There is so much BS about hot flashes on the Web. The information on the med sites looks like it was mostly written by male doctors who have never had a hot flash or by female doctors who haven’t had one yet. The information about “temperature” is bogus, and about “triggers” is mostly bogus. THIS IS HORMONAL, LADIES. Your GLANDS are creating these hot flashes.
My hot flashes started in my 43rd year. I didn’t know what was happening. It was hot, I was already sweaty, so I never noticed the sweat and I’ve never been especially sweaty. I swooned and two friends grabbed me by either shoulder because they thought I was going to topple over. It passed and then an hour later happened again, a really bad one, very dizzy, shaky, weak-kneed.
I lost in the genetic department. Severe hot flashes on my mother’s side (so bad she couldn’t carry on a conversation and went SCREAMING to the doctor for HRT). She was still having them, bad ones, in her late 70s. My father’s side, frequent hot flashes, 3 in 2 hours, round the clock.
I inherited both. Life has been hell. I had five a day, severe ones, debilitating ones, for 13 years then BOOM, the day my periods stopped, the REALLY BAD ones kicked in. Full menopause, no more periods. Hot flash hell instead. Now the sweat was profuse, the dizziness horrific, and the shaking after the hot flash REALLY bad. From that point on, I get 1 per hour around the clock, 24 per day. They wake me 3 or 4 times per night.
All this nonsense on the Web about a hot flash being an abnormal reaction to cold. What a CROCK! That has nothing to do with it. I get 24 a day regardless of whether it’s hot or cold, getting hotter or getting colder. Temperature has nothing to do with it, it’s hormonal. What nobody explains properly is this… a hot flash is a cycle, like an orgasm, but without the good stuff… it starts a certain way, it builds a certain way, it climaxes a certain way, and it recedes a certain way. They’re the same every time, the only difference is the severity, which can range from mild to horrific.
All the stupid “lists of symptoms” on the Web are useless too. They are a hodge-podge of general symptoms that could apply to 20 different conditions. Here’s the truth, it’s a cycle and it goes through stages, it’s not just a grab bag of sweat and whatever else is on those lists.
Since mine are severe and I feel every stage, I might as well describe them so you know what is going on. Fortunately, most of you will never get them as badly as I get them, so don’t let this freak you out, this is just to correct much of the nonsense on the Web and to give you a better sense of what is going on:
1. You feel a bit weird in the belly, a little sick, a kind of out-of-sorts flu-like feeling.
2. This builds and expands and then you realize something is going on, it’s bad enough to grab your attention if you are standing or sitting quietly (you might not notice as much if you are busy and occupied).
3. If you are one of the unlucky ones like me, the feeling spreads up and out across your skin and your breasts into a REALLY nasty stinging sensation. It’s BAD, it hurts (you feel it below your skin but above your ribs (it has nothing to do with the heart or lungs, it’s a surface pain). Nasty.
4. Also, if you are unlucky like me, you get dizzy, sometimes very dizzy, sometimes also vertigo. I get it so bad sometimes I have to brace myself against something and a few times I’ve nearly landed on the floor (a bit like a pregnant woman who gets bad dizzy spells), and if I’m working it almost blanks me out, I can’t concentrate or think properly. I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of women get MIS-diagnosed as having panic attacks because that’s what it feels like, some might even think they’re having a stroke or heart attack, but it’s not, it’s a bad hot flash and after you have a few more, you finally realize what’s going on.
5. At that same time that it stings, you get hot, sometimes roasting hot. I need a fan, I need ice water, I have to run my hands under cold water. It’s almost unbearable. I have to throw my shirt off, I have to throw the bedcovers off. My hair and shirt are drenched (it doesn’t seem to affect my legs). I never feel clean, I go from one horrible sweat to the next.
6. At the peak of the stinging, the sweat breaks out. You know how most people get sweaty just before an orgasm? It’s like that, only much worse, much more severe.
6. If you are unlucky like me, then the shaking kicks in. If you are one of those people who gets a bit shaky and weak-kneed after an orgasm, it’s like that, only 10 times worse, very unpleasant, and it can last anywhere from 5 minutes to 20 minutes and occasionally even until the next hot flash. This is one of the worst parts of a hot flash. Sometimes I get so shaky, I can’t even type, but fortunately it doesn’t usually affect my hands too badly, it’s mostly my midriff, from my belly to my shoulders. This is another reason it can be mistaken for a panic attack, but it’s hormones. The brain requests estrogen, the ovaries can’t give it, so the body serves up this horrible hormone cocktail and in my case it appears to include a lot of adrenaline (maybe because I was always a high-energy person, I don’t know).
If the hot flashes are close together, the shakiness and dizziness can get quite bad, because the hormone overload doesn’t get a chance to drain off and it’s like it accumulates and makes things worse. Several of these in a row and I get a headache. I sometimes get “rolling” hot flashes, a period of about an hour when they happen 5 or 10 minutes apart. This happens about 5 times a week and it makes you want to jump off a bridge.
