Hi @lorrigb I am so sorry you are going through this.
I am 2.5 yrs since diagnosis, 49 yrs old, and had radiation, chemo and 12 months Herceptin. I too suffered from horrendous and I mean horrendous hot flushes from chemo. Mine were every 20 minutes day and night. My onc would see me have a couple during my consultation! They have improved over the last 6 months but are still very frequent at times. I can deal with them during the day, but at night I am woken up repeatedly when I am just about to fall asleep. They leave me so sleep deprived and after months of suffering in the past they put me into a physical and psychological depression. My best friend used to remind me that sleep deprivation was used on POWs as a form of torture and that's what it felt like. People who have mild hot flushes just don't understand how devastating they can be and how much they affect your whole life when they are severe.
My 2 oncologists would not give me HRT even though my BC was oestrogen negative. But because my symptoms were so severe I would definitely take HRT if it had been offered to me. I can't take Effexor as I get terrible headaches. I won't take lyrica for neuropathy as my mother is addicted to it. Catapress also didn't help much. I have kept a detailed diary of things I eat and do to determine if there are any obvious triggers, but haven't been able to identify them.
In the end I took Endep 10 mg a few nights a week on an as needs basis instead of regularly just to get some decent sleep. This helps a lot. I also tried acupuncture which helped. But mostly I have learnt to live with it. I seem to have weeks where the hot flushes are worse than others. Like last night when I had around 10 and now I am going into work late today because I am once again sleep deprived.
My Quality of Life is just as important as quantity, so I would consider HRT, BUT having said that at the moment, although I still have bad nights like last night, I seem to be getting by. I also found a good psychologist or psychiatrist with experience with cancer and chemo effects can help a lot. So maybe check that out before trying HRT.
Whatever you decide I wish you all the best and hope that you can find some relief soon.
Nadine
