just at night...it seem to help with my hot flashes too..
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FOLKS doesn't it just frost your pattuty that we have to do so much of our own research on everything BC related. . Of course if we could find something that frosted our pattuties we would be happy as anything.. Gone a while for grieving. Read last three pages.
Linda thank you for the Serotonin Syndrome description. Around page 8. I listed all the SSRI"S and SNRI"S and dopamernergic-----Wellbutrin.
ANYONE READING THIS MUST ---MUST PAY ATTENTION-----TO SEROTONIN SYNDROME. I said earlier doc's get off on there own thing with there specialities. If you are on any of these drugs and immediately stop----irreversible damage can occur. All these drugs must be weaned.
To all . In review it appears that the SNRI's work better for hotflahes than SSRI's The SNRI"S are Savella ,cymbalta, Effexor, ------The fourth drug in the group is Pristique, no one has mentioned using it.
The danger here that I see, is usage is all over the map.
There is a term for use of a medicine as "off label". The FDA approves a drug through 4phases of clinical trials before a drug is used as approved by the FDA,. for a specific reason. What can happen over time is, by word of mouth a drug is started to be used for another reason. Hence, The SNRI's and SSRI's are being used" off label" b/c by word of mouth b/c "others" have a good response.
What is not happening is the doc's being responsible about discontinuation of these drugs. "Doesn't work just stop it". That line can cause irreparable harm.
The oddity here was the FDA was developed in the 30's , after there were multiple people killed b/c of a drug sold that killed people. They established standards for review , the phase 4 trials.. Drugs had to be used for the reason they were produced. Here comes the 90's and all of a sudden it was ok for a doc to prescribe a drug "off label". HOW DID THAT DIFFER THAN THE REASON THE FDA WAS ESTABLISHED.
Ladies whatever goes into your bodies be careful. We are desperate for relief. AND it appears no one is listening and care is NOT being taken to protect us.
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SAS I'm very lucky to have my PCP and ONC both emailing eachother and know what is happening with me... They seem to keep me updated on this serotonin syndrome and haven't given me anything that causes that.... They also tell me, "if you want to get off ANYTHING, let us know first and we will help you"... Praise God, I am so lucky with great docs...
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Had appointment with my new PCP today and am so much more at ease about everything, willing to try other meds to work on all the SEs from treatment because she has set some limits on just how long I am to try a drug before discontinuing if not effective or having SEs that might resolve over a little time. Have been very unwilling to try new drugs with some of the specialists who write me a script & tell me to see them in 6 months. This doc wants to know in 2 weeks how I am doing and wants to see me in 4 weeks to monitor progress. I don't really like more appointments, but I sure do like the attitude of paying attention to the drugs and SEs and not blowing me off for half a year at a time!! Wish I could have been under her care for the last 6 months! Started Effexor today.... am hopeful, a little fearful.... but much more willing to try it under her guidance.
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n3ypb - Sounds like you found a gem!0
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Hi Ladies,
I am due to start Tamoxifen after surgery in Sept and have been dreading it after reading everyones complaints about the SE, I have gone into early menopause from the chemo, so after quite a lot of research found someone mentioned this magnet thing (you can buy from 'Boots' the chemist which is english) for about 20 pounds, which sounds like quite a lot but it really really worked for getting rid of the hot flushes and I would recommend it to anyone else who is getting the unbearable hot flushes, the magnet sits just on the top of your pants and is called 'Ladycare' (try googling it to find an outlet in america) packaged in purple case, as with the SE this magnet might not work for everyone but it worked for me and 20 pounds is not a lot of money in the whole scheme of things especially if it works. Here's a link to the thread on the english Breast cancer website http://www.breastcancercare.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=14734 discussing using the magnet and the pro's and con's. Again its an individual decision to use this magnet but one I have found to be a life saver.Sarah Sweety xxxx
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Omaz, yes, FINALLY!!! It has taken over a year! Mostly I did not want to "change horses in the middle of the stream" and I don't like shopping for docs, had a GREAT PCP just before we moved 3 years ago, so ended up with a doc who was excellent evidence-based practitioner, but made my anxiety level jump out the roof every time I had to see her, so was not the best help in making treatment decisions this past year. Hopefully things will go easier for me. Thanks for the support here.
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