Menopause & Hot Flashes- relief needed!

[never2many]

I have been suffering from extreme hot flashes, mostly at night.  It is causing total lack of sleep.  I am up every 15 minutes and feel like someone placed by body in an oven, and then I get freezing cold.  I have started taking Black Cohosh Root and Soy Isoflavones, which has helped decrease my symptoms by 50%.  Just wondering if anyone here has any experience with this and any advice on what may offer relief. 

 

[Dumbass#1]

I have been suffering from extreme hot flashes, mostly at night.  It is causing total lack of sleep.  I am up every 15 minutes and feel like someone placed by body in an oven, and then I get freezing cold.  I have started taking Black Cohosh Root and Soy Isoflavones, which has helped decrease my symptoms by 50%.  Just wondering if anyone here has any experience with this and any advice on what may offer relief. 

You probably don't want to do this but the only thing that's helped me - (and I can deal with the night hot flashes but not day because sweat literally starts pouring of my body , skin turns beat red, it's very embarrassing) - is hormones. I know people don't like to take them for obvious reasons but there's just nothing else that helps my body.  I've tried some other meds that help with sweating but it doesn't eliminate the hot flash for me.  

 

[Jam1976]

The only thing that has helped me was an extreme dietary and lifestyle change ( lots of exercise and healthy eating) and most of all perhaps was Thrivage by Sunhorse Energy. I'm young to be going through the process but it runs in my family.  My mom went through menopause at age 42. 

No more hot flashes,  my mood swings are greatly diminished, I've noticed huge benefits to this product. I'm not saying it will work for everyone, but take the time to look it up to see if you think it would work for you.  It's natural, non-toxic and has other health benefits as well. 

 

[Dumbass#1]

@Jam1976, awesome - thanks for the suggestion on the product. 

 

[susie]

i am late to this thread, but for what it's worth, black cohosh really helped my sister, and did nothing for me.   i change my diet to cut way down on sugars, not keto level but looked closely at carbs and sugars.   ~6 months later the hot flashes have been greatly reduced.   either the diet or as i age they are reducing.    i've heard black cohosh from other than my sister so it's great if it works for you.

here's the good news...they eventually go away!    best wishes to you!

 

[bdz]

Soy isoflavones and/or some "menopause support" blend of herbs have helped me when they get to be a bit much. 

One of these days, I may try out estradiol cream and see if it can help w/my bones.  I'm over 2 yrs post-meno, had most of the risk factors for osteoporosis, so I asked a doctor about the DEXA scan, and a bit unsurprisingly, but frighteningly enough - I've got osteopenia.  Looking at my scanned pelvis (it don't look right) and reading those numbers has made my anxiety skyrocket!  Scan was 2 days ago, w/the report & disc 10min. after getting scanned.

The kicker is, I was (and still am) tapering from 6 months of 5mg val, and those 2mg tapering tabs don't come so easily.  And IOP source of liquid v is gone.  I just finished my last bit of that (I'd have more left, but my clumsy self spilled 50mg/ml when first emptying the ampoules into a bottle for oral admin. 

But knowing I've lost some bone mass, well, is a loss, and I'm frightened, and so tempted to updose to 10mg daily and undo all the hard work I'd put into this slow taper I started last month.  I have 1 more day on 4mg, then planned to start on 3.5mg - and I've done several by now - but I feel like, fuck the taper!  The only thing keeping it worth staying the course is that sources have dried up like crazy, and doctor visits are crazy expensive!  And this doc only wrote me for #30 2mg w/no refills.  Pill mills around here have even taken a hit, as if it wasn't hard enough already.

I could resign myself to being on a full 5-10mg daily for the rest of my miserable life, but tolerance sucks ass, hence the repeated medication vacations.

Anyway, back on topic, I started having bad night sweats back in 2003, w/no other signs of meno, except for menses being consistently closer together for the longest time.  I had to change my pjs up to 3x/night, sometimes even the sheets got soaked (sweat, not urine - waist up).  So for me anyway, they're not nearly as frequent nor as severe, but it still interrupts sleep, as do more bladder urges.

As someone who's always been intolerant to the cold, I'd looked forward to hot flashes back in my youth.  Little did I know, that they're called hot *flashes* for a reason:  it's like a faulty internal thermostat...there's this feeling from inside the chest, suddenly I need to disrobe, drink something cool, throw open a window, or run a fan....then, about a min or 2 later, I'm okay again, so I get dressed and all, only to have chills that can go on for a  few hours....bundling up, hot beverage, burying beneath several blankets, heat on, sitting in my sauna, lather, rinse and repeat.  And on those days, I tend to be more prone to random out of the blue panic attacks.

