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I am in the 6th year of hot flashes. I feel that I am coping well without HRT so have no plans to use it at this point. After 6 years they are coming less frequently and are less intense than in years past. However, I am very much looking forward to a time when this is concluded.
If you have not used hormones I would like to know how many years your hot flashes went on for before they finally stopped. I need something positive to visualize!
Thanks for contributing!
I can't say, since I went on hormones for a few years. So the hot flashes returned when I stopped.
I got some progersterone cream, though (over the counter), which seems to help that, actually.
I am in the 6th year of hot flashes. I feel that I am coping well without HRT so have no plans to use it at this point. After 6 years they are coming less frequently and are less intense than in years past. However, I am very much looking forward to a time when this is concluded.
If you have not used hormones I would like to know how many years your hot flashes went on for before they finally stopped. I need something positive to visualize!
Thanks for contributing!
5+ years for me and still get them but not often.
Have you tried Amberen?
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About 10 years for me, with a small break while I was taking hormones (patch) I weaned off the patch after, oh, a year or two, and they have not been as intense since then. I call them "warm flashes". Every great now and then I'll still get pretty hot.
On a side note...do or did any of you ever have small flashes of anxiety before the hot flashes? I can tell one is coming by that. It's just about a half a second of something like, "I've got to get out of here!" I've never had any other type of anxiety.
The worst was from about age 52 - 54, with significant tapering off near the end of the second year.
I'm 56 now and still get occasional hot flashes. About 90% of the time, they happen because something I'm eating has lots of soy in it. For example, I was having a protein bar and tea for breakfast and the hot flashes started in about the 4th day of that.
The other 10% of the time, they just happen, and I'll have them about 5 hours apart for about 48 hours, then they will quit for 3 - 4 months. They aren't as intense as they were 4 years ago. They are only majorly annoying if it's 90+ outside and I'm crossing a parking lot. Otherwise, I can somewhat ignore them.
I've been keeping a food diary, so I do have some idea of what I've been eating and drinking.
I didn't take HRT and NONE of the herbs were helpful. Time was the only thing that really made a difference.
My tips for staying comfortable:
- Use cotton nightwear and sheets. Spend the bucks and get a high thread count.
- Keep a fan near your bed, even in the winter.
- Keep a food/drink diary. Know your trigger foods/drinks. For some, it's more than one glass of red wine.
- Remind yourself that it is a natural process and that it will pass.
I don't blame women for wanting to take hormones, but I felt the risk was too great. As hard as those two years were, I'd go through them again vs. taking hormones. That's how strongly that I'm concerned about their safety long-term.
Mine lasted about a year and they weren't that bad. I have had no other problems and feel better than ever. It's so nice not to have periods every 28 days complete with raging PMS. Menopause for me has been a huge improvement.
Mine didn't last for very long. I only had 3 memorable, raging hot flashes. You know, the kind that make you want to tear off your clothes and dive into a snow bank. There were definitely warm flashes, but they weren't that annoying. The whole thing was over in about a year.
Mine lasted about a year and they weren't that bad. I have had no other problems and feel better than ever. It's so nice not to have periods every 28 days complete with raging PMS. Menopause for me has been a huge improvement.
I will say, amazingly, I did not experience what other women may suffer with. I too had no obvious problems during or afterward and as you say, it was just a relief to have periods end, with PMS having caused a lot of emotionalism. I have felt SO free ever since.
I don't know if this is the case, but since I have taken multivitamins daily since in my mid-twenties, which apparently helped with lessening Menstrual pain, I believe this may have helped me through Menopause. I realize our bodies are different and may all experience things differently.
About 10 years for me, with a small break while I was taking hormones (patch) I weaned off the patch after, oh, a year or two, and they have not been as intense since then. I call them "warm flashes". Every great now and then I'll still get pretty hot.
On a side note...do or did any of you ever have small flashes of anxiety before the hot flashes? I can tell one is coming by that. It's just about a half a second of something like, "I've got to get out of here!" I've never had any other type of anxiety.
Absolutely yes! Not with every hot flash but when I do, I get this horrible feeling coming over me. Mine lasts about 10 seconds. I can't even describe it. It is just an evil feeling LOL I know that an intense hot flash is coming after I get one of those icky "feelings"
I'm also going on 10 years, on a light HRT, and it helps but doesn't make them go away altogether.
One thing I've noticed and never heard of anyone else with this symptom about my hot flashes is that I get an INTENSE craving for a cold drink of water before I get one. It's like I am dying of thirst. Anyone else experience this?
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