Q to women - Menopausal hot flashes raising BP

[tmm99]

There is a shortage of Estradot (transdermal estradiol patch) in Canada and I've been without it for a few months. My hot flashes have been pretty severe since I got off it (not by choice, but due to shortage). A gyno put me on Astrogel (estradiol gel) about 1.2 weeks ago to mitigate/circumvent this shortage issue, but Estrogel is not doing much so far. My problem is with hot flashes. I haven't had hot flashes this bad in a long time, and I've noticed that my blood pressure skyrockets during hot flashes and for some time after.

Have any of you had this experience (blood pressure going up during hot flashes?) What did you do to remedy it?

I also read that people with high cholesterol (=me) tend to experience more hot flashes. My primary doc wants to put me on Statin anyway, and I want to consider it if it helps with my hot flashes (as I don't want to have a stroke from the high blood pressure associated with my hot flashes), but I am not even sure Statin works for women (as most tests/experiements/studies have been conducted with men.)

I'm just thinking out loud. Haven't decided anything yet, I wanted to see if any ladies here have experience in this area.

 

[Live Free]

I started an oral HRT - containing 1 mg of estradiol and 0.5 mg of norethindrone acetate. It took care of my hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, and sleep issues. It has been life changing. It did also raise my blood pressure to just borderline high and so I also now take a low dose of Losartan. I had to weigh the quality of life benefits of HRT with the downside of higher blood pressure and the risks associated with that. I take my blood pressure twice a day, and it is always within normal range now that I'm on Losartan. I also walk daily and am eating a Mediterranean diet which has also helped I think.

Anyway, in my area (Atlanta), it was hard to find a gyn that took my menopause symptoms seriously. I had to shop around until I found a really great doctor.

 

[RetiredHappy]

I never had hot flashes but I was on 1mg Estradiol because of brain protective properties since 2015 after my ovaries were removed. I reduced it to 0.5mg about 6 months ago because it is supposed to help with my marginal osteopenia.

 

[Teacher Terry]

I was diagnosed with HBP at age 50 and started hot flashes at 39. I had a 20 year experience of horrible hot flashes but never took anything for them that wasn’t a natural remedy. I don’t know if my BP was higher during hot flashes as I never thought there was a connection. Needless to say it was a miserable experience.

 

[W2R]

I was one of the lucky ones, who never had much of any problems with menopause, not even hot flashes (despite no HRT). I almost feel guilty saying that because so many of my friends suffered terribly through menopause and I am so sorry that anybody has to go through that.

During the past 20+ years of aging since menopause, my BP has risen a little so I now take a low dosage of Losartan to keep my BP down.

I am also on ezetimibe+Simvastatin for cholesterol.

 

[gattara]

I used to take Estroven, over the counter supplement here in the US. It worked really well to greatly reduce my hot flashes. If I recall, the formula contained soy isoflavones, black cohosh and a couple other ingredients. It was in a yellow and white box (there are a few different formulas on the market). Then I went on Lexapro for anxiety and kicked the Estroven to the curb. Lexapro totally eliminated my flashes which was a delightful surprise. It also somehow seemed to regulate my body temperature, I just don’t feel hot like I used to.

 

[tmm99]

I used to take Estroven, over the counter supplement here in the US. It worked really well to greatly reduce my hot flashes. If I recall, the formula contained soy isoflavones, black cohosh and a couple other ingredients. It was in a yellow and white box (there are a few different formulas on the market). Then I went on Lexapro for anxiety and kicked the Estroven to the curb. Lexapro totally eliminated my flashes which was a delightful surprise. It also somehow seemed to regulate my body temperature, I just don’t feel hot like I used to.

I remember during my peri years before getting on bio estrogen/progesterone, that I took Remifemin which was standardized Black Cohosh from Germany, and I think it helped with hot flashes. I looked up Lexapro. It's interesting that's something totally unrelated to menopause helped with your hot flashes.

 

[tmm99]

I was one of the lucky ones, who never had much of any problems with menopause, not even hot flashes (despite no HRT). I almost feel guilty saying that because so many of my friends suffered terribly through menopause and I am so sorry that anybody has to go through that.

