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[wlt27]

Thank you Julie
xxxxx

[Dancinggirl]

Hi wlt27 - welcome to MM
I've just read your posts.  I'm sorry to hear your flushes are causing so much trouble.
You say you don't want to take HRT because you would rather go through all this discomfort now rather than later.
I started being peri in my mid 30s and was probably post meno by my early 40s so had to have HRT to protect my bones etc.  When the scares about HRT happened in 2002 i was 49 and decided to come off HRT and hoped the terrible meno symptoms would subside reasonably quickly.  3 years later I was still having flushes - at least 3 per hour, not sleeping and feeling dreadfully tired.  I spent a fortune on all the herbal remedies which did nothing - I'm afraid I believe they only work for women who have very mild symptoms and may only have a placebo affect - that's only my view from my experiences.
When a friend, who was in her 80s, heard how I suffering she got very cross and told me very firmly to go back on HRT - she was still taking a low dose HRT herself and felt wonderful. I did as she suggested and got my life back - I now feel cheated by that flawed study back in 2002 as I had lost 3 years of my life for no real reason!!
I am now nearly 58 and four and a half years on I am having another break from HRT to see how things are. I reduced slowly over 6 weeks & now 2 months without HRT the meno symptoms haven't been nearly as bad as last time. I am using local oestrogen to help with vaginal atrophy which causes me a great deal of discomfort and has done for years but provided I can still work and get a reasonable nights sleep I will not go back on full HRT. If I'm not coping I will certainly go back on HRT and stay on as long as possible.
What I'm trying to tell you is: If your life is really restricted by the meno symptoms it may be worth giving HRT a try. Life is short - enjoy life while you can. Of course, the choice to take HRT or not is very personal.  I'm sure the HRT didn't give your sister Leukemia and provided you are healthy the benefits of HRT can far outweigh any risks. There have been many posts like yours where women worry they are simply putting off the inevitable but I'm hoping my story will help you to see that coming off HRT isn't always terrible.
During my previous time off HRT I found the following things helped me cope with the flushes and night sweats:
3 tog duvet filled with cotton - even through winter.
Avoid over heated shops  - it was great to hang around the freezer areas in super markets.
Only wear cotton and thin layers that you can easily strip off when flushes happen.
Avoid hot drinks, alcohol, curries etc.
I stayed indoors on warm sunny days and had a fan going all the time.
Try running your wrists under cold water when you get a flush - it can cool you down more quickly.
I kept a bucket with iced water by my bed so I could put my feet in it when I woke with a night sweat.
I took a Nytol every so often to get a better nights sleep.
I do hope you feel better soon.  You may be lucky and only suffer with symptoms for a few months. 
I do recommend taking Omega oils, glucosamine and vitamin D to protect your bones and heart - this is very, very important.  Good luck  DG x

[wlt27]

Thank you Dancing Girl for your reply.  I am now having a good think about HRT after all that you have said.
xxxxx

[Dayskipper]

I started to suffer hot flushes in sept 2010 at 53 having had the mirena coil out. I tried hrt tablets then patches which worked for the flushes BUT  i went from a size 10 to 14 in just a few months.  I tried different HRT but was struggling with the weight and it made me depressed. In summer 2013 i decided to try herbal remedies such as kohosh and menopace. Nothing has worked. At 58 im going to the gym, not eating much but i have dreadful hot flushes still especially at night, sometimes up to 20 times and my hair is drenched. It affects my quality of life so much. I re married in november last year and cant believe my husband puts up with it. Having enjoyed sex so much i now have no libido whatsoever. I take kalms to get a better nights sleep occasionally but its never ending.
This week we are skiing in France and i had a hot flush whilst in the pharmacy buying a knee support. The pharmacist (female) sold me ABUFENE and said they are for flushes and WORK. YOU SHOULD take 3 a day for ten days and then supposedly they disappear!!!! Ive been taking them since monday 7 jan 2014. No idea if they will work or if there are additional side effects. So far, nothing. HAS ANYONE ANY IDEA ABOUT THESE TABLETS please? And why don't we know about these in the UK?

[Hurdity]

Hi Dayskipper

 

Looking  up Abufene on the web it has been considered by the French Health Authority in 2011 ( and before) and they have concluded this:

As the available data is insufficient to distinguish between the proprietary medicinal product and a placebo in terms of efficacy, ABUFENE has no role in the treatment strategy of menopausal hot flushes.

http://www.has-sante.fr/portail/upload/docs/application/pdf/2012-12/abufene_ct_7419.pdf

So it looks like more work is needed.

Also it contains a substance called beta alanine which is an amino acid and seems to be sold as a supplement for body-builders!!

Here is some info (American medical site):
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-1222-BETA-ALANINE.aspx?activeIngredientId=1222&activeIngredientName=BETA-ALANINE

It says amongst the side effects (of beta-alanine) that high doses can cause flushing!!!

Can this be the same substance??

Maybe we can help with a different type of HRT - you should be able to keep your weight down even on HRT  - many of us manage to with care. Maybe start a new thread?