At the beginning of perimenopause I also got bad diarrhea, but fortunately my body adjusted after about 11 months and that went away. Unfortunately, after 20 years of hot flashes the ONLY improvement is that I don’t get quite so dizzy any more (sometimes, but not as often and usually not as bad). For years I couldn’t drive. It wasn’t safe.
Estrogen/progesterone didn’t help and I’m too old now to take it safely. My mother insisted on taking it and apparently was on a frighteningly high dose because low doses didn’t help, but the doctor wouldn’t give her any more in her mid-70s and the hot flashes came back as bad as ever. She would phone me, have a hot flash in mid-sentence and be forced to sign off. They were that bad.
Since there’s been no change in frequency (5 a day in 13 years of perimenopause and 24 a day in 8 years of full menopause), I am finally and regretfully accepting that this hell will probably last for the rest of my life and coping with it is a herculean effort.
I am posting this because I am tired of reading uninformed or downright inaccurate information. As I said, don’t freak out, you probably won’t suffer as I have suffered, but for those who do… you are not alone, and you need to KNOW you are not alone.
I also posted it because everyone talks about the sweat and almost no one talks about the dizziness and the shakes, but women in their 30s and 40s NEED to know this so they don’t mistake their first hot flash for a panic attack or worse. See a doctor if strange things happen, but know that the strange thing might be your first hot flash and you are NOT going crazy.
Hellfire
on April 25, 2018 at 10:47 am
It’s a relief to read someone saying this! I am 52 and the flashes started about three years ago. They are terrible; at least one an hour which completely soaks my clothing. Nothing makes it “better or worse”. The only relief I have is currently taking estrogen, but, the reality is that at some point one has to discontinue the estrogen and will presumably get the flashes all over again. Throughout my pre-menopausal life, I experienced cold sweats and night sweats before and during my periods, which are NOT the same as hot flashes. Besides the flashes, I feel like menopause is turning me into a non-woman. My boobs have completely emptied out and are just empty bags, and I can see the rest of my body sagging an losing tone. Now it takes a lot of effort to try and remain in any shape or not gain weight. No one ever really explained the suckfest that is menopause. You cease to be a woman. I know I’ve gone on a rant, but, feel like I’m losing my mind. What a kick in the teeth after 50.
Vylent_Fyre
on December 14, 2018 at 1:38 pm
I know it has been a long while since atome or hellfire has written but I’m hoping to get some answers!! My biggest and worrisome symptom is rapid heart rate when these episodes come on. I’ll feel the warmth, the tingling all over my upper body as I think the rush of blood. My heart rate starts accelerating crazily! Like 140-160s!! Then the cold shaking uncontrollably chills take over and my hr goes down. It is baffling! And I’m terrified. Been to the ER 10 times this year, my heart is good etc etc. Ugh no one will tell me that the rapid hr / racing hr is part of perimenopause. That’s all I’ve gotten; my LH and FSH were high in post menopausal levels and estrogen dropped to 61 from 221 about 10 days ago. Cardiologist says my heart is like a teenager. Electrophysiologist isn’t convinced I have an arrhythmia. Goodness sake I just need answers lol
I’m so sorry you two went through those horrible hot flashes! Mine have only begun… I’m petrified!!!!!! The past few days it feels like I’m in a constant perpetual state of hot flash! Omg I hate this!! This Sucks!!!! This is what we get when we stop bleeding??? Ugh!!!
SandyDiVa
on January 12, 2019 at 8:00 pm
@Vylent_Fyre ME TOO. Only I’m in full blown surgical menopause 2 years out from curative ovarian cancer surgery. Had every thing removed with the tumor at age 40 and the hot flashes started a month later.
I get the off sick feeling in my middle, then the burning tingle, then ACTUAL PAIN in clavicle, shoulder, and sometimes also elbow of my left side, rapid heart rate and then I pour sweat. Once the sweat is “out” it rapidly goes away. I’m thankful I don’t have that shaky/vertigo/jittery feeling described above.
My doctor told me that nerve damage (which I have a LOT of) can be irritated by a hot flash. Your heart rate increasing is NORMAL because the hormones that cause the hot flash pump out adrenaline and it’s a common symptom not usually mentioned online for some reason yet is one of the scariest symptoms IMHO. The problem is, everyone experiences these differently. Some have some symptoms som have many more symptoms I may have one symptom you don’t have and vice versa etc. the most common symptoms are what I usually see online…nausea, sweating, feeling hot, night sweats (which I thankfully do not get….yet).
I also have a condition called HyperPOTS which causes Tachycardia upon exertion. Laying down used to fix my body now I get the heart rate speeding up laying down too thanks to menopause. >:(
To be safe, I would make an appointment with your doctor AND a cardiologist just to be SURE but a LOT aid women I’ve spoken to and my doctor have told me the pain and heart rate increase is normal with hot flashes. So no, you are not alone <3
Kk
on February 14, 2019 at 10:44 pm
Not fun – I’ll be 50
Next week and haven’t had period in two months ugh!!!
