<p>I find when I make time for excercise it helps with the hot flashes. Also when my weight is up, the flashes are worse…</p>
<p>I exercise 45 minutes a day, 7 days a week so though I know it’s doing wonders for me in all other ways, not with the flashes…tried Vitamin B complex…that too did nothing.</p>
<p>I too am in the annoying hot flash stage. They started about 2 years ago. At almost exactly the same time I began suffering from overwhelming exhaustion. I’d been experiencing upper back and neck pain and morning stiffness for 3 years prior to that. I’d tried to self diagnose the pain and stiffness and rejected the idea that the problem might be fibromyalgia. After several months of life altering fatigue, I finally saw my family doctor. She diagnosed fibromyalgia. I was placed on Cymbalta, which not only helped with my fatigue, but also decreased the number of hot flashes. I switched to the generic for Effexor (venlafaxine) after a few weeks because the insurance company I had at the time would not pay a penney toward a Cymbalta prescription. The Effexor was not effective. Both my fatigue and my hot flashes returned with a vengeance. I put myself on H’s health insurance plan last January and am now back on Cymbalta. The drug hasn’t eliminated the hot flashes, but they are much less frequent. I can go several days now without having a single incident. I find that strenuous work and heat in general tend to bring on the hot flashes for me.</p>
<p>I’ve read in my fibromyalgia and menopause research that Neurontin (gabapentin) is very helpful in reducing hot flashes for many women along with many SSRIs.</p>
<p>In case any other CC readers with fibro are interested, I’ve been seeing a nationally known fibro researcher since June. She tells me that my guess that the onset of menopause worsened my fibro symptoms is most likely correct. I’ve apparently had fibro for 5 years. The problem was triggered by an upper back injury. During the 1st 3 years of the condition, I had no symptoms of fatigue. I woke up stiff every morning, but I felt well rested. The sleep disorder and incredible fatigue arrived right after I had my last period, two years ago.</p>
<p>The sleep disorder and incredible fatigue arrived right after I had my last period, two years ago.
Oh yay. 
I have fibro & osteoporosis - treated with tramadol & vit D
But still having regular monthly periods.</p>
<p>My hot flashes responded well to black cohosh. It doesn’t work for everyone, but for me, it reduced the problem by at least 50%. I also found that wine made the symptoms much, much worse. Menopause has wrecked havoc with my sleep. When I get to the point of total exhaustion, I sometimes take an antihistamine for a few nights to catch up. It seems to help. Other silly tricks I use are turning my pillow over to get a few minutes of the cool side and I switched to pajamas from nightgowns so I could expose my belly to the cool air when I have to throw all the covers off. What people don’t tell you is that after the hot flash, sometimes you get really cold. I find I need long sleeves and long pants to get warm again after I get so hot. All good fun. Sheesh.</p>
<p>I can do Hot Yoga whether the studio is Bikram or not :D</p>
<p>My sister found the OTC estroven works well. I had surgical menopause and am doing HRT and just beginning to work out the bugs, with a patch I still notice hot flashes in days 5/6/7.</p>
<p>I did HRT. I also did layers. As in three or four layers, right down to a tank top at the bottom. I remember standing in a 62 degree classroom (yes, I measured it) wearing a tank top and sweating like mad, while shivering students asked me to please shut the door.</p>
<p>I also kept a few spare t-shirts under the pillow and would change t-shirts during the night as they got soaked.</p>
<p>That particular awful stage was quite short, however, just a few months.</p>
<p>I had violent, almost nonstop hot flashes alternating with chills, after a rigorous course of chemotherapy for breast cancer abruptly induced menopause. Because my cancer was estrogen-sensitive, I can’t take any hormones. My doctor prescribed Neurontin, which was originally developed for epilepsy patients and for nerve pain. It made me a little woozy but was better than the alternative, and it especially helped at night. After a few months I was able to taper off of it. The hot flashes gradually diminished and now (4 years later) I don’t have them any more.</p>
<p>
I think I took them for a couple of years, can’t remember exactly. The first time I tried coming off them the hot flashes came right back, so I went back on them again. The 2nd time there were no hot flashes (maybe teh odd mild one, but nothing major). My moods were ok as well, so I was able to stay off them. </p>
<p>I can understand people’s fear and concern about HRT. It was a life/sanity saver for me though.</p>
<p>Effexor works for me, but I’m taking it to counteract the effects of Tamoxifen. I don’t know how it affects symptoms of real menopause.</p>
<p>I was at the theater last year sitting and enjoying the pre-play buzz when a very good looking woman of a certain age came down the aisle and took her seat a couple of rows ahead. She was wearing a really lovely suit, her hair was in a soft shoulder length flip…she just looked great. </p>
<p>All of a sudden you could sense that something had changed. The jacket came off…her cool attractiveness became a fluttery, clammy tightness and I knew exactly what was going on. I glanced around and it was obvious that every mature woman nearby had noticed what was going on as well. We all felt sympathy. Menopausal ladies have an unspoken sisterhood.</p>
<p>New long-term study shows HRT even riskier than thought:</p>
<p><a href=“Prempro Hormone Therapy Amplifies Breast Cancer Risks, Study Finds - The New York Times”>Prempro Hormone Therapy Amplifies Breast Cancer Risks, Study Finds - The New York Times;
