My gyno won't prescribe estrogen patch for hot flashes ...what can I do for hot flashes?

What am I supposed to do for these hot flashes since I am not allowed to have the estrogen patch? Does anyone know of anything that I can buy over the counter that will work for hot flashes?

[marcyh]

Estrogen is what I need but I can't have it either. My breast cancer was triple positive I've tried everything. For a while I took DHEA capsules. My doctor tried me on 8 antidepressants, also tried Clonidine. My body craves estrogen.

If I get a hot flash, especially the bad ones, the best relief I've found is a rice-filled "magic" bag from the freezer, wrapped around my neck. Also, it's good to dress in layers that open in the front.

[Hidden in reply to marcyh]

Yeah with me it's that I have low estrogen due to anorexia so she feels that estrogen would be the thing that my body needs because that's what it's lacking but she didn't want to prescribe it because she was fearful that it would just take away the symptom but not really treat the root cause which is not being at a healthy weight.

[Hidden in reply to marcyh]

Also I'm sorry to hear about your struggles. Did anything ever work to take away your hot flashes like did the clonidine work or were you able to find some sort of supplement?

[marcyh]

Also, you might try a conjugated cream from a specialty pharmacy.

[JulesUK]

do you know why they won’t ?

[Hidden in reply to JulesUK]

Yeah it's because the real reason that I am having hot flashes is due to the fact that my body isn't making estrogen because I have been anorexic for over 25 years and I'm underweight. So therefore since I've never had but like maybe 10 periods in my whole life I'm not at a healthy enough weight for my body to turn on the signal to produce estrogen. So even though estrogen is what my body needs she didn't want to give it to me for fear that she would just be treating the symptom and not the cause.

[JulesUK in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for explaining, I wasn’t aware that that could happen. When I was on zoladex (the first time without HRT) I took Sage tablets I’m not sure if this is something you can take but maybe worth looking into.

[Hidden in reply to JulesUK]

Did the sage tablets take away your hot flashes? And if so is that how you manage it now?

[Hidden in reply to JulesUK]

So did the sage tablets take away your hot flashes? Also I was wondering have you ever tried black cohosh or Estroven?

[Hidden in reply to JulesUK]

JulesUK did the sage tablets take away your hot flashes?

[JulesUK in reply to Hidden]

Hi, I took them the first time I had zoladex without HRT and my side effects were minimal so I did attribute it to the sage although of course I can’t be sure. That was the only thing I tried.

[Hidden in reply to JulesUK]

Well did the sage take the hot flashes away?

[JulesUK in reply to Hidden]

I didn’t have any so I presumed so!

[Hidden in reply to JulesUK]

Oh okay thanks!

[Hidden in reply to JulesUK]

What kind of sage tablets did you use and how long did it take to take away your hot flashes?

[JulesUK in reply to Hidden]

I took them before my treatment and didnt experiance any hot flushes. I bought them from Holland and Barrett.

[Hidden in reply to JulesUK]

Oh okay so you probably don't remember then what type you used or what strength?

[JulesUK in reply to Hidden]

I seem to recall they only had one type/strength. Not sure if that’s changed.

[Hidden in reply to JulesUK]

Okay thank you.

[St-Obks]

Sorry you’re having problems with hot flushes, bad ones are so difficult to deal with. My GP prescribed Oxybutynin tablets with helped a bit (and with urge incontinence) Wearing layers in natural fibres is essential and neck fans which look like headphones was a real find for me.

[Hidden in reply to St-Obks]

Oh I've never heard of that I don't even know what that is. Will does that work to take away the hot flashes for you?

[St-Obks in reply to Hidden]

Every woman’s journey without oestrogen is different in some way, as is how we navigate it. I can’t take HRT as I’ve also had an experience with hormone positive breast cancer and subsequent total hysterectomy including removal of my ovaries. Weight is such a personal thing for each of us too. I found I put a lot of weight on following that procedure, and losing it really helped with heat sensitivity. I’m still striving to reach a healthy weight and achieve balance. There’s a multitude of neck fans on sites such as Amazon. They’re rechargeable, handsfree and can be switched on discretely without having to stop what you’re doing. They manage the heat surges rather than cure them. Hope all goes well with managing your symptoms and your personal journey.

[Hidden in reply to St-Obks]

I'm sorry to hear about your battle with your health as well and I hope that your hot flashes are now under control. I've never heard of neck fans? Can you kind of explain that more or tell me like the name of one so I can look it up on Amazon? Also have you ever tried black cohosh or Estroven?

[AlisonClark]

I am not able to take HRT as I take blood thinners. I take sage tablets to help with my hot fluhes/night sweats. Hope this helps

[Hidden in reply to AlisonClark]

Does the sage tablets work to take away the hot flashes for you?

[AlisonClark in reply to Hidden]

Yes they help greatly. I wouldn't say they've completely disappeared, now and again I feel a little "warm" but nothing like they used to be.

[Hidden in reply to AlisonClark]

Well that's great!

[Hidden]

Well now it turns out that she has had a change of mind and she has decided to give me the hormone replacement therapy after all. But I'm supposed to start it tomorrow and now my big fear is to my anorexic mind I'm terrified that it's going to make me gain weight... Did HRT make any of you gain weight or do you know if people that you knew that had it did it make them gain weight?

[marcyh]

It didn't make me gain weight. But I would urge you to get help for the cause of your low estrogen, as your doctor says.

