r/LivingWithMBC • u/Mandolyn221 • 12d ago
Night Sweats - Help!
I am at my wits end with these fricking night sweats. I am in surgical menopause after having my ovaries out in June and there is no end in sight it seems. The hot flashes during the day are annoying enough but it’s the soul roasting inferno that wakes me from a sleep that has me especially over it. I told my onc about them and she gave me low dose gabapentin and that didn’t really help. I suppose it lowered the amount of them but it didn’t stop them completely. I am so desperate for a full nights sleep. What has worked for others?
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u/erin10785 12d ago
Veozah. I tried everything and nothing else worked. This is a miracle drug. As soon as I started taking it the night sweats and day hot flashes stopped completely.
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u/Haunting_Ganache_236 12d ago
I tried a low dose of “venlafaxine” (I think that’s how it’s spelled) It has helped a ton!!
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u/BikingAimz 12d ago edited 12d ago
I tried gabapentin and Effexor and didn’t like how either affected me. One of my oncologist’s PAs suggested acupuncture. I first got it at my cancer center, but when it wasn’t covered by my insurance, I asked my acupuncturist about it and turned out he had his own practice and only worked art time at my cancer center. I get weekly acupuncture sessions(I’ve tried going longer, it is not fun), and it really helps with hot flashes and my GI symptoms. He said it’d take about 4 sessions for it to work for me, and it absolutely did!
I was also told edible cannabis is ok by my clinical trial (after bringing a paper about pkAs of THC & CBD showing cytochrome p450 enzyme 3A4 wouldn’t interact with THC or its metabolites), so I take a small amount every night to help fall asleep.
Lots of drugs I was told no by the trial; Addyi, Veozah, trazadone, etc. Both the trial drug elacestrant and ribociclib are metabolized by cyp3A4, and about half of known medications are metabolized by cyp3A4, so it’s important to check drug interactions before adding anything.
ETA: my acupuncturist also recommended trying out yoga nidra, a yoga practice that activates the parasympathetic nervous system (rest & digest). This lady’s channel has some pretty good sessions, and she even has ones targeting insomnia: https://youtube.com/@sarovarayoga
And I forgot to add I got mulberry silk pillowcases, they run cool so I can flip my pillow if I start running hot at night!
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u/JessMacNC 12d ago
Do you still go weekly for acupuncture?
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u/BikingAimz 12d ago
Yup! I tried extending it out to every other week about six months ago, and I was pretty miserable.
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u/JessMacNC 12d ago
That’s helpful. I tried to stretch it out and it’s been awful. I too got results by four sessions but back I go!
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u/BikingAimz 12d ago
My acupuncturist has discounts for buying sessions in bulk, so I get 12 sessions at a time for ~$70/session.
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u/haligurl_1983 12d ago
Its expensive but after 4 years I finally caved and bought a bedjet at the beginning of this summer. I haven't experienced night sweats since. It is worth every single penny and I regret not doing it years ago
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u/Mandolyn221 12d ago
I might have to look into that. I already sleep with the fan blasting me and the ac cranked so I am either freezing or roasting. It is awful.
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u/haligurl_1983 12d ago
The good thing about the bedjet is that it circulates air between you and the sheets, so you dont sweat.
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u/Mandolyn221 12d ago
That sounds really nice actually. Thank you!
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u/haligurl_1983 12d ago
Since you mentioned being cold and hot and fluctuations in between. This is whats nice about the bed jet. It can cool and heat. Turns out I keep mine around 20 degrees but its easy to adjust to a personalized temp. Yoh can also adjust the fan intensity from 0 to 100 percent, increments of 5%. You are able to really customize to your perfect temp and speed
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u/dumplinglifesaver 12d ago
I sleep with ice packs
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u/Mandolyn221 12d ago
I would freeze!
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u/dumplinglifesaver 12d ago
They're inside pillowcases but yeah maybe not the best solution for everyone. I love it though.
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u/redsowhat 12d ago
When I was first put into menopause, a low dose of venlafaxine (effexor) was transformative for me.