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Any tips for hot flushes

21 replies

BorryMum · 21/03/2024 12:29

I'm currently getting hot flushes and moderate night sweats and joint pain. Can anyone recommend what has helped them with this? HRT didn't work for me

OP posts:
Auntpodder · 21/03/2024 12:36

Full sympathy… I always feel/think my hot flushes are worse when I don’t drink enough water… doesn’t help with the joint pain though…

Snippit · 21/03/2024 12:50

Was it the progesterone that you had issues with? That was my problem, my body doesn’t like it at all, it’s PMT all over again. Tridestra was and is my saviour, 3 months of estrogen then 2 weeks of progesterone followed by a bleed, I accept that I need a withdrawal bleed and I only have to do this 4 times a year. I also take testosterone for my libido and lack of energy, blood tests showed I only had 10% of where it should be.

I did a lot of research and trial and error, I had to mention Tridestra, they shovel the cheaper shit first, just like they did with the pill, everyone started off on microgynon. I didn’t get on with the pill, progesterone again, so I knew HRT wouldn’t be easy. It’s taken 3 years to get to where I am now, it’s estrogen that helps to lubricate everything, joints, eyes, fanny, it’s really important. My sister in law now has osteoporosis as she wanted to do it naturally. I have M.S and the estrogen dampens down inflammation which helps with my pain, so I really need HRT for a complete quality of life.

Hope this helps, it’s not fair to have to suffer. I’ve spoken to so many women who are struggling, some haven’t been intimate with their partners for years, it’s so unfair. Testosterone gave me my libido back after 2 weeks, honestly it was like a switch had been flicked.

JinglingSpringbells · 21/03/2024 12:55

BorryMum · 21/03/2024 12:29

I'm currently getting hot flushes and moderate night sweats and joint pain. Can anyone recommend what has helped them with this? HRT didn't work for me

Nothing works as well as hrt for flushes.

Maybe you didn't have the right dose or the right type?

Some women need to try 3 or 4 different sorts and often a higher dose of estrogen.

What were you using and for how long?
How many types have you tried?

BorryMum · 21/03/2024 13:00

Thanks for the advice everyone. I'm on evorel conti. I was on evorel sequi and it worked for a while but I was getting the symptoms back and also getting a light period every two weeks so they put me on conti which stopped the bleeding. The hot flushes came back so they gave me some gel as well but it did nothing and wouldn't soak into my skin so I stopped it. My appetite has increased and my weight is going up which has affected my mental health and I'm still getting hot flushes about 5 times a night and hip and knee pain all the time

OP posts:
BorryMum · 21/03/2024 13:06

Sequi for 6 months, helped for the first 3, same with conti and gel for about 2
Months with conti

OP posts:
AnnaMagnani · 21/03/2024 13:10

What dose did you get up to with the patches?

The main reason Hrt doesn't work is giving up before you reach a therapeutic dose.

BorryMum · 21/03/2024 13:28

I don't really know, one patch every four days? When I told them that they were tapering off they said they couldn't increase the dose. Just realising that I should have done some more research as I didn't question it

OP posts:
BorryMum · 21/03/2024 13:29

It says 3.2kg estrodol hemihydrate

OP posts:
BorryMum · 21/03/2024 13:40

@AnnaMagnani not kg! 3.2mg with 11.2mg of norethisterone acetate

OP posts:
JinglingSpringbells · 21/03/2024 15:37

BorryMum · 21/03/2024 13:40

@AnnaMagnani not kg! 3.2mg with 11.2mg of norethisterone acetate

it's easier for us to help if you quote the patch strength- like 25mcgs, 50mcgs, 100mcgs, etc.

Also- another reason could be you are on combined continuous too soon.

The side effects of using a progestogen every day often mean women give up.

I've used HRT for over 15 years and still don't want to use combined continuous- too many headaches with it.

JinglingSpringbells · 21/03/2024 15:40

The hot flushes came back so they gave me some gel as well but it did nothing and wouldn't soak into my skin so I stopped it.

