I was on HRT for ten years which kept me under control but I didn't want to stay on them any longer. Mostly now I'm ok but I occasionally still get the hot flashes and sweat from my head. I've just been suffering through them and thinkng of trying OTC herbal remedies but I think I might try the soy milk first to see if it helps me too.

Sorry I don't have a "sure fire" fix for you.

try google searching maca

Your talking to the choir! Have been there and done that and at times still doing that! HORRIBLE!!!! Hers a true story for you...A few years ago, I attended a convention with about 1000 women in attendance. I was an officer and had to be in the front of the group for several hours. Needles to say, I making my speech and I started feeling a little warm. (I even had a hand held fan blowing on me) Anyway, I kept getting warmer and warmer and then I broke out in SWEAT and I was sweatting so bad! Before I finished my speech my clothes were SOAKED! My hair was like I just got out of shower! Finally I had to excue myself, go to hotel room, take shower and dress again for the day! HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE. Thank goodness I am now only having these hot flashes about once or twice every other month or so. Thank You Lord!

I drink soy milk every morning. Chocolate is my favorite flavor.

For me it was chemo-induced menopause at 42, and I thought I could handle it. NOT!! I've been on Vivelle -Dot for ten years, and wouldn't give it up for anything, and neither would my DH. It is a plant-based bio-identical, so no worries about side effects. Finding the right dose can take a while, so be prepared for that. I alternate two different doses, and it works perfectly. I'll be on it the rest of my life.

Give it a try, you won't be sorry.

I can so understand how you feel. Horrible sweats and the big problem is the sweat smells awful. I tried soy not for me and black cohosh the same. The phytoestrogens just made things worse. I tried a combination and it raised my temp so much I passed out. Not good. Since cancer runs in my family the HRT is out. So I finally tried Hyland Menopause homeopathic. Works every time for me. Sometimes it totally gets rid of the hot some times just makes it bearable. But the alternative bad hot flashes or cancer makes it OK by me. Also cut out sugar. It will make the hot flashes worse. Fruit (not juice but fruit) is ok as is honey for me. The other thing I like about the homeopathic is its cheap. :-)

Soy contains plant based female hormones. Men who eat large amounts of them can develop enlarged breasts. So taking soy is a form of taking hormones. Some people feel that they are better/safer than taking the synthetic chemical based product that your doctor will prescribe.
My family has a 3 generation breast cancer history. As I was going through menopause my doctor recommended HRT and I absolutely refused. Decided to go cold turkey. It was before medical studies revealed an increased risk of breast cancer for women taking HRT. When that info came out I was ecstatic that I had made the right decision. The sweating was the last of the symptoms and now everything has started to settle down. It took 20 years to get to this point. At the worst of it my doctor told me that for some women the symptoms never go away! I didn't think the sweating would ever stop but it has lessened in severity and frequency. Sometimes I just have to step outside to catch my breath because I get so warm. Hope things slow down for you. It can be a miserable process. Ann in TN

Have a thorough medical check before you start any regime and my suggestion for you is to check out if you have sleep apnoea. A simple CPAP machine might be all you need to settle you down - amazing as it may seem. All the best with it all.

I take HRT. I had a complete hysterectomy and I don't have the option of not taking hormone. My body does not produce any estrogen at all. Natural menopause, the ovaries produce a small amount of the hormones you need. Many of my friends have taken HRT to get over the rough part of menopause. The HRT studies were proven to be wrong but of course not much about that in the media as when it was stated it was so bad. I go to a hormone specialist. If your Dr. prescribes Premerian find another Dr. Most non specialist will just prescribe a dosage that works with the majority of women. It's up to you to know if it's seems to work for you. How can you know how great you could feel if you only know you feel better then you did? I have my blood tested every six months to see if I need my dosage decreased or increased. I take synthroid too and that has to be increased or decreased as my body changes.

I had early menopause symptoms. On top of the hot flashes, i had terrible mood swings and thought I was going out of my MIND!!!!! It was terrible. Went to doctor and from the blood work, had no estrogen or progestene. He gave me Climara Pro patch. It was wonderful!! I called it my "happy Patch". It was a miracle. It's covered under insurance plans too.

