Hot flushes wake me up every hour - any tips?

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I'm 43 and have been thrown suddenly into menopause following chemo. It's only been a few months so I haven't discussed HRT yet, I probably will go down that route but I'm a bit fed up of taking medication at the moment.

In the meantime, I'm getting terrible hot flushes on average every hour or two throughout the day and night. They only last about a minute, but at night they're unbearable and I have to get out of bed and run cold water over my wrists or at least sit up until it's passed. I can't stay lying in bed for that minute, I feel like I'm on fire and my brain insists I have to get out!

The lack of sleep is really starting to affect me and it's so disappointing given I'm finally free of cancer and all the other things that had affected my sleep are gone. Is there anything other than HRT that helps? I've heard of magnesium helping with sleep during menopause, but does it help with the hot flushes? It's definitely only these that are waking me up, not general insomnia. Has anyone found anything else that helps to reduce them? Or are there any things I should be avoiding that might be making them worse?

Only HRT helped me I'm afraid x

I remember this and it’s so horrible.

I would wake up in a hot dripping mess, throw off the covers, fall back asleep and wake up cold and clammy, repeat all night long. Lack of proper sleep was unbearable.

Ive changed to a 3tog single duvet, at times I just slept under a fleece blanket. If you share a bed, go for two single duvets.

I still take cold gel packs and a cold flannel to bed with me everynight. I turn off heating in the bedroom and have an open window all year.

Ive also switched to cotton sleeveless night dresses. There’s also a John Lewis hand held fan which is very good.

Getting to sleep was also a problem for me. I found I needed to get my body temperature down (gel packs)to be able to drift off.

Thank you, yes I've switched to light cotton pyjamas, open window, cooling blanket (like a thin sheet), plus a duvet to hand so I can switch between the two. But like you say once the hot flush wears off I'm freezing. Generally cooling myself and the room is helpful but still doesn't solve the problem, I seem to get the flushes regardless. Maybe I just need to look into HRT sooner rather than later.

If you’ve got early menopause you really need HRT if possible, to give you the protection oestrogen will provide. It will also alleviate your hot flushes.

Magnesium, phytoestrogens and some supplements such as red clover, black cohosh and suchlike can be beneficial but you really need some HRT if your ovaries have packed up already. (Unless you had a hormone dependent cancer obviously).

Black cohosh worked for me. I rarely have any hot flushes now

Have you 'lost' your ovaries as a result of chemo?

If so, you need HRT to prevent the risks you are now more likely to have with no ovarian function at 43- heart disease, osteoporosis and possible dementia. (There was more research in the press last week on this after a US research trial.)

You may get some relief from sage and black cohosh but it's very individual and there is not a lot of absolute proof they work- more anecdotal- and worth a try for women who simply can't use hrt at all.

. It's only been a few months so I haven't discussed HRT yet,

It's a little negligent of your medical team not to take the initiative and suggest it to you.

If important hormones are destroyed through a treatment, they should be replaced or at least discussed and a plan created at the start.

I've cut out bread, pasta & sugar and have been sleeping much better, not waking with night sweats. I didn't make a causal link, until I went to a party yesterday and ate pizza & cake (not loads) and then woke sweating in the night last night. It might be worth a try.

Sage supplements helped me enormously with this. Also a magnesium and lavender cream rubbed on my feet before bed. Red Clover and Menopace too, upping my water intake and yoga. I couldn’t take HRT .

Well this has been a bit eye opening and definitely made me think I should start looking at HRT. My last consultant appointment was in February, when I found out I was in remission. I'd just had a period in January and had no other symptoms, so we were all quite confident the chemo hadn't put me in menopause. But a few weeks later the hot flushes started, and I haven't had a period since. My next check up is in June so I was planning to wait until then to discuss it, but based on the responses here I'll probably contact my cancer nurse or make a GP appointment to start taking about HRT. I'm just so fed up of drug-induced side effects, I was hoping I could ride it out without any more medication. But I do have a very strong family history of osteoporosis and my other big symptom is terrible joint/bone pain, so I guess I can't keep burying my head in the sand. It's reassuring that so many people have said the HRT helps with the hot flushes, so at least there is a solution out there!

I couldn't take hormones and the consultant suggested venlafaxine instead. It worked very well.

