Hot Flashes ! Help !

[enola]

I began going through menopause in January. The Hot Flashes are driving me crazy. They are causing me to lose sleep, which is ruining my life. I have to work full time, I am single and have all the same bills everyone else has, plus chickens, dog, cats, horses.

The Dr. has given me a couple of medications that have worked just fine ! For A Few Weeks ! Then he has changed the dosage or added something.... And it works ! For A Few Weeks !

If anyone has any hints/advice, what ever, please pass it along. I need to try to get back to normal again . . . .

 

[redhen]

I'm only 36 and i get them also! Any advice would be great here too.

 

[saddina]

I used to sell alot of evening primrose capsules when I worked at a healthfood store, plant estrogen in them is supposed to help, but not tried it myself.

http://www.gnc.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2133879

This stuff.

 

[enola]

(I am secretely plotting how to send them to my X-husband)

When I first called my DR, the appointment was set for 5 weeks in the future !!!!!!!!!!!!!

I explained to the nurse, I couldn't wait that long, I was afraid I was going to 'lose it' one day and go Postal on someone !

The nurse at the Dr office calls the next morning, real early, and says they have a cancellation, Can I come in that afternoon !

Then she calls back and says, " The Dr wants you to count how many hot flashes you have between now and this afternoon"

I call her back in half an hour and say, "he is kidding right? I have already had 6 hot flashes !"

"All I have to do is move and here comes another one!"

She says, "OMG ! come on in, we will work you in !"

ps. I am 52, the Dr jokes and says, my hot flashes are making up for lost time......

 

[Cetawin]

I can tell you what nix mine in the bud fast...

I take a combination of three things...

evening primose oil in capsules
black cohosh in capsules
Wild Yam and Chaste Tree Berries in a capsule


I take it daily and it has eliminated the night sweats (if you do not have those yet you are in for a real treat), hot flashes, moodiness and irritability.

If you start taking them daily and watch your caffeine intake at night...you will be good to go.

 

[enola]

The night sweats are what are killing me...............

I wake up and all the sheets are soaked............

sleeping in pj's is a special type of h*ll.............

I can't stand for sheets to touch me when I wake up burning up.......

I have to turn the AC to about 70 degrees at night to even hope for some comfort ! And there is a ceiling fan over my bed......

Getting up at 3 in the morning and taking a shower is nothing new to me any more ..............

When I can't sleep at night, this is me ............

drinking Sleepy Time Tea

I cannot eat any nuts, drink coffee (even decaffinated) or eat any thing that is sugar coated.............. forget any chocolate........

I wake up in the middle of the night starving.............

Then when I eat something, indigestion kills me for the rest of the night ...........

So far, I don't have all the moodiness and irritability, just chronic fatigue.......... oh, yea, and chronic starvation it seems like !......

I have gained 20 pounds, none of last summer's clothes fit any more...............

My BF deserves a special place in heaven, he doesn't make jokes, cooks balanced diet meals for me and hides all of the sweets and pastries when I go over to his house !

Oh, and so far none of the animals seem to notice that I have gained weight........... They all still love me No wonder I love all of them so much.

 

[BorderKelpie]

Oh, and so far none of the animals seem to notice that I have gained weight........... They all still love me No wonder I love all of them so much.
Aren't animals amazing taht way? Your boyfriend sounds like a keeper.
You poor thing. I haven't been there yet (probably getting close I'm 41) You have my sympathy. I wish I could help.
Hang in there. BTW, we love you, too.
Best wishes.

 

[wanda047]

I sure feel for all of you going through this... I've been there, done that! I can't believe my husband didn't divorce me (think he considered it!) while I was going through the night sweats, etc. I tried every imaginable medication for menopause with little help. I finally told my doctor that if he'd just give me something to make me sleep, it'd help. So he did. He also put me on an anti-depressant for a while, which I also needed (according to my hubby). I kept a fan going about 6 inches away from my face and often even slept with a wet cloth over my face. Forget the PJ's!

Nothing was allowed on the bed, including the fuzzy dog and the fuzzy husband was told to stay on his side of the bed too!

He didn't mind, as my side of the bed was usually soaking wet with sweat!

We survived!

but it was a struggle at times and yes, I took lots of cool showers in the middle of the night. During the winter, I would often go outside to get some relief. My whole family thought I'd lost it and I was close! I still take sleeping meds occasionally as insomnia is still an issue, but the night sweats have stopped completely.

I don't have any magical advice to share with you other ladies, but be encouraged that this will NOT last forever... and there is a "reward" for surviving this horrible phase of life

PS... I will add, lack of sleep with cause other health problems, so be sure to get some sleep, even if your doc has to prescribe something. I actually started having TIA's after going without sleep for almost a week. I came real close to having a stroke! I wasn't listening to my body's warning signs, but thankfully had a husband who knew I was in trouble.

 

[enola]

Another night in hot flash land......

I was wide awake at 3 am, took a shower, ate some salad, drank a cup of sleepy time tea......

It is 5:20 now, and I am still wide awake

Thank you for all of your responses, I am still sweating, but, I love the fact that other women had the same body responses to this stage of life !

I called my Dr last Thursday, he says the stress in my life is not helping any at all. He did tell me if things didn't get any better over the weekend, give him a call. He realizes I cannot continue to go with out sleep.

His office opens at 7 am, so I have a little over an hour to wait !!!!

I can handle having the hot flashes in the day time, I work at Wal~Mart, so the air conditioning helps out.

I am going to find a store in town that carries good quality supplements. And, I already take an anti-depressant as part of my treatment for this condition.

 

[chickeypoo]

a friend of mine( i am only 27 but she was in her 50s or so) she had hot flashes and night sweats. she ended up going to the docs. he put her on a light birth control pill and she was fine. she only had a few hot flashes, nothing like before or near as bad. Good luck. i am hoping they find a cure for i before i get there

Sue..

ps my mom is on the brink. she just turned 49.... so we shall see how the next few years go.