My mother who is 82 sweats like that. She has been to the doctor but so far nothing has worked. I hope you find help somewhere.

I went through menopause 19 yrs ago at age 50. I still get hot flashes nfrom time to time. Lots of my older friends say they never really go away.

Take Vitex-it is a natural estrogen. Also, try Damania-it is great for the flashes and sweats!!!

I started menopause when I was 45. Went into it prematurely due to some health issues. I am now 59 and still having night sweats and at time hot flashes. I have tried soy beans, black cohash and all the other recommendations but nothing ever helped. My doc would not give me HRT due to my family's heavy incidence of cancer. I was one who was always cold but since menopause I am "always" hot....so weird. When I asked my doc when it would all go away....she said probably never. My mom used to tell me that also....she was in her 80's and said she couldn't believe she still had hot flashes. Sometimes that just doesn't seem fair. I have so much to be thankful for though so I just muddle through the uncomfortable times.

If all else fails, low dose of HRT helped me so much. Been on it for years. I tried all the natural stuff and it didn't work for me.

ok, my MIL told me this when I went thru it: at nite, if you get a flash in bed, take a leg, hang it over the edge of the bed at the knee and let it just dangle down. Dont know why this seems to help, I thought it had something to do with the blood rushing to the foot or something, but it did help. sharet

I would keep going back to the doctor... been to an endocrinologist yet? ... I have had hot flashes for 10+ years (am now 63). In the beginning they came every 45 minutes... (face red, sweating, cold - the works)... doctor put me on HRT... I felt much better but two years later had breast cancer... surgery and more medication... no estrogen now so still have hot flashes but not as often and not as severe... hang in there... read what you can, see your doctor, keep breathing...

when I was getting hot flashes at night, it was weird - I would wake up before the hot flash, with a weird feeling around my heart, then get the flash. If they come back I will try the leg thing.

I'm with you on this one! :thumbup: I am on HRT and always say I will stop when I am laid to rest -- eventually. It has protected my bones and my skin and thank you God my personality too, I think.

go to a health food store and get black cohash, also there are drinights sheets, they are pricey but you cannot sweat using them!! I bought them 6 or 7 years ago and they still work and are still perfect ! They use a material that wicks away moisture! Good Luck with this and no I would not use the hrt too many scary side effects

I do so understand. Been doing this for quite a 6 years or so. People have commented on how "hot" I must be as I am dripping in sweat. I wear layers, starting with a spaghetti strap type shirt and add from there depending on MN weather. I also wear things that zip or botton in the front so I can rip them off quickly as needed.

That study has been proven to have flawed data making it useless but HRT has some risks as all medications do. I would be a dried up old crone and act like one if I didn't replace my hormone level. My body produced the hormones before menopause so why should replacing them cause me to be at risk more then I was? Just my way of thinking. My friends who don't take HRT are getting crabby and old biddy acting and looking older then their years. They are always miserable.

I'm sorry that so many of you are having difficulties through this stage of your lives.

Just as a counter-note -

I menopaused out at 42 and the only things that "happened" were:

My periods stopped
I was more emotionally stable
I would get warm flashes - (and still do at 70) - more in the line of taking a sweater off and putting a sweater on sort of thing than a major inconvenience.

And my feet are warmer at night more of the time now than before.

I did not take any medications or supplements during this phase.

Just wanted to let you know that not everyone has an agonizing time of it.

I am lactose intolerant so I drink soy milk....I prefer the vanilla, even on cereal. The chocolate is good, too, but seems very sweet to me----might be perfect for you! Store brands are fine, like she said.

Thank you for this comment. I'm turning 49 and have no symptoms of menopause yet....but everything I read makes me dread it! Thanks for letting us know that not everybody is miserable for years on end!!!

I use an OTC herbal supplemet and it really helped me.

I must agree. Please, Please, Please check w/your endocronologist. Mine told me that was a no-no w/thyroid problems & it made the night sweats worse. There are other conditions that cause severe sweating, high blood pressure is just one. Your dr. can prescribe something for this condition -- have heard of this, but don't know anyone who has tried it.

