Ottakee Posted June 22 Share Posted June 22 I know one option is to see my doctor and get hormones….and that is certainly on the table. Just wondering what else might be helpful. Right now nights are rough as it is hot here and the AC is set at 72°. I have a ceiling fan on and a tower fan on in addition to the AC. I just sleep better when it is colder in my room. Not sure I can justify the electric cost to run AC in my bedroom but buying a small unit is not out of the question either. Any other ideas of what works? Or even personal experience with meds from the doctor? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted June 22 Share Posted June 22 I think the NutritionFacts doctor Gregor on YouTube did a video on soy isoflavone supplements and hot flashes. I haven't tried it and it's been a long while since I've seen it, but I'd start there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted June 22 Share Posted June 22 My endocrinologist suggested trying two things before hormones, since both have clinical evidence that they help some women and don't increase the risk of cancer as much-black cohosh, and a low dose SSRI. So far, I don't think the Black cohosh has done anything whatsoever for me, but in fairness, it's also REALLY hot out, and I also have thyroid disease so don't have a well functioning internal thermostat to start with. I've always had trouble with hormones for menstruation and pregnancy , and apparently NOT having hormones also really messes with me, which doesn't seem at all fair. I run two fans at night, and carry a battery powered mist fan almost everywhere. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted June 22 Share Posted June 22 (edited) I will say that tinkering with my diet helps SOME. If I have sugar, they’re worse. Cooling cotton bedding is also big. I can’t sleep under anything polyester. I feel like I’m laying under plastic wrap. Edited June 22 by fairfarmhand 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indigo Blue Posted June 22 Share Posted June 22 Are things like 5htp and OTC progesterone still recommended? I never tried these. I just heard about them a lot. I never did try anything except keep the house cool at night, get a super thin blanket, and walk outside in freezing weather to cool off. And dress in thin layers. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted June 22 Share Posted June 22 I took a low dose SSRI for a few years to help me through the worst. It wasn't a miracle, but I think it did help some. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted June 22 Share Posted June 22 I found that upping my exercise helped, but I think you already exercise a lot? 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbutton Posted June 22 Share Posted June 22 DIM supplements, but I have super high estrogen and very little progesterone. I don’t know if it helps universally for hot flashes, but usually hot flashes are because of a relative imbalance between the two hormones (or so I’ve been told/read somewhere). I get mine from Thorne. It’s basically the stuff that makes cruciferous/sulphury veggies good for you in concentrated form—much higher than you can get from food alone. Before I got on an adequate dose of it, I was eating three heads of cabbage per week (lunch salads and sometimes cooked for dinner on top of that)—I craved it. Now I eat a lot of crucifers, but not so obsessively, and my hot flashes are mostly nonexistent. I do turn the A/C down to 68 at night (starting early evening) and then back up to 76 during the day. I run a fan at night also, and I run fans during the day if it gets stuffy—the whole house fan for our central air also runs every 20 minutes to keep the humidity down. I sometimes use a second sheet as a blanket. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbutton Posted June 22 Share Posted June 22 It also helps more than expected to run a cold wash cloth over myself head to toe or to take a cool shower before bed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Tick Posted June 22 Share Posted June 22 27 minutes ago, Laura Corin said: I found that upping my exercise helped, but I think you already exercise a lot? I've noticed this in particular with regard to cardio exercise. If I stop for injury or weather and just focus on weights, my hot flashes seem to increase in frequency. I'm about to test this again while I try to heal a knee injury. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheReader Posted June 22 Share Posted June 22 it sounds counter-intuitive, but I've started wearing merino blend clothing, and especially sleeping in it. Far fewer hot flashes at night, and my temp is more regulated during the day (I have not had a daytime hot flash in ages). I also am on low dose bc continuously, but that was mainly for wonky periods & worsening hormonal migraines - it helped all of that, and did decrease the hot flashes some, but they dropped off more when I started wearing merino/merino blend stuff. I notice that I do run hotter at night if I wear cotton pjs to bed, still, so it isn't only the bc that has impacted things. I am told reducing your coffee/caffeine intake helps too but I haven't been willing to try that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth S Posted June 22 Share Posted June 22 (edited) For me, I had both Hot flashes & Cold flashes. Exercise helps me. Sugar does not help me. 