Hi. I just joined the group. I'm a 57 yo woman. I am isolating myself more because of embarrassing shifts between being cold and suddenly being drenched in sweat. It is making sleeping miserable and entering my dreams, making them dark and frightening. I was diagnosed with Fibro about 10 years ago and with RA about 7 years ago. I feel silly that it ranks up there with the pain I'm experiencing in the way it isn't impacting my life. My doctor has me taking magnesium oxide. My rheumy tried to put me on methotrexate, but it made me have terrible migraines. I went into menopause about 4 years ago and the sweats worsened. Life is less than grand at this point. I keep my fan going in the middle of winter to combat my sweats. I wake up drenched, hoping my day will be better than my nights.
Cold sweats are driving me to the brink: Hi. I just... - NRAS
Cold sweats are driving me to the brink
What are you taking for the menopause darling,if your on hrt they will reduce the sweats if not ask your dr to put you on them or if you can't take hrt try the other sort of things that are available for you to take evening primrose for one,but speak to your dr before you start anything though. You will get sweats with fibro sadly.xxxxx
Thanks for replying. I will bring up HRT with my nurse practitioner. I'm looking into herbs, spices, supplements I can take to address these cold sweats. This growing old and chronic disease stuff is for the birds. Have a great evening!
Hi I have never posted anything before but I was having a similar experience to you so which has now mostly resolved. No one seemed to listen when I spoke to my doctor or my rheumatologist so I continued to put up with the problem. Then I read somewhere during the summer that sometimes taking naproxen can cause these symptoms asked my doctor and just got told that he had never heard of this but if I wanted to stop taking it I could, so I did and found that the problem of overheating especially at night disappeared over the course of a week. It is difficult but I found that the benefits outweighed the negatives, I am now able to sleep better without the overheating and more importantly without the strange dreams
Hi, sorry you're going through this. Who'd be a menopausal woman with RA, huh?!
I'm 54 with RA on Mtx and salazopyrin so very much going through similar at the moment. I'm managing the menopause symptoms on Menopace Night supplements and that has helped reduce the sweats. I checked with my rheumatologist and he said it's fine to take it although he did note I have high folic acid levels! That's a good thing to me though because my hair and skin are improved despite the mtx!! I should add that I changed my diet and increased my fruit and veg intake too.
This works for me although may not be ideal for others. It's expensive but buying direct from Vitabiotics website it's buy two get one free, same at Tesco xx
Thanks! I'll bring up Menopace the next time I see my nurse practitioner. 👍🏼
Thanks for the info Ally, I am so tired of my hot flashes and not sleeping. I cannot go on HRT so I am going to try it. It is a bit more to ship to the US but will be worth it if it helps.
I would just point out that men I know with RD also have hot sweats, so although you may be having menopausal sweats as well, HRT may not solve all the problems. I know for me that during the worst years (49 - 59) HRT helped a bit, but I have gone on having sweats bad enough to completely soak me at night. Both the disease itself, and the medications for it, can cause sweats.
I now have a silk and down mattress topper, a silk duvet, and a cold bedroom for just me (my partner sleeps in another room so that he can sleep!). I tried silk sheets as well (borrowed from a friend) but then I couldn't turn over in bed. During the day, I wear lots of layers that I can strip off at a moments notice, much the amusement of my friends.
I was thinking the same thing oldtimer... I'm not on Naproxen, not in menopause, nothing - Just RA and I can stand in a cool spot and remain absolutely motionless and start to pour sweat... Totally soaked hair, everything..
On another embarrassing note since we are confessing, my deodorant seems to have stopped working as well unless I go for extra strength something. Sheesh.. Does anyone else have that problem?
This is happening to me too. It's just awful. I feel like I'm going to explode. I have to open doors and stand out in the cold. At night I have to run my hands under running cold water to try and cool me down. I get so tired and grumpy. What's this all about and why does it happen. I'm 64 years old and been on methotrexate for 5 years.
I am 65 post menopause and continue to have problems with overheating and sweating, in fact it is completely different to how it was when I was going through the menopause as it does not involve my whole body just my neck and head. I have RA and was diagnosed with Fibro although my current Rheumatologist has removed this diagnosis. I have taken MTX and Leflunomide both of which had unbearable side effects, so I am now on Sulphasalazine which I have taken for over 15 years. I am the same as you it impacts on your life it disturbs your sleep I dread really hot days as it is as though my body temperature control switch has stopped working and I alternate between overheating and feeling cold. Mine also happen like yours just as you start to enter a deep sleep and I have had disturbing dreams which make me wake in a sweat and state of panic I sleep with my fan on Summer and Winter. I totally sympathise with you I have been dealing with this now for around 5 years I am convinced it is not connected to the menopause but my RA and Fibro
You could try a Chillow Pillow. Look it up on Google. There are plenty of choices on the market for £10 upwards. They are not the nicest pillow being plastic on one side and flock on the other but I put mine into an ordinary cotton pillowcase. I keep it rolled up beside the bed and grab it if needed...it cools you down very quickly and stays cool. One downside is that you have to fill it with water which saturates the crystals inside so buy a decent brand as you don't want a leak in the night! I bought the original Chillow brand and it's been invaluable. I even take it on long journeys in the car. I bought it when menopausal about eight years ago and it's still going strong. The sweats get less but never seem to go completely and I guess now I'm on RA meds that may be why - I know I never seem to be in control of my body temperature - it makes deciding what to wear really hard doesn't it?
you are in good company my friend. I actually thought about starting a post with this same question because I do the same thing. I flash HUGE, then in a couple of hours I'm freezing... It's embarrassing and annoying. I've checked the meds I take and it seems to actually be the RA. Not sure of any way to control it though
I don't know if this is useful, but the part of your brain that utilises serration in reap takers, is very close to the part that regulates body temperature, so it may pay to investigate what you are on and if it may affected. I halves my anti depressants and body temp began to regulate itself more normally. Good luck, and only make changes with your Drs approval. Hugs.
Hi I get the hot sweats sometimes with the RA and in bed one minute the covers are on then their off and so on, just another side effect of RA and there is plenty off them
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