When do the hot flashes stop????!!
 

Okay, so I think I am going crazy now! I have made it through all the chemo side effects and my body is starting to feel normal again except for the dreadful hot flashes I am having!! I had them when I went through chemo and thought they would go away after my last Taxol in June but they are still wreaking havoc on me! They come and go almost every hour of the day and it's really becoming a nuisance. It's embarrassing when I start ripping my clothes off in public! (Little dramatization)

Anyone experiencing hot flashes while on Herceptin or Tamoxifen??

Re: When do the hot flashes stop????!!
 

Mine stopped about 2 months after finishing Herceptin, I'm still on Tamoxifen. I thought I would have them for the full time I was on Tamoxifen. I asked the Dr about it, as I felt maybe the Tamoxifen wasn't working, but she wasn't worried about it. I guess maybe I am one of the lucky ones.

Re: When do the hot flashes stop????!!
 

Jra,
Oh, my sister, I share your pain!
I don't know when your flashes will stop, but I fear mine are here to stay. I am in chemopause...and I'm pretty sure that's going to be forever for me. (actually...I hope so...) I pretty much live in front of a fan these days!

At least winter is coming...so we can step outside to cool off. :)
Stay cool!
Denise

Re: When do the hot flashes stop????!!
 

I have what I all "prednisone flashes"....not taking tamoxifen but the steroids have the same effect on me.

Re: When do the hot flashes stop????!!
 

According this article http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/234082.php(though the focus is on flaxseed), it's 'common' for women going through menopause. And I would think the duration differs by age and other factors. Drinking cold clear juice/water was what I did whenever I was feeling 'warm'.

Re: When do the hot flashes stop????!!
 

I was on tomoxifen for a year. Flashes were intense and lasted 15 to 20 min. (I know how crazy feels!) Went into post menopause and started Arimidex. still just as intense, they only last 10min. now and still very frequent.

I just wear layers and peel them off at will. I still get the chills which for me lasts a long time. They are more manageable. I wish I had a cure all for you I would use it too!

Re: When do the hot flashes stop????!!
 

I don't know! Good question. Will someone please find me a fan? Cute story or maybe I was being just plain stupid, I told my doc (ob) that I thought I was having fevers. He said how long do they last, I said about 2 or 3 minutes several times a day. He said I think you are having hot flashes. Say what? That was before I was diagnosised. I felt pretty stupid but then I had to chuckle at my stupidity. Since chemo and everything I don't have hot flashes I have fire flashes. Someone put out this fire, I am burning up, no wait now I am cold. UGH, please make up my mind. Just another lovely perk of growing older and chemo. God Bless. Darlene

And 1 more thing, I don't think I like being classified as a SENIOR member. Ha Ha

Re: When do the hot flashes stop????!!
 

Hate to discourage anybody but I am a 6 year survivor and the hot flashes are STILL alive and well. VERY alive and well.

My chemo started at age 45. It was then that I was hit with hot flashes with a vengeance. When chemo ended so did the flashes....BUT...only for a time. I would say I'm on round 6 or 7 of them since age 45. I will be 52 this month.

I had my annual GYN appointment this past month and my doctor did a blood test measuring my estrogen level. Last year I was STILL at 203 and this year I am at 33. Menopause is 27. This year has been a bad year for the flashes too, not to mention, I've gained 8 pounds and CRAVE CARBS (and give in and eat them) in a major way. Ugh. http://her2support.org/vbulletin/images/icons/icon8.gif My doctor did tell me that although I am almost to menopause, unfortunately, that doesn't mean the flashes will stop. Some women get them for many, many years ALTHOUGH he did say the severity should lessen.

So, for your sake, I hope the flashes stop soon....for all of us.

Happy day..... http://her2support.org/vbulletin/images/icons/icon7.gif

Mary Jo

Re: When do the hot flashes stop????!!
 

Hot flashes not a flash in the pan...this is the only side effect that is bothersome for me through this whole thing. I have just finished my chemo and will start tamoxifen. When I mentioned the intensity of hot flashes, the cold sweat, the wet PJ's, sleeping on a towel my Onc referred me to a specialist at the cancer centre where I am receiving my treatments, however the appointment is not until January. He also told me that the tamoxifen will probably increase the intensity, wonderful! I asked him a question about hair, will the sweat be more tolerable when my head hair and body hair grows back, figuring that the hair would help to absorb the sweat, his response was not likely, I do not believe him and don't want to. There are some anti-depressant meds that are used to reduce the hot flashes available however I am not interested in taking more meds at this point will not say never. It was also suggested that no caffeine or alcohol reduces hot flashes as well, but I have not drank either since May....2011

The towel works to absorb the wetness I found the sheets just got damp and the chills would start....any other tips out there for hot flashes not in the pan would be helpful.

Flashing :)

Re: When do the hot flashes stop????!!
 

