It has HIT me too this year....I saw an artical that said to cut way down on Coffee, meat, and chocolate....I have done that and it helped, I still drink my coffee (could not give it up) but I cut way down on the amount of red meat and just meat in general. Hope it helps....I feel your pain!
I have started a menopause club ! I have stopped eating sugar, almost all meat, chicken doesn't seem to bother my flashes ! No more coffee, don't drink sodas, so I didn't have to give them up. No chocolate, no nuts, and just as little salt as I can get away with. The doctor changed my medication level, now I wake up in the night starving ! Have gone from 132# to 150# in a little over 2 weeks. And the nightmares, don't even want to go there tonight . . . . . So, at this time, I am having all of the side effects AND the hot flashes ! I will be calling the Dr in the morning !
I love the education I get here. I imagine by the time DW goes through menopause, my little girl will be going through puberty, at that time I may as well add a bedroom for me out in the coop.
My hot flashes were control with the patch until I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I quit the patch and started with Effexor, a antidepressant that really helped. Then the chemo kicked in and the hot flashes from h-e-double toothpicks kicked in. I take a shower 3 times a day because the sweats are so bad. Doc has upped my dose and will probably up the dose again cuz it's not working yet! Just a side note. Becareful if you use black cohosh. Yes it can be helpful with the hot flashes, it's been used since the beginning of time, lol. However, black cohosh has been linked to uterine cancer. It doesn't cause cancer but can cause cancer cells in the uterus to grow at a rapid rate.
Ack, I don't remember the name- but CVS has a natural herb thing that has valerian- there's a twin pack, one for day and one for night. Capsules. Worked like a champ for me. The worst part for me was 5 months of Restless Leg Syndrome- and that was BEFORE it was recognized. Made me nuts until I started with the valerian. BTW, taking a Benadryl at night will really help you sleep, a fan like EnglishChick said and a really good deoderant make a huge difference. It DOES get better!
Yesterday I went to the dr for some follow up on my blood pressure (and hot flashes). I had been feeling drug out for a couple of days, my blood pressure was way up. So, we changed the medication for that. I told him the hotflashes were killing me, we changed the medicine for that. I told him I cannot sleep at night, so he gave me Ambian for that ! The dr says not sleeping is not helping any of my symptoms, so I am to take Ambian for 3 nights in a row and then go back to work. Yep ! He gave me 2 days off work. Mike says I slept like a log, he was picking on me because he said I was snoring and later my mouth was open and I was drooling ! I asked him if he kissed me good night, he said yes on the forehead. So, today, I am going to clean the dog kennel, butcher 2 or 3 broilers, mow some grass, vaccuum all my rugs and spray with flea spray. I have a huge flea problem this spring, helped along by not being able to be home when I needed to be.
I take Royal Maca Plus for Women with DIM It has really helped me. But sure wish there was a cure for the brain fog. Some times I think I have Alzheimer's. it is so bad.