Depending on the type of cancer, HRT may be counter-indicated. I can’t take it, and just have to put up with the hot flashes. You may need to be prepared for this.

I understand if you don't want to say which cancer you've had.

You can't take HRT (usually) if it was breast cancer (although this isn't as black and white as it used to be.)

Other female cancers like womb and ovaries are a grey area depending on what stage etc.

If you are having periods, it doesn't sound as if chemo has completely stopped your own hormonal cycles.

However, a family history of osteoporosis is very relevant and even without any hormonal issues, you'd qualify for regular DEXA (bone density) scans usually every 3 years from the time of your last period.

If you can take it (depending on the type of cancer) just get the HRT. Honestly, I tried all sorts of other solutions. Two weeks on HRT and I was transformed. Not only were the awful hot sweats and flushes gone, but so was the achy bones, foggy brain, and slight depression - all things I had just put down to getting older and being over-tired.
Wishing you health as you recover.

I had lymphoma so HRT shouldn't be a problem. I will ask about venlafaxine too.

I've been really surprised by how debilitating the hot flushes can be, I never thought they'd be the reason I was considering HRT! I imagined they'd be like the night sweats I got with lymphoma, but they're completely different.

I'm trying to pretend I don't already know this. My diet is way too bread, pasta and sugar heavy and I know cutting back will probably help. But after 6 months of not being able to eat I'm just enjoying food too much!

The other drugs a PP mentioned (antidepressants) are now only prescribed for women who can't use HRT.

There's been a massive drive over recent years to guide GPs away from these for women who can use hrt.

If your family history includes osteoporosis, and your ovarian function is compromised at 43, you may need hrt anyway to prevent bone loss.

Losing your fertility before age 45 is a medical condition called early menopause, and comes with risks ( as described above.)

I’m not allowed to take HRT (breast cancer). Magnesium threonate and CBT have helped.

My hot flushes stopped very soon after starting HRT. Nothing else helped.

You shouldn't have to put up with it: there are other things to try. Venlafaxine worked for me but isn't the only non-hormone option.

How do I know if my ovarian function is compromised? Can a blood test say for sure? It's only been 3 months since my last period so a part of me wonders if this might be a temporary effect from the chemo and maybe they'll start again in the future?

HRT

A blood test won't tell you for sure as hormones can fluctuate so much during perimenopause.

At your age I was on HRT anyway so you're not too young for symptoms irrespective of your cancer treatment.

Not having a period for 3 months certainly indicates your hormones have shifted, if the hot flushes didn't already tell you that!
When I went on HRT I still had regular periods, so even if you did too that also doesn't indicate that you don't need HRT.

It seems like one of your main concerns is side effects. I think there are very low incidents of side effects. It's absolutely nothing like cancer medication side. You'd be very unlucky to have any negative side effects. The majority of people just get relief from their symptoms. If I were you I'd get straight onto HRT. Remember if it doesn't work or does cause side effects which outweigh the benefits you can come off it.

Is this something you can ask the specialist nurses or drs? How long is it since you stopped chemo and is ovarian function compromised by it? Is it listed as a side effect?

A blood test won't show much.
FSH tests have to be done over 2 consecutive months between Days 2 to 5 of your normal cycle.

The first sign of peri is usually irregular cycles. (Just for comparison, my first missed cycle was when I was in my early 50s - around 51-52.)

So 43 is very early.

You've not commented on my previous posts about your bone density risk.
If chemo affects your ovaries and estrogen, it would be realistic to ask for a bone density scan now, in view of your family history.

If it's already slipped, then that is a reason to start HRT.

I've emailed my cancer nurse so hopefully will get some medical answers in due course but from experience I doubt I'll be able to get any answers from my consultant until my appointment in June. I've asked my nurse if he's likely to just send me to the GP anyway, in which case I'll get moving sooner.

It's reassuring to know side effects of HRT won't necessarily be too bad. I've had a terrible time through chemo so it really has scared me off medication but the consensus seems to be that HRT is the best solution.

Regarding my bones, I was always planning to ask for a dexa scan in June but because of just had a period at my last appointment I thought I'd escaped the menopause for now and it wasn't really a priority. Things have just ramped up really quickly in the last couple of months. I've already been on vitamin D and calcium for the last year, plus a zolendronic acid infusion, so hopefully there won't have been any damage yet