Hot flashes are a common but uncomfortable symptom of menopause, affecting 75%-80% of all women. Without treatment, they can make sleeping, working, and completing other routine activities difficult. But you don’t have to suffer. Read on to learn how to find relief.
Here at Russak Personalized Medicine, our team specializes in treating hot flashes. In this blog, we explain why hot flashes occur and provide simple tips for managing them during menopause.
Hot flashes trigger a sudden feeling of intense warmth in your upper body. These temperature changes typically affect the face, chest, and neck but can extend to other areas. You might also experience red, flushed skin and sweating.
Regardless of symptoms, hot flashes are uncomfortable and often occur daily. They can strike at any time and significantly affect your quality of life without treatment.
The Russak Personalized Medicine team encourages all women experiencing hot flashes to schedule a checkup with their primary care provider. That’s especially true if your symptoms affect your sleep or keep you from work and other activities. Hot flashes are uncomfortable, but plenty can be done to reduce their frequency and help you feel better.
Various treatments can help you manage hot flashes during menopause. Depending on your symptoms, we might recommend:
Researchers aren’t entirely sure what causes hot flashes, but hormones seem to play a role. During menopause, estrogen levels drop significantly, affecting your body’s ability to regulate temperature. Temperature control happens in a part of the brain called the hypothalamus. If your hypothalamus thinks your body is too warm, it triggers a hot flash to help cool you down.
Hormone therapy counteracts this natural process by restoring your hormone levels to balance. Usually, we prescribe HRT containing estrogen and progesterone. However, if you don’t have a uterus because of a hysterectomy, we prescribe estrogen only.
HRT is administered in several ways. We can prescribe pills, patches, subdermal pellets, gels, or sprays. The treatment is typically well-tolerated, but it may not be an option if you have an underlying medical condition like heart disease, breast cancer, or blood clots.
SSRIs provide a nonhormonal treatment option for hot flashes. These drugs reduce the frequency and severity of hot flashes by increasing serotonin levels in your brain and blocking certain chemicals that trigger temperature fluctuations.
Common SSRI medications prescribed to treat hot flashes include Prozac®, Effexor®, and Pristiq®.
Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that supports your immune system and prevents blood clots. It may also prevent hot flashes. A study published in the journal Nutrients concluded that vitamin E significantly reduced hot flashes compared to a placebo. Even so, vitamin E supplementation over an extended period can present risks, like heart disease. Therefore, getting your doctor’s approval first is important.
Hot flashes can still occur, even after taking HRT or an SSRI, so we often recommend supplementing medication with healthy lifestyle changes. Keeping cool is one of the best ways to minimize hot flashes. Since slight body temperature increases trigger hot flashes, the goal is to stay comfortable throughout the day.
We recommend dressing in layers, so you can remove clothing if you feel warm. Likewise, keep your home and office comfortable. Run the air conditioning or a fan whenever possible. You can also drink a cold beverage if you feel a hot flash coming on.
Spicy foods and drinks, like alcohol and coffee, can trigger hot flashes. Avoiding these triggers can help regulate your body temperature and keep you comfortable throughout the day. That said, it may take some trial and error to identify your triggers. Keeping a food journal can help you identify specific foods and drinks that worsen your symptoms.
The good news is you don’t have to suffer. After a physical exam, a review of your medical records, and a discussion of your symptoms, we can make personalized treatment recommendations and get your hot flashes under control.
If you’d like to explore treatment for hot flashes, contact us today. Call our office in Greenwood Village, Colorado, or book your appointment online.