😉 But I eat it in moderation anyway. I had no desire to experiment with medication. I *knew* there was no serious medical condition, so I just waited them out. Now at 60yo, I have them maybe once a day instead of 10 times a day. Edited June 22 by Beth S 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melanie32 Posted June 22 Share Posted June 22 One thing that helps me is that they come in phases and will get bad for a month or so here and there and then calm down. Knowing that this too shall pass helps me get through them better. I recently went through a bad spell but it is tapering off. They come less frequently and are as severe. I started taking a DIM supplement recently and I’m not sure if that’s what’s helping them or if it’s just the natural cycle. However with magnesium glycinate, L theanine, and the Dim supplements I am sleeping so much better and feeling much more like myself again so that may be helping as well. I definitely notice a link between anxiety, lack of sleep and hot flashes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annandatje Posted June 22 Share Posted June 22 When my daughter and I went on a reduced carb eating plan, I noticed that my body felt cooler, and the hot flashes subsided. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frances Posted June 22 Share Posted June 22 Minimal to no sugar and refined carbs plus exercise really helped me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted June 22 Share Posted June 22 I was so happy with low dose hormones to get through the worst years. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted June 22 Share Posted June 22 Tulsi/Holy Basil helps some, so I was watching on Youtube yesterday. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3U1tr-h3Z8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted June 22 Share Posted June 22 Acupuncture helped me so, so much! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted June 23 Author Share Posted June 23 I do exercise regularly. do menopausal women’s hormones feed off each other like College roommates tend to get cycles at the same time? I ask as this flare up started when I spent 4 rarely more than 20 feet away from a friend of mine who is similar age. We spent 4 days in a car/hotel room/hiking, etc together. Can I blame her????😀. But that was 4 weeks ago so ……. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted June 23 Share Posted June 23 2 hours ago, Ottakee said: I do exercise regularly. do menopausal women’s hormones feed off each other like College roommates tend to get cycles at the same time? I ask as this flare up started when I spent 4 rarely more than 20 feet away from a friend of mine who is similar age. We spent 4 days in a car/hotel room/hiking, etc together. Can I blame her????😀. But that was 4 weeks ago so ……. Haha. I don’t think you get to blame your friend . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkTulip Posted June 23 Share Posted June 23 About a year ago, I was hit hard with hot flashes - like every 2 hours at night and every 30-ish minutes during the day. I was so miserable and could barely function, but tried to tough it out for about 4 months with no relief. I switched up my diet, exercise routine, supplements, etc. and nothing really helped. I finally went to my doctor, who put me on the lowest dose of estradiol and progesterone, and my hot flashes stopped completely within 2 weeks. Being on these medications have given me my life back! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted June 24 Share Posted June 24 I wouldn’t guess. Find a good menopause doctor and get extensive hormone testing. If something is missing, consult about the remedy. It’s ridiculous that women are expected to just tough it out. A friend who is a microbiologist recommended the book Estrogen Matters to me. I bought it but haven’t gotten around to reading it. I’m at the point in my life where I do need to educate myself so I’m ready for what’s next. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klmama Posted June 24 Share Posted June 24 FWIW, my hot flashes mostly stopped when I significantly reduced my intake of higher histamine foods and increased my intake of lower histamine foods. Sugar near bedtime definitely made night hot flashes worse. YMMV, of course. https://mastcell360.com/low-histamine-foods-list/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted June 24 Share Posted June 24 The hot flashes and hormonal headaches I've been having seem to respond to flax seed oil. I used to take 6 capsules a day divided over the day (2,2,2) and had backed off to 2 a day total to try fish oil instead (for other reasons, inflammation). The symptoms increased, so I went up to 4 and had the symptoms go back down. Then I forgot and went back down to 2 and had them recur, so I'm back up to 4. At this point I definitely get headaches verging on migraines without the flax oil. I also have an SSRI for when I want it, which I currently do. 😄 But the flax oil makes a noticeable difference for me while being relatively innocuous. I use an EFA-gold, high lignan formula by Nature's Way. Some I've tried were junk, so the brand may matter. Be careful about letting it sit in your mailbox with the summer heat. https://www.amazon.com/Natures-Way-Flax-1300mg-Softgels/dp/B000984SB0/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted June 24 Share Posted June 24 (edited) So sorry you're dealing with this now, especially when the weather is also really hot. That combination must be pretty brutal. I have no long-term tips other than perhaps doing some "treating the symptoms" that I kind of wish I had done and what I do now. - Use an ice pack or cold cloth to give yourself a nice, quick cooling where ever the sweat pours from. I used to get a full-body sweat explosion, where sweat sprung from all the pours on my legs. It was quite shocking. I never thought to just rub some cold packs on the super hot spots, but I do it when exercising in the heat and it's amazing. - Layer clothing or blankets in bed, so that you can quickly strip off a layer when the heat rushes in. - Drink lots of water to replenish the liquids in your body All the best! Edited June 24 by wintermom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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