Q. I am in my early 60s and I am miserable with hot flashes. My doctor has taken me off hormones because he is concerned about the risk of blood clots and heart attacks. (I do have high blood pressure.)
Now that it is so darned hot outside, my frequent hot flashes are even harder to bear. This is no way to live! I would appreciate any information on how to alleviate this problem.
A. Non-hormonal approaches for easing hot flashes include Pycnogenol (French pine bark extract), black cohosh and St. John’s wort. Doctors may prescribe drugs such as gabapentin (Neurontin), paroxetine (Paxil) or venlafaxine (Effexor) to ease symptoms.
We discuss all of these approaches in much greater detail in our Guide to Menopause.
Readers offer many practical suggestions in their comments on an earlier column: https://www.peoplespharmacy.com/articles/natural-ways-to-cope-with-hot-flashes/
