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Has anyone's LO experienced hot flashes?



That is the question. I have also vented some here about what all happened today because I am trying to process it so I can feel good about how I handled the situation and see if anyone has any suggestions as to how to handle it better/differently... I am up for constructive criticism all.the.time. Thanks!



Mom came to me this morning and asked which medication has been giving her hot flashes. I am trying to not feed into the problem at hand so choosing my words, I told her that I didn't know if any of them did, and I would check them on the computer and let her know what I find as soon as I know. She became very upset saying that I had just (recently) told her that one of them caused hot flashes and talked to the doctor about it. I replied that I had checked on her Donepezil b/c she was experiencing stomach problems (not hot flashes) and the doctor had to reduce the dose (which was a whole other miscommunication from the neurologist and his office about her RX being at too high of a dose causing the stomach problem).



This caused a catastrophic event - She went over the edge, stomping, flailing arms about and yelling about how she doesn't have diarrhea, and hasn't had that problem in ages. Mind you she had obvious ( to me) issues and I gave her Immodium 3 different times over the course of the time they upped her med and the time they decreased it which was just about 1.5 weeks to see if it helped and it did. She has had no issues with that since the decrease. She yelled that the hot flashes have been occurring since the beginning "all of this medication" and how it never happened when she didn't take it and only took her supplements. She walked away (unbalanced, I think bc she was angry) and yelled about how she is tired of it all and tired of the hot flashes. I am sure it stinks having hot flashes but I cannot find where anything she is taking would cause them and she hasn't complained of it prior to today. She has been on all of her current medications for at least 3 and some 6 months.



After her shower, she came and apologized to me. I said "Thank you, mom. I love you and I'm sorry you're having hot flashes. Let's see what we can find out." She was fine and smiling.



ETA: I went to the pages I've bookmarked and pulled up all the meds and the side effects. None indicate hot flashes. I am sending a note to her PCP.

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I read even though thru menopuse, we can still have hot flashes. Mine were always "warm" flashes. Occasionally I get a warm flash.

If Mom has Dementia everything seems to be worse. Like a child scraping a knee and they think they are dying IMO someone with Dementia has the same response. Adult scrapes their knee and say "Oh D**n". My Mom freaked out over a B/P cuff.

If Mom does not have a diagnosis of Dementia it maybe time to get her a good physical.
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LightnLife Sep 2022
Mom does have a diagnosis of vascular dementia. The "freak outs" are more frequent. Thankfully, my interaction with her has become that of an active listener instead of problem solver....
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Dementia can cause a person to perceive she's having hot flashes. And all sorts of other issues that aren't 'real', but seem to be real due to changes in one's perception. For example, a person with dementia can insist 'bugs are crawling all over their skin' when there are no bugs anywhere in sight. Changes in all 5 senses are common with dementia, sadly enough.

I've taken vitamin D3 for the past few years with no hot flashes whatsoever. In fact, Vitamin D offers an amazing range of health benefits. It protects against depletion of serotonin, a compound that helps regulate your body temperature. This means vitamin D can reduce hot flushes and alleviate night sweats. Niacin, on the other hand, CAN and DOES cause hot flashes but more like one giant hot flash that turns the skin bright red for about an hour.

When my mother's dementia advanced, she too would have the occasional meltdown about taking 'too many medicines' and then would refuse to take them. She insisted they were 'harming' her instead of helping her, which was a delusional thought, really, especially where the pain was concerned. Which is not to say that all meds are 'good' for us, but certain ones are vital to our wellbeing in general.

My mother also complained of 'hot flashes' for at least 40 years of her life, honest to God. I can't remember a time when mom wasn't having 'hot flashes' and 'sweating bullets' as a result. God knows what was going on in her body and mind to cause chronic hot flashes after menopause was over with, so who knows?? Maybe mom's doctor can speak to her about this matter, b/c what are YOU going to tell her that will calm the situation down??

Check out this 33 page booklet ( a free download) which has THE best information ever about managing dementia and what to expect with an elder who's been diagnosed with it.

Understanding the Dementia Experience, by Jennifer Ghent-Fuller 
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/210580

Jennifer is a nurse who worked for many years as an educator and counsellor for people with dementia and their families, as well as others in caring roles. She addresses the emotional and grief issues in the contexts in which they arise for families living with dementia.

The full copy of her book is available here:
https://www.amazon.com/Thoughtful-Dementia-Care-Understanding-Experience/dp/B09WN439CC/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2E7WWE9X5UFXR&keywords=jennifer+ghent+fuller+books&qid=1657468364&sprefix=jennifer+ghent%2Caps%2C631&sr=8-2


Wishing you all the best of luck dealing with all of this moving forward. I think you handled the situation beautifully! Good job.
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LightnLife Sep 2022
lealonnie1~ I have that booklet! I sent it out to all of my family. Thanks for the input. I reached out to her PCP yesterday morning and the nurse scheduled an appt with a nurse practitioner for mom to discuss this. Thanks again~ 40 years, tho! :-)
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Is Mom taking vitamins, esp D3? Can cause real hot flashing.
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JoAnn29 Sep 2022
The dictor wanted me on D3 just never went to get it, Never had hotflashes during menopause am not starting at 73.
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