Angel
on March 4, 2019 at 5:30 pm
I know no one has posted in a while and I had to after searching for answers and reading your comments. I am 43. The first time I experienced these hot flushes was after the birth of my 5th child when I was 38. I literally thought I was going to die. I am a nurse, I also have a blood clotting disorder but thankfully haven’t had a blood clot for 27 years. Let me tell you, a little bit of knowledge for me is a dangerous thing. When this first happened to me I thought OMG I’ve got a blood clot, I’m having a heart attack. It came upon me all the sudden a flush of heat from chest to neck, sometimes face too, my heart takes off and I mean off at 140 to 160 bpm, my blood pressure also shoots through the roof and I get shaky, slightly dizzy, I have a feeling of I’m about to die. I don’t have the sweating but I do occasionally get chills. Once they start I panic and I’m sure make them worse. Even though I’ve had them before they scare me so bad I think this is it I’m going to die. So been having them for the past 6 years with increasing frequency. Because of my blood clotting disorder I can’t take hormones. I feel sometimes like I must be crazy, losing my mind. Usually they are only bad the week before my period but had one today on day 4 of period and started my period almost a week early this month. My husband is very supportive but I can’t help feeling he secretly thinks I’m a hypochondriac. I just want so much to be normal and to be able to control myself from freaking out when it happens. I do have tachycardia that I take medicine for and these flushes will come on and shoot my heart rate up in spite of the med. Alot of you have it way worse than me but can you recommend anything that can help me control my anxiety when these flushes happen? I want so much to just be normal and not have these terrible things anymore.
Heather
on March 10, 2019 at 3:53 pm
So im only 17 and i have really bad hot flashes, to the point where i faint (this actually happened today, in public) my sister was with me and said i just kind of went limp and my eyes dilated and i was dead weight but she could see that i was just barely holding myself up and that i started sweating and i got really pale. I wasnt responding for ten minutes.(i had been sitting down in church when it happened and i already knew what was happening so i leaned myself back and held on to the pew in front of me just trying not to bring attention) my hot flashes always happen within 24 hours of me starting my period. I’ve had these hot flashes every month for the past two years but everytime i research it all i find is menopause for an explanation but i know thats not the case. During my hot flashes im conscious and i know whats going on around me but i cant respond to anyone. I feel really hot, weak (faint), and dizzy (like my body is swaying and my head is rolling) soon after my eyesight is just tunnel vision and then i lose my eyesight until the heat flash is over, my head starts throbbing and My head starts ringing. All the other sounds are as though im underwater when people talk to me. My family doesnt really take me seriously because they think im just being a dramatic teenager. My mom thinks im being dramatic and only falling asleep to try and get out of doing stuff for the day and she blames it on being sleep deprived because “teenagers stay up all night” I dont really know whats going on and im pretty worried. As soon as my hot flash is over i get the chills and im cold. I normally cold sweat for about 20-30 minutes (im not too sure about the time because im so out of it so i might be wrong on the time) after all of that is over im left with a throbbing headache for the rest of the day, sometimes it lasts for two days.
Dawn
on March 21, 2019 at 8:41 pm
I am 51 and suffering miserably. Hot flashes every 30 min. All thru the night. Have to get up an dry off.So tired due to disturbed sleep. I too get chills and shaking.I don’t know how I will endure this for years like some have.
Lynne
on April 30, 2019 at 12:58 pm
THANK YOU! This sucks. All that you mentioned & bouts of asthmatic bronchitis since the menses ceased as well as blood sugar swings. Food intolerances too. It’s a living hell in many aspects. To go from perfect health & walking 3 miles a day, to living with a bronchodilator at my side is major. Just major. Had every test, ct scans, blood work out the kazoo. This is my new normal. I will take a minimum dose of valium once a month just to sleep a night thru & get some level of relief. The valium seems to stop the piggy back flashes too, albeit temporarily. 👎🏼
Cindy
on May 16, 2019 at 10:11 am
God bless you. Today I experienced a hot flash and became shaky and felt like I was going to pass out. I knew it was a hot flash bc it’s not hot and I was pouring sweat. I took to the internet to find out what’s going on and couldn’t find anything. Then I found this. Thanks so much for taking the time to share. This has definitely helped me!!!!
Jacinta
on May 23, 2019 at 3:02 pm
Hi Ladies, I too have just had my first hot flash with shaking and intense perspiration…. I fell to the ground with the weakness …. I ve been into my menopause for just over a year , and have been taking herbal remedies which have kept everything under control, and this week it feels like it’s all happening ….. I m having accupuncture this weekend and will try some more herbal remedies to see what can control this ….. the scariest experience I ve ever had !! 😳
Stephanie
on August 12, 2020 at 6:28 pm
Sooo glad someone finally said it like it is. Especially the part about night sweats not being the same as hot flashes! Im 51 and stopped taking the pill at my doctors insistence. Once that happened BAM! the hot flashes started. Ive had night sweats since I was about 44-45 and I would give anything to just have those. Because at least it happens and then its over. Not like these hot flashes which are all throughout the day and so unpredictable. Im just praying Im lucky enough not to have them forever!
