12 years of hot sweats!

I was on HRT for a lot of years until I was told by gp I had to come off it. Within a couple of months my menopause kicked straight back in. HRT only delays it and until we have meds that are safe enough to take for rest of life that’s the best you can hope for. X

Sorry OP hot flushes are most certainly not the worst symptom of menopause. The ones which develop over time due to oestrogen deficiency affect women far more. Osteoporosis, vaginal atrophy, loss of libido, urinary tract problems, prolapse, osteoarthritis, cardiac problems........I am sure there are many gransnetters who can add to this.
Sad thing that so many women are unaware that if they still had normal oestrogen levels they could avoid these problems which they assume are merely age related. They’re not.

Great post Jillybird. I think it should be publicised that for SOME, hot flushes continue into old age and never stop. I’m 70, on HRT oestrogen only patch and get two hot flushes at night. My sisters, 75 and 83, not on HRT, are also still experiencing hot flushes at night. When I asked my GP when are they likely to stop, she said for some women, never. I feel this should be more widely known

I was going through the menopause 10 years ago, the night sweats were horrific along with the daytime hot flushes at the most embarrassing times. I went on to have a full historectomy about 5 years ago due to tumours on my overaies. I still had all of the night sweats etc after this, this was a complete shock to me as I thought once I had the operation everything would return to normal, how niavie am I !! Anyway I have been taking HRT for the last 18 months ( after considerable discussions with my doctor and the hospital gyni department) I have never looked back. The change in my quality of life has been amazing and I'm happy to accept any risks that HRT may bring my way. I feel so sorry for all you lovely ladies who have battled through years of night sweats and hot flushes.

I had a hysterectomy at age forty and am now seventy four and still having hot sweats day and night.I tried HRT but gave it up because I didn't feel any better and still had hot flushes

Please be carefulof what you recommend. A few months ago my husband was prescribed citilopram for his COPD.He suffered all of the common, all of the uncommon and 2 of the rare side effects. He also had hallucinations. I rang the doctor but he assured me that those symptoms would subside soon. A few days later I saw my husband's blood test results which were alarming. I rang the doctor again, he had not seen the results but when he looked at them he told me to stop citilopram immediately. Sadly my husband died a week later. I am not blaming citilopram for his death but I can never forgive that doctor for not listening to my concerns, not looking at the blood test results and for making the last two weeks of my husband's life so uncomfortable and distressful.

I’m 6 years in and suffered badly with urine infections, hot flushes and skin irritations.
I had cancer in my 30’s so am not going down the HRT route.
I now exercise regularly at the gym and walk, I had months of acupuncture which helped me get my urinary problems sorted.
I now take sage for the sweats and D Mannose for the urinary tract.
It’s not a 100% cure but I am loads better.

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

I was given Citilopram and it did work. But had to come off it as I suffer with tinnitus and it made that much worse . But otherwise would definitely recommend Citilopram

Many of us are quite prepared to put up with all the discomforts and (eventually) get it over with. HRT is for those who suffer horrendous changes - and for wimps! It's not an illness, after all - just a part of life.

SuRu

Esspee, I was prescribed HRT (PreMarin) for menopausal symptoms when I was 54. Six weeks after starting to take it, I had a stroke and was told never to take HRT again. So it's not without risk.

There is a stroke risk (very small) with pills but not with transdermal oestrogen or implants, my personal choice.
I would never take the pills because the active ingredient has to pass through the liver first so you end up having to take a very high dose and frankly I would never take Premarin for ethical reasons.
I am really surprised to hear from anyone who has been prescribed pills. I thought they were well in the past.

maybe it was this one, there are a few recipes via google

nutritioninyork.co.uk/menopause-cake/

www.meno-me.co.nz/recipe-linda-kearns-hrt-cake/

We used to make menopause cake, it was like a brick but I think did have some good effect. No idea of the recipe now.At work, we were all about the same age and we all brought menopause cake in to work

I took HRT at 45 and naively thought I'd come out the other side fully post-menopausal. WRONG! All HRT does is postpone the menopause so I extended the symptoms for 8 years. At 72, I'm sleeping under a single duvet cover, can't bear any night clothes and have to put the ceiling fan on several times a night right through the winter! The only blessing is that I have hardly any 'power surges' during the daytime.

