@@#%$$$hot flashes!!!

[vbak]

I have been having hotflashes for 13 years.:eek: They started out mildly and then hit with a vengence about 7 years ago. I took the full strength PremPro for 5 years and then went to the reduced strength PremPro. I quit taking them about 5 weeks on my own due to BP problems. I AM MISERABLE. The last time I had six hours of sleep [interrupted but able to fall back asleep] was on March 27. I sleep about 4 hours, and that is interrupted, and I am not able to fall back asleep. I am taking Remifen without good results. I cannot function on such little sleep. I should add I am going to the gyne on Thursday, but I want to know what some of you are doing to combat this problem. Young women, enjoy your periods. :) What I am going through, and maybe some of you, is ridiculous. Thanks for listening to my little pity party.

Vicky

[sharris315]

Vicky, I have experienced exactly what you're going through a few years ago--it was he!!. At night it was cover on, cover off, cover on, cover off... It just about drove me crazy. I have such great respect for an entire night's sleep now.

I was on PremPro for one month before the announcement that hormones caused more problems--so I stopped. During that month, I had the first full night's sleep I'd had for a long time. Fortunately, during this last year, things have gotten better for me--although I still have HOT flashes--and some restless nights.

Yes, Vicky, this is NOT fun...I am so sorry that you're having such a hard time. Your gyno should be able to help with this--You've been struggling with it for TOO long! Surely there is something that can help alleviate your symptoms. Sorry I can't help--but I can commiserate...good luck with your appt.

Shar

[Beth]

Sorry you are having such problems. I have seen soy supplements on the shelves near my glucosamine and such. Have you tried anything like that?

[HeidiD]

Hey, stop making menopause sound like so much fun! ;-)

I just turned 45 and also just got back bloodwork that indicates I'm in full-on menopause. I haven't had a period since November so that kind of clued me in something was amiss. I only started having hot flashes and sleep interruption about 6 weeks ago. Kind of scary to think this could go on and get worse for years and years.

I do not plan on taking HRT as my mom took it for years and was subsequently diagnosed with a lesser-known form of breast cancer that is strongly correlated with HRT. Would love to hear suggestions for other ways to manage this stage of life with OTC products or other strategies.

Heidi

[vbak]

Shar, I'm glad to hear that things have gotten better for you. Yes, I know the cover on cover off thing too well. Did you take anything for it besides HRT?

Beth, I tried the soy thing about 10 years ago, but you know , soy is a bean.:D My belly was revolting.

Heidi, sorry to hear about your mom, and I wouldn't take HRT either with your family history. I LOOOVE menopause.

Hopefully my gyne will have some answers for me on Thursday.

Vicky

[gabbyh]

Vicky,

Talk to your Dr. about prescribing bioidentical hormone formulas...I use tri-est(90% estriol, 7% estradiol, 3% estrone)and micronized progesterone...no need for testosterone at this point as my level has been elevated by DHEA.

Also, metarest by Nutribiotic has been VERY helpful with sleep.

Good luck Vicky,,,instead of being the best time of our lives, it can be the worst...but it doesn't have to be!

~Gail

[vbak]

Thanks, Gail. I will print this out instead of trying to remember that!:) I think I tried DHEA years ago and My eyes were wide open at bedtime. But, then again , I might not be thinking of the smae thing.

Vicky

[gabbyh]

Vicky,

Here's a great interview with Dr. Uzzi Reiss, Suzanne Somers' Dr.:

http://www.cbs.com/cbs_cares/menopause/menopause_interview_uzzi.shtml

And here's an article one of my colleagues wrote on the subject:

http://search.lef.org/src-cgi-bin/MsmGo.exe?grab_id=14&EXTRA_ARG=&CFGNAME=MssFind%2Ecfg&host_id=42&page_id=6685184&query=bioidentical+hormones&hiword=hormones+bioidentical+

Hope these help!

~Gail

[Beth]

Originally posted by vbak
Beth, I tried the soy thing about 10 years ago, but you know , soy is a bean.:D My belly was revolting.

Oh dear! :o I don't usually have that problem with most beans, so I didn't think about that. Sure hope you can find something safe that helps you. Anyone whose gone through a baby that doesn't sleep well for any time knows that lack of sleep is a terrrible thing. That alone would be so hard to deal with again.

You know, when I was reading about fibromyalgia, I read that they had produced fibromyalgia symptoms in healthy men who were sleep deprived. In case you don't already know, fibromyalgia is a potentially debilatating condition that is more often found in women than men. The fact that they produced those symptoms in men by just depriving them of sleep and that the symptoms resolved when they got rested again really says something about how important good sleep is.

Hang in there. Hope Thursday holds an answer for you.

[Cookin4Love]

Vicky, I feel for you. I recently began taking 2 mg. a day of estrogen only after discovering that I was in full menopause at 44. I had a few hot flashes, and complete insomnia, but my worst symptom by far was a sudden, severe, and dangerous depression that would not lift despite intensive counseling. I had a physical check-up and discovered the total lack of hormone production. I know this is not the decision everyone would make, but I decided that ANY potential long-term effects of hormones were worth it, because I had absolutely no quality of life without them.

Last weekend, I was busy and let my prescription run out. It was amazing the nosedive my body and mind did in just three days without the HRT. I kept asking my husband why he wasn't too hot and he kept asking me why I was red. I finally figured out--back to back, continuous hot flashes--plus the depression again.

