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yetbeung's avatar
yetbeung
Member
11 years ago

Hot Flush relief!

Just thought I should do a post on this as I know a lot of ladies out there are battling hot flushes.

I am 32 and as a result of chemo, I have symptoms of menopause, one of which is the hot flushes. My period has also stopped, I have gained weight and I have sore joints. We will be testing to see if this is permenent, however it is a bit too soon to get an accurate result yet. I had triple negative BC.

My oncologist suggested I try Remifemin, a plant based tablet (black kohosh). It can be bought cheaply at the chemist or some supermarkets, and has been around for a really long time, with a lot of favourable studies to show it's effectiveness. 

I gave it a go, I've been taking them for almost 2 weeks. 

I used to get hot flushes about 5 times a day, and a couple through the night. Bad enough to saturate my sheets a night and be dripping with sweat through the day. 

I can happily report that for the 12 days I've been taking them, I've had only 4 hot flushes! WOOOOO! :-) Having a full night's sleep after not having had one since september is AMAZING! 

Just sharing as hopefully they might help someone else - I couldn't believe how quickly they started to work!

chemotherapy
menopause

3 Replies

  • Performingyak's avatar
    Performingyak
    Member
    9 years ago

    Thanks for the tip. I wonder if it works on Zoladex induced hot flushes. 

    I was fine when my system was knocked out by chemo but when I started the zoladex it was just like you described 5 or more times a day and all through the night!

    Joint pain is the worst. It's like I've been hit by a truck all the time.

  • yetbeung's avatar
    yetbeung
    Member
    11 years ago
    ...because we dont know yet if l am actually in proper menopause or if my body will correct itself. It was explained to me that if you start taking HRT when you're not actually in menopause, it can cause problems when your body tries to correct itself. I'd actuallly like to avoid HRT if l can, as it apparently increases risk of cancer (once was more than enough!) and l have family members who have had terrible side effects. I'll stick with Remifemin for now - natural, cheap ,& working!
  • lisa256's avatar
    lisa256
    Member
    11 years ago
    Hello Bobbie I was also diagnosed with TNBC. I have had chemo, surgery and now 7 treatments into 33 of radiation therapy. My oncologist said I could take HRT to stop the hot flushes as I was triple negative and the cancer was not hormone fed. It got rid of the hot flushes and I was sleeping so much better. When I was hospitalised twice for shingles and an infection, my oncologist and surgeon requested me to stop taking the HRT while in hospital. Then just recently I saw a GP and explained this and told her that I was confused and that I was just going to stay off it and she said it was a good idea while having radiation. My hot flushes are back with a vengeance and I am not sleeping too good even with sleeping tablets. Were you ever offered HRT as a TNBC patient? Lisa xxx