Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Amandajane46]

Hi does this work for menopause and does it work better then HRT

[rosebud57]

Hi Amanda,

I have used this in the past, with good results (reduced night sweats). However, herbal remedy fan that I am, I would not mix it with any other prescription meds.

Also, best not to take for more than 3 months at a time.  Then have a break.  All meds, even herbal can have some toxic effects. 

Do a bit of research before you try.

[Taz2]

There seems to have been mixed results from Black Cohosh. This is the advice from the drop down menu under Alternative Therapies http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/otherpreps.php

Taz x

[lily]

I tried the tincture, but did not have any result with it so ordered tablets.  They just came today and as I was desperate yesterday (my flushes and night sweats have intensified lately), I went to Holland & Barratt and bought sage leaf tablets (285mg) and sunflower starflower oil (1000mg) capsules.  Does anyone know if it's okay to take all of these?  Yesterday I took one sage leaf tablet and one sunflower starflower oil capsule with my lunch and another sage leaf tablet with my dinner.  Today I took one and one with my breakfast and a black cohosh tablet (100mg) with my dinner -  but wondered if this is okay or if they can interact? 

--
Edit by Emma

[Sarai]

Lily I don't know the answer but do be careful. What do the packets say on each regarding interaction? After all we see them as just herbs but many potent drugs come from innocent herbs.
I take vitamin B6 and would like to take a B complex but as my B6 say RDA I won't as I would go above RDA.
Having just had a terrible reaction to vitamin D, prescribed by the GP, I am more scared than ever. Especially as all the literature says you can it be allergic to vitamin D.

[lily]

Thanks Sarai, I think I will err on the side of caution - it doesn't mention interaction on the bottles but I would rather try one at a time to see what produces results - just feeling a bit desperate for something to work 

[CLKD]

However desperate you are, if alternatives were reliable they would be on the NHS 

Also - it can take weeks for some products to get into the system successfully.  If you over-load with various herbs etc. you wont' know which is/not working!

[lily]

Thanks CLKD, I would prefer to know if one works better than another. Just woken up soaking again - someone told me today that I looked tired, no wonder after weeks of waking up several times a night needing wrung out 

[rosebud57]

However desperate you are, if alternatives were reliable they would be on the NHS 

Also - it can take weeks for some products to get into the system successfully.  If you over-load with various herbs etc. you wont' know which is/not working!

Oh CLKD what do you mean by this??

As I have said before other countries prescribe herbal meds including Germany where I lived for 2 years.

If reliability was the criterial half of the NHS meds would probably fail the test.

If HRT is SO reliable why do so many ladies on this forum have so many problems with them.

As I have said before, what ever you take should be taken with care.  Listen to your body.

I understand now why silverlady left.

[CLKD]

Because it is true.  Some ladies find relief for short periods with 'alternatives' as they do with other NHS/OTC medications and I include all medical conditions in this statement.  I had to try 3 ADs in the 1980s before one kind of suited me and that was via the NHS.  At least by taking something under advice from a GP or Consultant, one can go back and back until something is found/not that suits the individual.

By buying OTC herbal remedies one has to consider that the Company are in business.  To promote and sell!  Also some herbal remedies interact with prescription meds so one can get so that there are chemical upsets or it isn't certain which product *is* working. 

I have a friend who when moved areas, managed to leave her prescriptions behind  …….. for 5 days she had access to nothing and felt so much 'different'. She had been taking meds for several years and prescribed stuff to help side effects of other stuff  - with careful consideration from her GP she eventually ended up taking 2 essential drugs.  Had she gone back to someone who didn't know her full medical history she might not have found a solution.

This is an open Forum Rosebud and I find your last statement offensive  - if it was aimed in my direction.  As a medical secretary I have seen 'it all' …….. the pain, un-certanity, the worry and fall-out as well has having experienced medication problems.   Without a Very Good GP I wouldn't be here!

Other Countries agree with FGM ……….

I think you should aim one statement at NICE and see what their response might be i.e. 'if reliability was criterial half o the NHS meds would probably fail the test' !

[Winterose]

Rosebud - I was like you with fairly severe symptoms and wasted a lot of money on all the different herbal remedies.  I truly believed they would work as knew nothing about menopause and thought all one did was rub on progesterone cream and knock back various menapause remedies from chemist.  The only thing I didnt try was starflower oil and some people seem to be having success with that but if you are waking up drenched then it sounds like you need something stronger that will stop sweats  so you can get some sleep , I went for about 6 months on herbs and then almost crashed my car as I was so exhausted and anxiety ridden. Hrt kicked in within 3 days and I started to lose the sweats.  There are problems with Hrt but there are also lots of ladies who have no issues with it and they wont bother with this forum much I suspect as why would they? CKLD is just telling it as it is for severe symptoms, its ADs or Hrt and this is from someone who has experienced both sides.  I think there is an area on forum for the alternative ladies and of course all the rest of us watch with interest as wed be delighted not to have to take it.  I took the pill for years and suspect that does far more harm than HRT.  Apparently affects the frontal lobes of your brain.  I wonder if ladies who have taken the pill suffer from tougher menapauses. ?  Dont be affronted with advice just take what information that suits and keep us posted.

[honeybun]

I have never tried Black Cohosh but I have had great success with other herbal medicines. I am lucky to have a good alternative practioner near me.

My sister in law who has lived in Germany for many years first pointed me in the direction of St Johns Wort as it had been prescribed for her by her doctor. It made such a difference to me and I took it with my own doctors blessing. I have taken, and still take various other herbal medications and generally find them very good.
Herbal medicine most definitely has its place. I think most GPs are woefully ignorant about herbal and unless you are lucky enough to have a doctor who is actively interested, then possible treatments with far less side effects could be prescribed.
In Glasgow there is a Homeopathic Hospital and it's NHS run and funded. The waiting list is huge.

Yes companies who sell herbal products have to make a profit but so do the companies who sell direct to the NHS.

For me personally, I would rather treat naturally if I can and its normally my first port of call from vitamins to echinacea to digestive help.

There is room for conventional and traditional treatement to work side by side or alone depending on what is more appropriate.


Honeybun
X

This is why I requested a dedicated section for those who had an interest in alternatives. Then people would have been able to post more freely. Unfortunately despite a great deal of support management did not respond in any way which I found very disappointing.

[Sunnydays]

Honeybun
Couldn't we just make use of the following heading under personal experiences?

'Tell us how you cope without HRT'
Although Ive been a member for a couple of months Ive only looked at it in the past week. I found it really informative and maybe using it more will prompt even more good ideas. I'm very interested in what works for you, and also the comments from Sammy. I did start a thread a while back asking 'what regime works for you?' and there were some good replies but maybe I should have said what non hrt regimes work?
Just an idea x

[lily]

Oh dear, what have I started? Meno brain put sunflower oil instead of starflower - I'm so so tired 

[Winterose]

I think if you ask what non HRT regimes work then people can post there and if some ladies say that HRT was the only thing that helped then no one should get agitated by that statement.  On here we are all looking for the meno holy grail which doesnt exist .......yet. Just great to have a site full of advice and ladies going through same experiences.