Just wanted to start a thread of all the things we have been recommended to try to improve hot flushes. I’'ll start:
evening primrose oil
chillows
I am really interested and willing to try something different!
Geraldine
Hi Geraldine
Can’t help with improving hot flushes, but just wanted to say that when i was having a blood taken to be tested before i had my surgery, the nurse taking it started to have one and referred to it as ‘having a tropical moment’…
Good luck!
Jane
Good idea Geraldine!
My hot flushes at the moment are just night sweats (almost every night since surgery) and I am (I hope) not menopausal and am just about to start chemo and then tamoxifen. I have ordered a chillow on advice from this site.
I have today started writing down what I am eating each day as I have had the odd night where I don’t and think it may be connected to a food or food group but don’t know how relevant that may be to hot flushes in general.
As far as night sweats go as I am still so new to this the only suggestion I have is sleeping butt naked in the bath with the windows open!! (haven’t tried it myself but at 3am am tempted!!)
Looking forward to hearing some tips as I have already printed off as many of the chemo tips as I can in preparation!
x
I had to stop HRT after DCIS and surgery last year. The hot flushes came back, and I hate them! I had some success with acupuncture - I think it’s helped calm them down a bit, but they’ still come. And it’s expensive.
Starflower oil seems good, stronger then evening primrose.
I bought a ‘cobber’ (cool gel small scarf thing), that was great especially on hot summer days. Wrapping it round your neck cools you down quickly.
And my Chillow is fabulous in the night. BUT a word of warning - if you have a cat, keep it hidden away in the day, under your pillow or something. I found I’d sprung a leak the other niught, and it was definitely down to the cat’s claws!! I don’t think it takes much to puncture it. I had to buy a new one…!!
Having just opened my chillow it says in the instructions, in bold, “cats love Chillow but void the warranty - KEEP CATS AWAY” - I’ve never heard of a cat voiding a warranty before. Its obviously a common problem"!
Hi.
I purchased a Chillo Pillow several months ago and it was the best thing I have bought.
Have been on tamoxifen for 18 moths now, another 12 to go before being switched.
I was already having hot flushes before my diagnosis due to menapause but they did increase when I started taking tamoxifen, which I now take at night before retiring.
My sleep pattern is certainly better, but not as perfect as I would like it to be, but you can’t have everything.
Take care & best wishes to you all,
Jan
I too have found that acupuncture helps.
also splitting the tamoxifen dose (it is possible to get it prescribed in 10mg tablets) - so 10mg in the morning & 10mg at night.
My hot flushes have slowed down now - or are not so noticeable.
But my recommendation is: Magicool spray
Works a treat!!! 
Had suffered for absolutely ages and then realised that there was a spray sitting on my bedside!!!
Great relief!!!
HTH xx
Hi, I take chlonidine and also carry a batteery hand held fan when out, this does help to cool me down right away but just remember to pack spare batteries! I even have one that i got from amazon that you can put on the table while you are eating and it is still a hand held one.
Suzzanne
I find tomatoes, orange juice and alcohol definitely affect my hot flushes, especially at night.
Is that all together Olivia??? LOL!
Do they make them better or worse? I have started noting down what I eat and drink in a day to see if I can work out what item or items may be affecting me cos I am still sweating every bleeding night and not even started chemo or tamoxifen yet and I’m only 39. Stinkly yours, xx
Hi ostrich - separately and together! Someone told me on this site about tomatoes and orange juice and when I tried cutting them out my night flushes were better. Alcohol is well known to cause sweating even if you don’t have BC but I have to say by the time the evening comes I need a glass of wine and personally I find one glass of white is just about OK but would prefer 2!
Definitely less sweats on alcohol free days. Good luck with the chemo XX
Have to say avoiding alcohol really helps me - didn’t drink too much before but now if I have a drink the hot flushes are problematic for a couple of days. Does anyone take sage?..If yes - how? Sage tea is grim!
I read an article about NOVOGEN RED CLOVER to help with flushes, Research by 2 cancer docs and it.s for women who can’t have HRT because of bc. I had a check up today and the consultant was quite happy for me to start taking it.I’ve been on Arimidex since January and have loss of appetite for everything EXCEPT CHOCOLATE! All the aches and pains in my bones and joints ect ect so I am hoping that at least I can get rid of the sweats and get a nights kip. It was only the novogen red clover they used in the 3 year trial and they say that other makes might not have the same composition. It’s not cheap at £18.99 for 30 tablets but Boots were doing 3for2 so I got 90 tabs for the price of 60. So hopefully in a couple of weeks I will feel the benefit. Hugs to all.
marionrae
Please let us know how you get on with the red clover:-) I manage my hot flushes without anything, they don’t wake me up at night any more but I do get very hot at times during the day.
thank you Pauline
Hi
My hot flushes werent too bad on Tam until I started with the Zoladex injections now I cant remember what is like to sleep through the night, Ive tried starflower oil, chillow, sprays Im hoping that it will ease though Ive only been on Zolades for 2 months. Anybod else the same?
Karen
Can anyone tell me how they use their chillow? Silly question but do I put it under my head before going to bed to keep my body temperature down (cos then I might get cold and put another blanket on and get hot), do I put it under my back (cos its my midriff and hips etc that get really hot) but then again I’ll be cold going to bed wont I?), or do I keep it by the bed and whip it out when I get hot (but then I’m already hot).
Help, being very dim!
My chillow is in my pillow case so I have it all the time - having said that my night sweats aren’t too bad. It’s during the day when one comes on I am like a radiator! I look out for the red clover - let me know if it helps - I think these things take a couple of weeks to kick in! Have started evening primrose so I’ll see if that helps.
Gerry
Hi,
I use my chillo pillow as a pillow, but not in a pillowcase, but then I tend to get very hot around the my neck. I would think you could use it anywhere where you think it would be of benefit. I often find that it is necessary to throw off the duvet, which really pleases the other half. I do keep my pillow by the side of the bed so if I manage to get off to sleep without it and then wake up in the middle of the night it’s near to hand. Mind you I have forgotten what a good nights sleep is.
I’ve heard about red clover but when I went on a Living with Breast Cancer course one of the spreakers warned us against it as it is a plant ostegeon, and if your bc is hormone responsive it’s best not to add additional osegeon.
I have been recommend evening primrose oil and black coshh by my consultant…
Take care & best wishes
Jan
Hi
i was waking 6-8 times a night within 2 weeks of starting tamoxifen and i already had a chillow and a fan… clonidine did not help. Megace has finally kicked in and i generally only wake twice a night. ‘Only’ is ok - that’s sort of what started in chemo but 6-8 times was driving me POTTY!
My hosp has asked me not to take anything homeopathic or ‘natural’ without checking with them because some of these things are powerful. i am not sure whether this also has something to do with age?
Since things have calmed down i have eaten curry which was ok but i ate a reasonably powerful chili the night before last and woke about 4 times… i am sad to think my diet is still curtailed by my condition.
best of luck people - wear layers in the winter so you can take them off and put them on…
Jennifer