Medication for hot flushes

Hi all, I currently take Tamoxifen and my hot flushes are a nightmare, been on it 6 months.  I spoke to a BCN she advised I could take medication to help, just interested to hear from anyone who take Venlafaxine, clonidine or gabapentin, for this and your experiences.  Did they help? side effects etc.  Please don’t advise anything herbal or supplement as I’ve looked into this and its a big No NO for me.  I’ve already done the different brand, different time of day etc to try and solve the problem.

Hi @Twiggy75  thank you for sharing your post. 

I am sorry you’ve not had a response yet, I’m sure someone will be along shortly to continue the conversation.

In the meantime, if you’d like to chat with one of our breast care nurses, you can call them on 0808 800 6000. They are available during the week 9am-4pm and 9am-1pm on Saturdays.

Alternatively, you might be interested in our someone like me services - the Someone Like Me phone service can put you in touch with a volunteer who can support you by telephone. You’ll speak to someone who’s had a similar experience to you, who has finished their treatment and has been trained to help.

Best wishes,
Shareena
Senior Digital Community Officer

Hi Twiggy75. I was already taking gabapentin when I went into a surgical menopause. They didn’t help at all for me, but that isn’t saying they won’t work for you. Everyone is different so worth trying something to ease them if your doctor recommends it. Take care. Xx

I’ve been taking modified release venlaflaxine for four months now and it’s been a game changer for me. I had to change from Anastrazole to Exemestane due to severe bone pain. My night sweats started immediately, up to ten every night, and in the day the flushes worsened.

Since I’ve been on the venlaflaxine the night sweats have reduced to one hot flush around 3am and the day flushes are down to three.

It’s worth a try, quality of life is so important 

I take Venlafaxine and my hot flushes have all but vanished. I sometimes have one of an evening, but that is it.