Night Sweats

siona

Hi

I am on Zoladex only (stopped tamox after 1 yr) . Does anyone know whether the use of sage to help nightswearts is ok?

Have seen a homeopathic remedy for hot flushes / sweats that is sage-based and I am wondering about its safety for ER+ women;

LOVE

Siona

PS Have just passed my 2 year mark!

Jaybird627

Hmmmm. No one responded. I have no idea about the sage but I need SOMETHING as I'm having an awful time with hot flashes/night sweats. My sleep is constantly disrupted and I need my sleep.

And, congrats on the 2-year mark! 

KorynH

I use progestrone cream. Took away the night sweats and hot flashes immediately and I haven't had one since. I read this link cover to cover....the whole book is one line and will help diffuse this for you but most oncologists know nothing at all about women's health, hormones and how estrogen needs progesterone to keep the body balanced. Mine was the first open minded oncologist I met who would read the book and he recommended I see an endocrinologist to check my hormones and see if this would help!  He was also okay with me not taking Tamoxifen since my periods stopped based on this protocolNotice how many women are either er+/pr+ or er+ and pr-? Their progesterone is probably low, estrogen dominant, proliferating breast cancer cells. Reading the book will really help you understand this phenomenon. I got my progest cream at the health food store. Worked like a charm! Good luck!

siona

Thank you Jaybird 267

Thanks for my 2yr wishes...now if only I can sleep........

Love from Cape Town

Siona

siona

Hi KorynH

Thank you for the tip on progesterone..without a doubt will be asking my oncologist..before I lose my mind, and the son and the dog do a runner.....

Love from Cape Town

Siona

siona

Hi KorynH

Thank you for the tip on progesterone..without a doubt will be asking my oncologist..before I lose my mind, and the son and the dog do a runner.....

Love from Cape Town

Siona

Claire_in_Seattle

Are you ladies exercising?  I found that aerobic exercise really helped when I went through natural menopause.  It also helped with mood, getting deep sleep, and of course having a toned, fit body.  Cycling and skiing are my sports of choice, but I also walk at least a mile every day and I have done so throughout dose dense chemo.

No skiing this year because slop as opposed to snow in the Cascades.  Missing it, but will try in a week or so to get at least one afternoon in.  But cycling has been a lifesaver.

If you do try exercising, the worst that will happen is that it won't help the night sweats, but that you will get more fit    The only other danger is that clothes are ever so much more tempting when they fit well!

seaotter

Siona - taking magnesium at night may help you to sleep better. I buy Peter Gillhams (I think that's the last name) natural calm. It is a powder that you mix with water. It taste awful (to me) but I sure sleep well! I buy it at vitacost.com  The progesterone helps me sleep as well. I have not had a "night drench" since chemo. I still have hot flashes but not to bad. I don't have a clue about sage except that is one of my dog's name!!!!!

Patty

Jaybird627

Claire, my job involves a lot of physical activity (walking, lifting, etc.) and I'm a single mom to a 3 1/2 year old so THAT is a lot of evercise and then I'm a home owner so mowing, raking, snow shoveling and up & down the stairs constantly keeps me in perpetual motion. I exercise.

Koryn, I'll look into progesterone. Did you notice a difference right away?

I currently take one capsule/day (unless I forget to) of 'Women's Libido' by Gaia Herbs and 'Charmed' a Whole Foods private label product and both contain Maca. There's been some info on Maca in the news lately as being a libido enhancer. I haven't noticed anything significant but then I don't have sex on a regular basis so I can't really tell if this stuff is working, or not.

I went into chemopause, then came out, then had on-off-irregular periods for about 3 years and am now in almost-menopause as the hotflashes have been constant for about 2 months now. I'm 49 1/2 and was horny 24/7 before chemopause so this lack of sex drive befuddles me but I can't seem to be/get horny anymore. I can 'get there' but it takes more stimulation (visual really helps but I never needed it before) and it isn't as wonderful. Any ideas/suggestions are appreciated.

I hope I didn't hijack this thread???

KorynH

Jaybird-

YES! The results were almost that same day....definitely within a couple of days. Many oncologists and ob/gyns will tell you no hormones or creams after breast cancer because, they'll tell you, "We simply do not know"...yadda yadda yadda.....and they'll tell you no to Black Cohosh and other things like Fish Oil because "we just don't know..." but what they can't tell you is that it is harmful. There are no studies showing it to be harmful. In fact, the studies done show it to actually decrease incidents of breast cancer!

Because natural progesterone cannot be patented, like brocolli and vitamin supplements can't be patented, nobody stands to profit from studies of them so you can't find lab studies very easily. I would seriously recommend you read this book What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Breast Cancer. It unlocked a lot of the mystery for me. If you click on the link then go to the google site, you can turn the pages and read practically the entire book online. He sites many studies supporting his findings. A woman's body is balanced , leaning she needs a certain amount of both estrogen and progesterone. Hot flashes are caused when that balance is upset. Be sure to read the book because it will explain the dosing and WHY you dose a certain way if you are menopausal, pre-menopausal and whether or not you still have a uterus...