It is so refreshing to hear everyone’s comments as I have felt so alone with my hot flushes, my periods stopped 2 years ago and the night sweats are intensifying by the day I am currently having on average 10 a night I haven’t slept properly for months I am constantly tired and irritable and no one I talk to understands. I even slept in the garden in my tent on Saturday evening as the hot weather added to the flushes were to much to handle, I still had a lot but they did not last as long but my husband will be paranoid if I am still sleeping outside at Christmas! I have tried so many different lotions and potions but nothing works I guess it just has to run it’s course however It’s like being stuck in a nightmare that doesn’t seem to end! I wish you all well and look forward to the day that we are all truly post menopausal.
Farah
on June 12, 2022 at 11:13 am
My nightmare started immediately after a total hysterectomy due to D.I.E (deep infiltrating endometriosis). The hot flashes are so intense, I lose my breath, have to get ice packs and ice water just so I don’t pass out. I have them all the time. Morning, noon and night. About 1 every 20 minutes. I got back on the patch, but so far it has not helped, so I put on two more. Often, I just don’t want to live anymore. I can’t lose one pound even when I hardly eat. No happy hour or dinner parties, as this is so embarrassing and no sympathizes with the physical and mental anguish I suffer. I’ve lost friends over this and have absolutely no sex drive. I eat incredibly healthy, but can’t exercise do to having a flash. We can cure many cancers, create phones that ate cameras and send people to space, but not one human being is helping this condition that justifies a husband leaving his wife for a younger women. WHY!
Adana
on October 20, 2022 at 8:44 am
Thanks for this post , I have actually passed out and vomited on More than 1 occasion due to the rapid increase in blood pressure and heart rate. Once you figure out the issue, it makes you feel slightly better, but doesn’t fix the problem. And for some reason higher elevations, make it worse. I am 10 years in and assume I will have them for the duration as my mother is 74 and continues to have hot flashes, although hers have faded in intensity. It was just nice to read this post and no that I am not the only one going through oddly severe hot flashes. I have found that drinking ice water and sleeping with ice packs behind my neck at night help. Also this seems to have nothing to do with how good of shape you are in or what time of year it is. I own an athletic center and work out daily. I have tried multiple natural remedies. Nothing seems to help. And do not wish to go on any type of hormone as I know it will only prolong the situation. I appreciate reading all of your feedback. May everyone feel better.
Angela
on February 2, 2023 at 9:05 am
Thank you!!!
This is exactly how I feel – except there is no reprieve, it is constant, never ending, I don’t get a break day or night. Yesterday I had to drive and it was hell the dizziness was impressively scary, I feel my Independence is getting taken away.
Joy
on August 13, 2023 at 6:41 am
Finally a site that talks about extreme, severe hot flashes! Thank you! I had 40-50 hot flashes per day and each of them was severe. (most people don’t believe that but I have documented this over several days). They start with 5 minutes of intense heat. My heart rate races to 140-160 bpm. I must stop what I’m doing and wait it out. It feels like I am having a panic attack. But, wait, there’s more! Once the heat settles and my heart rate lowers, now the sweating begins, from every pore of my body. My hair down to my ankles become drenched. Rivulets of sweat drip down my body. I even feel that my eyelids are wet. Wait, wait…don’t dry off. It will continue for about 5 minutes and then you can take a towel and dry off. Hopefully you will remain dry for a time before another hot flash happens again…but probably not. You can expect another in 15-20 minutes! It has consumed my life and ruined any quality of life for me. However, I have found some practices, supplements, and medicines that have helped so that maybe some others of you may find some relief.
1) cannabis products have been a life saver for me. I especially use gummies and RSO. The RSO is especially helpful in helping me get some sleep. Be careful though, because you will develop a tolerance to cannabis that will decrease its effectiveness over time and cause you to take higher doses. Before I found relief from the next 2 products, I was taking some incredible doses costing me about $600/month, but I was willing to do this just to find some relief.
2) Veozah is a new prescription medication that gives me about 5 hours of relief per day. I take it at 4:00 in the afternoon so that I can feel normal for the dinner hours and evening. It is expensive (over $500) if you don’t have insurance coverage for it. Luckily, I did, but I would pay the full price if I had to just to feel normal for some time every day.
3) Gabepentin – 600 mg. I take this at 9:00 at night, just as the Veozah effectiveness is waning. Gabepentin causes drowsiness so this is the perfect time.
These 3 products have bought my hot flashes down to just around 20 per day, which may sound horrifying to some, but I am so happy with that. It also has lessened the intensity of the flashes. They do come with some side effects, (nausea for me), but worth it in my opinion.
Here are some additional practices I’ve found that have helped.
1) Keep a hand held fan handy. I keep one by my bed, one by my couch, on my desk, in my car…
2) Sleep on a towel. Sleep in the nude. Once you stop sweating, you can use that towel dry off. Lay down a new towel to prepare for the next one. This will keep you from having to change your sheets in the middle of the night.
3). Wear 100% cotton. It is breathable and the handheld fan will penetrate it. Moisture wicking and bamboo clothes, sheets, pillows, etc do NOT help. In fact, because they are not breathable they are more uncomfortable.
