Night Sweats - what to do?

Hi momzr...I would stay away from soy.  I would normally recommend Black Kokesh but I am not certain of the hormonal status of it - if the onc ok's it, it works great!  LowRider

My integrative PCP recommended Estrovera (a Metagenics product).  Then my gyn (at the cancer service) questioned it.  Then I looked it up, and Metagenics' own website says it's contraindicated for women with hormone sensitive cancers.  Had a chat with my PCP about that!

Seems they're all now suggesting the antidepressant Effexor, apparently it has a side effect of quieting hot flashes.   I've been resisting antidepressants throughout this ordeal, but at the moment the idea is starting to seem yummy.

I now live to sweat, sweat to live.   Never realized my screenname would become so appropriate.

Acupuncture is an interesting idea, too.....

Has anyone tried the chillow pillow?  I'm now sleeping with all the windows in my bedroom wide open....if it's a cold night I alternate between shivering and sweating.  There has got to be a better way! 

Remembered something else during the day.  If you're a big coffee drinker (even decaf) cut it way, way back.  Cutting back on coffee really helped me.

My hot flashes and night sweats were at their worst in the first two years after the tamoxifen and the hysterectomy.  They decreased gradually and weren't bad at all the last two years on the tamoxifen.  I had success with the chillow and with one of those little water bottle misting fans from Walmart.  I have a friend that loved some sheets that wicked the moisture away, but can't remember their name.  Accupuncture is supposed to work a charm with many side effects, and may be worth a try if you can get past the needle phobia I have.  I worked briefly for a integrative medicine office but quit as they had me setting up electrodes with no real training and pulling needles with no gloves (and some patients do bleed), so I never actually had the accupuncture.

My onc wants me to avoid all of the natural estrogens like soy, black kohash, flax, etc.  The effexor is supposed to be very effective against hot flashes and does not interfere with tamoxifen.  I found if I tried to relax and did some of my deep breathing exercises from lamaze it helped.  Hopefully your flashes and sweats will diminish soon.

I had hysterectomy w/ovary removal June 2 along with lumpectomy for DCIS (ER+/PR+).  I also had a unilateral MX on June 28.  By end of July I was having hot flashes during the day about every half hour or so and 5-6 times a night.  Needless to say it was unbearable and interfering with my daily life due to no sleep, having to work with young children, being 51 and recovering from major surgeries!!

Comment on the chillow pillow....yes, I bought one in July.  I would put it under my chest/torso and put a thin sheet over it.  It helped in the beginning of the night, but it heats up with your body heat and you have to to remove it and let it cool off.  It got a tiny pin hole it in which causes all the water to leak out...not good!  I sealed the hole with clear silicone which worked for a while.  The pillow now smells some what musty.

I stopped using the chillowpillow in August--I decided to try a one time progesterone shot (Depo Provera).  My treatment was at Mayo and all my docs told me a one time shot was not going to put me at risk. The hot flashes went away 10 days after the shot and  I have not had one since then.  They told me they don't know how long the shot lasts, possibly forever.  For some it may be  a risk they don't want to take.   I did not want to go on Effexor--too hard to get off of this medication.  I tried it and it caused dizziness.  

If my hot flashes come back, I will try acupuncture.  If that does not help, I will re-evaluate my risks and see if I can get another shot.

I am sure everyone will have different ideas, comments and input from their docs.  This is what I needed to do for myself to have some sort of quality of life and to function each day.

twirlandcurl -- I was having terrible night sweats as well after chemo. Onc said it was from the abrupt shut down of estrogen flowing as a result of chemo. about 3 months after chemo ended and Tamoxifen began I got my period back and my night sweats were becoming less and less and now I don't have them at all (4 months on T)  My onc told me that Tamoxifen makes your hormones go up and down and then they plateau. He said it can take up to a year for that to happen. I think that is when your night sweats will dissipate. I also did accupuncture so I dn't know if it was solely the T or the accupuncture that rid me of night sweats but I do recommend it.

Good luck

Di