I feel like a whole new person without the hot flashes! It was like a miracle for me. The book also gives many different brands he recommends and where to find them. They are listed in the back of the book. I found some at the local health food store.

As for the sex drive, I found that losing my hair, losing my breast, losing my estrogen and often my energy has made that nearly impossible. It doesn't interest me anymore. I'm not sure what would work at this point. Sore topic for me. If you learn of something please share!!  Progesterone doesn't do that. My neighbor is trying a low dose testosterone patch...ask your doc about that.

Jaybird627

Thanks Koryn! I've been taking black cohosh, from 1-3/day (depending on if I remember or not), but I'm not sure it's working. Maybe it is and the hot flashes would be worse without it? It's that the hot flashes are unpredictable so I only remember to take it when they're bad/constant. Otherwise I'm usually very cold and layered up.

My doc won't prescribe any form/type of estrogen supplement but I haven't asked about testosterone supplementation - yet!

KorynH

I asked my doctor about that patch a few years ago...low libido...she told me that it can cause facial hair (no thanks) and deep voice (double no thanks!)

Another doctor prescribed Welbutrin for me to try and increase libido a couple of years ago. So I went on it for about 3 years. It is actually an anti-anxiety drug. So when I started seeing all these cancer docs my onco asked me why I was taking it and when I told him he asked me if it "worked" (as in...more sex?) ? I said, well if you asked my husband he would say NO but it makes ME not care about anything anymore...makes me feel very "eh?" about any and everything which also translates into "so you want sex? so what! Eh?" I simply didn't (don't) care.

Jaybird627

Okay, so I picked-up some Progest at Whole Foods and started using it a few days ago. I'm not sure if it's 'working' yet or not. My hot flashes aren't 'regular' and sometimes I have a lot and sometimes I don't and sometimes my sleep is disrupted and sometimes it isn't. I think this stuff maybe working though but I can't say for sure. Since I travel a lot my sleep patterns are irregular, I have no regular/set bedtime. Will report back in a week or so. Still taking the black cohosh (100 mg) 1-3x/day.

mathteacher

Koryn,

I was on a egroup where women were taking testosterone and not one of them got facial hair. The dose for women is only 1 mg. You would probably have to take a lot more than that to grow hair.

Young women have testosterone. Testosterone replacement only replaces what you had when you were young. There are several good books on testosterone for women.

Deirdre1

It's all a balancing act - I take progesterone @ night and I have blessed sleep again!  TG for progesterone!  I also have a libido again - not like before but much better than after my surgery's.

Apply it @ night and I'm sure it will work for you too!  Good luck!

siona

Hey Deidre

Sleep and a sex drive??? I have to try this out.

LOVE

Siona

Deirdre1

Hi!  Just please make sure it's ok with the doctor/doctor's you are working with - or really REALLY research it - good luck!!!!

rgiuff

Jaybird, although I didn't have chemo, I've been perimenopausal for 2.5 years now, you have just described exactly what I've been going through as far as sex life is concerned.  I used to be able to read something erotic and it would get me feeling tingly down below, and orgasm would be so easy. Now, it takes forever sometimes, and I or my husband has to really work at just getting me ready, then when the finale comes, sometimes it's just not worth all the work involved. It makes me feel so sad to think that this part of me will never be the same again, and I'm really not ready to accept that yet.  I'm on tamoxifen, which gives me frequent vaginal discharge, so dryness isn't an issue, but I sometimes feel likes it makes it almost impossible for me to feel any response to stimulation, and other times, it doesn't seem to bother me any more than what perimenopause has already been doing.   It feels like there is a disconnect somewhere in my brain, maybe tamox has estrogen blocking effects on the brain as well as breasts?

  I've also thought of trying testosterone, so far have mentioned it to my Gyn and she said "I don't want to mess around with that when you've had Breast Cancer"  When I asked my Onc's NP about it, she said it's not the testosterone, but the lack of estrogen that is the problem, but I don't have dryness, just sensation problems, which I've read are testosterone related.  So this is really confusing, but I think she is wrong.   The Onc offered vaginal estrogen products, but only if I first will exhaust all other means, such as lubricants, replens, etc.  I've already gone that route and don't find any of these to help much with what I'm missing.  At one point, my Onc did also prescribe Wellbutrin for this very problem, and it did help somehow with improving the sensations, but it started to give me heart palpitations really bad, so I had to stop it.

Hot flashes were terrible several months ago and seem to get worse and better in cycles.  I tried an herb, recommended by my Onc called tincture of rhubarb, which got rid of them for me after about 3 weeks of use.  Now about 6 weeks after finishing the bottle, I still barely have any, although I do get awoken most nights by some mild night sweats. 

