How long hot flashes and night sweats

Layer your bedding so it can be adjusted as needed and turn on a fan. Here are some other lifestyle changes you can make:.

If lifestyle changes are not enough to improve your symptoms, nonhormone options for managing hot flashes may work for you. These may be a good choice if you are unable to take hormones for health reasons, such as not having a uterus, or if you are worried about the potential risks. The U. Researchers are studying other antidepressants, which doctors may prescribe for off-label use. Women who use an antidepressant to help manage hot flashes generally take a lower dose than people who use the medication to treat depression.

As with any medication, talk with your doctor about whether this is the right medication for you and how you might manage any possible side effects. Some women may choose to take hormones to treat their hot flashes or night sweats.

A hormone is a chemical substance made by an organ like the thyroid gland or ovary. During the menopausal transition, the ovaries begin to work less effectively, and the production of hormones like estrogen and progesterone declines over time.

It is believed that such changes cause hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms. Hormone therapy steadies the levels of estrogen and progesterone in the body. Several non-hormonal medications can also help relieve hot flashes and night sweats. These include some types of antidepressants, some drugs commonly prescribed for nerve pain, and some high blood pressure medications. For some women, non-medication measures can help. These include deep-breathing exercises when a hot flash starts; dressing in layers; lowering the thermostat; staying away from caffeine, alcohol, hot beverages, and spicy foods; stress reduction techniques like meditation and mindfulness; and doing your best to stay cool in general.

A free mobile app called MenoPro , helps women understand their treatment options and work with their healthcare providers to find personalized approach for relief. More information is available at the North American Menopause Society website.

Are there treatments for hot flashes? Although the available treatments for hot flashes do not cure hot flashes, they do offer relief.

Hot flashes usually fade away eventually without treatment, and no treatment is necessary unless hot flashes are bothersome. A few women have an occasional hot flash forever. There are a number of low-risk coping strategies and lifestyle changes that may be helpful for managing hot flashes, but if hot flashes remain very disruptive, prescription drug therapy may be considered.

Prescription hormone therapy approved by FDA and by Health Canada—systemic estrogen therapy and estrogen-progestogen therapy for women with a uterus—are the standard treatments. Another FDA-approved hormone product for women with a uterus combines estrogen with the selective estrogen receptor modulator bazedoxifene instead of a progestogen. In this case, it helps to protect the uterus from cancer. Other antidepressants, certain drugs used to treat high blood pressure, a medication for sleep, and gabapentin, a drug used to treat epilepsy and migraine, have shown some effectiveness.

Is it safe to take dietary supplements or herbal therapies for my menopause symptoms? No over-the-counter OTC dietary supplement or herbal therapy has been found to be effective on menopause symptoms. If you still want to try a dietary supplement for your hot flashes, you must continue only with the appropriate oversight of your healthcare provider. Because normal FDA regulations for prescription or OTC drugs do not apply to dietary supplements, demonstrating safety is not required before a dietary supplement is put on the market.

Although a number of manufacturers do employ rigorous quality-control measures, many products are not monitored for purity or levels of active ingredients. In Canada, the term natural health product is used in place of dietary supplement. The Canadian Natural Health Products Regulations ensure that these products are safe, are of high quality, and actually do what they claim that they do.