Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I must be in menopause, even though I'm still getting periods (they're just spaced out further and further; my last cycle was 40 days long). I'm 50 years old, so it makes perfect sense.
These night sweats are driving me nuts! Every two hours I wake up overheated and drenched. Feeling "normal" again takes a few minutes. Then I have trouble going back to sleep. I feel like a zombie, I'm not managing anything in my life very well, and I'm about to start crying and never stop.
I've heard so much about the risks of HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy), but I don't know if I can live the rest of my life like this! I've been experimenting with the amount of blankets, what I wear to bed, etc., but so far nothing has really helped. I get hot sometimes during the day, but it's nothing compared to what I'm dealing with at night!
Before going the HRT route, I'd suggest cohosh, or even a slurp of liquid children's benadryl before bedtime.
Cohosh is indicated to possibly reduce some of the more unpleasant symptoms of perimenopause (such as night sweats), and Benadryl will make it easier for you to fall back to sleep after the sweats wake you up.
I take Ambien every night, but yeah the sweats do wake me up. Fortunately the ambien yanks me right back to sleep within a few minutes after waking up. So it's interrupted sleep, but it's not intolerable.
I only got the sweats for around two weeks during the winter, then they went away on their own. Last year I had them during the day, for around a month in the summer, and hadn't experienced them at night, at all.
Who knows if/when I'll get them next. So far I haven't had to go the HRT route and I'm hesitant because of the potential risks, and I'd be an "at risk" patient. I also haven't had to buy the black cohosh yet, but if this summer gets miserable, then the only question I'll have is which brand of cohosh is reliable.
20 years ago I began going through menopause. Late, horrible periods, flooding, night sweats, etc. I didn't want to go the HRT route, so I went to a doctor of Chinese medicine. She gave me black cohosh. The product, Remifemin, at the time was not sold in stores, however it is now. It has been in use for about 50 years, especially in Europe. It might take a few weeks of taking it for it to begin to work. So don't get discouraged.
You can get Remifemin at the drug store and perhaps Amazon etc. I think it costs about $35 a month. It's been awhile, so the price may have changed. It may not work for everyone, but it worked for me. I took it for a few years, never had any problems. One day I just stopped taking it. No problems.
Good luck and feel better. Once you get to the other side, it's nice. No more periods.
If you aren't taking them, I recommend B-complex and D3 vitamins. Helped me alot. I also tried HRT for about 5 months-didnt help at all. Also tried estrogen cream applied on a diaphram per my ob/gyn after much difficulty with "emissions." Worked like a charm. Had two friends who went the cohosh route-it helped one and not the other. Most of what helped was getting on an antidepressant/anti-anxiety med. My whole brain chemistry changed at that time.
Had the night sweats too--just keep telling yourself it will pass. Go to your ob/gyn for ideas, too.
Sounds like peri-menopause. It can last awhile until your periods stop completely. Sometimes periods can actually get much heavier before they stop completely.
I hear ya. I could set my watch to my hot flashes. And at night, they come every 2 hours which means I never get a good night's sleep. What I found with night sweats (this may sound really strange) but flannel sheets. It doesn't stop the sweats but the flannel is very absorbent so you are not lying in a puddle which makes it even worse.
In terms of help, there are so many different remedies-black cohosh, red clover tea, etc. There are also so many different supplements out there. Do a Google search-read reviews and such. I have tried almost every one and it none of them seem to work for me-but they may work for you. While I really didn't want to go on HRTs, I finally ended up using Premarin cream. I HATE it but what I hate even worse is to admit that it helped me-not 100% but I have had some relief. I only use it when I just can't stand things anymore.
My advice is start with the black cohosh or the red clover tea. Then go on to the supplements, and if none of that work for you, you might have to do what I did and use an HRT.
I wish you the best and hope that you are not like me and can find some relief.
Also with the cohosh - I've looked on a few medical sites (such as medline and pubmed and the NIH's site, among others) and the studies done so far are promising, but warn that it's not something that would work overnight. It can take up to a few weeks to see positive results.
So far, for me, my sweats only last a few weeks at a time. So I might not be a good candidate for it. We'll see how it goes now that the weather's warmer. If the flashes come again during May, I might buy a bottle and hope that any good results happen before summer.
Thank you, everyone, for the replies and assistance!
Flannel sheets, Cat? Interesting; I'd think they'd feel warm. I'll keep that in mind, though!
I'm a little concerned about some reports of possible liver damage from black cohosh. I have to do something, though, so I'll probably try it. I figure that I can always stop taking it if I experience bad results.
I'll let you guys know how I'm doing, if this works or not.
Thank you, everyone, for the replies and assistance!
Flannel sheets, Cat? Interesting; I'd think they'd feel warm. I'll keep that in mind, though!
I'm a little concerned about some reports of possible liver damage from black cohosh. I have to do something, though, so I'll probably try it. I figure that I can always stop taking it if I experience bad results.
I'll let you guys know how I'm doing, if this works or not.
Yeah I was wondering the same about the liver stuff. One of the meta-studies said that the liver damage isn't proven at all, happened in only a couple of cases over a variety of studies, and that it could have been coincidental without any link at all. But to be on the safe side, I think it was the FDA or some other country's governing authority required that manufacturers put a disclaimer on their labels. So if you're known to be "at risk" for liver damage, or already have liver damage, or taking aspirin daily, or drinking alcohol daily, or any other "risk factors" for liver damage, don't also take black cohosh.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Feeling "normal" again takes a few minutes. Then I have trouble going back to sleep. I feel like a zombie, I'm not managing anything in my life very well, and I'm about to start crying and never stop. 
I have to do something, though, so I'll probably try it. I figure that I can always stop taking it if I experience bad results.