Anyway, I had a long talk with my very conservative doctor. For me, in my particular situation, we decided together that the benefits outweigh the risk.

If you decide to try the soy route, you might check out Revival Soy (http://www.revivalsoy.com) . They sell "medical grade" soy products that don't taste too bad. My digestive system simply couldn't tolerate it, but I know some women who've had good results.

I hope you find a solution that has you feeling better soon. It can be a miserable experience--one of the first times I felt that my body truly betrayed me.

[sharris315]

Vicky, I didn't take anything else--just put up with it. I took the HRT for only one month. Even in that brief time, I went through "withdrawal" when I didn't take it the next month.

I can't imagine having taken it for years and then trying to stop completely--that sounds awful. The conclusions from the studies caused real problems for long-time users who felt compelled to get off. In fact, a friend of mine quit her HRT--and finally went back on saying she'd take the risk because she could not stand all of the symptoms (hot flashes, interrupted sleep, etc)

There have been a number of studies on diet and menopause--a search would probably turn up a lot. I didn't see much effect on symptoms from my diet--but then I didn't make much effort in that regard, either...

Shar

[muriel3002]

Boy, I can really feel for you. I went through this a few years ago - especially the night sweats and insomnia. I was fortunate because adding soy to my diet and exercising regularly really all but eliminated it.

I would recommend reading "The Wisdom of Menopause" by Dr. Christiane Northrup (I think that's how you spell her name). It was commonsense and life changing for me. I gave it to my sister who is having a worse time of the change of life than I am.

[Juli B]

My mom was recently put on Effexor for this. Her doctor said some studies have shown it to be effective, and she has noticed a big difference so far.

[lindaofthelakes]

Trying to "wean" myself off the Premarin my gyn has seqenced me onto Climara "a patch" which was wonderful (absolutely no nagative influences and i felt like "myself" again (I know sounds like an ad.) Now I am on a very low dose patch called Menostar which so far seems to be working Ok after 3 weeks although I notice the effect wearing off on the last day of wearing the patch (you wear it for seven days). (I tend to get migraines and also get cranky when it wears off.)

I think this low dose patch is supposed to have minimal side effects and also is better for your kidneys than the pills.

I hope this helps give you some other options to discuss with your gyn also.

[HeidiD]

Originally posted by muriel3002
Boy, I can really feel for you. I went through this a few years ago - especially the night sweats and insomnia. I was fortunate because adding soy to my diet and exercising regularly really all but eliminated it.


This is great to hear. I'm wondering if my symptoms are mild because I started adding soy to my diet (via soy milk, soy yogurt and fortified cereal) about five years ago and I walk at least 4 mornings a week. I'm thinking without those things, it could be worse (so that will help keep up the incentive to get my butt on the treadmill at 5:45 AM). I am going to try and quantify my soy consumption through food to decide if any of the supplements make sense for me ... I know there is some kind of caution against TOO much soy intake. Like everything else, moderation seems to be the key!

Heidi

[Gail]

For a long time, I was convinced soy and black cohosh were the magic keys. Now, I've stopped both, and find I'm doing better simply by exercising regularly.

[santacruzin]

I read on the Internet a while back that Effexor can help, so I asked my Internist for a prescription. It did help a lot, I rarely had them while taking it. Then I decided to go off of it, thinking the problem was over, and the hot flashes came back. My doctor advised me to go back on it. I don't know how long this problem goes on, but I think I will try taking Effexor for the next year and then see how I am doing.

[Valerie226]

I've been on HRT for about 10 years now. I had a very sudden menopause at 47. Normal period one month, the next month hot flashes and sleep disruption that was completely disabling. I went from a hot flash that left me pouring sweat, then a couple minutes of calm when I actually thought I might fall asleep, and then cold clammy, freezing and shaking. Heart palpitations. gasping for breath. then a couple minutes of calm when I thought I might fall asleep, then into another hot flash. It went on all night or whenever I tried to sleep. I ate tofu by the ton, promrose oil, vitamin e & I forget what else. I got regular exercise. None of it made the slightest dent in the symptoms. after about a month it was clear to me that I couldn't wait the several months my GYN wanted before going on HRT. I was so exhausted I couldn't drive, I couldn't work. I started HRT & got relief in a couple days.
I'm on reduced dose Prempro but you know what? I'm no wimp, and those symptoms were completely intolerable. I wouldn't have needed to worry about breast cancer or anything 20 years down the line because I would not have survived. Quality of life is important & I'll take my chances. I still get symptoms if I try to reduce my
HRT much below the reduced dosage level. we're not all the same.

The women in the WHI trials weren't taking HRT because of symptoms of menopause. they were taking it because of supposed long term health benefits. If you had menopausal symptoms you were not included in the trial because inside of a week you would have known if you were being given HRT or a placebo. so the study really only included women who did not have menopausal symptoms. Sort of skews the results for me.

[vbak]

Hey, everyone, thanks for the replies. I went to the gyne yesterday and my pressure was sky high[150/100]. Anyway, afterlistening to my complaints about the flashes and BP she put me on Effexor. No estrogen in this med. She prescribes this to breast cancer patients, too. I had some flashes while I was there and she started fanning me.:) I hope it helps me sleep,too.

Valerie, you really have a case. Yes, quality of life is important.

Vicky