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help!!! night sweats

n01kar
n01kar CSN Member Posts: 26
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
I am suffering from severe night sweats. I am lucky if i get 4 to 5 hours of sleep. Has any one tried the over the counter product "estroven nightime". I am not to use any soy products and running out of ideas on how to alleviate this problem. Thanks in advance for your help ladies
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Comments

  • Dot53
    Dot53 CSN Member Posts: 239 Member
    #2
    My doc just wrote me a
    My doc just wrote me a script for Effexor.. I am up all night long too.. so exhausted in the morning its hard to get up for work.. It will be 2 years in May since they started and the doc said they can go for another 4-5 years...

    Dot
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  • cats_toy
    cats_toy CSN Member Posts: 1,462 Member
    #3
    night sweats
    Talk to your onc first before using any type of product that has estrogen, natural or not, it is usually not advisable.
    I too was prescribed Effexor, and was on it for about six months. I chose to stop using it because I didn't want to take an antidepressant any longer. A lot of doctors will tell you to try the pink Benadryl (generic works too). It is not supposed to have any side effects and helps you sleep.
    I would always make sure I had a fan running, it does help, and hopefully they will ease up a bit.
    I now use Ambien (generic) to help me sleep through the night because your sleep cycle is completely screwed up with chemo too.
    Hope you get some sleep soon!
    Cat
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  • crselby
    crselby CSN Member Posts: 441
    #4
    My dear n)!kar. There is hope! After 11 years of not sleeping through the night, sweating at the most inconvenient times, and feeling like I was going nuts every time a 'flash' came on, I have gotten relief. Well, some, not complete. But I pretty much sleep through the night and wake up refreshed! The answer: Effexor. It has taken several months (started in January after beginning Tamoxifen in November and suffering WORSE hot flashes than menopause was giving me) to get the dosage right but I think we're there now. Please don't wait. Ask your onc or gyn for help. I tried all the soy, estrogen and hormones before cancer and none of them gave me the relief I have now. If you aren't sleeping well, you can't be healing well.
    ~~Connie~~
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  • Sher43009
    Sher43009 CSN Member Posts: 602 Member
    #5
    crselby said:

    My dear n)!kar. There is hope! After 11 years of not sleeping through the night, sweating at the most inconvenient times, and feeling like I was going nuts every time a 'flash' came on, I have gotten relief. Well, some, not complete. But I pretty much sleep through the night and wake up refreshed! The answer: Effexor. It has taken several months (started in January after beginning Tamoxifen in November and suffering WORSE hot flashes than menopause was giving me) to get the dosage right but I think we're there now. Please don't wait. Ask your onc or gyn for help. I tried all the soy, estrogen and hormones before cancer and none of them gave me the relief I have now. If you aren't sleeping well, you can't be healing well.
    ~~Connie~~

    I also needed help with the
    I also needed help with the night sweats. I've been on Tamoxifen since Feb. 1 and never had the sweats as bad as I was having them. My oncol. put me on Effexor. I've been on it for 2 weeks and last night was the first night I only woke up once in 4 weeks. Since I'll be on Tamoxifen for 5 years, I'm planning on being on Effexor for 5 years as well. The side benefit is my mood swings are much better (lol). Ask your doctor for help.
    Sher
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  • carkris
    carkris CSN Member Posts: 4,553 Member
    #6
    Sher43009 said:

    I also needed help with the
    I also needed help with the night sweats. I've been on Tamoxifen since Feb. 1 and never had the sweats as bad as I was having them. My oncol. put me on Effexor. I've been on it for 2 weeks and last night was the first night I only woke up once in 4 weeks. Since I'll be on Tamoxifen for 5 years, I'm planning on being on Effexor for 5 years as well. The side benefit is my mood swings are much better (lol). Ask your doctor for help.
    Sher

    I have heard some women take
    I have heard some women take vitamin E. I have hot flashes, but not so bad but am not on tamoxifen yet, do you think lexapro helps the same as effexor?
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  • cindycflynn
    cindycflynn CSN Member Posts: 1,132 Member
    #7
    Definitely ask your doctor
    But mine recommended 800 IU (she said not to exceed that amount) per day of vitamin E. I have been doing that and, although I still have some hot flashes, they are fewer and less severe when I take the vitamin E.

    She also said that if the vitamin E didn't work for me she would recommend Effexor.

    Good luck,
    Cindy
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  • tommaseena
    tommaseena CSN Member Posts: 1,769
    #8
    carkris said:

    I have heard some women take
    I have heard some women take vitamin E. I have hot flashes, but not so bad but am not on tamoxifen yet, do you think lexapro helps the same as effexor?

    Lexapro
    I still have hot flashes day and night on Lexapro.
    If I limit my caffeine and chocolate I have fewer hot flashes.

    Margo
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  • cats_toy
    cats_toy CSN Member Posts: 1,462 Member
    #9
    tommaseena said:

    Lexapro
    I still have hot flashes day and night on Lexapro.
    If I limit my caffeine and chocolate I have fewer hot flashes.

    Margo

    limit caffeine aned chocolate???
    why oh why? I like them both so much.
    Really Margo? I did not realize either one could make for more hot flashes.
    Bummer
    Cat
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  • katznc
    katznc CSN Member Posts: 70
    #10
    white flour and sugar
    I have heard two new things. White flour and sugar can set off night sweats and flashes. So the chocolate makes sense. Mine trigger as soon as I lay down. The sugar and white flour aren't the worst for me, I can't give up the coffee. I did eat a candy bar the other night and had a flash before I even had it finished so I guess there is something to the sugar.
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