Megastrol 20 mg or Combustion

RaiderGirl

Ladies, I fear spontaneous combustion. No really. These are outer space, turbo charged, mutant hot flashes. I feel like my body is on fire and then I am freezing cold. This goes on multiple times a day and all through the night. I am drenched in sweat.

I am about to drive off the bridge.

Onc MD took me off letrozole for 30 days to then begin Aromasin. He put me on Vit E, Omega 3 oil, Black Cohash, and Vit D.

Even off all meds I am melting. I dont begin the Aromasin for another week. I know that Aromasin isnt going can only make it worse.

So today he prescribed Megastrol 20 mg daily. ( I can not take any of the Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors meds like Efexsor).

Has anyone on here take Megestrol? What was your experience? Suppose to not have weight gain on such a low dose. The weight gan dose is 600-800 mg. Suppose to have helped 75% of patients who used it for hot flashes.

I am desperate for hope.

vlnrph

I have not personally been on megestrol (old brand name=Megace) but you are correct about the dosing and weight gain. I am doing fine on venlaxafine/Effexor, too bad that would not work for you. Another possibility to manage hot flashes is clonidine, especially if you also need to address high blood pressure. Did you discuss that one with your doctor? It's not generally a first choice, maybe an option for the future.

Your post title was funny because I actually thought Combustion might be a new medication! Keep your sense of humor even during this awful time of trying to find relief. Let us know how it goes. Come here to vent if you need...

RaiderGirl

Funny new Rx: Take combustion bid . Avoid flammable agents while on this medication.

The MD told me that other than the Seratonin Uptake Inhibitors liked Effexsor there are 3 other meds to consider.

Low dose Megace

Cavalenten (sp?)

Catalpres patch.

So, I asked which did he believe I would do well on. He said that sadly all meds have some kind of side-effect so the trick is to hit on one that fixes the problem and have tolerable SE's. He decided on the Megace to try first.

He told me the heat may get worse ( 2 weeks) before it gets better.

My forum friend, since Saturday night I wake every 40 to 70 minutes in a heated sweat followed by teeth chattering chills.

I am going to plow through this. I will give this med until Dec 31 when I see the MD again.

If this med puts out the fire I will kiss that doc square on the lips.

vlnrph

You are so cute, if that doctor is married, his wife will be jealous of you kissing him like that!

The second med on your list above is probably gabapentin (Neurontin was the brand name) and Catapres is clonidine. At least there are other possibilities in case the first thing doesn't work real well...

Did you try to do a search here using terms like "hot flashes and Megace"? There are a few hits you might be able to follow up on by private messages to the ladies who posted. Otherwise, perhaps one of them will see this thread and respond. Hang in there.

daisylover

I too thought Combustion might be a new treatment Gabapentin works for my heat, but it made me spacey/tired at first and at larger doses... I just take one pill in the evening now. When I first started Lupron to shut down my ovaries, I had cascading hot showers-not-flashes, and my onc upped the Gabapentin - it all seemed to mellow. I tapered back to one pill after about 2 months. (I am sensitive to meds.) Gabapentin in the evening has the added benefit of making me drowsy! I continue to have a few flashes throughout the day, but not like the initial month on Lupron... No waking up at night now. My BIL has Prostate cancer, receives Lupron as well, has drenching hot flashes, and feels that the Gabapentin works great for him - with no drowsiness? Everyone reacts differently. Hope the Megace does the trick for you!!

RaiderGirl

I have been on the Megace (megestrol) now since Dec 3rd. The daytime flushes are down to 1-3 mild ones. In wee hours of the morning I still get hot but nothing like before.

The only side effect I noticed is that I still get chilled but nothing unbearable.

I see my Onc MD on the Dec 31. After I threaten to kiss him I will ask that he up the dose to the normal 20 mg 2 times a day.Maybe I can get rid of this heat altogether.

I can put away the fire extinguisher now.

Misstic

RaiderGirl, I had the same problem as yours: hot flashes 30 times a day (every 20/30 minutes) and sweat during the night until my bed felt like a swimming pool (almost .

Like you, my MO gave me Megace 40mg but 1 time a day and my life get back to normal with 1-3 mild hot flashes.

This drug saved my life because I was to a point where I couldn't work anymore: I was exhausted by these awfull hot flashes, several times a day very close to faint (like in an old novel but without the excuse of the corset).

There is a SE to Megace: it enhances appetite. I struggle every day to keep my food portion to normal. I also runs twice a week to keep my weight as it was before cancer.

If other women take Megace, I would be interested to know how they manage their appetite. My MO told me I can begin to drop once a week my daily dose then twice, etc. until a weekly dose that keep the sweats to a bearable stage. But I am terrified at the mere idea of the return of hot flashes...

RaiderGirl

Misstic,

Sorry I didnt see your post.. I so understand how you felt about the sweats and hot flashes. These were not the normal kind.

Frankly, I got the MO attention by calling the office and telling the nurse that I can not live like this, if this heat cant be resolved I will drive off the bridge. I meant to be dramatic, I think she heard suicidal. I felt bad about that but hey the MO called, fast.

I take Megastrol 40 mg once a day. Megastrol is Rx' to increase appetite but the doses are 600-800 mg a day. I'm not certain that 40mg would have the same effect.

I dont think I had an increase in appetite . I think I felt better and so became my old self again when it comes to food.I always had a good appetite , Love to cook, dine out a great deal, love food. I gained weight since the diagnosis.,about 15lbs. but I know I had many pity parties and I had an intimate affair with baked goods particularly during treatment. When I had the severe hot flashes and sweats I did not eat right. I either had not desire for food or I was ravenous.

Now that I am feeling better, I am better and I am doing the following:

I eat a bread/pasta/potato/cereal/rice product just once a day. In other words, if I have cereal for breakfast, I will not have any of the others for the remainder of the day. So, if I know a baked potato is in my dinner plans, I will have yogurt with fruit for breakfast and a salad for lunch. I snack between breakfast and lunch, I snack between lunch and dinner, and then again after dinner. Things like an apple, carrot chips and salsa, light cheese on celery, skim milk, hot teas etc. Seems to be working to keep me full. Any grain is whole grain only, no white bread, white rice, or white pasta. This self created diet helped me lose weight in the past and I hope it will again.

If you fear reducing the Megace, will your MO Rx any of the other known meds like Efexsor, or Clodine?

I don't mean to dismiss what you feel. I know we are all different and what is real is real.

But think good and hard if such low dose megace is causing a appetite increase. Is it fatigue? Is it insomnia? Depression? Is it other meds like Tomoxifen or AI's. Or is it the stress of friggin life with the added stress of bc. All that I mentioned will cause increase in appetite because the body wants more energy and will try to get it the easiest way possible....food.

I say the above only because I dont want the Megace to be the culprit for the appetite increase since it is working so well for you.

I await your comments.

RG

Misstic

Sorry Raidergirl, I didn't see your reply too.

My MO confirmed that Megace increases appetite even at low dose of 40mg.

The good news is I have not hot flashes and night sweats anymore!! My life went back to normal 9 months ago. But I still have Megace everyday.

I completly change my meals. I only eat fruits, vegetables and meat or fish (with oil and butter). I don't eat any cheese anymore but yogurt without sugar. I use Myfitnesspal app to manage my diet and hope to go back to à normal weight in the next 2 months.

Do you have still hot flashes or like me did they disapperead ?