Night sweats

[Ritascornershop]

So awful. This has been going on for maybe 14 months? I wake up dripping with sweat, I have no idea how I have not lost half my body weight (I’m 9 stone something) with the sweating. I went on HRT a year ago and a couple of months ago increased the dosage, but no improvement.

It’s especially bad if I dare to eat anything spicy. I love spicy food though!

I feel smelly, despite having a mattress protector and an extra thing that goes right under my back and bum from when my kids were in a cot, and washing the sheets daily I feel like my bedroom smells sour.

It’s gross and I feel like maybe I smell even after bathing and am wondering if anyone has found anything (besides keeping the room cool and cool baths) works? Herbs? Exercise in the morning or evening? I walk about 4-7 k a day and do about 15 minutes of cardio workouts. What else can I try?

What type of hrt do you take? It sounds as if the dose is possibly too low or you are not absorbing it. Is it tablets, patches or gel?

I take pills as I found the gel so very gloopy & like I didn’t have enough thighs (& have tiny arms so definitely not enough arms) to spread it around. Also I always wondered if I was getting enough or too much. I haven’t tried the patch yet.

200 milligrams of progesterone and 1.5 milligrams of lupin-estradiol daily. I’ve got a phone appointment with the gynaecologist in 2 weeks.

If you have the money go for acupuncture.
No chemicals.
Totally sorts out all types of menopausal symptoms.
But you do have to pay unfortunately.

It’s pretty cheap where I live, about £10 after the currency conversion. It may also be covered on my work benefits, I’m not sure. I’ve had it years ago for a neck issue, but haven’t tried yet for menopause. Thanks for the idea :)

It's only anecdotal and obviously I'm a sample of one, but I found taking herbal/vitamin supplements for menopausal women helped calm down my night sweats. Look for ones with red clover, soya and sage in them.

I didn't have severe menopausal symptoms, thecworst one was a tendency to overheat, especially at night. It calmed down within a few weeks of taking supplements. Coincidence maybe, but it has to be worth a try.

Are you in the UK @Ritascornershop? What is lupin estradiol?

The thing is, a lot is lost from pills when they are digested- up to half almost - so the dose you will actually get will be far less .

I've used gel for 12 years, I use 1 pump in the morning, and between 1 or half a pump at bedtime. I squirt it into my palm and then apply to either my upper arms or thighs- half to each arm or leg.

How much Utrogestan do you use? Are you saying it's 200mgs a day or 200mgs 12 days a month?

Sorry, re-read. 200mgs of Utrogestan daily is FAR too much! no wonder you aren't feeling better.

The dose is 100mgs if taken daily, or 200mgs if used on a monthly cycle, when it's 200mgs for 12 days per calendar month.

That amount of Utrogestan daily is simply 'zapping' the estrogen and making it worthless.

Who prescribed that amount?

The dose as I've described above is on the leaflet in the box.

Make sure you go to a member of a professional acupuncture body if they have one in your country. Someone who practices on a daily basis, not a gp who has a quick qualification or something, as him doing it once a week and a full time acupuncturist doing it multiple times a day can’t really be compared!

Shop around first and see if one stands out due to their post grad training on female health or pick one that has good reviews and achieves good results for this issue.

Stick with it for as long as you can afford. It can take a few months to start feeling yourself again and sometimes you have to get worse to get the bad stuff out before the good stuff can replace it.

Stick with it though for a few months if you can afford it. At a tenner it sounds fab value. It’s £50 upwards where I am!

I think the problem @Elieza is the OP is using the wrong dose because someone has mis-prescribed. Progesterone actually increases the body temperature so it's not surprising she is boiling hot on double the dose!

My consultant is a great fan of acupuncture and I don't knock it, but maybe the OP would like to try to correct combo of her hrt first before she gives it up?

I'm not at this stage yet, but someone told me sage tea helps?

Well!! I’ll be asking the dr about the Progesterone then!! I just rang the chemist and confirmed I’m understanding correctly, I am. She (the gynecologist) has prescribed 2 x 100 mg of progesterone nightly.

The lupin-estradiol is the estrogen (I’m on Canada).

I have thought about trying herbs, but wondered if they worked.

I haven’t heard of drs doing accupuncture! I’m on the west coast, it’s all very alternative here, plus a huge Chinese population, so we have a vast choice of practitioners. But I will check to see if they have experience with women’s issues :)

@Elieza

If you have the money go for acupuncture. No chemicals. Totally sorts out all types of menopausal symptoms. But you do have to pay unfortunately.

Sadly accupuncture didn’t work for me nearly as well as oestrogel.

@Ritascornershop I cannot believe a gynae got it wrong! Terrible!

This is the part of the leaflet ..(you can take 100mgs daily if you are post menopause and do not want to have a withdrawal bleed monthly.)

1. How to take Utrogestan

Always take this medicine exactly as your doctor has told you. Always read the label. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure.

Your doctor will aim to prescribe the lowest dose to treat your symptom for as short as necessary. Speak to your doctor if you think this dose is too strong or not strong enough.

The recommended dose is 200 mg daily at bedtime, for twelve days in the last half of each therapeutic cycle (beginning on Day 15 of the cycle and ending on Day 26).

Taking this medicine

@Elieza Oestrogel is made from yams. It's not exactly chemicals as the estrogen has an exact molecular formula as our own estrogen. It's replacement.

Couldn’t I just take 100mg daily? Trying to remember to stop and start seems like a recipe for disaster as I’m fairly distracted and stressed at the best of times.

I took 100mg a day without a break. I’ve switched to every other day and vaginally now because it made me a bit drowsy.

OP, I'm not a gynae but work for one. He always prescribes Oestrogel (or equivalent oestrogen gel, i.e. Sandrena) one or two pumps daily and Utrogestan 100mg daily every day of the month without a break.

Utrogestan 200mg is far too high a dose.

I just didn’t like the gel, it felt so messy and (though I’m average size) it felt like way more gel than I have body to put it on. I wonder why on earth she’s giving me so much progesterone. She does seem quite nervous that I’ll get cancer (no family history, non-smoker, healthy weight, 2 kids).

How does it work in Canada OP? Do you have GPs and consultants for more expert advice as we do?

You can take it daily but if you have periods still, you may get your own period breaking through on a continuous regime (both hormones daily.)

I don't like using it daily, so use it on a long cycle under supervision from a consultant. but many women are happy on 100mgs daily.

Your consultant does sound a bit confused if she cant read prescribing info properly.

I haven’t had a period in about 22 months.

Well (!) it’s a bit of a mess with covid + we have a gp shortage locally. Usually I use a Skype dr since mine retired (get to stay at home and much more convenient). Then o went to the gynecologist to get a Pap smear and asked her about HRT. She seemed reluctant to prescribe but did (I’d say she’s late 30’s so should be up on current thinking).

Our medicine is socialised btw, so I don’t have to worry about paying to speak to any drs & my work benefits cover the HRT 100%.