Hot Flash Forum!

Hi Blownaway - It's good that you're weaning yourself from Effexor. I was lucky not to have started although I have a full prescription of the stuff.

I was originally prescribed gabapentin for nerve pain but I discovered that it also alleviated hot flashes. They did not go away entirely but enough that I can at least sleep a lot better. It's much easier to cope with everything else with a decent night's sleep. I'm only taking 200 mg. and I see that you're on 600. Has this dose not reduced your hot flashes?

Anne

lifelover, PLEASE practice being a little pushy. I don't know what the system is like there, but I've learned in the US you have to track your own health (and do your own research!). I had to be pushy to eventually be diagnosed with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. And I've read the average time to be diagnosed is 5 years! So I was very lucky. I'm afraid I'm going to have to continue to be pushy because I feel rotten.

Blownaway I gather from what my MO told me that neither Effexor nor Gab will alleviate hot flashes in everyone. In my experience, the only surefire remedy is estrogen replacement which is not an option for us. I did see on another thread that there are more than a few who have gone back to estrogen regardless of the consequences but you'd have to made of sterner stuff than I am to go down that road.

As you have only been off Tam for a few weeks, I'm wondering if after a couple of months you might find some relief from both the hot flashes and other aches and pains. I'm on Femara and Zometa and have no experience with Tam so you might find some helpful advice on the Tamox. threads.

Hugs. Anne

Hi Folks

Blownaway, I new I'd jinx myself by saying the pain was pretty good. Been having a pain party ever since almost. I coined the phrase "pain party". Definition: One part of the body is in pain, The rest of the body awakes as says. "Yay. pain" and joins in for rip snortin' time.

Hi Pink, OMD(OH MY DOG), DH died of Lymphoma. His was Zoloft which normally is a very good drug. He just didn't wean properly. He just didn't get that his doc said it was okay to just quit and I said wean. Sorry, Pink you are laid low, hoping for a speedy recovery.

The most common SSRI drug here in these pages is Effexor. If considering weaning, I had a post either this or the last page, that suggests a weaning program by switching to Prozac. Another possibility with Effexor is to wean down after reaching 37.5 mg, if you have a compounding pharmacy near you. They could take the Effexor 37.5 and reduce it by 12 mg per set of pills to be effectively 24 mg then 12 mg then even maybe to 6 mg. Hells bells, they could even do it from 150 perhaps in lesser increments between 300-150 -- 75(for anyone that's on the higher doses and reading here) They would be able to guide you as to what the best route would be. The slower the weaning the better. You know the evilness of missing a singular pill.

Seriously, the best is to wean slow, wean low. I'm a poet HAhahaha.

I would suggest a month at each level. That is very, very conservative. I think docs say a week at each level doing the drop between doses. At the very conservative dose, there may be less side effects.

I think someone may have just mentioned this about the compounding pharmacy. Sorrry, if I tripped over someone's response.

I came back here b/c recently had some flashing going on, but for me it means thyroid and sumpin's up. Going through the motions labs and ultrasound. Always sumpin, we just need to take care of stuff be proactive even though it just is a PITA.

PINK we are still kicking YAY

I was on Anastrozole for the last year and a half and also on Effexor for that time as well. I was having horrible joint pain and a type of neuropathy pain down both legs which really, really afftected my workouts. Also, after being on these two drugs, my blood pressure went way high so I was put on BP medication. I told my oncologist that I really wanted to get off the effexor and then, hopefully the BP meds. She sent in a lower dose of the effexor in pill form. I took the lower dose for a month, then halved the tablets for another month, then halved my BP meds. I'm now taking the BP meds (halved) and am off the effexor without any problems. I do miss the very, very vivid dreams I experienced with the effexor, but didn't want the high PB side-effects.

Yes, right now my hot flashes (or sweat flashes) are back, but I'm thinking it's a smaller side effect than high blood pressure.

The aches are still with me and I was just switched to Tamoxifen a couple of weeks ago so I'll see how that pans out. What can you do? Breast Cancer..the gift that keeps on giving.

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