Which did you have?
There is
Oestrogel
Sandrena
Lenzetto spray

The gel is supposed to dry if you apply a very thin layer over a large area. Your inner thighs. If it doesn't dry, apply half a pump to each thigh and another half a pump to each upper arm. (based on 2 pumps per day.)

BorryMum · 21/03/2024 16:29

@JinglingSpringbells the packet says 50mcgs of estradol every 24 hours. They gave me oestrogen one pump a day but I was only rubbing it into one thigh so I could try spreading it out I guess

OP posts:
Justbetweenus · 21/03/2024 16:51

One pump is 25mcg of estrogen which is a pretty low dose. 50mcg would be two pumps and you might still need more. I prefer patches but I started on 50s which worked almost immediately on the flushes for a few months. When my symptoms started coming back I increased to 75mcg patches and then 100s a few months later. So you could well have not had enough estrogen with a single pump.

midgetastic · 21/03/2024 16:54

Less sugar ?

JinglingSpringbells · 21/03/2024 17:21

BorryMum · 21/03/2024 16:29

@JinglingSpringbells the packet says 50mcgs of estradol every 24 hours. They gave me oestrogen one pump a day but I was only rubbing it into one thigh so I could try spreading it out I guess

why did you only use 1 pump?
The starting dose is 2.
(This is on the patient leaflet, so your GP ought to have advised you.)

No wonder you felt no benefit.

JinglingSpringbells · 21/03/2024 17:24

They gave me oestrogen one pump a day

I assume you mean this is what you were told to use?
This makes me so annoyed.

Yes, there are reasons to start on 1 pump, but it usually comes with the advice to start on 1 pump and see how you feel, then gradually increase by half a pump more to 2 pumps or even 3, till you get symptoms under control.

No one has told you this?

This forum is full of women being given the wrong sort of hrt, the wrong dose, no instructions on how to use it etc etc etc.

Droolylabradors · 21/03/2024 17:58

@JinglingSpringbells isnt the OP saying that she had the evorel conti AND the one pump of gel as a top up?

Even so its only the equiv of 75mcg patch.

OP, I ended up on 100mcg and I'm in consultation (via a hysteroscopy) to get 125 as my night sweats/night time rolling flushes are back.

My GP surgery are great but won't prescribe more than 100mcg so I am seeing a private consultant about it.

And FWIW I eat all the right food, drink all the water, very little alcohol, swim, weights and walk and sleep like a goddess due to the mirena coil.

I still wake up with a wet chest sometimes.

Diet and exercise can only go so far.

OP you could read some of the posts on here and see if you think there is something that might work better for you. Good luck.

AnnaMagnani · 21/03/2024 18:11

50mcg is not a lot.

For comparison, I started on 25mcg which was definitely better than nothing, but worked up to 100mcg where I am happy.

It's most likely it didn't work for you as you never had enough oestrogen.

43ontherocksporfavor · 21/03/2024 18:15

Grin and bear them? Apart from that, they were always worse if I’d been drinking. Mine only lasted 6 months.No HRT here.

BorryMum · 21/03/2024 18:19

Wow you lot are brilliant. I've only seen the nurse and she said the patches don't come in a higher dose. I realise now I have a lot of research to do and I shouldn't just accept what I'm told. I exercise, eat a varied diet, avoid too much alcohol (couple of
Glasses of wine a week) and have learnt to cope with all the other symptoms like brain fog and anxiety. You have inspired me to look at all the options and I will start by reading lots of mumsnet threads x

OP posts:
ArtfulReader · 05/10/2024 17:23

You have my sympathy, hrt did nothing for me, but seemed to make everything worse?!

I have done the following and have seen huge improvements -

increased soy consumption (milk, tofu, edamame beans) there have been studies on this, I’ll try and find and post a link later.
wool bedding (mattress, topper and duvet) Floks were the best that I have found. Wool is temp regulating.
seed cycling - sunflower/sesame from ovulation to menstruation, and flaxseed and pumpkin from menstruation to ovulation (or thereabouts of you have an irregular or no cycle)

good luck

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