I have just ordered Maca myself and am eagerly awaiting it's arrival.  I also got some progesterone cream, although I'll admit I'm a little scared to use it, just because of what conventional medicine says about it with breast cancer.  I did read Dr. Lee's book though, so I keep swaying towards using it.   I've also been using a phytoestrogen cream and I do believe that this has brought back regular periods for me.  I went 9 months without a period and now they've come back regularly for going on 3 months now.   Supposedly these work by balancing the estrogen if it is too high or too low, depending on which is the problem.

I do believe in the hormone balancing theory as being the best way to go!

3boys4me

I'm so glad I found this thread.  I had a mastectomy in Sept '07 and then AC for chemo (and radiation, and, and, and...).  Then started Tamoxifen in 2/08.  When all was said and done, I was forced into menopause.  My hot flashes were unbearable, so started on Effexor which does help with the hot flashes, but as indicated by one of the other posters, it really makes me not care about much of anything - I feel rather numb.  On top of that, I have zero sex drive.  My onc said go see my GYN/OB, who gave me no real answers except to tell my husband to take things slow...  Thanks!  

I'm frustrated and my husband is sexually frustrated.  But I haven't found an answer.  I was thinking about slowly weaning myself off the Effexor to see if that made a difference.  Then found info about progesterone cream.  My husband plans to go see the ONC with me next week (I think he wants to deck the guy), to see if there is anything that will help the situation.   

mathteacher

2boys4me, have you read What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Breast Cancer by Drs. Lee and Zava?

It will tell you about the protectiveness of progesterone. Oncs don't really study up on this subject so don't expect a learned answer from them. You really have to do your own research.

3boys4me

I've not read the books, but sound like I may need to - I hope I find some answers as living like this is not fun :-( 

Anonymous

How long have you been on the Effexor? The SE's do tend to decrease over time, but it does take time. i have not found an answer to this question other than going back on Prempro (agreed by all of my treatment team-onc and all) because the SE's of me off prempro are devestating. Wish I had the magic bullet for this one as I have tried everything! ((HUGS)) SV

petjunkie

Please please please talk to your oncologist about progesterone before you start taking it. There are indeed risks-- these may be acceptable risks for you, but do the research and feel sure about your decision.

I took progesterone after my mastectomy for DCIS (with microinvasions) for two years. It was a quality of life choice for me, for complicated reasons I won't go into here. I was also on tamoxifen. I've had a recurrence and now am stage IV with mets to liver and bones. At age 35, not what I expected. Can't blame only the progesterone, of course, but since my cancer is ER+/PR+, I was essentially feeding my cancer cells with progesterone.

Anonymous

Pet Junkie, that notion that progesterone "feeds" the cancer is not true. You will not find any evidence to that effect. This has been studied for years. Read, "What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Breast Cancer." Dear, don't be blaming yourself for what amounts to an old wives tale.

Check the progesterone thread. There are links with hundreds of references.

Jaybird627

Okay, so I think the progesterone cream is finally working as the hot flashes are diminishing. I haven't taken the black cohosh regularly so I know that's not it. The hot flashes are further inbetween and less intense - yea! I'm going to do 3 weeks on and 1 week off. Will rreport back if anything changes but for now I'm staying on this stuff!

cejjmom

I have been on Tamoxifen for 5 mos.  Started getting hot flashes right away.  My GYN said my uterine lining was getting think and since I'm 48 and have a stong family history of breast cancer and was scared to death about ovarian cancer I had a  hysterectomy 3 weeks ago.  The night sweats wake me up 3 to 4 times a night.  I need sleep.  This really sucks. 

kjbell

Night sweats literally kept me up all night. I was always tired and miserable. So I tried acupuncture. It really helped me. The cancer center where I go was offering them and I was the first one to sign up. I had 7 sessions and towards the end I was able to feel a difference. Suprisingly, it was not painful. It was the best thing I ever did.

siona

Hi Ladies

I chatted to my onco about progesterone and she said it would cause weight gain...Anyone experieced this? There must be something that can be done about this less-than-zero sex drive...kind of makes me regret I didn't make the most of it when I had it.....

Love

Siona

Nan56143

Dear siona,

Here is just one article which speaks to the hormones, and it is the lack of progesterone which causes weight gain. Is that what your onc told you?

http://www.epigee.org/menopause/weight_gain.html

If you read the biodentical hormone thread you will have much more info on balancing the hormones.

I loved your last sentence!! My motto is.....use it or lose it! However, the sex drive is just not there due to unbalanced hormones sweetie.

mollyann

Hi Siona,

The progesterone your onc is talking about is Megace, a synthetic progesterone drug used by oncologists to help "wasting" cancer patients gain weight. You can look it up. My neighbor took this several years ago.

Natural progesterone, which your onc is probably not familiar with, will not make you gain weight if you use the right amount. I lost three pounds when I started natural progesterone.

Jaybird627

Well, I feel as if I've gained weight but maybe I'm just eating more and thus more out of shape? I haven't had a hot flash in over a week so I'll gladly take the 'flab' gain! I used the progesterone cream (pro-gest by Emerita I think it was) for 3 weeks, have had a week off and will start up again this week. I swear this stuff works!