I am 60 and never have had hot flashes---probably because I have been on Activella for 7 or 8 years. I had to stop it cold turkey
because I was on an airplane flight---got a blood clot in my calf----then clots in my lungs---actually I am in pretty good shape but
they told me no more Activella. The first week or so I was fine but now into the third week, I am having hot flashes at night.

I have had sweats before from reactions to medications---but I recognize these true hot flashes because they are like nothing I have
ever experienced before---I get really HOT and then sweaty and plus horrible ability to sleep more than a couple of hours.

In some places I have been told that my body will adjust----I was just about to taper down and go off the Activella anyway.

But I am on a blood thinner so I cannot fool around with a lot of herbal things--I already have been taking many of the necessary vitamins
for years.

I am curious how long these will go on---I never had hot flashes in my perimenopause, never had them in early menopause--I took Activella because
it protects my bones, colon and heart and my doctor really believed in it--I do think my blood clot was caused by a number of things besides the airplane
flight including outpatient knee surgery earlier this year for a torn meniscus.

my big question: Will my body adjust and how long will it take? Doees anyone have any related experiences?

I never had bad period, heavy periods, heavy bleeding, anyting like that. I never expected to have hot flashes and did not
in my earlier years.

HELP!!!!

I am sorry to hear about the problems you have had with clotting. I do not think anyone can tell you what will happen next. Your body is reacting to the drop in oestrogen and so you are now experiencing menopause symptoms for the first time. Before you commenced Activella you were probably not fully menopausal and your oestrogens were not low enough to cause hot flashes. In effect you started medication before it all set in. Hopefully your transition will be brief because of your age but no-one knows what your body is now 'thinking.' It might feel rather confused.
Many of the gals here have had hot flashes for years. Only your body can tell them to stop! In your case it will just be a waiting game. The most important thing is that your clotting issues are addressed. Let us know how you get on. It is really important for us to learn from your experiences. Having to come off HRT abruptly, is something that worries many ladies here so your input will be very valuable.

Hopefully someone who has been on HRT long term and had to come of it suddenly, will chime in and give you their experiences.


Welcome to PS,

XIII

I have a good friend, older than I, who says since I never had hot flashes in perimenopause and early menopause, she thinks this is probably temporary. I guess in many ways I am lucky because I never had bad periods in my life, never heavy periods, got pregnant easily, never had fibroids or anything else---I think I had pretty much stopped my periods when I started the Activella---but it is hard to remember all the details.

I put in a call to my wonderful ob/gyn--I don't need to see him, I just need to get by his Nazi Nurse---we had a long long talk last week because he did want to know all about my blood clot and being in the hospital etc etc etc---he needs to know that about me and about other women on HRT. I found it hard to believe that I could get a blood clot because I was so active and had really been working out after the outpatient knee surgery---but ironically, apparently any kind of injury or surgery to the lower body, even though it was in the opposite let, can start a chain of events in blood chemistry making a person more susceptible to blood clots, and perhaps the combination of the surgery, being on estrogen, and "economy class syndrome" as they call deep vein thrombosis---the clot in the calf----came together to cause it. Fortunately, even though I had to be in the hospital 6 days on Heparin and get the Coumadin pills adjusted, I never had bad symptoms----I was very very lucky

I was about to quit the Activella anyway-----we felt I was past the most important years of strengthening my bones, my colon and my heart---but I wasn't going to go cold turkey.

I am hoping my doctor who has known me for years will have some thoughts. When I talked to him last week, it was only two weeks off the Activella and at that point I actually said to him, so far I seem okay without the Activella--but the past number of days----good grief-----NOW I know what a hot flash is!!

I will let you know what he has to say. He said to let him know if I felt worse---I don't know what he can say except I hope he says my body should soon adjust. I already take all the b vitamins and stuff and because of the Coumadin I cannot take a lot of various supplements---and I cannot use soy because I take thyroid meds and soy is not good for that situation.

Thanks for being here

I am reporting in----I actually got into see my ob/gyn today. He is fabulous and has a number of different things for me to try and he says every person IS different----and we are working around the fact that I have shared with you that I had gotten a blood clot from an airplane ride among some other issues I now know and had to stop my Activella cold turkey----but we are trying some things and he gave me a new, mild sleeping pill to try--I will let you know how that goes---but he also had the opinion that since I have had some hot flashes at night but never in the daytime that what I think are hot flashes may not be----and since I never have had any in the daytime this may not be such a hard transition.

I know I have had night sweats before but they have usually been some rare times when I had anxiety attacks----and I never felt hot-----and when I had bad reactions to new meds I was trying I had night sweats----but I never felt hot-----so I have been assuming that because all of a sudden
I felt really hot that now I am having hot flashes---

he is such a good doctor and he is also researching some biological things that he had used before for women in my situation and is going to get back to me on that----and we have to take into account that I am dealing with being on Coumadin, a blood thinner, for the next six months to be careful of anything else I take.

But it may be----because I know I finished my periods before I ever started Activella and never had any menopause symptoms except perhaps some insomnia but it it hard to separate that from other issues in my life.

So I guess everyone IS different. I am so glad I go into see him. He said there are anti-depressants that help with menopause symptoms but I cannot take most anti-depressants because they make me gain weight in two seconds AND make me very sick---s0 that is out---
he also said there is a tiny patch they can put behind the ear which is actually a kind of blood pressure medicine-----but I am working with my cardiologist bcause my bp had gotten so low on these two meds I was on that we are changing to one med---so we cannot fool around with bp meds.

But there are according to my wonderful doctor a variety of options for women with menopausal symptoms----

I do have to say I showed him my latest bone scan that my endocrinologist did in March. He said well the estrogen did its job because with my values he said I have bones at age 60 that are better, according to my numbers, than many 26 year olds. He said I should never have problems with my bones since they are so strong now at age 60 and of course now I continue to exercise and take my calcium and magnesium.

Anyway, there are no clear answers, but it was wonderful to talk to my doctor who is always researching ways to help his patients who cannot take hormones but need some other way to stay sane and healthy.

I will keep you posted.

ive been having the nite sweats since i was 33 that was 16 yrs ago , although i dont think im the norm- they have tapered off the last 5 yrs but at first they were debilating the first 10 yrs, i blame it on having my tubes tied at 21 yrs old- hope yours dont last that long- i never found any natural releif...... only thing that helped was time

Well, as I said, my doctor is working on a bunch of solutions for me---what a guy.

And he thinks I have had some night sweats from some source but because I have not had any hot flashes in the day time he thinks this could very well be short lived---

I am 60 and a half and started hormones after I went through menopause and had no symptoms then---
perhaps I will be lucky---

I am lucky to have a doctor who is doing so much research and providing so many options to women who are suffering and who cannot take hormones--I am blessed