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Hubby's fed up with hot flashes, etc.

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Posted 3/16/2013 10:48 PM (GMT 0)
Hubby finally let me call the doctor about his hot flashes, aches and pains.  He is having a series of 3 or 4, each lasting 5-15 min. every hour or so.  They were waking him up at night, too.  He is also having to urinate a Lot.  And he gets aches and pain, and stiffness if he sits for more than a few minuets.  The doctor calle din a prescription for

Megestrol, which is a cross between progesterone (female hormone) and a steroid. 

Has anyone else taken this?  One of the side effects is increased appitite and weight gain.  He has already had to get all new pants due to belly swelling/bloat.  Hope he doesn't gain too much. 

Posted 3/16/2013 10:58 PM (GMT 0)
We haven't tried anything but my hubby's hot flashes are really starting to wear on him as well. Shirt gets soaking wet. One every hour or so as well.

WIll be interested to see how it works for your hubby
Posted 3/17/2013 12:31 AM (GMT 0)
I was prescribed the megestrol, but haven't taken it - my pharmacist said it would give me an unending appetite, and that it is most used for the "wasting" patients.

Oh how I would love to have only a few flashes a day. Fo me they are every 10 minutes or so, all day & night. I have the heat turned off, windows open, and the ceiling fan on when it is 30 degrees F. outside. You'll find me on the porch in the snow at 3am cussing how hot it is.

Posted 3/17/2013 1:33 AM (GMT 0)
I know it may not seem like much but having a small fan clipped to my night stand blowing cool air on my face helped the hot flashes at night. It helped me sleep. I still slept only with a sheet covering me most of the time though
Posted 3/17/2013 1:46 AM (GMT 0)
As to weight gain, it has been a bit more than a pound every two weeks. I walk 5-8 miles a day, depends on the weather. Hate to think where I would be without doing that.

I use the ceiling fan at night, a small fan by my computer during the day.

Posted 3/17/2013 1:49 AM (GMT 0)
And there are the leg cramps at night. I added a potassium and magnesium pill once a day, and the cramps have backed off to one a night, sometimes only one. Before there would be several each night. If I'm lucky, I'llbe awake for a hot flash, feel the cramp coming, and have a chance to massage it out early.
Posted 3/17/2013 1:54 AM (GMT 0)
 

The hot flashes were so frequent and uncomfortable they were starting to seriously effect my QOL.  My doc gave me two injections (one every 3 three months) of 150 mg. of Depo Provera (megestrol).  The hot flashes immediately subsided after the first injection and now I have very infrequent (maybe once a week at night) hot flushes.  The Old Sailor   

Posted 3/17/2013 2:01 AM (GMT 0)
Estrogen patches seem to work very well, perhaps better than megestrol. Additionally, it may help suppress the prostate cancer.

Acupuncture, with or without electro-stimulation, has consistently shown to improve hot flash symptoms. It has no side effects, and has been reported in several small pilot studies (below) to be as or more effective than many of the drugs given for it. It may stimulate hypothalamic opioid activity to reverse the thermal dysregulation. I think they do it in the ear. It seems one can be taught to do it to oneself.

Here are a few references from peer-reviewed journals:
Acupuncture for the alleviation of hot flashes in men treated with androgen ablation therapy.
Acupuncture For Hot Flashes In Prostate Cancer Patients
Acupuncture treatment of vasomotor symptoms in men with prostatic carcinoma: a pilot study.
Auricular acupuncture: a novel treatment for vasomotor symptoms associated with luteinizing-hormone releasing hormone agonist treatment for prostate cancer.
Acupuncture and self acupuncture for long term treatment of vasomotor symptoms in cancer patients

- Allen
Posted 3/17/2013 2:22 AM (GMT 0)
old sailor, good to see you, my friend. our mutual friend padre remembers you too.

david
Posted 3/17/2013 2:32 AM (GMT 0)
I tried accupuncture, two prescription drugs all to no avail on the hot flushes until I received the depo provera.

David, I always ask the Padre to watch over you and give you comfort. Your a beacon of light in this dark world of PC. 

The Old Sailor 

Posted 3/17/2013 2:50 AM (GMT 0)
thank you, old sailor, he watches us both.
Posted 3/17/2013 2:51 AM (GMT 0)
I have had decent success with Neurotonin (gabapentin) for my hot flashes. I still get them, but not as often (previously they were 1-2 per hour) and they don't seem as strong when I get them. I only take it at night, but it seems to have a benefit during the day as well.
Posted 3/17/2013 4:50 PM (GMT 0)
Estrogen anything works well, but docs are not exactly up to date on using such things, but some are.
Other stuff to counter the effects are: megace, megestrol, cyproterone acetate, soy?, gabapentin, zoloft, effexor (Dr. Yu says 37.5 mg useage)

Estrogen patch likely .1 mg (7 day patch is a beautiful thing and helps bone density too)

LOL- hillbillys might use white lightening and not realize they had side effects for a day or so
Posted 3/18/2013 2:02 AM (GMT 0)
I kept an ice pack at the ready for my neck or forehead when they were intense. It worked really well. My hot flashes have been relatively mild, sweat only on the forehead. I wonder if Lupron produces more hot flashes than Trelstar. During treatment, more of the other patients that were on Lupron seemed to have the severe hot flashes.
Posted 3/18/2013 11:48 AM (GMT 0)

Dr. Sartor had this comment about using Megace (megestrol acetate):

" But in prostate cancer, Megace may interact with the androgen receptor, particularly mutants, and cause excessive cancer growth. And you can actually get responses by withdrawing Megace. I do not prescribe the use of Megace in prostate cancer patients (even for hot flashes), because I don’t know who has a mutant and who doesn’t. But I do know that if you withdraw the Megace, that you can get responses."

Here is a link to the full article:  http://prostate-cancer.org/hormone-refractory-prostate-cancer-a-continuum-of-diseases-and-options/. 

Carlos

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