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Menopause

Clonidine and hot flushes

(8 Posts)
jenn Wed 20-May-15 19:48:19

My doctor has refused my request for HRT and given me Clonidine for the night sweats and day flushes.Has anyone tried these?

gillybob Wed 20-May-15 23:17:42

Hi jenn yes. My doctor also refused me HRT due to the fact that my mum was diagnosed with breast cancer aged 59 and that I was diagnosed with MS aged 29. I am 53 and am experiencing horrible hot flushes and night sweats keeping me awake every night. I have an extremely stressful lifestyle (working full time, looking after grandchildren, parents and my grandma) and my doctor suggested I try Clonidine to help with the night sweats, except that it made me really light headed and dizzy. I have tried taking them at night but the sweats were as bad as ever plus I was still really dizzy at 6am when I need to get up for work. All in all it's rubbish all round. (For me) Sorry.

jenn Thu 21-May-15 14:29:53

Thanks, it was those side effects I was worried about. So far so good but have only taken them twice.....and the night sweats were as bad as ever.

gillybob Thu 21-May-15 17:40:34

I did persevere with them for almost 2 weeks jenn (as requested by the GP) but night sweats we as bad as ever. The wooly head feeling was horrible too. One night I got out of bed and was so dizzy I couldn't make it to the bathroom. So not a good experience for me at all.

jenn Fri 22-May-15 10:15:38

I'm just glad that I have retired,can't imagine teaching a class and feeling like this and they want women to work til 67!!!!!

jenn Fri 12-Jun-15 23:30:10

Well, the pills made no difference to the flushes so today I was back at the doctors. This time I asked to see another doctor and armed with my prepared speech in I went. She was wonderful. We discussed the risks but as my blood pressure was good, I take exercise, don't drink and eat well, she was happy for me to go back on the patches.
I can't wait to have a night without waking every couple of hours burning up.

Liz46 Sat 13-Jun-15 06:03:32

As I have said on another thread, I have been on HRT for about 25 years and am on the lowest dose patch now.

I prefer to see a female doctor but on one of the occasions when I had been advised to stop having HRT, I was desperate (exhausted from lack of sleep due to flushes) so took the only appointment available and it was with a young man. He was lovely and said that I was old enough to weigh up the pros and cons and make my own decision.

Bug180 Sat 07-Nov-15 09:49:03

Hi, I have been on clonidine for a week now, they have worked for me, no more hot flushes to wake me, but I still don't sleep very well ??