[Hidden in reply to marcyh]

Oh I hope I'm like you and it doesn't cause me to gain any weight at all. Because I don't want to have to restrict more in order to try to ward off any kind of weight gain. What I would like to do is I'm hoping that I will be able to take the estrogen patch which I'm going to start tomorrow per the doctor's advice. and you know hopefully that will help my hot flashes and I'm praying that it won't cause me to gain any weight from it itself. And then on my own I would like to work on if I can trying to address the root cause of you know getting to a healthy weight but if it's a medicine that's making me gain weight then I'm going to freak out and I'll want to restrict more than ever. That's what she suggested I do is she feels sorry for me since I'm in such misery so she decided to give in and give me the patch for the terrible hot flashes cuz she knows I'm miserable and she said you know hopefully you can work on your own of you know trying to get better with your anorexia but she knows that I may not be able to as well. So of course I'm going to try but like I said I just hope that the HRT itself won't cause me any weight gain the only way I want to gain any weight is if it's because I am purposely eating more of the things that I like and you know eating more etc.

[marcyh]

Nothing worked, I just need estrogen. But at 79, and being at this for 30 years with breast cancer in between, I won't get estrogen. I 've accepted the face that I'll probably carry them to the grave. I've learned to work with them, and as I said, a "magic" bag works best at quickly taking the edge off. I also have a battery operated fan that I can carry in my purse. It's rechargable too. A neat gizmo, but it doesn't solve them. Also as I said, I have fewer in winter so staying cooler means fewer.

I just remembered. Flax oil did help. But I think I overdosed and eventually it gave me the runs so I had to go off. You could try a low dose. I took them as a supplement, not as a liquid. That might work better.

[Hidden in reply to marcyh]

Oh I'm sorry to hear about the battle with your health. And I'm sorry for you as a suffer as hot flashes as well as I can so relate when you feel like nothing is helping. And it's so must be so frustrating to know that exactly what you need but you just can't get it. Well I hope they're not too bad for you. Well like I said since my doctor changed her mind I am going to start the HRT today but I'm very very worried that it's going to cause weight gain and I just hope that it doesn't. Also I'm praying that it will work to take away the hot flashes as I am just completely miserable as I stay hot 24/7 like it's not just hot flashes it's like I stay hot 24/7 especially in my face. So I've got to try this because for now I can't even spend time like at my parents house I have to be in my cold ice cold air conditioned apartment if I'm around any heat at all I absolutely freak out. I've never heard of flax oil is that in capsules? Is that the only thing that you've ever tried or you were you said that you tried the like several antidepressants and several medicines and none of them were ever able to help you though...like I was wondering if you had ever tried black cohosh which I know that I tried at least I tried the this one brand 80 mg and I tried it for like a good two or three months and it took the edge off but it still didn't take away the hot flashes like not even 50%. So my only thought was is that if I can't take the hormone replacement therapy like if it ends up bothering me too much then the only thing I know to do is to either try sage tablets like someone had suggested or maybe to try to like double or triple my dose of the black cohosh as I have read that some people say that you just need way more of it to work. Did you ever try taking anything like Estroven over the counter? Because that's what my doctor did recommend to me when she first said that I couldn't take the HRT.

[marcyh]

Being hot all the time would be awful, At their worst, my hot flashes sucked everything out of me so sometimes I was on the floor. I couldn't function. I was afraid to go anywhere.

I don't remember trying black cohosh, but anything natural didn't help except flax (capsule, but oil form from aa bottle might be better). I haven't heard of Estroven.

It sounds like you are very stressed and for me, that can bring on a hot flash. Your worries are probably keeping your hormones working overtime.

[Hidden in reply to marcyh]

Yes being hot all the time is horrible! Like I can't sleep I can't be out like especially in the summer because it's just like I can't even function and even when I'm in air conditioning I'm like I can get my body cool but I can't get my face cool enough and even still my whole upper body is sweating but like if I'm not in air conditioning oh I'm miserable. This is hindered my ability to be around most people because if you're going to any place where they're going to have heat on or anything like that then I just feel like I'm going to melt and so I usually have been staying by myself because when I try to stay at my parents house(which I like to do often like usually 3 days a week bc'm 39 but I'm very close to them because they're elderly and I'm the baby). But anyway when I try to stay at my parents house I am so hot that I can't stand it and they love for me to spend the night there and I love to spend the night there but I just get too hot and they're like you're going to have to do something to get these hot flashes under control or you're not going to be able to spend time with us and I go and I go to their house everyday anyways like all day long and then I come back to my apartment at night cuz I like being with them so much and I don't like being by myself that much. Say yeah it's definitely ruining my quality of life so that's why I really need help with these hot flashes. So even though I don't want to I'm starting the HRT today and I'm just praying that it will not cause any weight gain and I'm praying that it will take away the hot flashes and feeling hot all the time as feeling hot all the time is so miserable. I hope that this will be the solution but if not then I will have to look into something like over the counter Estroven which is what my gynecologist suggested or I could try like you said the flax oil or I've already tried black cohosh but maybe a higher dosage? I'm just not sure but I'm hoping I won't have to go down that road...

[Hidden in reply to marcyh]

Oh and also I have severe generalized anxiety disorder along with OCD and of course my anorexia so all of those things keep me super anxious and stressed all the time which doesn't make matters any better for hot flashes.