i'm being weaned off my meds, been on them for 10 years, this is the last 3 months i'll get, I'm freaking out as I was LITERALLY homicidal, trying to take 1/2 dose for 1 mo, not working, haven't slept for 1 mo. i'm irritable like crazy, can't even stand myself anymore. So i went back to taking full dose which there's maybe 2 months left. I'm searching for HELP. I have all the symptoms STRONG. Hot flashes like crazy, no sleep, exhausted when home from work, just want to be alone.

Just a word of caution: Do be careful about taking these over-the-counter remedies without consulting with your doc first. They can contra-indicate if you're taking other meds. I'm on the "other side" of most of you, having stopped my periods 15 years ago at age 44. (And sorry to say, the hot flashes are still with me.) My experience showed that I was not able to quickly find a successful regimen to hold my menopausal symptoms in check. I consulted with three or four GYNs until I found one who was willing to stick with me until we got it right. I really had to become my own advocate, if you will. We need to be as well educated as we can about the subject. As you look for what you can "take" to help you, you should also research really well the results of the (Women's Health Initiative) study they released back in 02. Don't rely on websites related to drug or supplement firms - read what's available on the National Institute of Health and other medical sites. In '06 the NIH released results of a separate study that showed herbal supplements were of no value in relieving hot flashes. Some women are lucky in that their menopausal symptoms are less severe and perhaps they perceive that herbs like black cohash have helped. But it's not "everyone's menopause," and what works for some doesn't work for all. After lots of trial and error, I was on an HRT regiment with both estrogen and progesterone that was wonderful for my body. I took the pills for about twelve years (referred to them as my "life line"). Hot flashes and night sweats were completely eliminated, and I was able to concentrate once again (although NOTHING NOTHING NOTHING helps for memory loss!). On and off I also tried a variety of anti-anxiety pills, none of which seemed to make a discernable difference. Depression is very common in menopausal women. Many people have had good results with the bio-identical hormones. I tried them for about a year but I didn't find the results comparable at all, so I stopped. I'm no longer on any hormones, and it has been a real struggle. I still have almost-daily hot flashes and nightly hot sweats (although the night sweats are not as severe, yet they still awaken me and that's annoying enough). Since stopping HRT, I don't think I've had a single uninterrupted night's sleep. But, as with every step I've taken since my periods stopped fifteen years ago, being off HRT is my choice. I have just learned to live with it. I think the bottom line is that you need to understand what if any risks there are in your body/family history that would or wouldn't make HRT a good solution for you. I don't think I've seen any mention here of calcium supplements, and that's so very important. We should be taking 1,200-1,500 mg daily if we're not on estrogen, a bit less with estrogen. Osteoporosis is very common in both pre-and post-menopausal women. Here is a link that might be useful: Menopause and Herbal Supplements Study Article

I have been experiencing hot flashes for almost 10 years now. My doctor didn't want to put me on medicine so I had to do something, I ended up inventing the hot flash scarf. It looks like a regular neck scarf with the addition of a cooling insert. I have been selling them online and even have a youtube video on how to use them. (It's short - less than 1 minute.) If you care to take a look, here is the url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpc04pJsuRo hotflashscarves.etsy.com

I've been having them for about 13 years now. At first, not so bad, but within a year or two really became intolerable -- several times every hour, preceded by a sick, faint feeling; and inability to sleep more than 2 hours at a time. It was difficult to do a good job at work, so I used HRT for about 2 years. After that they weren't as frequent or intense (except off and on) but I still needed relief. Soy makes them worse. Neither the cream from Whole Foods, nor black cohosh helped at all. Flaxseed did help, but not enough. Evening primrose oil does help -- I take one gelcap daily, and most days only have 1-3 flashes. My sister has had good results with Amberen -- I've never tried it myself. You'll just have to keep trying the various things to see what works for you.