Hi everyone...well I am totally messed up.  I have taken every hormone on the market..and tried the soy..tried the natural pro-gest..and just when I think things may get better..WOW things return back to the flashes that keep you wilted day and night.I just bought black cohosh, and evening primrose, and nothing yet.  I am so tired, so discouraged.  I wonder if I am to blame with my body being confused..trying this and then that thing..nothing really working.  HOW do we continue on being SO tired!!!  Please HELP!!  Thanks , Hope is not "floating"

Hi Hope,

I had hot flashes return when my estrogen dropped; before that the progesterone worked.

Now as things keep changing my saliva test revealed that the progesterone is double what it was and the estriol is too high.    So the moral of the story is that you have to keep changing what you do with the hormones.     I am having some flashes during the night but only one or two....that is not as bad as about 20 times and all during the night keeping me awake.   Losing sleep is what strings me out.

Maybe the cohosh will kick in and be a solution for now.

Hope your hope floats again soon...take care.   I so understand what you are going through.

Hi It's been a while since I posted.  The night flashes are wearing me out.  I just drag myself through each day.  I just want to know whats it's like if and when they stop????  Please let me know if anyone has posted about 'life after the pause'.

Sorry meant night sweats - hot flashes in the day - blame it on lack of sleep, hence the name, or the brain fog symptom!!! oh no

LOL, Sleepless being kept awake by night sweats is enough to confuse anyone!!They are horrible, aren't they? I get them pre-menstrually, but the number of night in a month which I get them seems to be increasing. I would much rather put up with this than the depression, irritation etc which are my other main symptoms, but would still rather be without them!!

Hi Sleepless,  sorry don't know what to recommend  either, I have been on ERT for   5 years, and  must say haven't had hot flashes in some time, but got about 30 of the others symptoms listed.  Just when you think you are over the hump and in the stretch, BAM it hits you.  Just recently I have started to get some hot flashes again, not alot but enough to say WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON HERE.  There isn't one set of rules we just have to keep experimenting with the stuff that is available to us . Myself I am sensitive to soy so dropped that, too much estrogen gives me bad headaches, so have to watch and not take too much, Oh my  one nerve I have left,... It has to stop one day right ladies!!!...

Hi,

Before taking HRT which I didn't take for very long, I seemed to have hot flashes, sooo much more in summertime, and also when I got really anxious (you know when you think about a situation and go over it in your mind - the immediate reaction was a hot flash).  It's winter now where I live and the hot flashes are so much less (I'm postmeno, if that gives any hope to anyone), but I can still do a pretty good of re-calling them when I get nervous.So, does anyone else feel that anxiety which in itself is enhanced by the lack of hormones, could be a key factor? Barbie xxxxxxxxx

(Edited by athenea at 8:47 pm on Sep. 8, 2002)

Hope, there are lots and lots of suggestions of things to try on the Power Surge Recommendations Page.

Best of luck to you!

Thanks everyone, just knowing you are all out there and surviving, helps heaps.  I have thought anxiety may enhance the flashes/sweats but recently I had to do something that I thought was going to stress me out.  When the day came I was fine and the hot flashes came exactly 2 hours apart not at the difficult time.  Hope you can understand what I mean. I must be on a timed controlled thermostat lol.

Well ladies,

With the flashes, it is like a dominoe effect for me, Lack of sleep brings them on heavier and more often.  But the flashes keep me from getting a good sleep, I feel like my dog when he is chaseing his tale around, and around and around. I can not believe that woman have been suffering for so long and they have not come up with a different sollution. We have space stations for crying out loud. Letting of steam ...

athenea, I didn't start taking ERT till after my mom died. I started having every symptom in book. I was having panic attacks 5 times a day, was having palpitations, had acid reflux(ate very little), couldn't sleep at all, had the internal and external shakes, had headaches, and couldn't remember anything, and I wanted to kill everyone in sight.  After a blood test confirmed I was menopausal I was ready for ERT. After about 3 weeks all of my symptoms went away. It was unblievable. I am a totally different person since I've been taking the Climara patch. I never wanted to have to take hormones, but I realize now that I just can't function without some estrogen. I can't imagine living a long life feeling totally miserable. lavenderblue21

I haven't had a period in about 3 mos. and the hot flashes and night sweats started then. I won't take HRT so I decided to try a natural approach. I tried soy, but am allergic to it, so instead I decided to try flaxseed oil and Vit. E. Well, I've been taking the flaxseed/borage oil(liquid) and vit. E(400 mg.divided dose) for about a month. Last week I was night-sweat free, and the hot flashes have reduced to almost nothing. That I like.  I think you have to try different things to see what works for you. Hope you get relief soon.

I seem to have more overly warm episodes during the day....anyone else having this?  I just started Estroven to see if that would help.  I swore I wasn't going to go on the hormones but lately it is sounding better and better because these constant hot flashes are wearing me out!

Hi,

I cut back on the estriol of my estrogen and a few hot flashes come back at night when I sleep.   I take a cold wash cloth and keep it by my bed so I can put it on my neck or even my leg...and that helps cool me.