hot flashes and night sweats

I had a complete hysterectomy in 2001. After being on HRT for 10 years my doctor and I decided it was time for me to get off of them. It has been 2 months and I have been suffering with night sweats and hot flashes (all day and night) that are only getting worse. My local Pharmacist suggested drinking soy milk and taking herbal meds. and I already take a hand full of vitamins daily and nothing seems to help. Yesterday my doctor re-prescribed my hormone patch which I reluctantly agreed to. The only other suggestion she had was to go on an anti-depressant because they have found it helps with the hot flashes. I refuse to start on those!
Any suggestions. (I will say that I am one of the unfortunate ones who have suffered terribly from this one side effect from day one and only when I increased my Vivel patch strength did it subside. HELP

When you got off did you do it cold turkey? I think it is harder on the body to adjust if one just drops it cold. I find it better to go down to the lowest I can manage and stay on it for perhaps a year and then drop again. You may find you cannot drop any lower and have to stay there longer. I have stayed on a dose for over a year. You may need some estrogen now for a little while longer.

I have been on vivelle dot 7 years and have been on the lowest .025 for over a year, but recently I am off and seem to be doing fine with an occassional flash. I think my hot flashes have been winding down in the last year or two which has allowed me to go low or off.

If you need to take at least some estrogen to stay cooler, and there is no health reason to drop it, then why not be comfortable. I will say that eliminating caffiene, alcohol, sugar and doing exercise has helped a lot.

Hang in there

I am also having hot flashes and night sweats ever since my hysterectomy. When they added estrogen it got worse and also I started crying and being emotional and also cranky, like living with the seven dwarves!

I had to add estrogen very slowly and am now feeling a bit better. I am taking bioidentical homones which I think is the best thing.

Try switching to bioidentical. You should be able to take them and eventually balance estrogen and progesterone.

I'll have to see how it goes for me. Years ago I got hormone shots (estrogen) for my uterine abulation. They shot me into menopause symptoms and I started adding bioidentical progesterone and it took months but finally the hot flashes went away and I started to get out of the depression.

Read book by Dr John Lee or Suzanne Summers.

Hope this helps, think of me when you are awake sweating and boiling when temps are very low and you should be shivering under covers! I'm there sista! Hopefully not forever.

(PS Was hoping you had an answer for me! I've heard Evening primrose oil and black cohash or other menopause supplements, so far no luck for me).

Wondering why you're getting off HRT?

If you need to quit HRT, have always heard to do it very gradually. Takes a while for your body to adjust to any increase/decrease in hormones. Cold turkey would be hell, IMHO.