I had a lot during tx and after my ooph in '06 but since then they have diminshed both in intensity and frquency thankfully, although I always get them again if drinking wine!
At one point my Onc gave me a script for Effoxor which he said was the only safe thing to use as I was highly hormone pos but I did'nt have it filled but know it has helped some women.
Also if you google Chillow for night time it may help you sleep better as my friend loves her's!

Re: When do the hot flashes stop????!!
 

Re: When do the hot flashes stop????!!
 

The hot flashes and mood swings became too much of an issue for me so I started anti-depressants during my treatment when chemopause kicked in. I see a physchiarist who works with cancer patients. I've been on it for about 2 years now and it worked wonders for me. I did talk to the doctor about coming off them to see what happened. I go back to see him soon and he said he thinks we should try. He doesn't want to do it cold turkey, but slowly. However, if the issues return I'll just have to go back on them!

Re: When do the hot flashes stop????!!
 

Finished Herceptin 11/2/11 and I am in my 4th month of Tamoxifen... hot flashes are slowing down a bit. I used to have them throughout the day and ALL NIGHT. Now I have maybe one a day and a couple a night. They also seem to be milder now... at work I can get away with turning my personal fan on me for a few minutes and at night, in bed, I just throw the blankets off of me until I get chilly.

The other day someone at work received a package and it was fleece sheet set - yes fleece, not flannel. Looking at them made me have a hot flash! Prior to BC I was always a snuggy type person, sweatpants and my favorite blanket on the couch... now, not so much.

Re: When do the hot flashes stop????!!
 

Jra seems plagued with perpetual hotness. There are worse afflictions..

Re: When do the hot flashes stop????!!
 

I feel your pain or should I say heat. In all honesty mine have almost stopped. I had them throughout chemo/Herceptin and for about 18 months while on Tamoxifin but for the past several months they have really slowed down and now I go a whole day without having any...yippee! I'm not sure how long it will take for yours to slow down or stop. I asked my onclologist about it several times and he didn't have an answer for me either. Thought of stopping Tamoxifin and trying something else but because of my age he really wanted me to stay on the Tamoxifin longer before switching to something else. Now I'm gald I did. Hope they get better for you. Every time I would feel one starting to come on I would try to remind myself that at least I am here and this is a small price to pay for NED!

Re: When do the hot flashes stop????!!
 

hi - i got my first hot flash right in the chemo chair, first chemo. that was 2 yrs ago now. i searched around the web and found a study on Oxybutynin in which 75% of the women were helped by it. it's a med usually prescribed for bladder issues, so it is drying. i guess that's why it works on hot flashes. anyway, i started on it and went from about 30 hot flashes a day to about 3-4. you should drink a lot of water to keep yourself hydrated if you try it. i've been on it for a year, i guess, and i can't imagine how life would be without it. valerie

Re: When do the hot flashes stop????!!
 

Thank you for all the posts, it's nice to know that I am not crazy! V-ness, I'm so glad you posted the name of the drug you are taking. I also have a problem going to the bathroom every hour of the night ontop of the hot flashes. I brought this up to my protocol nurse yesterday so they are going to check into that drug for me. I can possibly wipe out two nusiance problems with one zap!!!

Stay cool my fellow sisters :)

Re: When do the hot flashes stop????!!
 

can't hurt to try, that's for sure. the intensity of mine originally were such that i was crying in the onco's office, saying i was quitting tamoxifen. on the other hand, what good is "quality of life" if you don't take something that could possibly extend your life, right? so i researched the hell out of the internet and found this study. my onco had never heard of it relating to hot flashes, but then again, that is more a gyno's area. *now* she is prescribing it to other women facing the same thing and has had much success. it has minimal side effects, too. i can literally tell when i've forgotten to take it. oh, and like you, i had the bathroom at night thing too, and now i am down to just one 4 am visit. sleeping upstairs when the only bathroom is downstairs made bathroom visits in the night even more annoying. for stuff like planes, i got an old-fashioned fan that fits easily in my purse and fan myself. just call me Miss Scarlet. :) good luck!

Re: When do the hot flashes stop????!!
 

I had my chemopause at the age of 35, more than twenty eight years ago and I am still having hot flashes. They are plenty uncomfortable but I remind myself that they are a nuisance, not something unliveable. My poor husband says he is not sure he will survive another winter with the bed covers being ripped off in the middle of the night!

Re: When do the hot flashes stop????!!
 

Hi, I am supposed to start chemotherapy *tomorrow* and, in my ceaseless quest to find something else to worry about, I have started worrying about Tamoxifen, which my onc wants to start me on after chemo (probably April-ish) since I am (just barely) premenopausal. I've read some horrible things about Tamoxifen side-effects, yet I notice a lot of people in this group are taking it. Any thoughts? Has anyone had a prophylactic hysterectomy instead of or in addition to taking Tamoxifen?

Thanks,
Jane