4). I cut my hair into a pixie cut being my hair is continually becoming wet making it impossible.
5) I have found no supplements (besides cannabis) that have helped. They may be effective on mild menopause symptoms, but not for use that have severe ones. I think have tried them all and have found no relief from them. Don’t waste your money.
I hope this info helps some of my sisters in the hot flash hell community. You are not alone!
There is so much BS about hot flashes on the Web. The information on the med sites looks like it was mostly written by male doctors who have never had a hot flash or by female doctors who haven’t had one yet. The information about “temperature” is bogus, and about “triggers” is mostly bogus. THIS IS HORMONAL, LADIES. Your GLANDS are creating these hot flashes.
My hot flashes started in my 43rd year. I didn’t know what was happening. It was hot, I was already sweaty, so I never noticed the sweat and I’ve never been especially sweaty. I swooned and two friends grabbed me by either shoulder because they thought I was going to topple over. It passed and then an hour later happened again, a really bad one, very dizzy, shaky, weak-kneed.
I lost in the genetic department. Severe hot flashes on my mother’s side (so bad she couldn’t carry on a conversation and went SCREAMING to the doctor for HRT). She was still having them, bad ones, in her late 70s. My father’s side, frequent hot flashes, 3 in 2 hours, round the clock.
I inherited both. Life has been hell. I had five a day, severe ones, debilitating ones, for 13 years then BOOM, the day my periods stopped, the REALLY BAD ones kicked in. Full menopause, no more periods. Hot flash hell instead. Now the sweat was profuse, the dizziness horrific, and the shaking after the hot flash REALLY bad. From that point on, I get 1 per hour around the clock, 24 per day. They wake me 3 or 4 times per night.
All this nonsense on the Web about a hot flash being an abnormal reaction to cold. What a CROCK! That has nothing to do with it. I get 24 a day regardless of whether it’s hot or cold, getting hotter or getting colder. Temperature has nothing to do with it, it’s hormonal. What nobody explains properly is this… a hot flash is a cycle, like an orgasm, but without the good stuff… it starts a certain way, it builds a certain way, it climaxes a certain way, and it recedes a certain way. They’re the same every time, the only difference is the severity, which can range from mild to horrific.
All the stupid “lists of symptoms” on the Web are useless too. They are a hodge-podge of general symptoms that could apply to 20 different conditions. Here’s the truth, it’s a cycle and it goes through stages, it’s not just a grab bag of sweat and whatever else is on those lists.
Since mine are severe and I feel every stage, I might as well describe them so you know what is going on. Fortunately, most of you will never get them as badly as I get them, so don’t let this freak you out, this is just to correct much of the nonsense on the Web and to give you a better sense of what is going on:
1. You feel a bit weird in the belly, a little sick, a kind of out-of-sorts flu-like feeling.
2. This builds and expands and then you realize something is going on, it’s bad enough to grab your attention if you are standing or sitting quietly (you might not notice as much if you are busy and occupied).
3. If you are one of the unlucky ones like me, the feeling spreads up and out across your skin and your breasts into a REALLY nasty stinging sensation. It’s BAD, it hurts (you feel it below your skin but above your ribs (it has nothing to do with the heart or lungs, it’s a surface pain). Nasty.
4. Also, if you are unlucky like me, you get dizzy, sometimes very dizzy, sometimes also vertigo. I get it so bad sometimes I have to brace myself against something and a few times I’ve nearly landed on the floor (a bit like a pregnant woman who gets bad dizzy spells), and if I’m working it almost blanks me out, I can’t concentrate or think properly. I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of women get MIS-diagnosed as having panic attacks because that’s what it feels like, some might even think they’re having a stroke or heart attack, but it’s not, it’s a bad hot flash and after you have a few more, you finally realize what’s going on.
5. At that same time that it stings, you get hot, sometimes roasting hot. I need a fan, I need ice water, I have to run my hands under cold water. It’s almost unbearable. I have to throw my shirt off, I have to throw the bedcovers off. My hair and shirt are drenched (it doesn’t seem to affect my legs). I never feel clean, I go from one horrible sweat to the next.
6. At the peak of the stinging, the sweat breaks out. You know how most people get sweaty just before an orgasm? It’s like that, only much worse, much more severe.
6. If you are unlucky like me, then the shaking kicks in. If you are one of those people who gets a bit shaky and weak-kneed after an orgasm, it’s like that, only 10 times worse, very unpleasant, and it can last anywhere from 5 minutes to 20 minutes and occasionally even until the next hot flash. This is one of the worst parts of a hot flash. Sometimes I get so shaky, I can’t even type, but fortunately it doesn’t usually affect my hands too badly, it’s mostly my midriff, from my belly to my shoulders. This is another reason it can be mistaken for a panic attack, but it’s hormones. The brain requests estrogen, the ovaries can’t give it, so the body serves up this horrible hormone cocktail and in my case it appears to include a lot of adrenaline (maybe because I was always a high-energy person, I don’t know).
