Hot flushes driving me to dispair

[Remmy123]

The last few weeks I have started getting hot flushes and many through the night - I can't sleep and I look like sh*t - I am usually a very cold person but now I am in a vest top in the house it's crazy!

I haven't started HRT yet but have an appointment with the doctor

I also have low iron currently which is very unusual and never had before so on iron tablets

will HRT help with these hot flushes as that and no period is my only real symptom?

what else can I take to help - typing while sitting here literally on fire 🔥 and not in a good way!

thanks

Yes HRT will help you, alcohol made mine worse so if you like a drink cut that out or down.

Mine made me cry often too. I was not sleeping, tired at work etc etc. Yes, my patches kicked in perhaps a week after starting them and I feel human again. Ditto alcohol and processed sugars made them much worse.

I agree with alcohol - I find that makes it worse definately.
one hack a friend told me was keeping wet wipes in the fridge and wiping round your chest, face and neck as they’re cool so is refreshing and helps. I’ve had other symptoms but not the flushes too much - I’ve not used hrt myself however lots of my friends say it’s a game changer, hopefully it improves things for you x

They are horrible aren’t they? Natural materials for clothing wherever possible, avoid synthetic fabrics. Stying cooler helps, I keep my bedroom cold to sleep in but I didn’t have night sweats for more than a month then they went away. Others may have better tips than me for those.

I have a neck fan charged all the time (they are much cheaper this time of year too!) and they make a real immediate difference as the flush hits and I also like to touch something cold right away. Stress, hot drinks and hot places all trigger them for me. Move your body every day for calm and also using breathing techniques can aid your ‘recovery’ when one hits. I can’t have hrt so I use all the above to help. I hope this helps while you wait for your appt!

Totally agree on the booze, try not drinking at all for a bit and see the result. Caffeine too, but I have already been caffeine free for a decade so my baseline doesn’t help there!

I suffered hot flushes for years, back in the days where GP’s were 50/50 on prescribing HRT, basically every visit to GP I was left to “think about it”, Finally when I went back to ask for HRT, my blood pressure was high so that needed sorting out, which took a while and I never did get to try HRT, so my recommendation is to tell GP as it is and be adamant that you want to try HRT, I wish I had when I first experienced hot flushes and maybe my menopause journey would have been better, fortunately that was the only main symptom I had.

I never had hot flushes in the daytime but HRT worked like magic to stop my night sweats. I knew it was time to increase my dose when they started coming back.

Do you exercise? My biggest help (I can’t take HRT) has been going running.

My GP prescribed Venlafaxine to help with the flushes. This has worked brilliantly for me.

The HRT will help instantly.

Don't start too low oestrogen dose though. I was 44 and started on 50 while GP suggested 75.

I was on 100 in the space of 4 months.

Have an idea of your favoured type of oestrogen and progesterone.

For me, patch and coil is the easiest and least bothersome.

Mine tend to be during the day, on and off. Someone recommended sage tablets. I haven't bought any yet, but I may have to, or consider going on HRT.

Any type of exercise?
Thanks.

Another hard recommend for HRT. It has completely stopped my night sweats and many other symptoms. It can take up to 12 weeks to really kick in so stick with it

Your doctor should talk to you about exercise, nutrition, hydration and sleep as well. As another poster said, exercise is an essential part of taking care of yourself during perimenopause and beyond

My gp recently suggested I go down from 100mcg (which I’ve been on for years) to 75mcg as, and I quote, ‘100 is a big old dose’. I tried it and had night sweats and aching joints within about a week. She is the practice menopause specialist and has always been really good before, but that was just bizarre.

@MagpiePi thats awful for you. I hope you've gone back up to the higher dose.

My private gynae told me women who start having issues younger, need higher doses for longer. I started having night sweats at 42.

I did have a hysteroscopy D&C early on and there was no problem and he told me my uterine lining was being nicely controlled.

I do also have breakthrough night sweats sometimes. Had one last night. Woke up on top of the covers freezing cold with a wet vest top. Bleugh.

There was a research study on this which proved it definitely does help (it showed 60% reduction), and for that one they had people doing weights at the gym.
I am not an expert but I think anything that improved your fitness level would help, so if swimming or dancing were more your bag I am sure they would have an effect. If you are already sedentary then increasing your walking might be a realistic way to start.
I personally found exercise the only thing that helped having also tried supplements, giving up coffee/caffeine and giving up alcohol.
MIL found that cutting out red meat helped but it didn’t do much for me.

HRT definitely helped with mine. I tried Menopace Max and other supplements which to a degree helped but not much. HRT is a game changer.

Thanks all - I don't drink only a couple of glasses a week!

glad to know HRT can help it's very uncomfortable - luckily I have a very cold bathroom and cold tiles so I go in there for a bit but it's so disruptive!

Night sweats are the pits. I stopped my HRT last year to see if I was in "full" menopause. Answer, yes. 6 months of no HRT and the night sweats were horrendous. Waking several times a night.

I am now back in the HRT. Night sweats have dropped to a couple a night, but only on a low dose of estrogen. I am gradually moving up to two squirts, as I think I need more to knock them on the head. GP has said I can stay on HRT until I'm 70 😂😂

@HostaCentral you can stay on HRT for life unless contra indicated (cancer etc).

Many women stay on it well into their later years.

Stay on it till 70
I don't know why GPs still say things like this.
There is no time limit on using HRT. This is clearly explained in the BMS guidance, from years ago.

There is a risks v benefits scale which says that after 70 some risks of HRT increase but that's mainly with things like blood clots which don't apply to all types of HRT.

The decision to stop or carry should to be taken with full knowledge of your bone density and any other relevant issues. And many women still have hot flushes etc after 70.

Yes, and caffeine. I have food intolerances and eating tomatoes made me feel like I was in a sauna an hour or two afterwards.

OP, you could try getting a cooling pillow/pads for your bed.

I didn't have night sweats as such but I'd wake up in the night boiling hot, kick the covers off and then wake up cold so sleep was impacted quite severely. HRT worked fairly instantly for me. It's also improved my achey joints. Give it a go and see!

HRT helped my hot flushes completely. I would be at work and would have to keep going to the toilets as I would be literally dripping. It has all stopped with HRT.

Just a thought until you see your doctor. My husband suffers with hot flushes due to the medication he's taking for cancer. His consultant recommended good quality sage tablets/capsules to help with sweating.

Would this be worth trying?