Ok, I feel like I am at the end of my rope. I am 44 and had my first hot flash 2 years ago after a shot of Lupron for a surgical procedure. Anyway, they lasted a few months but I could control them with a soy & black cohosh pill.

Now they are back for real, no Lupron is causing this. I have had them about a month, and they are constant. I seldom get a break. I know I get upset and that just makes them worse. I have been taking the soy & black cohosh (think it is called Nature's Woman by Walgreens) for 2 weeks. And yes I know it takes some time for your body to react to it. I have also been using an OTC progesterone cream. I tried to relax and just deep breathe through the worst, but it's so hard.

I am pretty much against taking any HRT until it is the last straw and I don't feel it is yet. I cannot go on regular BC pills.

What has worked for you, to either stop or lessen the intensity of the hot flashes. I feel desperate.

I tried a few OTC, mostly herbal, suppliments. The one I'm taking now has put a halt for the most part to my flashes. I occasionally get a little warm, but NOTHING compared to before.
The different ingredient is fish oil. They all pretty much had dong quai, black cohash, saw palmetto, red clover, chaste tree berries and raspberry leaf.
I have written a pleading letter to the companies producing MOST of these suppliments. ALL of them require me to dig out the super-strong magnifying glasses to be able to read the labels. Don't they understand that we want to buy their product, but if we can't read the ingredients , we'll probably pass them by!

Thanks Chefmarr.
Fish Oil, that is a new one for me.

What is the supplement called? I see you are from Ontario. Maybe they have them here in the states. It is worth a try.

I get great relief from all my peri symptoms from acupuncture once a week, and the herbal extract she makes up for me that strengthens my kidney qi, which is what gets low during menopause and can give you all the symptoms....I talke it in the morning and at night in a dropper form, and its helped with all my symotms along with the weekly acupuncture treatments to balance out my hormones...

Lisa

Thanks Lisa for the info.

I was going to give it a month and then look for homeopathic healers or something. Acupuncture would be something to try.

I have been having hot flushes for 3 years now . I rather not have the hrt unless things got really bad. Find drinking raspberry lear tea helps. I been taking black cohosh as well .Take it from time to time and found that they work just fine for me , at least they did stop my hot flashes. It is best to check with your gp before hand .

I, too, had bad hot flashes for a couple years. I tried many OTC products to no avail. Then I started taking Fish Oil caps--1 in the morning, 1 at night, 1,000 mg. each--and within 2 weeks my flashes had lessened considerably.

I've tried the fish oil caps for years--have taken the 1000 mg. 2x a day and now that I get hot flashes I'm not going to up the dose if this level isn't even touching the hot flashes. None of the herbal stuff I've tried has helped the hot flashes. I'm trying the estrogel again and prometrium, but can't seem to get the right level, as I still get hot flashes...it's all so frustrating.

It's hard to feel positive with the constant challenge.

Sorry so down...

Shel

I take Fish Oil, Vit E, and Vit B6 and not one of them has helped me. I even started a hot flash study drug and that hasn't even helped. I am convinced I am taking a placebo. Before I started the study, I was taking Evening Primrose and I really believe it helped, but I'm not allowed to take it while on the study because they said it's hormone related. I intend to go back on it as soon as I'm off the study which is a month from now. I've been on it for 2 months.


Patrice