Management of ADT hot flashes?

Posted by brianjarvis @brianjarvis, 1 day ago

(This is not medical advice; just mine and my brother’s different prostate cancer treatment experiences as it relates to minimizing hormone therapy side-effects.)

Diagnosed with a localized 4+3=7 and PSA of 7.976 at 65y, I had 28 sessions of proton radiation (during April-May 2021) + 6 months of Eligard. To minimize side-effects from the hormone therapy, my medical oncologist advised me to engage in robust resistance-training exercises. (I chose to lift weights 6 days/week & added cardio each day, either jogging or swimming.)

My oldest brother, recently diagnosed with a localized 4+3=7 and PSA of 5.70 at 79y, just had his 19th (of 28) IMRT treatment + his 2nd injection of Eligard. To minimize side-effects from the hormone therapy, his radiation oncologist has recommended the following:

Mild hot flashes:
-Moderate exercise 30 minutes per day at least three times per week
-Avoid tobacco products
-Limit alcohol and caffeine
-Limit spicy food
-Use fans to keep air moving
-Avoid plastic, microfiber, satin, jersey sheets

Moderate hot flashes:
-Apple cider vinegar, 1-2 tablespoons daily diluted in 8 oz glass of water or may try over-the-counter tablets

Severe hot flashes:
-Medications such as venlafaxine, megestrol, gabapentin, oxybutynin
-Acupuncture

Different recommendations for minimizing hormone therapy side-effects. I hope his methods are as successful as mine were.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Prostate Cancer Support Group.

mjp0512 | @mjp0512 | 1 day ago

Sugar-free Popsicle Tropicals...have been working all summer. Open wrapper, insert in mouth at the first sign of flash. (really...not kidding) 😊

dpayton | @dpayton | 1 day ago

I may have to give something a try cuz, damn, they're ridiculous in the summer! lol Winter, not too bad, but working in the yard in the heat of summer for an hour, my shirt is soaked! Thanks for the ideas, guys!

jeff Marchi | @jeffmarc | 1 day ago

I had very severe hot flashes nine years ago when I started Lupron. I would feel a lot of fatigue just as the hot flash would hit. After a year, my oncologist recommended I get a depo-provera shot. It almost completely stopped my hot flashes. I was good for a year and a half until I became castrate resistant and had to start Zytiga. It brought back the hot flashes, even though I was on depo-provera.

Then we come back to today as I Sit here getting a hot flash. I’ve been on Orgovyx For two years now, and I’m still getting about eight hot flashes a day. I had a depo-provera Shot about a month ago And the intensity of the hot flashes is quite a bit less. I’ve been on 1800 mg of gabapentin for at least five years and it makes no difference at all with my hot flashes.

Most people don’t get the intense hot flashes I get.

I have an embrlabs.com wave product (wave 2). I’ve used it for Over five years now. It’s like a refrigerator that looks like a watch and sits on the inside of your wrist. You could set up one of the buttons for their night mode . Hit the button twice and It Produces cold waves at measured times during the night and prevents hot flashes and night sweats. They used to bug me, before I got this device . When you start to feel a hot flash coming on, you hit another one of the buttons twice and it sends cold chills through your arms and it reduces the intensity, shortens the life and can stop the hot flashes if hit quickly enough. The device doesn’t work for everybody, but the night mode makes a significant difference for people that have night sweats and night hot flashes.
https://embrlabs.com/

northoftheborder | @northoftheborder | 1 day ago

Portable fan (doubles as a USB battery).
https://www.amazon.com/Handheld-Portable-Operated-Personal-Rechargeable/dp/B086ZQMBLX
But as with @jeffmarc, my hot flushes have decreased both in severity and frequency over the years as my body adjusted to long-term ADT use. Instead of the soakers I'd get back in 2021–22, they're mainly just feeling a little warm for 5–10 min now.

jeff Marchi | @jeffmarc | 1 day ago

In reply to @northoftheborder "Portable fan (doubles as a USB battery). https://www.amazon.com/Handheld-Portable-Operated-Personal-Rechargeable/dp/B086ZQMBLX But as with @jeffmarc, my hot flushes have..." + (show)

I wish that was true for me. Had Lupron for 7 years and the hot flash intensity did reduce over time, for a while, because I was getting depo-provera shots every three months . After starting Orgovyx Two years ago, I have really had some major hot flash problems. First five months I had almost no hot flashes then they came on hard. I couldn’t take it any longer and had to get a depo-provera shot about a month ago to try to get them to be milder and it worked. Nowadays I only get one or two a day that actually soak my hair, The rest are somewhat mild. Between a fan and my Wave 2 device, they don’t last too long.

The fan you pictured is real nice, I have one and it works well to cool off my face and head. It’s easy to carry around.

The one in the picture below it’s a lot stronger and completely variable speed.. The battery lasts a long time and it clips on the very thick material or sits just flat as it shows. I always have it clipped next to my bed to cool me off as a hot flash comes on. Got it on Amazon. It’s my second one the first one and only lasted about five years.

steveduke | @steveduke | 16 hours ago

I find that limiting carbs reduces the severity.

jeff Marchi | @jeffmarc | 16 hours ago

In reply to @steveduke "I find that limiting carbs reduces the severity." + (show)

I’ve been watching my carbs for four or five years and limit them pretty much constantly. I still get lots of hot flashes. I don’t think that makes any difference, but my A1c is 5.4 and that’s the target I was aiming for.