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Hi Kriss:
I've had a tough time with hot flashes too. I'm two years out. My doctor also offered me Effexor at a very minimal dose to try to deal with the hot flashes.
I refused Effexor because she told me that it was an anti-depressant being prescribed off-lable to combat chemo related hot flashes because they couldn't be controled with in the normal fashion with estrogen. She also told me that if I started taking Effexor I should be aware that this drug was minimally addictive, and I would have to wean myself off of it after I was finished with it.
She told me that some of her patients had strongly advised her to warn new patients about this because apparently that it was harder to stop (at least for some people) than than is strictly apparent in the warnings. I believe that our health clinic is involved in some way with a study in this regard, and my Onc heads up the clinical studies department - so she might have some inside scoop that isn't ready for publication yet.
I've basically had to get used to dealing with these rotten flashes - I get them about once an hour.
Merridith
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