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Suggest Remedy For Intermittent Hot Flashes
Question: I am currently on 1 mg estrodial ( estrogen )for the last 4 years. I am 56 years old. How come I have uncontrollable hot flashes that come and go every 10 minutes? I have absolutely no body temperature control, no matter what temperature or weather situation. It is starting to interfere with daily living. Do I need to increase the dose? I am a healthy person other wise, exercise daily and have normal weight.
Brief Answer:
There can be many reasons for uncontrolled hot flashes
Detailed Answer:
Hello, and I hope I can help you today.
Hot flashes vary in amount and intensity for different women after menopause.
I really need a bit of additional information to properly advise you and answer your question effectively.
For one, have you been on estrogen alone for the last 4 years? Have you had a hysterectomy? Estrogen alone should not be prescribed to women who have a uterus as they are at increased risk of uterine cancer. I hope the physician who prescribed the medication for you is aware of this and that you are taking some form of progesterone in addition to your estrogen.
Secondly, when is the last time you had a regular medical physical? Thyroid disease, labile blood pressure and other conditions can cause heat intolerance and flushing and should be ruled out with a regular medical checkup if you haven't had one in more than a year.
Third, have your hot flashes always been this bad, or is this a recent development? And did your period stop on it's own, or was it because of a hysterectomy? If you have been on the same dose of estradiol for the last 4 years and only recently are getting hot flashes again, there may be a medical reason for the change.
So, if it is not too much trouble, it would be very helpful if you could provide me with a little more of your medical history. I am sure I will be able to advise you properly if i had more information, as management of hot flashes can be done in a few different ways and I want to come up with the best recommendation for your case.
I hope to hear back from you.
Take care, Dr. Brown
There can be many reasons for uncontrolled hot flashes
Detailed Answer:
Hello, and I hope I can help you today.
Hot flashes vary in amount and intensity for different women after menopause.
I really need a bit of additional information to properly advise you and answer your question effectively.
For one, have you been on estrogen alone for the last 4 years? Have you had a hysterectomy? Estrogen alone should not be prescribed to women who have a uterus as they are at increased risk of uterine cancer. I hope the physician who prescribed the medication for you is aware of this and that you are taking some form of progesterone in addition to your estrogen.
Secondly, when is the last time you had a regular medical physical? Thyroid disease, labile blood pressure and other conditions can cause heat intolerance and flushing and should be ruled out with a regular medical checkup if you haven't had one in more than a year.
Third, have your hot flashes always been this bad, or is this a recent development? And did your period stop on it's own, or was it because of a hysterectomy? If you have been on the same dose of estradiol for the last 4 years and only recently are getting hot flashes again, there may be a medical reason for the change.
So, if it is not too much trouble, it would be very helpful if you could provide me with a little more of your medical history. I am sure I will be able to advise you properly if i had more information, as management of hot flashes can be done in a few different ways and I want to come up with the best recommendation for your case.
I hope to hear back from you.
Take care, Dr. Brown
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Neel Kudchadkar
Thank you for your fast reply!
I did have a hysterectomy back in 1996 after I had my 3rd child. This hysterectomy was by choice because I was tired of the heavy menstrual cycles and having to go back on birth control after so many years. The hysterectomy was done vaginally.
I started the estrodial on a 2mg dose daily, decided to taper down to 1mg since the hot flashes were almost gone and they advise to taper down to avoid liver damage? Higher breast cancer risk?
The 1 mg daily dose has worked well for the last 1 year, hot flashes were pretty much gone up until the last few months when they seem to come back a lot worse as I have ever experienced. It literally feels like an on and off switch every 10 to 15 minutes no matter what the surrounding temperature is. They wake me up several times during the night.
I did have a physical about 6 months ago, did a complete blood panel and everything seems fine, great blood pressure , tend to always be a bit low, on average 100/70 , excellent cholesterol, etc. I was sent home with all good news.
In addition to the estrodial I take my Omega , vit D as well.
