Gabapentin for hot flushes

Hi Sarah, just a quick one to let you know that i went and saw another chemist and queried the full price of tamoxifen. If you have a Medicare card then tamoxifen is subsidized by the government. You  pay $34.20.  They sometimes quote and  type the full price without it being subsidized on the  bottle for some reason. 

Cheers Jo.

Hi Jo

Thanks for your update. Am sitting reading this with sweat pouring off my face as have just taken the dog for a walk and am having the post heat from that, find that happens a lot. I think I'll persevere with the effixor as it hasn't made me feel any different and the hot flushes are definitely better. it's just the sewating!!!

Look forward to seeing how you go over a longer period.

Cheers

Sarah x

Thanks for the guinea pig update! I think my endep is doing a good enough job at the moment.It's only when we get really hot days and nights,then it struggles.So I am abit worried about summer.My doctor said I could increase it from 10mg to 20mgs so might give that a trial.I tried to come off them a few weeks ago-BIG mistake.So I know it does help.Are you having any side effects with gabapetin?I tend to be abit groggy when I first wake up,that's all.

                                       Tonya xx

Thanks for the guinea pig update! I think my endep is doing a good enough job at the moment.It's only when we get really hot days and nights,then it struggles.So I am abit worried about summer.My doctor said I could increase it from 10mg to 20mgs so might give that a trial.I tried to come off them a few weeks ago-BIG mistake.So I know it does help.Are you having any side effects with gabapetin?I tend to be abit groggy when I first wake up,that's all.

                                       Tonya xx

Hi Ladies, well it's been a couple of weeks and i think i can safely report the outcome now. I wont get too excited about Gabapentin getting rid of the hot flushes because it doesn't. It definitely has stopped the severity of them. Touch wood it has reduced my nightly ones down to nearly zero, except for at 7pm and 11pm, i don't seem to have anymore until i wake up at 3am. My day time flushes were and still are a problem although they are no where as strong as they were They still take hold during the day and i end up soaking wet but as long as i can get to a fan or aircon on full blast then i'm ok for a while.  Not really helpful is it.

I will stick it out on gabapentin  until my next 3 mthly appointment visit as i think i would like it reduced abit more than it is to be-able to function properly when i start work again.   Maybe something else might be better , we will see.  Speak soon cheers Jo xx

Hi Sarah, i went and queried the price of tamoxifen and they said they are allowed to add a surcharge now on top of prices for medicines.  Thats so wrong hey, well i will just have to get heaps of bottles to make up for the price before i get off the health care card.

Cheers Jo xx

Hi Kathy, I am glad you are better now with those hot flushes, having them for two years is just not right is it?.

i have ask the onc if i could go onto another tablet but he said not yet as i am still classed as pre menopausal and this  tablet and zolodex are  one of the better ones for me. I went to  gynecologist on Friday to have a biopsy of my cervix and uterus  due to tomoxifen's high side effects such as endometrial and uterine sarcoma cancers. Gyno said any one on tomoxifen is 5 times more at risk of getting these two cancers.   As he said you are damed if you do and damed if you dont.  Recommended ultra sound yearly and biopsy yearly on Uterus as both cancers are potentially life-threatening.

It;s never ending is it, once you have had cancer is it  always  stays with you for life.   Thanks for the websites to check out, i shall do that shortly.

Cheers jo XX

Hi Jo

Thanks for your update glad to hear things are improving. I really only now want the intense sweating i get at work to go away and life would be pretty good. I have the same issues as you and Tonya coffee, change of environment, have had to walk out of shops that are too hot! Am sleeping fine do get hot but it's summer time here in QLD and this is normal here. Have just got up from daytime sleeping as worked night shift last night, had the fan on in the bedroom and not hot at all! I was shocked at how much you pay for tamoxifen I pay $34.20 for 60 tabs (Genox brand).

Sarah x

Hi Tonya,

Sounds like you had flushes just as bad as me. I would pay anything for them to stop altogether.

Yep eating dinner or drinking coffee(once a day) does it to me every time, and like you i wont give up everything.  Shopping centres bring my flushes to maximum, i walk out like i have been swimming. I  have got to have it either freezing cold or have wind blowing over me.

I too wake up at 3am every morning wet as can be.I cant get back to sleep until about 5-6am. Just lucky im not working at the moment, or i would be a zomby too. I probably are but just dont know it. Medicines cost a fortune dont they, just the price of the 4 medicines for my cancer treatment/side effects is ridiculous. The cost is $69:95 for gabapentin 300mg x 100.(monthly)  The zoladex i am on is $333.00 for one injection mthly and Tomoxifen 60 tabs $58. Nexium is $56 mthly. Then i have anti depressants and anti inflammatories.   It is just lucky i have a health care card while i am not working, it only costs $5.60 per script.

Ok i will keep in touch with the progress report

Cheers Jo xx

Thanks for the update. You really have had hot flushes big time!! I now think the endep has really kept mine under control.I still wake up once overnight with a flush but can go back to sleep.Tried to come off endep the other week and was waking at 3am,thrashing around for 3hours then going back to sleep-waking up at 8am like a zombie!On endep I would say I still get a hot flush every 2hrs throughout the day.I can pinpoint now when it's going to happen and if I can,I stop it in it's tracks.I will get a hot flush if I drink tea or coffee (refuse to give up)or if I change environments eg.come out of an airconditioned shopping centre into a hot car.I just stay prepared now with hand fans,iceblocks,ice drinks.They only last a few minutes but they are still quite intense.Before endep,I was getting them every 15mins.They can really send you bonkers.I looked up Gabapentin and it's primarily used for preventing epilepsy so that's interesting.I guess you'll know in a few weeks whether it's helping enough.Just out of interest,how much is it?I only pay $8.40 for 50 endep tablets which amazed me.Keep us posted.

                                        love Tonya xx