Best of luck -- with the heat in the Midwest right now, this can't help.
K

had early hysterectomy as ell and the only problem i have is the night sweats cant take hrt either so am going to try flax oil and i also am trying soy milk as i also am a little bit lactos intolerant so hope this works for me

I menopaused at 50 (23 years ago). Periods stopped, hot flushes once in a while, which I still have. Not at all like I had expected from listening to others (thank heavens.)

I thought some of these were just me. Even though some are not as bad as yours. My biggest deal right now is the hot flashes. I can be sitting still and all of a sudden I look and feel as if I just ran a race. I hate it.

I do not sweat like you do, BUT
Synthoid makes me have mini hot flashes.
I am hypothyroid.
J J

I say ..avoid HRT at all cost!! I had my hyterectomy at 37 and the doctor insisted (I resisted) I take HRT. Yeah, I felt great, but within 2 years was diagnosed with estrogen receptive breast cancer. And the treatment for that has caused havoc on my body..and I ended up with horrendous hot flashes anyway!! So much so that my oncologist signed me up for a clinincal study which used neurotinin to try to control them (didn't work). I had to record every one, which turned out to be more than 21 per day just during my waking hours! The tamoxifen (and other related cancer drugs) caused high blood pressure, oesteopenia, high colesterol, fatigue... And the hot flashes lasted for 5 years anyway. I blame all of my current health issues on that estrogen patch, it started the ball rolling.

My recommendation..Mother Nature knows what she's doing. Just let your body get it over with... get a couple fans for your bedroom and carry a roll of paper towel with you everywhere. ;)

LOL bear - even when I was having hot flashes at night I STILL had to wear footie socks to bed -- no PJ's, just socks!!

The specialist I go to said to avoid soy products as 9 out of 10 women have thyroid issues and don't even know it. She said coconut milk or almond milk is the best choice. I love coconut milk and coconut water. I'm on synthroid, my thyroid was killed with radiation, estrogen, and I take a statin twice a week.

about using soy milk, I was drinking that to start, loved it! But then worried about thyroid issues. I tried coconut milk about a month ago (made by the same people I bought soy milk from - I like it even better!!). It doesnt have soy or lactose - just read the side of the carton and give it a try.
I also emailed the company who makes these products, I was worried about where the ingredients came from - they have a map showing the counties where they buy their soy. Everything is non GMO, organic, and grown in the USA. They emailed me back and said as of 2006 they stopped importing anything (from china - that was my issue) and strictly went for all USA ingredients. sharet

I could not do the HRT due to close family dying from breast cancer. Also, I had the fibroid tumors in my brest so it was out of the question. The dr. tried several anti-depressants that are used during M and finally Paxil worked for me. I had night sweats or hot flashes on occasions but not continuously like before. Like I said, the dr. had to experiment with different ones until we finally came up with the one that worked best for me. I took the meds for about 2 years and decreased the dosage a little at a time until completely off. Thanks goodness the hot flashes and night sweats didn't come back when I stopped the meds. I know that we're about ready to try anything when it's happening but be sure to check with your dr.

Sorry to rub it in, but about the only symptoms I had were some hot flashes for maybe 6 months, then it was over. I never took anything for them and continue to do the same.

I found when I had those sweats that three thimes a day just before a meal I will take Soy Protine drink mix."Follow the directions. " I got mine at Wall-Mart" It took about a week and I was down to "Is it hot in here or is it me?" Most of the time It was me having my personal Summer. But none of the dripping sweats without the Soy.

Excercising is the key.. Do you excercise? I mean really excercise. My suggestion to you, in the beginning you should excercise for two hours.... yes, everyday... for two weeks after that, do it for an hour and 30 mins. Do this for a month and you will see a difference.

I was 33 when I went through surgical menopause. I strongly support HRT in the smallest effective dose. There is no reason to "tough it out." I think of my poor mother and how she suffered with the hot flashes, enough to drench her and how embarassed she was. I've heard a lot about the "natural" methods, i.e. soy milk, etc.; however, I know the HRT works and properly administered by your physician there is no need to endure all the misery. I urge you to talk to your doctor about HRT and get through this period in your life as easily as possible. It can be done with no harmful effects.