If the hot flashes are close together, the shakiness and dizziness can get quite bad, because the hormone overload doesn’t get a chance to drain off and it’s like it accumulates and makes things worse. Several of these in a row and I get a headache. I sometimes get “rolling” hot flashes, a period of about an hour when they happen 5 or 10 minutes apart. This happens about 5 times a week and it makes you want to jump off a bridge.
At the beginning of perimenopause I also got bad diarrhea, but fortunately my body adjusted after about 11 months and that went away. Unfortunately, after 20 years of hot flashes the ONLY improvement is that I don’t get quite so dizzy any more (sometimes, but not as often and usually not as bad). For years I couldn’t drive. It wasn’t safe.
Estrogen/progesterone didn’t help and I’m too old now to take it safely. My mother insisted on taking it and apparently was on a frighteningly high dose because low doses didn’t help, but the doctor wouldn’t give her any more in her mid-70s and the hot flashes came back as bad as ever. She would phone me, have a hot flash in mid-sentence and be forced to sign off. They were that bad.
Since there’s been no change in frequency (5 a day in 13 years of perimenopause and 24 a day in 8 years of full menopause), I am finally and regretfully accepting that this hell will probably last for the rest of my life and coping with it is a herculean effort.
I am posting this because I am tired of reading uninformed or downright inaccurate information. As I said, don’t freak out, you probably won’t suffer as I have suffered, but for those who do… you are not alone, and you need to KNOW you are not alone.
I also posted it because everyone talks about the sweat and almost no one talks about the dizziness and the shakes, but women in their 30s and 40s NEED to know this so they don’t mistake their first hot flash for a panic attack or worse. See a doctor if strange things happen, but know that the strange thing might be your first hot flash and you are NOT going crazy.
It’s a relief to read someone saying this! I am 52 and the flashes started about three years ago. They are terrible; at least one an hour which completely soaks my clothing. Nothing makes it “better or worse”. The only relief I have is currently taking estrogen, but, the reality is that at some point one has to discontinue the estrogen and will presumably get the flashes all over again. Throughout my pre-menopausal life, I experienced cold sweats and night sweats before and during my periods, which are NOT the same as hot flashes. Besides the flashes, I feel like menopause is turning me into a non-woman. My boobs have completely emptied out and are just empty bags, and I can see the rest of my body sagging an losing tone. Now it takes a lot of effort to try and remain in any shape or not gain weight. No one ever really explained the suckfest that is menopause. You cease to be a woman. I know I’ve gone on a rant, but, feel like I’m losing my mind. What a kick in the teeth after 50.
I know it has been a long while since atome or hellfire has written but I’m hoping to get some answers!! My biggest and worrisome symptom is rapid heart rate when these episodes come on. I’ll feel the warmth, the tingling all over my upper body as I think the rush of blood. My heart rate starts accelerating crazily! Like 140-160s!! Then the cold shaking uncontrollably chills take over and my hr goes down. It is baffling! And I’m terrified. Been to the ER 10 times this year, my heart is good etc etc. Ugh no one will tell me that the rapid hr / racing hr is part of perimenopause. That’s all I’ve gotten; my LH and FSH were high in post menopausal levels and estrogen dropped to 61 from 221 about 10 days ago. Cardiologist says my heart is like a teenager. Electrophysiologist isn’t convinced I have an arrhythmia. Goodness sake I just need answers lol
I’m so sorry you two went through those horrible hot flashes! Mine have only begun… I’m petrified!!!!!! The past few days it feels like I’m in a constant perpetual state of hot flash! Omg I hate this!! This Sucks!!!! This is what we get when we stop bleeding??? Ugh!!!
@Vylent_Fyre ME TOO. Only I’m in full blown surgical menopause 2 years out from curative ovarian cancer surgery. Had every thing removed with the tumor at age 40 and the hot flashes started a month later.
I get the off sick feeling in my middle, then the burning tingle, then ACTUAL PAIN in clavicle, shoulder, and sometimes also elbow of my left side, rapid heart rate and then I pour sweat. Once the sweat is “out” it rapidly goes away. I’m thankful I don’t have that shaky/vertigo/jittery feeling described above.
My doctor told me that nerve damage (which I have a LOT of) can be irritated by a hot flash. Your heart rate increasing is NORMAL because the hormones that cause the hot flash pump out adrenaline and it’s a common symptom not usually mentioned online for some reason yet is one of the scariest symptoms IMHO. The problem is, everyone experiences these differently. Some have some symptoms som have many more symptoms I may have one symptom you don’t have and vice versa etc. the most common symptoms are what I usually see online…nausea, sweating, feeling hot, night sweats (which I thankfully do not get….yet).
I also have a condition called HyperPOTS which causes Tachycardia upon exertion. Laying down used to fix my body now I get the heart rate speeding up laying down too thanks to menopause. >:(
To be safe, I would make an appointment with your doctor AND a cardiologist just to be SURE but a LOT aid women I’ve spoken to and my doctor have told me the pain and heart rate increase is normal with hot flashes. So no, you are not alone <3
Not fun – I’ll be 50
Next week and haven’t had period in two months ugh!!!
