Hot Flash Forum!
Comments
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Thanks for the magnesium update - it is supposed to be good for joint pain too - I am going to check this out!
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I just read about it and it helps with "restless leg syndrome" which I seem to have .... I didn't before but I do now.
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Sparrow, I also had pretty good luck with gabapentin. My max dose was 600 mg three times a day though, but it recently stopped working. Now, though some hellish trial and error, I'm taking 37.5 mg of Effexor, (half a pill twice a day) and 600 mg of gabapentin at night. So far that seems to be keeping the hot flashes manageable and side effects minimal.
Also, I've been taking magnesium for years because I'm constipated by nature
Hands down the worse side effect of the Tami has been hot flashes and sweats!!
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Magnesium also helps with sleep which is an added bonus!
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I don't know if this has been asked before, but is Estroven ok to take for women who are ER/PR+? My hot flashes are waking me up at night, and it is making me sleep deprived and miserable. My MO said Black Cohosh is ok to take, but I haven't been able to find any at the store. Estroven has Black Cohosh in it, and it says it's natural, but I want to make sure it's ok to take since I am strongly ER/PR+. I'm surgically menopausal and taking Arimidex. I appreciate any advice!
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My MO suggested Estrovan, (I was > 95% positive for both estrogen and progesterone receptors) but I haven't tried it yet.
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my hot flash triggers -
caffeine
sugar
alcohol
spicy (hot) foods
chocolate
artificial coloring
artificial sweeteners - pretty much any of them
I've been in surgical menopause for two years, and I've been paying close attention to these reactions. It's funny cause some of the stuff I do continue to eat, like chocolate, and i'll have an almost instant hot flash, and i'll laugh and remember oh yeah that's right I knew that was going to happen.
Judy
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I was told "NO" Estrovan or herbal supplements for hot flashes by my MO and RO......gotta love how every doc has a different opinion! One day things will be simple again....until then I sweat profusely and sleep with a fan on me all night!
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Kim, that's interesting! For now my hot flashes are manageable with the Effexor and gabapentin, (also working out on my rowing machine 15 min 2x a day helps) but I'll definitely ask about it to make sure I heard right if I do decide to try the Estrovan.
Coffee is a trigger for me, but I love coffee and only have one cup a day, so I endure it. Other then that, my triggers are if I'm surprised or irritated or startled....can't do much about that. Oh yeah, sunrise and sunset seem to do it too!
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Well, I talked to a nurse yesterday from my MO's office, and she did not recommend taking the Estroven. She gave me a list of these to try for hot flash relief: Vitamin E, C, and B6, Borage (?) Oil, and Evening Primrose. She also mentioned Effexor as an option if those didn't work, but I am hesitant to go on any anti-depressants. I took Celexa before and gained a ton of weight on it. I don't want to go through that again! I guess I'll try some of these other supplements and see if they work.
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Lexapro also works for hot flashes, and has a lower profile for weight gain than Effexor or Celexa.
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Tsunami flashes....that's funny! I have never been so grateful to live in the PNW as I have been lately! We are the coolest part of the country right now. Just thinking of 100+ degrees makes my stomache roll.
Here's to all you ladies that have to endure that....sending you all cool, misty, 60 degree hugs from Seattle!
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I prefer the heat to the really cold but I am ready for this heat to end....we have cracks in our yard...we need rain also. My flashes have not been any worse with this heat wave.
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I just got my prescription filled for Lexapro. Does this really help with the hot flashes???
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Sandi,
Lexapro has stopped my hot flashes. I feel a little warm every now and then, maybe once a day, but that is all. I started taking it at the beginning of May. Wish I had done it a year ago!
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Effexor has been a godsend to me. Greatly reduced the hot flashes and given me an extra benefit of improved sleep. I have slept well on consecutive nights since I started taking it, which is some kind of record for me. I have gained 5 pounds, but I'm pretty sure that's the cupcakes and pizza I've been gorging on during this 100+ weather lol.
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I just had to up my Effexor dose from 37.5 to 75. So now I'm doing 37.5 mg of that 2x a day and 300mg of gabapentin 3x a day. Last night I slept better then I have in a long time! But with me, I'll try something and it will work for 2 or 3 weeks and then the hot flashes (and sweats! that's the thing I can't handle!) come back. It's really frustrating!
But, I've actually lost a few pounds on the Effexor, so I'm happy about that!
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Kayb - your onc sounds reasonable.
I wanted to share this experience just incase it helps someone else - I was having regular periods when I started chemo at 51. They stopped after the 2nd round and I started having hot flashes about every 40-50 minutes. I hadn't had any before. After rads I went on tamoxifen which didn't really affect the hot flashes. After 21 months of no periods we decided to switch to letrozole (femara). I had two estrodiol measuremens during the 21 months and they were 5 and 11. After about 3 weeks on letrozole my hot flashes got worse for a while and about 2 weeks later they suddenly reduced in frequency a lot. I slept 5 hours in a row for the first time since chemo. When I saw my oncPA about 2 weeks into this hot flash cool zone I wondered outloud if my estrogen was higher and that was why my hot flashes were less. She checked my levels and they were over 200. I went back on tamoxifen, off the letrozole. Now the hot flashes are more frequent again but not quite as bad. The bottom line though is that I did some reading about letrozole and apparently in women who have chemotherapy induced amenorrhea letrozole can stimulate the ovaries to start producing estrogen again even without periods. I think this is what happened to me. Switching to the letrozole awakened them and the increase in estrogen reduced my hot flashes. Just wanted other women who might be in the same position to be aware - as far as I know when the ovaries are producing estrogen it is thought that letrozole will not work properly. Link - about 3/4 down they talk about peri-menopausal women -
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Hi ladies, I'm new at this so please help me out, I'm 50, and I had a mastectomy this past April, its been three months since the surgery and I'm so bloated on my left side, that's the side i had removed, right in my ribcage I'm so swollen is that common? I'm having hot flashes but not a lot i'm on tamoxifen. I walk 3 to 4 times a week I try to eat the right things but I'm still swollen and gaining weight why?
