Aa
facial and arm flushin
i am experiencing facial and arm redness and heat,lasting a few seconds. i was recently treated for hep c with peg and copeg. My hepatologist doesnt want me on hormones and my gyn doc doesnt know what i can do. i have been clear of hep c virus for 1 yr. 3 mths {off treatment} do you have any suggestions. stage 3 liver cirrhosis, all labs returned to normal except for slightly low plat. ct 130.000.
You can manage hot flashes by making certain lifestyle choices. You can also take daily medication. Some measures help prevent or reduce hot flashes, and others can make you more comfortable when you're having a hot flash. If you are looking for additional treatment measures, you have a few options to choose from.
Lifestyle choices for preventing or reducing hot flashes
Eat and drink well, and avoid smoking.
Limit your intake of alcohol.
Drink cold beverages rather than hot ones.
Eat smaller, more frequent meals to avoid the heat generated by digesting large amounts of food.
Eat plenty of low-fat, high-fiber foods.
Do not smoke or use other forms of tobacco.
Stay cool.
Keep your environment cool, or use a fan.
Dress in layers, so you can remove clothes as needed.
Wear natural fabrics, such as cotton and silk.
Sleep with fewer blankets.
Reduce stress.
Get regular physical exercise.
Use relaxation techniques, such as breathing exercises, yoga, or biofeedback. Using a breathing-for-relaxation exercise called paced respiration has been shown to significantly reduce hot flashes and emotional symptoms.
Medical treatment options for hot flashes
Short-term, low-dose hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can reduce or stop hot flashes and other perimenopausal symptoms by raising your body's estrogen level. Use the lowest dose needed for the shortest possible time and have checkups every 6 months. This is because HRT causes breast cancer, ovarian cancer, blood clots, stroke, and dementia in a small number of women.
HRT users who are 10 or more years past menopause are also at higher risk for heart disease If you have a history of cardiovascular disease or breast cancer, avoid using estrogen for hot-flash relief-other options are available.
Estrogen-progestin birth control pills (before menopause) can reduce or stop hot flashes and other perimenopausal symptoms by evening out fluctuating hormones. If you are older than 35 and smoke, have diabetes, or have a personal or family history of cardiovascular disease or breast cancer, avoid using estrogen for hot-flash relief-other options are available.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressant medication can reduce the number and severity of hot flashes by improving the brain's use of serotonin, which helps regulate body temperature. Side effects are possible. This type of medication is a good choice if hot flashes, irritability, or mood swings are your only perimenopausal symptom.
Clonidine, a high blood pressure medication, can reduce the number and severity of hot flashes by lowering blood pressure. Lowering blood pressure is safe for some women and not for others. This type of medication is a good choice if hot flashes are your only perimenopausal symptom, especially if you have high blood pressure.
Black cohosh may reduce or prevent hot flashes, depression, and anxiety as well as low-dose estrogen does. As with HRT, have a checkup every 6 months when taking black cohosh. Research on human cells and on animals suggests that black cohosh doesn't cause the same cancer changes that estrogen does. But it's best to be cautious until long-term studies are done.
Some women eat and drink a lot of soy to even out hot flashes and other perimenopausal symptoms. However, studies show mixed results about whether soy phytoestrogens are clearly effective, particularly when taken as a pill. This may be because the active ingredients in soy are not well understood.
Lifestyle choices for preventing or reducing hot flashes
Eat and drink well, and avoid smoking.
Limit your intake of alcohol.
Drink cold beverages rather than hot ones.
Eat smaller, more frequent meals to avoid the heat generated by digesting large amounts of food.
Eat plenty of low-fat, high-fiber foods.
Do not smoke or use other forms of tobacco.
Stay cool.
Keep your environment cool, or use a fan.
Dress in layers, so you can remove clothes as needed.
Wear natural fabrics, such as cotton and silk.
Sleep with fewer blankets.
Reduce stress.
Get regular physical exercise.
Use relaxation techniques, such as breathing exercises, yoga, or biofeedback. Using a breathing-for-relaxation exercise called paced respiration has been shown to significantly reduce hot flashes and emotional symptoms.
