HRT question for the ladies

sparrow1 · #1 (**permalink**) 07-24-2008, 09:56 PM

Do any of you who are menopausal or post-menopausal and suffer from hot flashes, find your BGLs hard to control?

I recently was weaned off HRT and now that I'm not getting any replacement hormones, I'm once gain getting hot flashes all day and night and am suffering terrible fatigue. My gynecologist took me off HRT because of the risk of heart disease which I am already at risk for with the D.

But with all this discomfort and fatigue my blood sugars are high and I am craving carbs. I am at a loss about what to do. I have tried all the natural remedies out there, but nothing works for me.

I am thinking that I should choose the lesser of 2 evils and go back on Estrogen/Progesterone - and live a shorter but happier life

Would be interested to hear your experience.

notme · #2 (**permalink**) 07-24-2008, 10:03 PM

Sparrow, I suffer from HORRIBLE hot flashes. Nobody in my family did, but me. Mine started about three years ago with such intensity that I didn't sleep. I would start to drop off to sleep, wake up just a little and then the power surge. There were nights I changed clothes or sheets. Nothing helped me either, but because of the risk of heart disease and breast cancer I have decided to suffer (not silently). I can soooo sympathize with how you feel. People make jokes about hot flashes, but if you ever suffered with them, they are no joke.

Mine have gotten a little less intense, but I still have them. Some days when it is hot and I get hot, I feel like i can't breathe. Mostly, I have adjusted.

I feel your pain. Neurontin helps a little. Doctors don't know why, but it does help.

sparrow1 · #3 (**permalink**) 07-27-2008, 05:48 PM

Nancy - thanks for replying. Hats off to you for being able to adjust. Mine started 20 years ago and you would think that they would have eased off by now. How do the hot flashes affect your BGLs?

I Googled Neurontin and hot flashes and found a study that showed significant relief with its use . One doctor's explanation: "There is no clear evidence on why gabapentin appears to help, but my feeling is that it affects the part of the brain that regulates body temperature,"

Are there no menopausal or post-menopausal women in DF?

Intereresting demographics.

notme · #4 (**permalink**) 07-27-2008, 08:24 PM

Guess it is just me and you Sparrow!

I read the study about Neurontin also. It does seem to help me a bit. I am sad to hear that 20 years later, you are still living this lousy side effect of being a woman. What a cruel joke. Haven't we gone through enough?

valc3 · #5 (**permalink**) 07-29-2008, 05:07 PM

Another one here. I started having brutal hot flashes the first of the year, my BG was ALL over the place, I couldn't get enough carbs. My A1C jumped. Suddenly the hot flashes stopped, the cravings stopped, for the most part life returned to normal. BG for the most part is back to normal. I took no HRT or other OTC drugs. I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop, I know I can't be that lucky!

Hang in there Sparrow and Nancy.

sparrow1 · #6 (**permalink**) 07-29-2008, 10:31 PM

Thanks for the info Val. More ammunition to bring to my gyne when I see him on Friday. Since stopping the HRT my A1C has gone from 7.2 to 8.0. My GP gave me these results yesterday, and he said that all meds have risks and side effects and that it is a matter of weighing the risks against the benefits. He also said that while he would like to see me off the HRT, I have to consider the quality of my life. Besides the hot flashes and fatigue I am experiencing a return to my clinical depression which I overcame some years ago with the help of the right combination of anti-depressants. So I ain't going back there again! Bring on the HRT.