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ilove - Hi, have you been checked for lymphedema?0
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I was just reading on lymph-edema ,I don't think so my surgeon said it will go down but it hasnt .
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Hello ilove, welcome to BCO. You might want to ask in the Lymphedema forum - there are members there who are very knowledgeable, and will be able to advise you.0
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Hello Moonlight60, It sounds as though Effexor is working for you. Did you take any other medication before Effexor. I was taking Celexa for anxiety, and my hot flashes were manageable. Then my doc switched me to Lexapro because of my age, and the hot flashes have doubled in intensity and frequency. My oncologist said the Celexa had some ingredient to suppress hot flashes that isn't in Lexapro. I researched Effexor and read comments from patients taking it, and their comments were scary. I guess it depends on the person. One post talked about how Lexapro helped with her hot flashes, and I have a different experience. Thanks!
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I just started Effexor today. 37.5 mg. once per day. My hot flashes started in 2005 when I started chemo and now 7 years later, no chemo since 2005 I still have hot flashes that are horrible. I don't sleep at night and suffer all day long. It is physically and mentally draining. I will not go above 37.5 mgs however, after reading all the horror stories about getting off this drug I am seriously thinking of not taking pill number 2 tomorrow. Just about all the withdrawel horror stories I've read are of people taking more than 37.5 mgs. but still, it scares me.
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Hi Marejo, I started Effexor a few months ago. Like you, I was reluctant to take an antidepressant since I am not depressed. My main problem has been night sweats which woke me up every hour and prevented me from getting into a deep sleep - I became a virtual zombie during the day. With three young kids to take care of, I was a wreck! I started at 37.5 and took it for a week and noticed a slight reduction in my night sweats. I was reluctant to go to the 75 mg dose, but after having been on it these past few months, I feel like I have gotten my life back. A couple of words of wisdom If you decide to go to 75 mg:
1. It might take you a couple of weeks to get used to it. Like other ladies on here, I actually lost a few pounds during the first few weeks at 75 mg. For some reason, I lost my appetite and ate less as a result. I never felt really nauseous, just not really interested in eating a lot during the day. After 3 weeks, My body adjusted and my appetite has returned to normal.
2. If you miss a dose at 75 mg, it is possible you will go through withdrawal even if you miss just once dose. One evening, I forgot to take it. I should have taken it the next morning, but I didn't because I didn't want to be off my schedule. By mid-afternoon I felt so nauseous-like I was seasick or had morning sickness. (The kind of nausea where you feel so bad you want to throw up.). Once I took my dose that evening, I was fine a couple of hours later. After seeing what an effect missing one dose had, I know that when I go off of this medication, I will have to go off gradually.
All that said, I am happy with the Effexor. It hasn't eliminated all of my night sweats, but I am only waking up one or two times a night instead of 5 or 6 times a night, and I am only a little sweaty on my forehead instead of completely drenched in sweat.
Hope this info helps!0 -
I have decided to not take the Effexor. After reading all I have about getting off of it, I would rather have hot flashes. Thanks for your input.
Mary Jo0 -
I tried starting effexor a couple of weeks ago when my hot flashes got to the frequency of 4 an hour. I took one pill and felt so awful (dizzy, nervous, nauseous) that I decided I preferred the hot flashes! Interestingly, the very next day my flashes dropped right off. Now I only have a few mild ones daily. I think my body just adjusted. That limited experience with effexor was enough to put me off for life though.
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Something that helped me a little was taking hot tubs in the evening. Its almost like I sweat it all out before I go to bed. It also really helps my joint pain and body aches. I can sleep until 6 am befor my first hot flash. I sleep on a towel and have a change of cloths ready too. Have not had much luck falling back to sleep but I still try. I have been on tamoxifen for 2 months. And I hope the side effects ease up after my body adjusts.
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I am with you Jenn. As I told my husband..."I'd rather feel "naturally" crappy than drug induced crappy." My doc told me it is normal to feel this way the first 3 or 4 days but then it should get better. I expressed concern to him over getting off of it, as everything I read sounded awful. He said, being on a low dose (37.5) wasn't even a therapeutic dose, but that yes, you still should be weaned from it. That's all I needed to hear and in the garbage it goes. They have to stop eventually, right? Oh dear Lord, we can only hope so.
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I am on Effexor and not feeling doped or anything ... I do thin it had taken the edge off though. As for hot flashes ... Not helping ... But I do not have night sweats. I have switched when I take the tamoxifen to see if that would help ..NOT. I am going to start with flax seed daily and see if that helps.
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