Can LC cause hot flashes?

I would like to be able to try doing that too but I’m a cancer survivor and very fearful of using it, you’re lucky to have found something that works for you.

@frouke, You have a very valid concern. I pray something is found to help you. During my menopausal years, I found drinking apple cider vinegar (2 tbsp diluted in water 1 or 2x daily) actually did help relieve the intensity and frequency of my flashing. During summer, head in the freezer helped. During a cold winter running outside did the trick, too. A purely physical remedy I found that helped ride out a flash any time of day was placing/wrapping a cold compress, metal, or similar directly over the veins on the inside of your wrist. The theory being the cold pressed on the vein will cool the flowing blood which then delivers cooled blood to the rest of your body to quickly bring down your overall internal temperature. At night I simply grab onto the metalwork on the headboard of my bed, kick my legs out from under the sheets for quick relief. That's my 2 ¢. My best to you!

This kind of makes sense, because I read that they've found that in some cases COVID can damage the vagus nerve, which is involved with the parasympathetic (rest and digest) nervous system, which helps us de-stress. But we can influence it too by trying to manage stress differently.

I've also been curious about external vagus nerve stimulation with Truvaga. There's a clinic trial studying it now, but it's available for purchase in the US. Expensive though, so haven't made the leap. Thanks for sharing.

Was your “flushing” excessive sweating? That’s what I am dealing with!

I experience excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis) related to autonomic dysfunction (POTS) that was exacerbated after I had COVID.

I’ve been seeing my dermatologist for treatment; I didn’t realize this, but dermatologists treat hyperhidrosis. It depends on where the sweating is the worst, but there are some options. I get Botox for excessive sweating from my underarms and in my scalp (she can’t get too close to my forehead otherwise insurance would consider it cosmetic and not cover it).

@loismoss I wouldn’t say my sweating was excessive, but whenever I would kick off the sheets or hike up my pants legs during a flash/flush, I got great relief when I started “evaporating”. Kind of like a “lake effect”.

My LC flashing/flushing was actually one symptom of a multi-symptom “episode”, as I called them.

[Nausea preceeding Full Body Flush and Heart Rate Spike (as high as 200+) with no apparent trigger (often while sitting and/or little to no exertion). After heart rate stablized I would suffer a frequently severe post exertional malaise. My mind was mush and I felt a crushing fatigue. Each episode ranged from 1 min. to up to 30 min.]

My (LC Clinic) doctor prescribed Metoprolol to minimize my heart rate spikes/palpitations and low-dose estrogen for the flashing. That combination worked wonders for me.

My main LC symptoms from onset 9/11/2020 I still am challenged with is major Brain Fog (I was a career bookkeeper and now can’t even do simple math without a calculator, and that only when I can remember the numbers I am calculating), and severe dizziness. Though significantly decreased, I still have heart palpitations, and regular chest pain/pressure. Since there is no all-around LC cure, it’s a battle against one thing at a time. I do hope you find your perfect cocktail of treatment, whether it be medication, physical therapies, or supplementation. My best to you!

I had low Thyroid and it borders on low. I had meds for it but quit taking a while back. I saw hyperhidrosis in my chart so I think I have. lol. I have so many Drs and brain fog. I question myself all the time.

I know what you mean; hard to track everything >_< .

I think excessive sweating is a sign of hyperthyroid though. And low thyroid can cause fatigue-type symptoms, so that might be worth checking again if you experience those symptoms.

A dermatologist is treating my hyperhidrosis. I first mentioned it to my PCP long ago, but they just kinda noted it and didn’t really suggest anything.

The sweating I’ve been doing almost all my life. I do know it has been excessive since Covid. Hot flashes with Covid as well. I too have only told my PCP. Nothing done but noted as well. What do they treat it with?

I learned that dermatologists are the specialists who treat hyperhidrosis, if you can’t “cure” the root cause, so it might be worth consulting a dermatologist if it really bothers you. My gynecologist is on the Long COVID team at the medical center where I’m seen and she said there’s also evidence that COVID is triggering earlier menopause in some women, so that can sometimes be a factor? That didn’t seem to be the case for me though.

It depends on where you have the most sweating. There are some oral medications, but they’re all anticholinergics so they have nasty side effects. There are more options for underarm sweating like prescription-strength antiperspirants and wipes; some can be used on other parts of your body. There’s a new procedure called Brella for underarms, but not covered by insurance. The antiperspirants irritated my skin, and wouldn’t work well for my face of course.

There are also different energy-based treatments for excessive sweating of the hands and feet but those seem kind of intimidating because they involve zapping sweat glands.

My worst problem areas are my underarms and face, and I get Botox to my underarms and scalp (she can’t go too close to my face because of concerns insurance would consider it cosmetic and not cover it). It temporarily inhibits some of the nerves in the surface of the skin that cause the sweating. It works really well and last from 3-6 months, and my insurance covers it. I like that it’s localized, so it gets right to where it needs to be and I’ve had no side effects, other than the initial irritation from the injections.