Stopping the hot flashes and sweats while on ADT (Lupron, etc.)

[tallguy2]

If any man is experiencing irritating hot flashes and severe sweats like I have on Lupron I recommend that you consult with your doctor to see if venlafaxine is right for you. It worked the same day I started taking it (75-mg) and it stopped about 90% of the severe sweats and hot flashes. Plus, my wife said she likes my new attitude and wished I'd started it 30 years ago (it's also an anti-depressant). Be aware that your PCP may not be willing to prescribe this...go to your urologist as he/she should be aware of this beneficial, generic drug. Only downside is if you ever have to come off of it. It is difficult.

[FCoffey]

Men experiencing hot flashes might try Estrovera, a plant extract product with a proven track record of both efficacy and safety in reducing hot flashes. Unlike the pharmaceutical solutions, it is very safe, requires no prescription, and is easy to stop.

Efficacy - it works! It works for me. It doesn't entirely stop the hot flashes, but cuts down their intensity quite a lot. I get very few during the day and one or two mild ones a night when on Estrovera. Without it I was getting continuous flashes daytime and soaking the sheets several times a night.

It even has the holy grail of medical trials: a double-blind, placebo controlled trial.

Efficacy and safety of a special extract of Rheum rhaponticum (ERr 731) in perimenopausal women with climacteric complaints: A 12-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

alternative-therapies.com/r...

From the abstract:

"By 12 weeks, ERr 731 caused a highly significant reduction of the MRS (Menopause Rating Scale) total score from 27.0 ± 4.7 points to 12.4 ± 5.3 points when compared to the placebo-induced decrease from 27.0 ± 5.3 points to 24.0 ± 6.2 points (P<.0001).

"A significant reduction in each individual MRS item score, in hot flushes and the hot flush weekly weighted score, together with a marked improvement in treatment outcome were also observed (P<.0001). These results confirm the efficacy of ERr 731 in alleviating menopausal symptoms in perimenopausal women."

Safety: Extremely safe.

"From 1993 to June 2014, approximately 140 million daily doses of the extract were placed on the German market, and 124 AE reports were recorded."

The primary complaints were hypersensitivity, gastrointestinal symptoms, and failure to work. All symptoms stopped when the patient stopped taking the supplement.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

NFI on my part. It's a bit pricey, but I find it a good value because it helps me get a good night's sleep.

[tallguy2 in reply to FCoffey]

Thanks for the new information. My urologist didn’t mention this solution. He keeps up with the latest research too but no one’s perfect. I will ask his opinion at our next appointment. Appreciate your post very much.

[FCoffey in reply to tallguy2]

You're welcome. It's a supplement, it would be a rare urologist who was conversant with supplements.

It's been in use since the 1950s. Here's a paragraph from the paper on safety that I linked above:

"An extract from the roots of Rheum rhaponticum has been used in Germany since the 1950s as an herbal medicine for the treatment of menopausal symptoms. The composition of the extract has been described previously.1,2 The extract has been marketed as an alternative for women considering a nonhormonal approach to managing menopausal symptoms.

"A standardized version of the extract, ERr 731, was commercially registered in Germany in July 1993 as Phytoestrol N (Chemisch-Pharmazeutische Fabrik Göppingen, Carl Müller, Apotheker, GmbH & Co KG, Göppingen, Germany). ERr 731 was also launched in Germany in 2011 with the name femi-loges (Dr. Loges + Co. GmbH, Winsen [Luhe], Germany). It was introduced as the dietary supplement Estrovera (Metagenics, Aliso Viejo, CA, USA) in 2009 in the United States, in 2012 in Canada, and in 2011 in South Africa."

Metagenics is a pretty good brand name for supplements. Never cheap, but always high quality, and generally their products have a reasonable amount of research backing them.

[rococo]

Never had a hotflash. Eating soy products may have something to do with it