Hot Flash Forum!
Comments
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My ONC suggested that or effexor, I am trying effexor now, Not real impressed, maybe others will have more info for you. Good luck!
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Just had to report that I started Estrodiol 12 days ago. Estrodiol is hormone replacement therapy. My cancer was not er or pr positive. I was her2 positive. I've been going through very bad hot flashes for 7years (since my diagnosis in 2005 when chemo started) Chemo ended in 2005 but the hot flashes never stopped. For a short period of time they did but always came back with a vengeance. The past year and a half has been awful. My GYN. wanted me to try Effexor but after reading about it.....how hard it was getting off of it.....and know that it does something in the brain, I decided after taking 1 pill, to stop taking this. I then opted on the Estrodiol. The risks are minimal to me and my thinking on this is that quality of life is just as important, maybe more so. So......I was told to start them... 1 mg orally and to give it 2 weeks before making a judgement call. After 12 days they are sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much better. Hardly any and when I do get one I just get a little warm...for a short time. Nothing like before. I am sleeping better AND the best part....I got my MOJO back. So happy I did this.
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I have a sleep machine app on my phone. I choose the air conditioner sound to sleep to. It may be a trick on the mind but I have a lot less hot flashes.
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Hi Marejo,
I am so happy that the estrodiol 1mg tablet is working for you. Hot flushes/flashes can be very depressing, my oncologist also said I must take anti-depressants to curb the hot flushes/flashes, after reading the side effects, ie brain zaps, whatever that means, it cant be good and who wants to get hooked on some tablet and then its difficult to wean off, i thought i would just take my chances with hot flushes. i am coming off zoladex and tamoxifen (the cocktail for hot flushes) (5 years) so i am wondering how long its going to take before the hot flushes subside
you say your mojo is back, well i cant wait.0 -
It has very mild SE. I have taken fit for years fo anxiety an neck pain, had good results with mild HF after BC dx with about 800 mg/nightt plus 600mg/day. But the HF have been much more problematique. I hate to i increase the dose aagain. Thoughts, anyone?
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Cyborg: An A/C app? Now that is genius! never heard of such a thing but great that it works!
I have been on Tamox for a year and a half now, and my flashes have tapered down significantly. This was already happening before summer came, and I was afraid the heat would have me flashing as badly as last summer, but that hasn't been the case. I still have a couple in the middle of the night that wake me up, and a couple during the day, but nothing like the hourly flashes I would get where I thought I would implode. Nothing else has changed, so I am assuming my body is just getting used to the med.
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Important note about the Gabapentin: This is a anti-seizure med. Do NOT just stop taking it as that could cause seizures. You must wean down off it - I lessened 100mg every 3 days from 900mg to none & had no problems.
I tried Effexor 1st. It worked almost immediately, but the nausea & diarrhea were so severe I couldn't continue to tak it.
Next I tried Gabapentin - 300mg a day for 30 days no effect. 600mg a day for next 30 days still no effect. 900mg a day for 30 days and still no effect on hot flashes/ night sweats.
Now I'm on Celexa. It has lessened the hot flashes, but again the nausea & diarrhea are unbearable. My Oncologist said try Pepto & Immodium & give my body a chance to adjust. It's been 5 months on the Celexa & this morning I couldn't even force that tiny pill into my hand, let alone my mouth. That's what led me to this site - I am desperate to find relief.
I will keep searching for alternatives until I find relief. Anybody got any ideas?
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I've been taking effexor for the past 4 months with good results. I've never experienced a "brain zap" (I don't think) with it. Can someone tell me what this is exactly?
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Meernstsen, celexa is a drug that we should not take if we are on tamoxifen.
http://www.drugs.com/drug-interactions/celexa-with-tamoxifen-679-335-2145-0.html0 -
Kayb, thanks for the info. I am taking a low dose but I'll be cautious. Others have mentioned the same thing. Not good.
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Auntie....I was on the lowest dose of Pristiq, and am on the lowest dose of Effexor. Going off Pristiq, I weaned gradually and still had them. That was the only bad se for me though, when going off. My zap was kind of like if I looked up quickly, my brain didn't follow as fast. So, it wasn't really dizziness, but kind of. One happened while riding a bike and I felt like my steering was off. I missed a couple days of Effexor when I ran out and didn't get to the pharmacy right away. No problems until the third day, then the brain zap.
Silly mama....like you, if I start a flash, I like to have something cold to drink. In fact, I almost crave a drink, and of I don't have something, I feel a little panicky and nauseated.
Renn...I have been on tamoxifen for 14 months. No change for me. Still have hot flashes all day, generally a couple times an hour. Sometimes have a cold flash about ten minutes before the hot flash. I look forward to it.0 -
Fluffqueen, I am like you with the flashes and looked up the s/e of the generic Effexor to learn excessive sweating is one of them. I am seeing my MO on September 19 and then need to see my GP and see what can be done. Maybe if I get the non generic brand it will help. I started 5months ago.
