Hot Flashes & Night Sweats (Vasomotor Symptoms) - Alternatives to Hormone Therapy (HT)

Question: I have mild hot flashes and night sweats. Hormone therapy isn’t an option for me right now, but what can I do to relieve the hot flashes?

Hot flashes and night sweats affect 60%-80% of women during the years leading up to menopause. After menopause, about 60% of postmenopausal women will continue to experience hot flashes for up to 7 years and 15% report they have experienced hot flashes for 15 years or longer! Hot flashes are a chief menopausal complaint, causing women to look for anything that will help fix their discomfort!

Symptoms include: feeling hot in the upper body, face and head; sweating; heart palpitations (rapid heart beating); apprehension; anxiety. These symptoms all contribute to discomfort, inconvenience and stress, and can also cause sleep interruptions that disrupt the quality of life.

What May Be Helpful?

Lifestyle Changes:

• Keep cool

• use fans, control room temperature, wear cotton clothing in layers so you can adjust your body temperature by removing layers

• Regular exercise

• 30 minutes of brisk activity daily

• Maintain a healthy weight

• Quit smoking and avoid second hand smoke

• Avoid triggers such as hot beverages, caffeine, alcohol, hot sauces/spices

• Pace your breathing with relaxing techniques such as Tai Chi and yoga

Over the Counter Products:

See Natural Remedies by MedSask

Acupuncture – mixed clinical reviews about effectiveness

Prescription Medications:

• HormoneTherapy(HT)

• estrogen, progesterone, used together or separately; taken by mouth (oral) or by skin patch (transdermal)

• Antidepressants – Venlafaxine, Fluoxetine, Paroxitine

• Anticonvulsant – Gabapentin – effective for hot flash treatment

• Antihypertensive – Clonidine – effective for mild hot flashes