Has anyone used Effexor ( venlafaxine ) for hot flashes.
MO prescribed Effexor 37.5 mg for dad for hot flashes. Since it is an anti depressant I think it may help also in the dullness that has come into him since being on xtandi.
How effective is Effexor for hot flashes - does one soon build tolerance to it and needs higher doses later ? And Is it habit -forming and difficult to wean off ?
Love and hugs to all 🤗❤️
I have been on 37.5 Venlaxafine for close to a year. I find it helps a lot but I still get some hot flashes each day.
Thanks. Has it reduced the frequency ? What has it helped in. ? Any side effects ?
That is a common drug to try when dealing with hot flashes as it works for many folks. Unfortunately, it didn't work for me. I also tried Paxil and acupuncture to no avail. I now take Veozah which works great.
I have been taking it for about a year and it have nearly eliminated my hot flashes
37.5 and I don’t believe so.
I was having hot flashes as often as every 20 minutes on Lupron and Apalutamide even when standing in -20C locations. I started on Megestrol and I have pretty much forgotten about them. I feel a little bit of warmness at times like being in a stuffy room with a wool sweater on. It's nothing like the feeling of being in front of a furnace wearing a down jacket.
works pretty good but not perfect, my daughter got me a hand held fan that I carry most of the time ,also I have started wearing very light cloths and shorts to help stay cool
Hi, I'm currently on Xtandi and Effexor, plus Lupron. I find that the Effexor helps, but not eliminate, hot flashes. I still have hot flashes in about the same frequency (4 or 5 times per day) but they are not as severe. I was taking the Effexor before beginning Xtandi when an earlier drug failed to stop tumor progression, and I found that it did even out my depressed mood a bit. However, Xtandi has not been an easy medication for me. The cognitive difficulties and profound fatigue has not been affected much by Effexor. But, it has kept metastes at bay for about a year. I don't think that anything will totally eliminate medication symptoms or will alleviate depression or extreme pain of the bony metastates, but they help.
Thank you. What had you tried before xtandi ? Do you take 37.5 mg Effexor ??
Can you tell me what your T levels range between ?
one .1mg estradiol patch changed twice weekly stops hot flashes!
What’s the brand called ? Anywhere one can order it online ?
There are over 10 different manufacturers of estradiol patches for PM women in the USA and Canada. You will need a prescription. I get my prescription from my PCP, not my MO.
You may want to try ordering patches from Canada. I get my Cialis pills from blueskydrugs.com in Canada.
You can also use estradiol gel, available from estrogel.com or divigel.com in the USA.
I agree with Break60 that you should start with 0.1 mg/24hr estradiol patch strength, changed once or twice a week. The patches for women are the same as for men (there is no specific "Man Patch" yet). The best locations to apply them are the upper buttocks or hips. That dose will most likely eliminate hot flashes, and estradiol is all-natural hormone produced by your body. So, side effects are very low (gynecomastia is common, however). It will also help to prevent osteoporosis, but you may need to use 2-4 simultaneous patches, which has been shown to grow bone (See Langley et al 2016, and Russell et al 2017, regarding the randomized PATCH-II study results).
Bob in New Mexico
Thanks Bob. I know you are the champion of supporting these patches 😊. I am in India so wondering how I can get them.
I tried it for several months. It raised my blood sugar ten percent. My verdict was that it was partially effective. I don’t take any hot flash medicine. Lifting weights and walking 10000 steps a day reduced my hot flashes. I used to wake up in a bed of sweat, more recently my T-shirt gets damp a bit and I can’t regulate my body temperature such that I am having to throw off some of my blankets.
Thank you for your information.
What dose of estradiol were you using?
Patch or gel?
Interesting that your sugars went up on estradiol. The UK PATCH trials (phases I, II, and III), found that blood glucose levels were lower when doing estradiol ADT as compared to doing Lupron ADT. But, the absolute value of sugar could have gone up when on estradiol ADT, and still be lower than the increase when on Lupron ADT.
I will need to ask the PATCH study team if the absolute levels of glucose went up or down on estradiol ADT.
Bob in New Mexico
I am sorry, I took a pill of the Venny stuff not estradiol. I think people have mentioned other alternatives to Venlafaxine in prior posts. You may have intended your reply for someone else.
I used same dose and found that it helped. Still had hot flashes but not as often and not as severe. Bonus: my wife didn't call me Dick as often i.e. it helped my attitude.
Hated Venlafaxine. Have been taking Megace for years but began to not work as well at night so we added Gabapentin at night, 1500mg, and that eliminated all hot flushes.
Hi,I have been taking ashwagandha for the last 4 weeks, terrible hot flashes for over a year,(especially at night)I can only say how happy I am with it, not had one episode of a hot sweats since👍
Megestrol for Lupron caused hot-flashes?
HOT FLASHES – Why? What to do?
Hot flashes and fatigue
Veozah for hot flashes 
Hot Flashes/Flushes RX