I know no one has posted in a while and I had to after searching for answers and reading your comments. I am 43. The first time I experienced these hot flushes was after the birth of my 5th child when I was 38. I literally thought I was going to die. I am a nurse, I also have a blood clotting disorder but thankfully haven’t had a blood clot for 27 years. Let me tell you, a little bit of knowledge for me is a dangerous thing. When this first happened to me I thought OMG I’ve got a blood clot, I’m having a heart attack. It came upon me all the sudden a flush of heat from chest to neck, sometimes face too, my heart takes off and I mean off at 140 to 160 bpm, my blood pressure also shoots through the roof and I get shaky, slightly dizzy, I have a feeling of I’m about to die. I don’t have the sweating but I do occasionally get chills. Once they start I panic and I’m sure make them worse. Even though I’ve had them before they scare me so bad I think this is it I’m going to die. So been having them for the past 6 years with increasing frequency. Because of my blood clotting disorder I can’t take hormones. I feel sometimes like I must be crazy, losing my mind. Usually they are only bad the week before my period but had one today on day 4 of period and started my period almost a week early this month. My husband is very supportive but I can’t help feeling he secretly thinks I’m a hypochondriac. I just want so much to be normal and to be able to control myself from freaking out when it happens. I do have tachycardia that I take medicine for and these flushes will come on and shoot my heart rate up in spite of the med. Alot of you have it way worse than me but can you recommend anything that can help me control my anxiety when these flushes happen? I want so much to just be normal and not have these terrible things anymore.
So im only 17 and i have really bad hot flashes, to the point where i faint (this actually happened today, in public) my sister was with me and said i just kind of went limp and my eyes dilated and i was dead weight but she could see that i was just barely holding myself up and that i started sweating and i got really pale. I wasnt responding for ten minutes.(i had been sitting down in church when it happened and i already knew what was happening so i leaned myself back and held on to the pew in front of me just trying not to bring attention) my hot flashes always happen within 24 hours of me starting my period. I’ve had these hot flashes every month for the past two years but everytime i research it all i find is menopause for an explanation but i know thats not the case. During my hot flashes im conscious and i know whats going on around me but i cant respond to anyone. I feel really hot, weak (faint), and dizzy (like my body is swaying and my head is rolling) soon after my eyesight is just tunnel vision and then i lose my eyesight until the heat flash is over, my head starts throbbing and My head starts ringing. All the other sounds are as though im underwater when people talk to me. My family doesnt really take me seriously because they think im just being a dramatic teenager. My mom thinks im being dramatic and only falling asleep to try and get out of doing stuff for the day and she blames it on being sleep deprived because “teenagers stay up all night” I dont really know whats going on and im pretty worried. As soon as my hot flash is over i get the chills and im cold. I normally cold sweat for about 20-30 minutes (im not too sure about the time because im so out of it so i might be wrong on the time) after all of that is over im left with a throbbing headache for the rest of the day, sometimes it lasts for two days.
I am 51 and suffering miserably. Hot flashes every 30 min. All thru the night. Have to get up an dry off.So tired due to disturbed sleep. I too get chills and shaking.I don’t know how I will endure this for years like some have.
THANK YOU! This sucks. All that you mentioned & bouts of asthmatic bronchitis since the menses ceased as well as blood sugar swings. Food intolerances too. It’s a living hell in many aspects. To go from perfect health & walking 3 miles a day, to living with a bronchodilator at my side is major. Just major. Had every test, ct scans, blood work out the kazoo. This is my new normal. I will take a minimum dose of valium once a month just to sleep a night thru & get some level of relief. The valium seems to stop the piggy back flashes too, albeit temporarily. 👎🏼
God bless you. Today I experienced a hot flash and became shaky and felt like I was going to pass out. I knew it was a hot flash bc it’s not hot and I was pouring sweat. I took to the internet to find out what’s going on and couldn’t find anything. Then I found this. Thanks so much for taking the time to share. This has definitely helped me!!!!
Hi Ladies, I too have just had my first hot flash with shaking and intense perspiration…. I fell to the ground with the weakness …. I ve been into my menopause for just over a year , and have been taking herbal remedies which have kept everything under control, and this week it feels like it’s all happening ….. I m having accupuncture this weekend and will try some more herbal remedies to see what can control this ….. the scariest experience I ve ever had !! 😳
Sooo glad someone finally said it like it is. Especially the part about night sweats not being the same as hot flashes! Im 51 and stopped taking the pill at my doctors insistence. Once that happened BAM! the hot flashes started. Ive had night sweats since I was about 44-45 and I would give anything to just have those. Because at least it happens and then its over. Not like these hot flashes which are all throughout the day and so unpredictable. Im just praying Im lucky enough not to have them forever!