 

[Kalsima]

Dang I relate to all of you! I thought I was healthy then menopause hit and my whole body changed. My liver doctor is such a jerk. He won't let me take any meds because they are processed through my liver. And I have GERD so I can't eat  spicy foods or acidic. I feel for you all. Menopause sucks. Now I know why my mom is a crazy nut! Hope this will end for all of us I wish you all the best! Don't get me even started on hot flashes! Please end soon getting old sucks!

 

[Akup7ich]

Hi 

If anyone still resist thread ? Is anyone currently going through menopause right at age 50 like me. I’m on my fourth maybe fifth month without a period. Even though I know there was no human way I was pregnant I still took a pregnancy test because I just couldn’t believe it gone that long finally. After skipping. And having a regular periods for two years and all the other mess they’re like describe above. I’m just a fucking disaster right now. Lately my breast hurt in a different way but constantly.

Didn’t know if anybody’s going through anything similar I wanted to whine about it I guess if I make it a whole year with no. Those in that means according to Google that the worst is behind me? My mom keeps telling me I’m never gonna lose weight until I’m done with this menopause shit which is also just a fun fact

 

[alixjones2018]

@Akup7ich Oh man sis! I feel ya! I had a hysterectomy so I went into immediate menopause 9 years ago. Those hot flashes--it's difficult for anyone who hasn't been through them to even fathom them.

I decided to not take any hormones and in retrospect I wish I had been "kinder" to myself. But I feel like that in lots of other areas in my life!

I figured if my mother didn't need anything then I didn't need anything and in truth I always believe I am strong enough to get through anything all.by.myself. I found out some years later my mother didn't do it all by herself--she just didn't feel the need to share that with me I guess. I knew every other pill she took. If I would have known any other women who had gone through it I might have had a better outcome. I had a male doc at the time and he said "Yeah, I can give you the replacement hormone but only for a month or so. You might as well just figure it out how to live without it right away." 

IF your doc will help ease you in I would so suggest it! I have had lots of friends who have used the estradiol cream and swear by it. As well several friends went to the docs who will compound a cream for you based on what your body needs. 

Whatever works for you! I STILL have the nighttime hot flashes. The daytime ones are like once in a great great while! 

I have a couple of friends that are now using a testosterone cream and rave about what it's done for their life. It interesting how we women will focus on loss of estrogen and even our docs won't address the loss of testosterone.  

It might be my overall mood this week but I kinda sorta feel that unless you find a way to bring back in those lost hormones you will feel the effects for many years! It makes sense. I have been too focused on treating; and at this point; beating pancreatic cancer that minor things like nighttime hot flashes don't bother me any longer! I will look into the testosterone cream as soon as my doc gives me the OK! 

Whine away...so many of us will happily commiserate with you! If I could share just one thing I would say again: Just be kind to yourself. There is no reason for you to suffer through it if there is something that will help you! We women have the greatest bodies and we take on so many traumas to our bodies that we just be taught to treat ourselves as we treat others!

 

[Akup7ich]

Thank you  @alixjones2018  what a tough cookie you are !! 
I will take your advice on all the above ! 
I appreciate the feed back . Makes me feel special

 

[Kalsima]

@Akup7ich As soon as I get the go ahead to travel I promise to see you. We can commiserate over menopause. It freaking sucks. i showed a picture of me to @2earls my entire body changed and its dreadful. That's when I found out about  all these autoimmune diseases and my allergies came back and asthma came back! When I was younger the doctor said I grew out of them but they came back  with a vengeance. 

Poor @alixjones2018 you poor thing. that's horrible. I am so sorry I did not know that you had a hysterectomy.  Life can be so cruel at times. That was great advice to @Akup7ich I can't take any hormone teplacements  because of my liver but I am so happy you put the information out there. My heart goes out to all the women I knew 15 years back when we were younger. We used to talk about  sex on VIP now we are older and talking about hot flashes! It is so sad seeing us get older. Thanks for posting I know there are a bunch of us now going through menopause. But @alixjones2018 my heart goes out to you to be forced into it! Youpoor thing I hope you are doing better now. 

Love you women Hev