The best tips for controlling hot flashes are typically to take doctor-prescribed hormones or other medication for reducing their frequency and avoid things that trigger hot flashes. Hot flashes normally begin for most women around the time menopause starts and may be particularly bad at night. Hormones such as estrogen and progesterone can help to keep them at bay. Some doctors often recommend antidepressants for stopping hot flashes. In addition to medicine, there are certain dietary triggers, such as caffeine, alcohol, and spicy foods, that tend to increase the frequency of hot flashes, and avoiding those triggers might help with controlling hot flashes.
Menopause symptoms, including hot flashes, are generally the result of a drastic decrease in hormone levels. Doctors often give women either estrogen or progesterone hormone replacement therapy to help alleviate menopausal symptoms. Women who take these hormones might not experience hot flashes as often, although they may still have them occasionally. Some menopausal women either choose not to take hormones or cannot take them for health reasons, and antidepressants are often used instead for help with controlling hot flashes. Antidepressants are typically helpful for hot flash relief, but tend to not work as well as hormones.
Many women begin to notice that their hot flashes are worse after they have been exposed to certain things, particularly various types of food or drinks. Foods that are very spicy tend to worsen hot flashes, as do drinks containing caffeine or alcohol. Women who try to stay away from these triggers might not have as many hot flashes as they normally would if they didn't make an effort to avoid them. Additionally, hot flashes tend to be worse when the weather is very warm. On very hot days, women who experience hot flashes should make a special effort to wear light, loose clothing and use very little bedding when they sleep at night.
Controlling hot flashes is possible, but unfortunately there is no cure for them. Women typically have to suffer through them from time to time until menopause ends, which also usually marks the end of hot flashes. Aside from hormone therapy and other medications, preventing hot flashes by avoiding the triggers may be the best method of control. Not all medications used for hot flashes are for everyone, and a woman who is interested in getting relief from her symptoms should talk to her doctor about possible treatment options for her hot flashes.