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If it means normal sweating, I don't really have much of that, but when I flash it is usually significant. Everyone know because even if I don't pour sweat for a few minutes, my skin on my arms face, etc turns red.
When my husband sees it, he kindly back away so I can gt air. Lol0 -
I have serious sweating .. It is embarrassing. I take it at bedtime now. I do not have any night sweats ... Explain that !! Lol
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I took my first dose of gabapentin (genetic for Neurontin) last night..(waited for the weekend in case I had side effects from it)
:-( light-headedness this morning and stomach queezy...tried eating a banana and drinking some coffee but it did not stay down. Missed my long Sat morning workout...
those drugs are being discarded....back to the Clondine
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I HATE HOT FLASHES!!!!! I am miserable! I can not believe how much I sweat and anything and everything sets me off! I have been very worried, thinking it is something else, but my doc says it is just hot flashes. I take effexor. I am overweight, which I am trying to lose, I walk every day now, not far but it is a start.
Joanne-I get it! It is so embarrassing; I work in a salon and as soon as any dryer goes on the sweat shows up! I am about ready to quit my job because of it and I only work a couple of days anyways. Nothing helps. I have a fan, I drink ice water, I have them turn the air conditioner up. What else can I do? I dress as cool as I can. Does the black cohosh work? Is it ok for us to take? I am having a hysterectomy in October and I am worried all this will get even worse!
There is my rant! I feel better now.
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bac94, I posted this earlier but you might not have seen it.....foods make my hot flashes worse. I suffer so much more when my diet is not clean. I know if I have had bad foods that I will suffer for it. I have been eating clean for months now and have done so much better but every once in a while I will slip and eat too many sweets or eat at a restaurant and I pay dearly with severe flashes. I still have flashes but they are milder and do not have as many. I own and work in a salon and I know what you mean about the dryers....use to affect me the same way. I want my flashes totally gone but nothing will take them away for good...only time and patience. So if your diet is not healthy then you might want to give it a try. You said that you are trying to lose weight so this would be a good time to study up on clean eating and find out what you should and should not be eating. Great that you are getting some walking in too! Could be that our bodies are trying to tell us something. Are you post-menopausal?...I had a total hyster 14 months ago but I was already post-menopausal and my flashes did not get any worse. That was a big fear that I had going into my surgery. Good luck and don't quit your job.0
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I've tried black cohosh. it helps a little but they say it is a little hard on the liver so you're not supposed to take it beyond 6 mos. I figure my femara is hard enough on my liver, so I occasionally still go w/ 1/2 to a whole pill of black cohosh once or twice a week. I have gabapentin which I take if I don't have anything to do the next morning because I wake up feeling a little tired and nauseated, but it helps a little too. I've tried upping my melatonin, and taking an ativan or benedryl, or valium before bed just to help me get some sleep, especially when I've been sleep deprived (due to continuous nightly hotflashes). It works a little bit. But even though all of this things help just a little bit, nothing really seems to help that much. I am at a loss. There is terrible discomfort that accompanies my hotflashes, and I wonder if that is what others experience too. I can't describe it but is a full body discomfort, aside from heat that makes me have to get up. Throwing the covers off isn't enough. I have to walk around, get something to drink, cool off, and realign myself, before I can go back to bed. I've been on femara for 2 mos following an oorphorectomy. I'm going to try taking it before bed instead of in the morning and see if that helps.
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Has anyone tried ambien to sleep through the flashes with any success?0
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Thanks Kayb for the info on ambien - I think I will at least give it a try on the weekend. I would be happy with 5 hours of sleep in a row! Thanks for the article too. It's heart-warming to know that all this flashing is associated with some good news.0
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thanks for posting Kayb. Wow! what great news! If I'm reading it correctly and the info has merit then we are better off when we have hot flashes in terms or relapse free survival. So, this means all the sweat and tears pays off. before I was in meno and before femara, i could not understand why people had to make such big deal about hot flashes. Now I know, When they consume you at least once during every waking and sleeping hour, it's a big deal. But from now on, when I suddenly get all hot and sticky, I'm going to bask in my moment of glistening and say to myself, this is good
. I wonder now if we try to suppress the dreaded hot flash if we might be doing some harm. Hmmmm..
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I have been taking Diatomaceous earth for about 2 1/2 weeks now and I have noticed that I'm not having as many hot flashes as before and they are not as severe as they were before either BUT....Why? Diatomaceious Earth - which is like 89% silica - will it cause the cancer to come back? If anyone knows about this please let me know. Thank you !!!