Medical treatment options for hot flashes
Short-term, low-dose hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can reduce or stop hot flashes and other perimenopausal symptoms by raising your body's estrogen level. Use the lowest dose needed for the shortest possible time and have checkups every 6 months. This is because HRT causes breast cancer, ovarian cancer, blood clots, stroke, and dementia in a small number of women.
HRT users who are 10 or more years past menopause are also at higher risk for heart disease If you have a history of cardiovascular disease or breast cancer, avoid using estrogen for hot-flash relief-other options are available.
Estrogen-progestin birth control pills (before menopause) can reduce or stop hot flashes and other perimenopausal symptoms by evening out fluctuating hormones. If you are older than 35 and smoke, have diabetes, or have a personal or family history of cardiovascular disease or breast cancer, avoid using estrogen for hot-flash relief-other options are available.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressant medication can reduce the number and severity of hot flashes by improving the brain's use of serotonin, which helps regulate body temperature. Side effects are possible. This type of medication is a good choice if hot flashes, irritability, or mood swings are your only perimenopausal symptom.
Clonidine, a high blood pressure medication, can reduce the number and severity of hot flashes by lowering blood pressure. Lowering blood pressure is safe for some women and not for others. This type of medication is a good choice if hot flashes are your only perimenopausal symptom, especially if you have high blood pressure.
Black cohosh may reduce or prevent hot flashes, depression, and anxiety as well as low-dose estrogen does. As with HRT, have a checkup every 6 months when taking black cohosh. Research on human cells and on animals suggests that black cohosh doesn't cause the same cancer changes that estrogen does. But it's best to be cautious until long-term studies are done.
Some women eat and drink a lot of soy to even out hot flashes and other perimenopausal symptoms. However, studies show mixed results about whether soy phytoestrogens are clearly effective, particularly when taken as a pill. This may be because the active ingredients in soy are not well understood.
iam 51 yo experiencing menopause, i just wanted to know if there is anything out there i can take for hot flashes other than hormones. i have been off pegasys and copegasys for 1 year and 3 months. the virus is gone , ihave been undetectable for over a year after finishing pegasys and copegasys.
peginterferon alfa-2a and ribavirin Pegasys and Copegus peginterferon alfa-2b and ribavirin Peg-Rebetron
How It Works
Combination antiviral therapy helps prevent the virus that causes hepatitis C from reproducing in the body. Two medicines are generally combined for the best response.
Peginterferon is given as a shot once a week. Ribavirin is taken as a pill 2 times a day. During the course of your treatment, your doctor frequently may adjust the amount of medicine you are taking.
The length of your treatment depends on what hepatitis C genotype you have. Genotype 1 generally is treated for 1 year and genotypes 2 and 3 generally are treated for 6 months. If your liver does not improve after 3 months of treatment, your treatment may be stopped.
Why It Is Used
Combination antiviral therapy is prescribed for people who have ongoing (chronic) hepatitis C infection. It may be given to people who have never had treatment or when interferon alone has failed to control the disease.
How Well It Works
Peginterferon-a newer, longer-acting form of interferon-combined with ribavirin is better than standard interferon combined with ribavirin. The two kinds of peginterferon work similarly.
How well treatment works is measured by whether you still have the virus in your blood 6 months after treatment. Treatment usually works better if you have genotype 2 or 3 than if you have genotype 1. Most studies have shown that treatment with peginterferon and ribavirin works for up to 50% of people with genotype 1 and up to 80% of people with genotype 2 or 3.1
If you are also infected with HIV, the combination of peginterferon and ribavirin is considered better than standard interferon and ribavirin.2
Combination antiviral therapy is more likely to be effective if you:
Have a low level of the hepatitis C virus in your blood when treatment starts.
Are infected with genotype 2 or 3.
Have a low amount of liver damage when treatment starts.
The U.S. National Institutes of Health has made recommendations on who should receive antiviral treatment for hepatitis C.3
Side Effects
Side effects from peginterferon and ribavirin are common. If your side effects are severe, you may need to stop treatment. About 10% to 25% of people stop their treatment because they feel too sick to finish it.4 Some side effects may start to go away as treatment continues.
