Hot Flushes!

[Attic]

Hi everyone, finally got of Pred about a week ago after six and a bit years.

I have started getting awful hot flushes, is this a withdrawal symptom.

I am 71 so well past normal hot flushes.

Thank you Jenny x

[SnazzyD]

Is there a pattern to them like time of day, foods, activity, medications etc? How do you feel on other levels?

[Attic in reply to SnazzyD]

No pattern really,, very tired though

Jenny x

[SnazzyD in reply to Attic]

Have you been busy?

[PMRpro Ambassador]

It could be your adrenal function is a bit erratic still - it can take up to a year for it to get back to normal after stopping pred altogether.

[Devoid in reply to PMRpro]

That’s good to know,I am experiencing really bad night sweats and because of it not sleeping very well, think this might be why I don’t seem to have the same amount of energy

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Would agree with PMRpro - likely to be Adrenals still settling down.

[123-go]

Recently I've been experiencing a hot flush when I sit down after dinner. Very uncomfortable and I have to switch the fan on to cool me down!

[YuliK]

Attic good morning

My late Mother in Law was having hot flushes and perspiring until she was in her 90s.

Doctor said it was caused by her anti depression pills.

YuliK 😷

🌹🌹🌹

[Chrisellie]

HOT SWEATS started for me quite a few months before I was diagnosed and before any treatment started...still ongoing-after pred and tocilizumab injections stopped.

Doctors don’t seem to know why.

Menopause ended for me about 8 years Or so ago.

[PMRnewbie2017]

Adrenals yes, but remember they are only part if the story. We don't often talk about the hypothalamus and pituitary and adrenal glands known as the HPA axis. Steroids suppress this and some symptoms are the result of disrupted function of all three glands. The main function of the hypothalamus is to control body temperature and energy production, so I often wonder if the flushes and intermittent tiredness are due to this. My inclination is that once we get down to lower levels of Pred and the glands start functioning again things are a bit haywire and unpredictable. Some days they are fairly good but on others they splutter a bit. It is well documented that full adrenal function may take a year to be restored, so why should the hypothalamus and pituitary be any different? These three glands must work together to maintain our bodies in perfect "tune".

[Chrisellie in reply to PMRnewbie2017]

All sounds very interesting .

My flushes started probably when I had either PMR GCA or LVV but hadn’t been diagnosed or treated.

Can The adrenals stop producing with just the disease, or is it the steroids?

[PMRnewbie2017 in reply to Chrisellie]

Yes there are medical conditions in which the adrenals stop producing cortisol. Addison's disease would be the most well known. In our case, it is the synthetic corticosteroid (usually Prednisolone) which suppresses the HPA axis by virtue of the fact that the treatment continues for such a long time. Short term (less than 3 weeks) treatments even at higher doses (20 to 40mg or so) given to patients with asthma or inflammatory bowel diseases for example are not so much of a problem. Tapering is still necessary but because the treatment is of short duration, recovery of the HPA axis is usually unaffected.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Chrisellie]

In that case the most likely cause is the autoimmune part of the PMR/LVV/GCA - flushing is not uncommon in autoimmune disorders.

[Chrisellie in reply to PMRpro]

Thanks for that . I wish someone would tell my rheumy and doctor. Do you know if they ever go away? ( the sweats that is)

[Attic in reply to Chrisellie]

Hi Ladies, thanks ever so much for your opinions.

I thought once I was off the Pred everything would be back to normal, if only, haha. Stuck with hot flushes and exhaustion now.

Oh well, onwards and upwards as they say.

Thank you, Jenny x

[bunnymom in reply to Attic]

Happy to hear you are in remission. I’m at 5.5 after almost 5 years. We have learned how to care for ourselves haven’t we? Wishing you well today.

[Attic in reply to bunnymom]

Thank you so much. Hope you manage to get off Pred soon too.

Jenny x

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Chrisellie]

I think they usually do once the autoimmune part of PMR etc goes into remission. I don't know, never got there!