Hope this answers your questions?
Thank you
xxxxxxx
I did have a hysterectomy back in 1996 after I had my 3rd child. This hysterectomy was by choice because I was tired of the heavy menstrual cycles and having to go back on birth control after so many years. The hysterectomy was done vaginally.
I started the estrodial on a 2mg dose daily, decided to taper down to 1mg since the hot flashes were almost gone and they advise to taper down to avoid liver damage? Higher breast cancer risk?
The 1 mg daily dose has worked well for the last 1 year, hot flashes were pretty much gone up until the last few months when they seem to come back a lot worse as I have ever experienced. It literally feels like an on and off switch every 10 to 15 minutes no matter what the surrounding temperature is. They wake me up several times during the night.
I did have a physical about 6 months ago, did a complete blood panel and everything seems fine, great blood pressure , tend to always be a bit low, on average 100/70 , excellent cholesterol, etc. I was sent home with all good news.
In addition to the estrodial I take my Omega , vit D as well.
Hope this answers your questions?
Thank you
xxxxxxx
Brief Answer:
Thanks for the additonal information it is very helpful
Detailed Answer:
Thanks for getting back to me and I think I know the cause of your problem.
You may have been getting menopausal symptoms for a few years, but I suspect that your ovaries only recently stopped working completely and they had been supplying you with some endogenous estrogen.
But no matter what the cause, you are in a better position because you've had a hysterectomy... Estrogen alone has not shown the same risks for developig breast cancer as the studies done on combination formulas for hormone replacement.
So you could try increasing your medication to 2 mg daily, or supplementing it with a non-hormonal medication. Very low dose formulas of certain antidepressants have been shown to help with hot flashes and can be used alone or in combination with estrogen.
I suggest you speak with your GYN doctor about specific dosing regimens and get their opinion about your situation, but I am sure there will be something that will work to help your symptoms.
Oh and on a side note you really should
take a calcium supplement even if you are on hormone replacement therapy. Your estrogen levels before menopause are still much higher than when on hormone replacement therapy and you are at risk for bone loss later in life.
I hope I was able to adequately answer your question and that this information was helpful. If you do not need anything else, please close the question and if you had a positive experience, please place a star rating with your review.
Thanks for using healthcaremagic.com and best wishes, Dr. Brown
Thanks for the additonal information it is very helpful
Detailed Answer:
Thanks for getting back to me and I think I know the cause of your problem.
You may have been getting menopausal symptoms for a few years, but I suspect that your ovaries only recently stopped working completely and they had been supplying you with some endogenous estrogen.
But no matter what the cause, you are in a better position because you've had a hysterectomy... Estrogen alone has not shown the same risks for developig breast cancer as the studies done on combination formulas for hormone replacement.
So you could try increasing your medication to 2 mg daily, or supplementing it with a non-hormonal medication. Very low dose formulas of certain antidepressants have been shown to help with hot flashes and can be used alone or in combination with estrogen.
I suggest you speak with your GYN doctor about specific dosing regimens and get their opinion about your situation, but I am sure there will be something that will work to help your symptoms.
Oh and on a side note you really should
take a calcium supplement even if you are on hormone replacement therapy. Your estrogen levels before menopause are still much higher than when on hormone replacement therapy and you are at risk for bone loss later in life.
I hope I was able to adequately answer your question and that this information was helpful. If you do not need anything else, please close the question and if you had a positive experience, please place a star rating with your review.
Thanks for using healthcaremagic.com and best wishes, Dr. Brown
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Yogesh D
Thank you very much !
That was very helpful information!
xxxxxxx
That was very helpful information!
xxxxxxx
Brief Answer:
Thank you
Detailed Answer:
Thanks again and take care, Dr. Brown
Thank you
Detailed Answer:
Thanks again and take care, Dr. Brown
Note: Revert back with your gynae reports to get a clear medical analysis by our expert Gynecologic Oncologist. Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj
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