It is so refreshing to hear everyone’s comments as I have felt so alone with my hot flushes, my periods stopped 2 years ago and the night sweats are intensifying by the day I am currently having on average 10 a night I haven’t slept properly for months I am constantly tired and irritable and no one I talk to understands. I even slept in the garden in my tent on Saturday evening as the hot weather added to the flushes were to much to handle, I still had a lot but they did not last as long but my husband will be paranoid if I am still sleeping outside at Christmas! I have tried so many different lotions and potions but nothing works I guess it just has to run it’s course however It’s like being stuck in a nightmare that doesn’t seem to end! I wish you all well and look forward to the day that we are all truly post menopausal.
My nightmare started immediately after a total hysterectomy due to D.I.E (deep infiltrating endometriosis). The hot flashes are so intense, I lose my breath, have to get ice packs and ice water just so I don’t pass out. I have them all the time. Morning, noon and night. About 1 every 20 minutes. I got back on the patch, but so far it has not helped, so I put on two more. Often, I just don’t want to live anymore. I can’t lose one pound even when I hardly eat. No happy hour or dinner parties, as this is so embarrassing and no sympathizes with the physical and mental anguish I suffer. I’ve lost friends over this and have absolutely no sex drive. I eat incredibly healthy, but can’t exercise do to having a flash. We can cure many cancers, create phones that ate cameras and send people to space, but not one human being is helping this condition that justifies a husband leaving his wife for a younger women. WHY!
Thanks for this post , I have actually passed out and vomited on More than 1 occasion due to the rapid increase in blood pressure and heart rate. Once you figure out the issue, it makes you feel slightly better, but doesn’t fix the problem. And for some reason higher elevations, make it worse. I am 10 years in and assume I will have them for the duration as my mother is 74 and continues to have hot flashes, although hers have faded in intensity. It was just nice to read this post and no that I am not the only one going through oddly severe hot flashes. I have found that drinking ice water and sleeping with ice packs behind my neck at night help. Also this seems to have nothing to do with how good of shape you are in or what time of year it is. I own an athletic center and work out daily. I have tried multiple natural remedies. Nothing seems to help. And do not wish to go on any type of hormone as I know it will only prolong the situation. I appreciate reading all of your feedback. May everyone feel better.
Thank you!!!
This is exactly how I feel – except there is no reprieve, it is constant, never ending, I don’t get a break day or night. Yesterday I had to drive and it was hell the dizziness was impressively scary, I feel my Independence is getting taken away.
Finally a site that talks about extreme, severe hot flashes! Thank you! I had 40-50 hot flashes per day and each of them was severe. (most people don’t believe that but I have documented this over several days). They start with 5 minutes of intense heat. My heart rate races to 140-160 bpm. I must stop what I’m doing and wait it out. It feels like I am having a panic attack. But, wait, there’s more! Once the heat settles and my heart rate lowers, now the sweating begins, from every pore of my body. My hair down to my ankles become drenched. Rivulets of sweat drip down my body. I even feel that my eyelids are wet. Wait, wait…don’t dry off. It will continue for about 5 minutes and then you can take a towel and dry off. Hopefully you will remain dry for a time before another hot flash happens again…but probably not. You can expect another in 15-20 minutes! It has consumed my life and ruined any quality of life for me. However, I have found some practices, supplements, and medicines that have helped so that maybe some others of you may find some relief.
1) cannabis products have been a life saver for me. I especially use gummies and RSO. The RSO is especially helpful in helping me get some sleep. Be careful though, because you will develop a tolerance to cannabis that will decrease its effectiveness over time and cause you to take higher doses. Before I found relief from the next 2 products, I was taking some incredible doses costing me about $600/month, but I was willing to do this just to find some relief.
2) Veozah is a new prescription medication that gives me about 5 hours of relief per day. I take it at 4:00 in the afternoon so that I can feel normal for the dinner hours and evening. It is expensive (over $500) if you don’t have insurance coverage for it. Luckily, I did, but I would pay the full price if I had to just to feel normal for some time every day.
3) Gabepentin – 600 mg. I take this at 9:00 at night, just as the Veozah effectiveness is waning. Gabepentin causes drowsiness so this is the perfect time.
These 3 products have bought my hot flashes down to just around 20 per day, which may sound horrifying to some, but I am so happy with that. It also has lessened the intensity of the flashes. They do come with some side effects, (nausea for me), but worth it in my opinion.
Here are some additional practices I’ve found that have helped.
1) Keep a hand held fan handy. I keep one by my bed, one by my couch, on my desk, in my car…
2) Sleep on a towel. Sleep in the nude. Once you stop sweating, you can use that towel dry off. Lay down a new towel to prepare for the next one. This will keep you from having to change your sheets in the middle of the night.
3). Wear 100% cotton. It is breathable and the handheld fan will penetrate it. Moisture wicking and bamboo clothes, sheets, pillows, etc do NOT help. In fact, because they are not breathable they are more uncomfortable.
4). I cut my hair into a pixie cut being my hair is continually becoming wet making it impossible.
5) I have found no supplements (besides cannabis) that have helped. They may be effective on mild menopause symptoms, but not for use that have severe ones. I think have tried them all and have found no relief from them. Don’t waste your money.
I hope this info helps some of my sisters in the hot flash hell community. You are not alone!