How to stop hot flashes
Menopause and the 7-14 years that precede it known as perimenopause affect every woman as they age.
When this happens, a range of symptoms occur that may include difficulty sleeping, pain during intercourse, hormone changes, and night sweats. Hot flashes can be associated with all of the above and can bring additional unwanted symptoms of their own. “Some 8 in 10 women will experience hot flashes during menopause or the menopause transition,” explains Rebecca Thurston, PhD, a professor of psychiatry and a menopause researcher at the University of Pittsburgh.
Here’s what hot flashes are, what causes them, and how they can be stopped.
What are hot flashes?
Hot flashes are sudden and intense feelings of heat – heat that is especially acute over the neck, chest, and face, explains Dr. Ruta Nonacs, a perinatal and reproductive psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital and an instructor at Harvard Medical School. During the experience, she says that “facial flushing” and “drenching sweat” commonly occur. This is why hot flashes that happen during sleep are known as night sweats.
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Sometimes hot flashes are also accompanied by feelings of anxiety, red and blotchy skin, a rapid heartbeat, and some women also experience chills as the heat subsides. Thurston says that hot flashes can occur any time during the day or night but typically only last for a minute or two.
What causes hot flashes?
Hot flashes are most commonly caused by hormone changes related to menopause, Thurston explains. Specifically, the rapid drops of reproductive hormones such as estrogen and progesterone impact the thermoregulatory centers of the brain – causing the body to attempt to dissipate the sudden heat through perspiration and heat influxes.
In addition to hot flashes triggered by menopause-associated hormone changes, medical conditions such as urinary tract infections, migraines, neurological disorders like multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease, and inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus can also cause hot flashes to occur.
“Medications that affect hormone levels may also cause hot flashes,” adds Nonacs. She lists inhibitors that are taken for breast cancer and some medications that are prescribed to treat infertility as examples.
How to stop hot flashes
Hot flashes can often be stopped a number of ways, including medical interventions.
Nonacs says that a medication known as gabapentin – though not originally intended for that specific purpose – “is effective for hot flashes.” Ditto for several antidepressant medications and nonhormonal medications. She also explains that in 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved an oral medication known as Veozah (fezolinetant), which is the only medication that’s specifically approved for the treatment of moderate to severe hot flashes. “Low-dose estrogen replacement therapy may also be recommended when the symptoms are severe or when other treatments are not well-tolerated or ineffective,” Nonacs adds.
As for lifestyle changes, “there are some really easy helpful remedies,” explains Dr. Mary Jane Minkin, a practicing OB-GYN and a clinical professor at Yale School of Medicine. These include wearing layered clothing, minimizing stress, maintaining a healthy weight, avoiding common triggers such as alcohol and spicy foods, “and sleeping in a very cool room at night.”
She says that herbal remedies and supplements like Remifemin, Relizan and Thermella may also be helpful.
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