During the past 20+ years of aging since menopause, my BP has risen a little so I now take a low dosage of Losartan to keep my BP down.

I am also on ezetimibe+Simvastatin for cholesterol.

My mom was the same way, no hot flashes. Lucky people!

How are you doing with ezetimibe+Simvastatin? Any side effects? (I hear a lot about muscle aches and some about memory issues.) Is it helping you lower LDL or...?

 

[tmm99]

I started an oral HRT - containing 1 mg of estradiol and 0.5 mg of norethindrone acetate. It took care of my hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, and sleep issues. It has been life changing. It did also raise my blood pressure to just borderline high and so I also now take a low dose of Losartan. I had to weigh the quality of life benefits of HRT with the downside of higher blood pressure and the risks associated with that. I take my blood pressure twice a day, and it is always within normal range now that I'm on Losartan. I also walk daily and am eating a Mediterranean diet which has also helped I think.

Anyway, in my area (Atlanta), it was hard to find a gyn that took my menopause symptoms seriously. I had to shop around until I found a really great doctor.

Good that you are doing well with your HRT. I'm glad to hear that you found someone who could help you in your area.

 

[tmm99]

I never had hot flashes but I was on 1mg Estradiol because of brain protective properties since 2015 after my ovaries were removed. I reduced it to 0.5mg about 6 months ago because it is supposed to help with my marginal osteopenia.

I imagine that's 1mg of oral estradiol? I haven't had a bone density test in years. I should get that done sometime soon.

 

[RetiredHappy]

I imagine that's 1mg of oral estradiol? I haven't had a bone density test in years. I should get that done sometime soon.

Yes. If it is for bone density, 0.5mg is sufficient.

 

[rodi]

I had hot flashes during perimenopause but they faded away as I officially became menopausal. Same with night sweats, brain fog, etc. I feel very fortunate. I was extremely reluctant to do any type if hormone therapy because Mom died of ovarian cancer and while they know the risks aren't as bad as they used to think, it's still an increased risk.

My sister is the opposite of me, bad hot flashes continued and extreme, umm ..., dryness. Her doc prescribed estrogen rings that are inserted vaginally. For her it was life changing... took care of all her symptoms.

 

[tmm99]

Rodi, yep, you're definitely one of the lucky ones! Good that your sister found something that works for her so well.

 

[pacergal]

I used OTC estroven when younger (hysterectomy in my 40's), started estrogen vaginal cream in my 50s.
Minimal hot flashes, but they are very uncomfortable when I do have them.
I have had elevated BP for years, not related to menopause.

 

[W2R]

My mom was the same way, no hot flashes. Lucky people!

How are you doing with ezetimibe+Simvastatin? Any side effects? (I hear a lot about muscle aches and some about memory issues.) Is it helping you lower LDL or...?

No problems at all. I have memory issues but I believe those are due to long Covid, not due to any of my meds. I had been on ezetimibe+Simvastatin for several years before Covid and did not have those memory issues until Covid. No other side effects from this medication.

I don't remember the numbers but I do know my cholesterol is exactly where my doctor wants it to be.

 

[Jenna]

I used progesterone/progest-e and DHEA -no more hot flashes. Very brain protective too.

 

[tmm99]

No problems at all. I have memory issues but I believe those are due to long Covid, not due to any of my meds. I had been on ezetimibe+Simvastatin for several years before Covid and did not have those memory issues until Covid. No other side effects from this medication.

I don't remember the numbers but I do know my cholesterol is exactly where my doctor wants it to be.

That's great that your cholesterol meds are working wonderfully for you with no side effects whatsoever! Yeah, COVID was really tough in your case. I'm very glad that you got through it alright.

 

[tmm99]

UPDATE:

I opened this thread thinking that my hot flashes were causing the spike in my blood pressure (BP), but I've found the true culprit - It was the one-day multi-vitamin mineral supplement I started taking! The BP symptom happened to coincide with hot flashes a couple of times, so I assumed that the problem was with my hot flashes, but after another day and some experimenting, I can say for sure that this supplement was causing my high BP. My BP was quite high for some time afterwards.

