Alternative to HRT for Hot Flushes

GoodAfternoonTea

I made sure I had good sleep, herbal teas, and lots of fruit and veg and brisk walks, mindfulness, and hobbies. I also let go of negative people and situations. The rest fell into place.

Lucky you

I made sure I had good sleep, herbal teas, and lots of fruit and veg and brisk walks, mindfulness, and hobbies. I also let go of negative people and situations. The rest fell into place.

Just in case anyone is put-off by ...Tofu! Don't be.
It's so delicious, cubed into lunchtime soups. I have mine with a few frozen peas sprinkled in too. As they too are great at countering menopausal symptoms. Soy milk & soya yogurts are smashing and very beneficial too. They too are fortified with calcium & other essentials. There is no need to suffer if you cannot go down the hormone replacement route. The alternative is delicious! 😊

I’ve been on Venlafaxine for years unfortunately and I sweat all day every day to the point it makes me thoroughly miserable at times. I’ve been told by my pharmacist who does my yearly medication review that it could be due to the Venlafaxine, I hope to eventually come of off them. Also Gabapentin is for nerve damage which I have and also been offered them but refused due to the side effects that they can cause, Wet Macular Degeneration (blindness) my Mother & Grandmother both went blind due to Wet Mac so obviously I declined. I don’t understand why your GP is offering you quite heavy meds that are difficult to get of off for your sweats, personally if I were in your shoes I’d go down the more natural route first. Is your GP a woman? Have you got a menopause clinic near where you live?

emmasnan

I used sage tablets, they didn't stop all hot flushes but they did seem to be less severe when I took them.

I used Sage capsules from H & B. They worked well, as long as I took them according to the instructions on the bottle.

The only drawback was the sage flavoured burps 😆

JPB123

Evening Primrose Oil capsules were my saviour.They helped
enormously.My daughters take them now!

I took those for breast tenderness. Very good, helped enormously.

I didn’t take Gabapentin prescribed for my knee pain, side effects put me off. Struggled with pain last two years, given amitriptyline last week, still haven’t taken that. Maybe I shouldn’t read about side effects 😩

Evening Primrose Oil capsules were my saviour.They helped
enormously.My daughters take them now!

I used sage tablets, they didn't stop all hot flushes but they did seem to be less severe when I took them.

Isoflavones are in Soya products as discussed earlier NannyKnit - so you obviously found a "supplement" version.

I wonder if a GP can prescribe them?

I’ve never had an alcoholic drink in my life and never smoked. I’m asthmatic and have been on medication for that for 50 years. Some members on here have far worse than hot flushes to deal with. I was just curious if there was something that others had tried that I hadn’t heard of.

I was very lucky - isoflavones helped me through it. I got them from Healthspan.

I had to stop drinking wine. If I drank wine in the evening I had terrible night sweats and a broken nights sleep. Without wine I was much improved!

I shall try soya and the herbalist route also cutting down on sugar. Have a friend who takes Venlafaxin for depression and said she quickly became addicted to it and has been unable to come off it. Had a chat today to a pharmacist who said Gabapentine is most unsuitable for hot flushes. I’m prepared it may take some time to feel results. Thank you everyone for your help.

There was a Systematic Review about Gabapentin relatively recently FranP
Gabapentin for the treatment of hot flushes in menopause: a meta-analysis

Here it is if you want to read it:
journals.lww.com/menopausejournal/fulltext/2020/04000/gabapentin_for_the_treatment_of_hot_flushes_in.17.aspx

I was refused HRT ,so I put myself on a soya diet , milk , yogurt etc - also high strength soya capsules . It did reduce my hot flushes , Took a few weeks to note an improvement. Eastern / Asian ladies don't suffer with menopausal symptoms as Westerners do apparently due to their soya diets .
Good luck

Goodness🤦‍♀️ exercised buffs- had no hot sweats

Sunnyoutlook

Mt61. I’m not in pain or depressed. Doctor said Venlafaxin should relax blood vessels but could raise BP. Gabapentine I see is for epilepsy and seizures which I do not have. Oregano. Black Cohosh is not suitable for my other medications. Butterandjam. EPO capsules are something I can try. Dogsmother. Cutting down on sugar is another sensible thing to try. Thank you ladies for taking the time to reply.

All my friend who are exercise buffs, flew through the menopause with any symptoms. So maybe a little exercise each day might help.
Yes I think the natural route is probably the best way to go. Primrose oil is supposed to be good. I swore by Agnus cactus? Think it’s spelt that way.. brilliant for breast pain. Have look on eBay, Amazon for books on natural HRT.

Please, PLEASE do not take Gabapentin. It is given for women whom the doctor thinks need "calming down", no evidence that I can find for hot flushes.

Yes, it is a great painkiller, but it has so many side effects and it addictive, which is why it should (and it says on the leaflet) be only taken for a short spell.

- My son, prescribed for exam anxiety, had hallucinations after 2 day's worth.
- My niece completely changed personality, and now is on a drug withdrawal programme.
- Even the dog (yes is is prescribed for animals), who was given it for post-cancer op pain relief, started running around in circles and howling.

So have you tried your doctor's recommendations? Don't worry about what ELSE Gabapentine etc. might treat.

Thank you so much everyone. I’m making notes of all your suggestions. Gransnet is wonderful!

I would definitely suggest a herbalist. There is almost certainly something that can help you perhaps alongside other medications.

I totally agree with NotSpaghetti. I cannot benefit from HRT because of my high oestrogen levels; which resulted in breast cancer & a mastectomy.
My awful menopausal symptoms are kept well -balanced now by eating lots of tofu in lovely soups, peas & soya-milk too.
Plus, plenty of beans & hummus. My hot flushes are manageable & dispite going without the conventional hormone-stuff, I feel fine. A bit ratty sometimes but my husband is to blame for that!😚

Sunnyoutlook

Mt61. I’m not in pain or depressed. Doctor said Venlafaxin should relax blood vessels but could raise BP. Gabapentine I see is for epilepsy and seizures which I do not have. Oregano. Black Cohosh is not suitable for my other medications. Butterandjam. EPO capsules are something I can try. Dogsmother. Cutting down on sugar is another sensible thing to try. Thank you ladies for taking the time to reply.

Gabapentine has proven useful in controlling hot flushes (where alternatives cannot be used). Many medications manufactured for one condition have proven to be useful in treating others (through feedback from people taking them). A good example is amitriptyline which was manufactured as an antidepressant but was found to be extremely useful for alleviating nerve pain. A good resource on all things menopause related is Dr Newson, maybe Google her. As someone mentioned, depending on the type of breast cancer HRT may be an option.

Soya contains lots of isoflavones - phytoestrogens. They appear to have some benefits for cardiovascular health but certainly helped me through a nearly symptomless menopause.

I did use soy products (tofu and some soya beans for example) before the menopause but found I really enjoyed soya milk that I hadn't bothered with much before...

I suggest you look at these type products as they have these naturally present estrogen-like benefits.
Flax also, apparently.

Good luck in finding a way through.