<p>Thanks for the link about the results of the new study. The Reuters article (link below) states that the new study found all-cause mortality for women under 65 on HRT was less than for women who never took hormones - sure hope it’s correct, because the specific results on breast cancer were not good 
[Hormones</a> helpful for younger women? | Reuters](<a href=“http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE69K5L720101021]Hormones”>Hormones helpful for younger women? | Reuters)<br>
I guess I will have to get a copy of the actual study and read it.</p>
<p>As a younger woman, the study mentioned by Reuters actually makes it seem like taking HRT might not be a bad idea; when they were talking about younger women, it took me a while to realise they meant our age group…kept wondering why 30 years olds would take HRT…wow I can still be a younger woman!</p>
<p>I had breast cancer last year and after 2 surgeries and radiation I went on Tamoxifen. After taking Tamoxifen for one year and enduring excruciating hand and leg cramps, I went off. Then I began hemorraging this past summer and I was prescribed 6 monthly Lupron depot shots to artificially put my body into menopause. It stopped the hemorraging and of course I immediately felt the hot flash episodes. I cannot take HRT because I cannot have any estrogen due to the breast cancer. </p>
<p>I also feel very warm and then very cold! I have not had any sweating, but just a feeling that my body temperature has gone up @20 degrees rather quickly. It also keeps me awake at night, but I sometimes take a 1mg melatonin tablet. I do find it rather difficult to wake up in the morning when I’m having a hot flash episode. I say episode, because they are not “flashes”!! They sometimes last several loooong minutes!</p>
<p>I’ll have shot #5 out of 6 next week. I have no idea how long the hot flashes will last since they were brought on by these shots. Once I’m fully into menopause, then my breast cancer doctor can prescribe new medicine other than Tamoxifen. She said that the shots will get rid of all estrogen in my body, but at this point I’m handling it okay and am ok with no HRT.</p>
<p>My older sister has not gone through menopause yet, but mine was induced, so I’ll not really know what age I naturally would have gone through menopause.</p>
<p>I’m hoping that maybe the hot flashes will stop soon after shot #6?!?!? Hope they don’t go on for years! Yucch.</p>
<p>chocchipcookie, So sorry to hear about all you’ve been going through. You might try the soy bars I recommended earlier, they made a big difference for me. (I used to have to stop and take my big down coat off when the temperature was in the teens.) The amount of soy is much higher than what you’d typically getting drinking soy milk or from the other soy bars. (I tried both of those with no real result.) They also have 20 g of protein and 50% of the RDA for calcium, which is a good way to start the day. (I like the peanut butter flavor. :))</p>
<p>1more mom:</p>
<p>Thank you so much for your suggestion! I may not have read this thread carefully enough, but I’ll go back and read again…I will definitely take you up on your suggestion and buy some soy bars…great way to get extra protein and I LOVE peanut butter, so I’ll be sure to look for those! Thanks again, I appreciate the support!</p>
<p>Recently, I’ve been experiencing either lactose intolerance or IBS which include terrible hot flashes. i don’t know if the flashes are a symptom, but it is the most uncomfortable feeling. I cannot for the life of me, figure out which foods trigger this or if it’s entirely hormonal. Fortunately, this has been happening at night when I’ve been home. A friend of mine whose the same age, experiences this at different times of the day!</p>
<p>Just curious, no one has mentioned their age on this thread. I’m not sure what hot flashes are, not sure if I experienced the typical hot flash. I’m 55 Yeats old, have had maybe 6 periods over the last several years. I do know that I have always had bad PMS, and it got progressively worse as time went on. When I was in my mid to late 40’s, my OBGYN, put me on PRozac for PMDD, which you take only for 2 weeks every month and WOW, what a difference that made, but as time marched on my periods got irregular and sparse, so I didn’t know when to take them, so I stopped altogether. But now at this age, I no longer get the mood swings, sadness, anger,excitability. I feel more calm and in control of my life. I haven’t had a real period in 8-9 months. So my theory is , if you had bad PMS most of your life, maybe you will have an easy time of menopause.
I also am vegan since May, no processed food, caffeine, refined sugar, sodas, chemicals, limited soy, and that has really enhanced my quality of life. So I am hoping this is the way it’s going to be for me. Oh yes, I still drink wine and alcohol. Can’t change everything.;)</p>
<p>^^
I’m 55. I started having perimenopausal symptoms around age 49, and my last period was about 5 years ago. I still have occasional flashes, but they’ve largely passed.</p>
<p>Regarding the “personal summers” and “power surges”, mine were never bad enough that I considered HRT or even supplements, and I feel for those of you who are really suffering with them. For those whose symptoms are much milder, you might try the solutions that worked for me, which consisted mostly of getting as much air into my face as possible. I took to carrying a Japanese-style fan with me; cheap, lightweight, and portable. It only took a minute or two of fanning to get past the moment, and then I was right as rain again. The other thing I noticed is that I always seemed to have a flash after I got out of the shower and was getting dressed. DH set up a room fan on the dresser, pointed at the exact spot where I sit as I’m getting myself assembled; he called it my “flash fan.” Boy, did that thing feel good on those mornings!</p>