I bought this supplement (made/sold in Canada) by VEGANLY as I am currently not eating meats to lower cholesterol (I'm still eating fish) and I wanted to make sure I was getting all the vitamins/minerals I needed. The product looked like any other multi-vitamin/mineral product without any herbs, but there was one ingredient I don't normally see in the supplements I have taken - iron. I don't know if this ingredient caused my BP to rise, however.

Well, the good news is that my blood pressure is now normal (The BP problem seems to clear overnight, so the bad stuff goes out of my system within 12 hours.) And I will never touch this supplement again!

It is kind of frightening that something that seems so benign like vitamin/mineral supplements could cause such a serious health issue. Words cannot adequately describe how glad I am that I found the culprit pretty quickly. (I took this supplement off and on for close to 10 days.)

Anyway, as for the Astrogel I'm taking (the switch from Estradot which is in short supply in Canada), it hasn't resolved my hot flashes yet, but no more scary high BP moments, so I will continue to take this and see if the situation will improve. I have a follow-up appt with my gyno in 2 months. Maybe he will adjust the dosage if there's no improvement within that time period.

Thank you all for sharing your hot flash/no hot flash journeys with me. This forum is such a supportive place even for female-specific issues.

 

[RetiredHappy]

Thank you for the update. Please do ask your doctor about oral 1mg Estradiol for hot flashes. I only buy vitamin supplements from well established brands. In my case I only buy from Nature Made.

 

[gattara]

That is interesting! Glad you found this out about your vitamin.
I learned yesterday that there is a new drug for hot flashes- I don't think it has been approved in Canada yet though. It's called Fezolinetant (Veozah) and I've read that for many women, it's a game-changer.

When I needed a drug to help with anxiety, I specifically requested Lexapro because I read studies about its effectiveness in preventing hot flashes.

Is Astrogel a vaginal cream? I use Estrace vaginal cream for dryness and it's extremely effective for that purpose but doesn't do a darn thing for hot flashes.

 

[tmm99]

That is interesting! Glad you found this out about your vitamin.
I learned yesterday that there is a new drug for hot flashes- I don't think it has been approved in Canada yet though. It's called Fezolinetant (Veozah) and I've read that for many women, it's a game-changer.

When I needed a drug to help with anxiety, I specifically requested Lexapro because I read studies about its effectiveness in preventing hot flashes.

Is Astrogel a vaginal cream? I use Estrace vaginal cream for dryness and it's extremely effective for that purpose but doesn't do a darn thing for hot flashes.

Oh, so you knew beforehand that Lexapro would likely help with your hot flashes. Good plan!

You apply Estragel to upper arms or inner thighs. My inner thighs have a whole lot more fat than my upper arms and I would think their absorption rates are quite different, but I'm no expert. Anyway, this gel hasn't been working for me much at all so far. I'm getting the same dosage of the Estragel patch (Estradot) I was on, so I am thinking I'm not absorbing the estradiol from the gel.

 

[Born2BRetd]

I had horrific non-stop hot flashes for several years after I was taken cold turkey off of the progesterone I was taking. The body seems to be very sensitive to hormones and doesn't adapt well to sudden changes. I hope the Astrogel kicks in soon for you.

 

[Letj]

I used progesterone/progest-e and DHEA -no more hot flashes. Very brain protective too.

Do you not use estrogen as well? I would love to use estrogen and progesterone but after 9 years of continuous use, I developed uterine cancer from estrogen use. I am not convinced that the risk is low. I don’t have cancer on either side of my family and despite taking progesterone, I still developed cancer. After joining a group with women who had uterine cancer, many many of them used HRT. HRT is now being heavily marketed to win a new generation of women and doctors for whom the 1995 study is so remote in time.

 

[Teacher Terry]

I suffered for 15 years but was aware of the cancer risks and decided to put up with the issues. My mom was on hrt and developed cancer that eventually killed her.