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[elainewin]

Hi to everyone,just wondered if anybody has got good tips for hot flushes and night sweats ,the night sweats being the worst,ive got the fan directly facing me but with these cold nights im also waking up freezing, its a case of to hot or to cold take your pick lol.
Im on ADs but there not really doing anything for the hot flushes ....any ideas will be worth a try please.x

[dazned]

What Ad are you on ? Citlopram is meant to be good for flushes,my friend is on them for this reason and swears by them,however we are all different 

[elainewin]

hi dazned im on fluoxetine (prozac ) tried citalopram a few years bk and it kept me awake, were fluoxetine helps me to sleep,it seemed to help at first with the flushes but now there creeping bk if i dont keep myself freezing there bk constantly , the minute i put heating on for rest of family or cooking in kitchen i have to head straight to back door .any idea how long these flushes last .im 55 and only started having them in June last year, not quite gone a year yet without a period . 

[Joyce]

When I've been really bad with flushes/sweats I used a chillow, in fact I have two. Alternated them through the night. They are quite expensive though. Another thing which helped me was a cool scarf. Not actually a scarf as such, more like a bandana you wear around your neck.  It's horrid being roasting hot one minute & freezing the next.

I took a 3 month break from HRT recently to see where I was, but found it's the only thing which truly works for me. However, we're all different & HRT maybe isn't an option for you. As far as how long do the flushes last, if only we knew.

[Rosebush]

Elaine you have my sympathy, I am now in my 17th year of hot sweats, at the start I tried every herbal remedy on the shelf, nothing worked...so  after 10yrs!! i gave in to HRT i was 2mths short of 60, not ideal at that age, but I was shattered, even now my HRT only works daytime, I still get night one's every 40mins, not soaking one's just very hot & sticky, I love this cold weather as I cool off in a few minutes, I now also take 1/2 sleeping tab about 4nights a week, which give me 4hrs sleep and 2-3hrs cap naps..'Most' women are lucky and they go away after 2yrs hope you are one of the lucky one's..

[elainewin]

Thanks to you all who replied, its great to hear everyones opinions ,Rosebush 17yrs Arghhh, maybe in time i will get more used to them bloody annoying thou. perhaps one day there will be something thats made just for hot sweats  Thanks again x

[Hurdity]

Hi elainewin

There is something that's made just for hot sweats - it's called HRT!!! Have you thought of this? Apologies if you have already said there is a medical reason why you cannot take it - but if not - this will eliminate your sweats! Just need to find the right  product at the right dose and away you go . There is no way I would put up with these (sweats), if there was something that worked that I was able to take - no-one can function properly without a decent night's sleep.

Hurdity x

[elainewin]

Hi Hurdity yes i was on Hrt for 9 wks climagest 1mg but it didnt agree with me and dr was,nt interested in changing it ..so im taking fluoxetine which has helped with my low moods but nothing for the sweats, Hrt made me feel awful so not keen to pursue it, but if things get to un bearable then i will change drs as there is another practise near by that has a menopause clinic ..thanks x

[Hurdity]

Hi - I remember now - you only tried tablets which contained norethisterone - so it is definitely worth trying another type as there will be something out there which suits you and better for you than ADs. We did discuss this before. Difficult when you have an unsympathetic doc. Great idea to go to a practice with menopause clinic. Do your research about what type to try, print out some info, quote the relevant part of the NICE Guidelines ( we can find it for you) and ask for something.  Definitely try a different type of HRT before changing ADs and hopefully you might be able to stop taking the Fluoxetine if the HRT does its job, because the doc has wrongly given you these instead of trying a different type of HRT before giving ADs, instead of after treating the flushes you still had depressive moods etc that did not respond to hormones. That is the point to think about ADs!! Good luck anyway and if we can help further please ask.

Hurdity x

[Mary G]

elainewin, I am going to agree with Hurdity again!

Putting it bluntly, I would have been more surprised if the HRT you were given HAD worked.  First of all, the dose you were on was far too low and secondly, it contains norethisterone which a large percentage of women don't get on with, myself included.  Basically, you were precribed the wrong type of HRT.

Sorry to sound like a cracked record but if you were to change to a bio identical transdermal gel or patch with separate bio identical Utrogestan, your sweats would completely disappear and you probably would not need ADs.  Leading expert Professor Studd continually talks about this method of HRT being the first line of defence against menopausal symptoms and hormonal depression/anxiety and this is the type of HRT doctors should be prescribing, definitely not the type of HRT you were given. 

I take two pumps of oestrogen gel every day and 100mg of Utrogestan (vaginally) for 7 days each month (because of my intolerance to synthetic progestins) and this is the only regime that sorted out my thermostat problem.  Having tried many different types of HRT, this is the best formula that I have found.

Please don't suffer for too long, you really do have a choice.

[GypsyRoseLee]

Also agree with Hurdity and MaryG.

Giving Norethisterone to certain women suffering hormonal anxiety and depression is like pouring petrol in someone who is already on fire.

When I told my new, lovely GP that I'd previously been prescribed Elleste Duet (also contains Norethisterone) she actually winced a bit and told me she had other patients who 'went a bit psycho' if they took Norethisterone.

[elainewin]

Thanks again to you all for your brilliant advice ..yes im going to change gps monday . and hopefully i will get the help every women deserves x