Hurdity x

[Taz2]

I found this on it http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://www.doctissimo.fr/medicament-ABUFENE.htm&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dabufene%26espv%3D210%26es_sm%3D93%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D684

which seems to say that you take it for up to ten days and then stop and restart once the flushes begin again.It doesn't seem to be used all the time.

Taz x

[BreadFruit]

The last months were hell. No energy, massive weight gain around the waist, and constant flushes and thereafter getting the chills and shaking and teeth chattering. Absolutely no proper sleep and the joints hurting as if I was run over by a truck when waking up.

My surgery has a doctor specialising in Menopause. I spoke to her on Saturday. She immediately put me on HRT. She is around my age and she said she herself is on HRT and will stay on it until she dies. She said HRT is not as bad as its being portrayed. She said it can even protect women from some cancers, bone issues etc.

So, since Saturday lunch time I am on HRT. I have taken my 5th tablet today and I am feeling a lot better. I had constant flushes and sweats. I was dehydrated as I could not drink enough to keep up with the fluid loss, especially at night. I cleaned my house this yesterday! I have energy. My brain is working. I have still some flushes, but they are a lot weaker and today I had 3 so far. I also had reasonable good sleep the last two nights since the last 6 months, and I woke up without any bone and joint pains.

For those of you interested I am on:

Prempak-C 0.625 mg (conjugated estrogens) 28 tablets / 0.15 mg (norgestrel) 12 tablets

If in a couple of months I still have flushes, she wants me to double the dosis of the 0.625mg tablet.

The only negative is, that I will have a period every month, but I may be lucky and it will not be as bad as it usually is. She said that if one goes on holiday and the period is due, one can skip taking the 0.15 mg tablets as a one off and not have a period whilst out holidaying. I am 48.

If this does not work for me at all we will review this. Another option for me was to get the coil and take some kind of hormone, that way I would not have any more periods. But I am not keen of having something inside of me.

All I can say is stay away from men doctors and the young female doctors. They have no clue! Look for the older female doctor, they hopefully have experienced this problem of pre and menopause themselves like my doctor.

[Shazzie]

Hi

I am new to this site and wanted to say hello.

I have been suffering with hot flushes that end up with a pounding racing heart, usually when I wake up.  It is really frightening.  I have been to see GP and she said it is not my heart but the menopause.  I haven't had a period for a few months now.  Anyone else suffer with the pounding heart thing?

Shazzie

[Dancinggirl]

Hi Shazzie and welcome MM
Pounding heart is very, very normal with flushes.  Did your GP offer you HRT?
REad up all the info under the headings to the left of this screen and dip into some of the threads on this site and hopefully it will help.
If you tell us a bit more about you e.g. age, symptoms etc we can offer help and advice if you need it - we're all in the same boat.
DG x

[Shazzie]

Thank you so much DH for your reply.

I am 53 and have had the flooding and periods all over the place for the past 3 years.  My periods stopped 12 months ago but I had a little spotting in Sept and that has been it until the flushes and pounding racing heart started a month ago. 

I have been to my GP and she reassured me that it is definitely not my heart and is the menopause.  She asked me to think about HRT.  I have Multiple Sclerosis so I will need to speak with my MS Nurse/Neuro and if they say it is ok then I reckon I will start HRT as I hate the pounding heart thing.  Worse than the periods to be honest.

Are you on HRT and thanks again for your welcome and reassurance.  It really helps and I really really apperciate it.

Shazzie x

[Dancinggirl]

Shazzie
Why not start a new thread for yourself about MS and HRT.  There will be ladies out there who have MS and are using HRT so will be able to advice you. 
I have read some posts where HRT has improved MS symptoms.
I am currently having break from full HRT (I am nearly 58) to see how I cope. I was peri from my mid 30s so had to have HRT for many years.  I am using Vagifem ( local oestrogen treatment to prevent Vaginal Atrophy - VA is a really nasty thing to have) but I will go back on HRT if I feel I need to.
It's good your GP is giving you the option of HRT as at 53 the symptoms can be debilitating. As we keep saying on this site - "life is short" and you don't want to waste time waiting, sometimes years, for the meno symptoms to pass.
Definitely start a thread  - possible title - 'HRT and MS, advice please'. Then outline your history and ask questions.
Good luck  DG x

[Shazzie]

Good idea DG.  I will do that now.

Thanks so much for your help.  I really appreciate it.

Shazzie x

[libbyloo]

Starflower.....in 2007 you shared your amazing results with starflower oil.1000mg. Love to know how 7 yrs on. How that panned out for you. You had been thru a wretched time. It saved you. Xx

[Dandelion]

My hrt has not been getting rid of all of my flushes, and as they were still quite bothersome, I began taking magnesium citrate.
It has helped loads.
I find that if I take it between meals, about 150mgs, that I don't get diarrhoea.
It's well worth a try if you are getting tired of the flushes.

[JeanneA]

I am really getting so fed-up with these hot flushes, they are particularly bad late afternoons and evenings.  I keep wondering if I should try HRT even though I'm worried about the side effect of cancer.  I just don't know what to do for the best.