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Hi, How much does the Black Cohosh cost? Where do you get it from? I just started taking Lexapro a month ago. I'm on 10 milligrams too. So far, it hasn't helped with the hot flashes but the depression doesn't seem to be as bad as it was. Thank goodness.
Terri
----- Original Message -----From: qwotnSent: Friday, March 03, 2006 1:22 AMSubject: [menopausal] Re: HELPPPPPPPPPPPPPDifferent things work for different women, swtharleygirl, so keep working with your doc to find what works for you.
I've been having hot flashes for six or seven years, I think. For a while, I found that black cohosh seemed to help significantly. Unfortunately, since I was feeling better, I became inconsistent about taking it, and finally just stopped. It took a while, but the hot flashes returned. This time, however, when I took the black cohosh, it didn't do anything for me. I was working from home at the time, albeit not very successfully, but I didn't dare try to get a regular job -- not when every hour or so (sometimes less), I would turn into a bright red, sweaty, drippy, sodden mess. I was so miserable.
About that time, I was taking a course in technical writing that required that I do a research project. I chose menopause. Interestingly enough, through my research, I found that some menopausal women respond well to antidepressants. I wasn't too keen on the idea, but when I talked it over with my doctor, we decided to give it a try with one that is supposed to have minimal side effects: Lexapro. It took a couple of weeks to take effect, but it finally began to do its job. I've been taking it for a couple of years, I guess, and I still get hot flashes, but the frequency, duration, and intensity are significantly less. Also, they're dry flashes, not sweaty, which is much more tolerable. The doc and I played around with adjusting the dosage to see if we could make them stop altogether, but that didn't work. I take a fairly low dose (10 mg) and that seems to be the best for me, 20 mg didn't work any better, and 5 mg didn't quite get the job done. I also stopped taking the meds for a while (slowly, of course, it's not a good idea to just stop this kind of medication) to see how I did, but the flashes returned fast and furious, so I'm back on the Lexapro.
Anyway, I sure hope the Zalestra does the trick for you, but if not, you might discuss antidepressants with your doc. Good luck.
--- In menopausal@yahoogroups.com, "swtharleygirl" <harleygirl1@...> wrote:
>
> I just want to jump into ice cold water. I have day and night sweats
> that are just so bad, I just am at my wits end, they are just taking
> such a toll on me mentally and physically, I literally ache from head
> to toe, I sleep only 2 hours a night and that is even with taking
> something to sleep and I am up and down with crying. I am going to
> try one more thing a product called Zalestra and see if that helps. I
> have gained nearly 20 lbs, my doctor gave e an older medication to
> try, prem pro, but I have had a hysterectomy and my ovaries are left
> but they are not up to par any more and I just do not know what to do
> anymore. I can not take much more of this, it has been for 2 1/2
> years now, and this last 6 months have been the worse, I had my
> surgery in 1991, so I guess I am lucky that I have only been dealing > with this for 2 1/2 years. What can I do, most over the counter stuff
> just is not doing it, I have the combination of hot flashes with the
> sweats...........
>
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