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I have been taking effexor for about 2 years, 75 mg a day a pill in the am and one at dinner, I still get hot flashes about 1 every half hour....i started to wean off them, whats the point if i am still getting them so often. how much worse could they be. and now i am getting the sweating with them. if I had known about the withdrawl side effects i would never have started this drug. i hope to be off by thanksgiving I am doing it very slowly. started a week ago and already i am sleeping better, before i had to take a sleeping pill, not taking them either. i wish i had been told by my doc how bad this drug is.
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Haven't been on here for a while (but, no surprise, I see the thread is still going strong.)
I don't have any miracle cures, but I have a few opinions. Here they are:
1) I would try non-pharmaceutical remedies first to see if that cuts the flashes to tolerable levels. Anything from the various nutritional supplements (at the discretion of your own common sense,) to fans and a "Chillow."
2) I would not take the pharmaceuticals JUST for hot flashes. That's like hunting possum with an elephant gun...overkill. (Forgive me, I'm not shy about using stupid metaphors and similes.) The anti-seizures and anti-depressants are some major drugs that change your brain chemistry, have a slew of s/e's, and are physically addictive. (I know the Effexor brain zaps well.)
3) I know everyone is different and what works for one may not work for another BUT if you must resort to a pharmaceutical, I would try the gabapentin first before the others, simple because it has fewer interactions with other drugs. Before starting on a pharmaceutical for hot flashes, definitely check Drugs.com for the many, many interactions for the pharmaceuticals already named in this thread (being used to cut flashes.) Many of them indicate against using alcohol with them, many of them are not even supposed to be used with aspirin; a few meds cut the flashes because they compete for the same liver enzyme that is used to metabolize Tamox., possibly rendering the Tamox. less effective. (I know not all interactions are "deadly," but please have the awareness before you start on something.)
I apologize if #3 overstates the obvious but, in my experience, the doctors who prescribed these drugs NEVER mentioned interactions or s/e's with me. If I didn't read the printouts from the pharmacy, read a few informative posts here on BCO, consult Dr. Google, or check on Drugs.com, I would not have known any of it.
Good Luck keeping cool, ladies!
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I still stand by healthy eating as my defense against Hotflashes....if I eat something bad then I know I will suffer.....sometimes it is worth the suffering..LOL
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Linda54, Your comment goes right along with what I wrote about trying non-pharmaceutical remedies first. If you can control the flashes with certain diet parameters, that is way better by far than popping a pill to achieve the same effect.0
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elimar, I have had it with trying to get rid of them totally...it won't happen until it is time for it to. The anti-seizure med I tried a week ago helped me decide to give it up. I went back on the Clonidine and not real sure I need it...I should have stayed off it too. Maybe it's not too late..I been back on it for a week....think tomorrow I will take 1/2 dose....and get off it too. Bad foods = bad flashes
I haven't had many flashes today and the ones I had were very mild...I have eaten healthy today!!!!
For the ones who are suffering with the flashes...have you tried to change your diet just to test it out? Just give it a fews days and see what happens then report back to this forum.
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My experience is that my flashes seem to be regulated by some clock in my brain! They are just regular every 40-60 minutes since the second chemo. I notice though that when it is cooler outside they are not as intense and for the last year or so I don't get nausea before each one anymore. That is good! I keep telling myself that they help my skin look good by keeping it moist. That works (most of the time...)!
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Well, if you consider that the Tamox. causes your internal thermostat to go wonky, then there are a good number of things that can trigger a hot flash, and it is impossible to avoid all of the triggers. For instance, eating generates body heat as the body works at digestion. It makes sense then, if you eat a lot of sugar, you'll get a surge; if you eat a lot of fat, digestion will take longer. This is probably what Linda54 experiences, and by eating "clean" one can probably reduce the work the digestive system has to do. Plus, the bioryhythms of the body go thru' cycles of slight fluctuations in temp. all day/night long. This is probably why some people cycle thru' hot flashes as well. External temps. definitely are a factor (and in my experience, humidity also.) A lot of women do better in the Winter months than in the summer. Did you ever get a little upset with someone in your family, and have a flash brought on by that? I have. So, that little spike in B/P, must be spiking body temp momentarily. Well, what are you gonna do? Can't send the family off on a five-year holiday, and kudos to any that can go tiff-free for five years. Factor in other meds. you might be on (like ones that can cause sweating, such as Effexor does) and it is safe to say that hot flashes are caused not just one element.
I'd say if you do have hot flashes, it is hard to totally eliminate them. People are different, and what helps one may or may not help another, but reading back on this thread there are some harmless tips you could try. If you take 20mg. all at once, you might do better taking 10mg. twice a day; but maybe not because Tamox. has a long enough half life that once you reach a therapeutic blood level, it's going to remain at that level even if you split the dosage. I seem to get a few flashes within the first half hour of taking the tabs (and I take it 10 mg. at a time.) The pharmaceutical drugs may help (and again, because people are different, they may not) but I'd save those for a last choice scenario, if nothing else has worked for you.
Good Luck All. You have 5 years to find out what works best for you. A long 5 years!
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