Hot flushes

I don't think it will be your weight, it will be the tamoxifen. 

I feel for you. I am mid 40s and chose ovary suppression & AI rather than tamoxifen and the sudden menopause was intense - extreme hot flashes every 20 mins 24/7 and then I had the extreme chills that followed too. That was Nov 2020.

They have got significantly better with time but I cannot imagine being comfortable enough to go into an office where I cannot control the environment. I am still working from home and have no intention of going back any time soon. Luckily, I am able to do that.

I still get multiple night sweats and many hot flushes during the day.

I have been trying acupuncture and I think this has helped. The main thing for me is that it has reduced the anxiety and feelings of being overwhelmed, out of control and claustrophobic that came with the hot flushes. I think because those have reduced, I can cope with the flushes better.

There are loads of things to try - chillow, handheld fan, nighttime fan, dress in layers, drink cold drinks... 

They are tough and menopause symptoms seem to be something we just have to put up with as there isn't a huge amount of help out there or options.

I did try clonidine, a type of beta blocker that is suppose to help but I found that they made me completely numb so I stopped them, and they didn't make much difference to the flushes.,

Unfortunately, time has been the best thing for me - and the acupuncture is helping my overall wellbeing.

Hi, the hot flushes/ sweats are a right pain and are due to your treatment and hormone therapy. 

Things that can make it worse are spicy food, caffeine, sugar and alcohol.

Things that can help include certain medications (I think venlafaxine). I take my tamoxifen in the morning and seem to get sweats starting around 5 pm. I know its not for everyone, but CBD oil tablets really help calm things down for me - I take one at night so I can get some better sleep. Some say acupuncture helps too. There are some herbal remedies, but some contain plant oestrogens so we can't take them.

Practical considerations are a fan, cotton clothing and bedding, a good supply of gel ice packs in the freezer, silk pillow case, silk duvet even. 

I hope you can find a solution that helps you. It should gradually settle down with time. xx

Night time isn’t to bad I sometimes wake to my pj top being damp around the neck. But no where near as bad as the daily ones x thanks for all your suggestions x 

I get neck and bald head sweats too I saw  cloth band/scarf that you wet with cold water, wring and shake and it stays ice cold all night , bought in a garden centre about  7 pounds I think, used it a couple of times cooled me right down quickly. Worth a try. kept it on bed side table x

1. Hev999 do you have name of cloth please.  Suffering  same neck and head  sweats day and night x

cool touch ice towel by creative

just seen itvon amazon 6.99 . I only wear it when I need to, not all night but it made me cold enough to take  it off after 10 mins or so x

Hev999 Thanks

Your GP can prescribe anti depressants that somehow help with the hot flushes and sweats. I take fluoxetine which help. I do still get an occasional warm feeling but I can cope by wearing layers. I have a fan going at night as that's my worse time.

Im trying to lose weight as my blood pressure is up a bit and I know it will help with that, plus keeping your weight down and exercise is known to stop reccurance by 45% and I'm determined to do anything to not go through this ever again. 

Acupuncture treatments helped me with the hot flushes.I also cut down on caffeine and in the summer I slept on a dog gel cooling mat.

it is also worth asking your oncologist if you can take sage tablets.Some say you can ….some say you can’t but ask the question.

I was told the first 6 months are the worst as your body adjusts so hang in there.