Another hot flusher here, 20 yrs and still happening but they are fewer. Still a couple every night without fail and maybe 4/5 during the day. Did try HRT for a couple of years and it was wonderful but was advised by gynae to come off it slowly. Tried this but once taking only 3 days out of 7 all the symptoms came rushing back. Tried everything going black cohosh, soy milk, no alcohol or tea or coffee even those silly magnets but nothing worked. Resigned to it being a permanent state.

FlotheCrow

I've taken HRT for 30 years now and have no intention of stopping. I truly believe it keeps me fitter and healthier than those of a similar age

Ooh! I feel a challenge coming on!

I do sympathise with you. After 20 yrs my symptoms flared up again and it was hellish! I take soya capsules now, and as much soya produce as I can , (milk, yogurts etc) and it really stopped the sweats . It took about three or four weeks but there is such an improvement to my moods and general well being. It’s worth a go!

Esspee, it’s not natural to get a serious infection. The menopause is natural. We were ‘ designed’ to do it. I would argue, all women who feel great on it, probably would have done anyway. I read somewhere recently, that as few as 25 percent of women get symptoms, yet I bet there are quite a few of the 75 percent, who would be fine, taking HRT. I consider myself lucky so far. The main thing I’ve experienced is morning type sickness. The only way to tell if this is due to menopause, is to go on HRT, which I don’t want to do, as the symptoms come and go.

I have had hot sweats since the menopause began and I am now 69. I get them all through the day and night. I get panic attacks and awful feelings of trepidation as well. All since my periods stopped.
Mom recently passed away at 91 years of age and she still woke up covered in sweat. Can you believe it.

I also used evening primrose oil it was recommended to me by nursing colleagues. It mimics the action of oestrogen. I had such terrible breast tenderness that just someone standing close to me was painful. The capsules took about a month to have any effect but after that I noticed a real difference. My menopausal symptoms, flushes and low mood only lasted about four years. I worked with mostly women so we were kind to one another!

I forgot to post the link to the website......that’s the menopause for you!
www.menopausedoctor.co.uk/

Please take a look at this website as it will tell you everything you need to know about the menopause and ways of dealing with it. It is written and run by an English GP who specialises in all things menopausal. Everything follows the NICE guidelines and is research based.
I can also recommend joining the UK Ladies menopause support group, on Facebook. There you will meet many other women in the same boat and their support is wonderful.
I am on HRT and will stay on it until I die....and my GP says that she will do the same...however it isn’t for everyone and there are lots of alternative ways of dealing with problems if HRT isn’t for you.

Another member of the hot flush club here. Menopause was 15 years ago. They just seem to strike at random, day or night. They are unpleasant but bearable.

I did expect, though, that they would disappear after the menopause. Didn't know that they carry on!

Hetty58

Esspee, the natural changes of menopause (although very uncomfortable) are just that - natural.

The resulting lower hormone levels can't be described as a 'deficiency'!

I doubt that you can take HRT for life. You'll have to come of it at some point, perhaps in your 90s - so better now than later!

Lots of things can mistakenly be described as natural. When you get a serious infection it is natural to die but we take antibiotics.
When diagnosed as having type 1 diabetes we take hormone replacement therapy in the form of insulin, when we have thyroid problems we take the hormone replacement thyroxine. When our natural oestrogen is used up we can take oestrogen replacement therapy.
There is nothing noble about refusing insulin, nor oestrogen. It is in no way natural to suffer oestrogen deficiency. Just a short time ago we didn’t live to reach 50. Now we do and evolution will take time to catch up. In the meantime people like me who live in the present use plant based bio identical oestrogen to maintain normal levels in our bodies, as a result we feel wonderful and have better health than those who “put up with it”
You may doubt that I can take oestrogen for life but my consultant, who is a top member of her profession and a major contributor to the NICE guidelines on the menopause (the NHS best practice guidelines for GPS etc.) states the opposite.
So why come off it now when my quality of life is far superior and the oestrogen protects me from the depressingly dreadful effects of oestrogen deficiency.