Common side effects of combination antiviral therapy include:
Fatigue, headache, muscle and joint aches, fever, or chills.
Nausea, loss of appetite, or weight loss.
Irritability, insomnia, or confusion.
Depression.
Thyroid problems.
Hair loss or skin rash.
Low levels of red cells, white cells, and platelets in your blood.
If you develop anemia as a result of taking ribavirin, your doctor may prescribe a medicine called erythropoietin to help your body create more red blood cells.
Most side effects go away when you stop taking the medicines.
See Drug Reference for a full list of side effects. (Drug Reference is not available in all systems.)
What To Think About
You will need regular follow-up visits with a liver specialist during treatment. The specialist will order blood tests to check your liver enzyme levels and to see whether the virus is still present.
People with normal or slightly elevated liver enzyme levels but whose liver biopsy shows little or no liver damage may choose not to have antiviral treatment. Instead, a doctor can monitor the condition with periodic liver function tests and a liver biopsy every 3 to 5 years.
Even if the initial treatment does not eliminate the virus, your doctor may advise you to continue antiviral treatment, because it may reduce liver inflammation. For some people with significant liver damage, antiviral therapy may slow the progression of liver damage or make liver cancer less likely. If you already have cirrhosis, some studies show that antiviral therapy can help you live longer.5
If it is possible that you are pregnant, you will need a pregnancy test. Women and men who are taking ribavirin need to avoid getting pregnant or fathering a child, because the medicine can damage a developing fetus. Women who could become pregnant and their partners must use two reliable forms of birth control during treatment and for 6 months after treatment, to avoid pregnancy.
Only a few clinical trials have tested antiviral medicines in children. The results suggest that they work about as well in children as in adults. Combination therapy using interferon and ribavirin is now approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in children ages 3 to 17 years.
If you are obese or have diabetes, you may need to delay treatment to get your weight or blood sugar under control.
If you have tried interferon in the past and did not get good results, talk to your doctor about newer combinations of peginterferon with ribavirin or any new, experimental treatments.
The long-term health effects of combination antiviral therapy are not known at this time.
How It Works
Combination antiviral therapy helps prevent the virus that causes hepatitis C from reproducing in the body. Two medicines are generally combined for the best response.
Peginterferon is given as a shot once a week. Ribavirin is taken as a pill 2 times a day. During the course of your treatment, your doctor frequently may adjust the amount of medicine you are taking.
The length of your treatment depends on what hepatitis C genotype you have. Genotype 1 generally is treated for 1 year and genotypes 2 and 3 generally are treated for 6 months. If your liver does not improve after 3 months of treatment, your treatment may be stopped.
Why It Is Used
Combination antiviral therapy is prescribed for people who have ongoing (chronic) hepatitis C infection. It may be given to people who have never had treatment or when interferon alone has failed to control the disease.
How Well It Works
Peginterferon-a newer, longer-acting form of interferon-combined with ribavirin is better than standard interferon combined with ribavirin. The two kinds of peginterferon work similarly.
How well treatment works is measured by whether you still have the virus in your blood 6 months after treatment. Treatment usually works better if you have genotype 2 or 3 than if you have genotype 1. Most studies have shown that treatment with peginterferon and ribavirin works for up to 50% of people with genotype 1 and up to 80% of people with genotype 2 or 3.1
If you are also infected with HIV, the combination of peginterferon and ribavirin is considered better than standard interferon and ribavirin.2
Combination antiviral therapy is more likely to be effective if you:
Have a low level of the hepatitis C virus in your blood when treatment starts.
Are infected with genotype 2 or 3.
Have a low amount of liver damage when treatment starts.
The U.S. National Institutes of Health has made recommendations on who should receive antiviral treatment for hepatitis C.3
Side Effects
Side effects from peginterferon and ribavirin are common. If your side effects are severe, you may need to stop treatment. About 10% to 25% of people stop their treatment because they feel too sick to finish it.4 Some side effects may start to go away as treatment continues.
Common side effects of combination antiviral therapy include:
Fatigue, headache, muscle and joint aches, fever, or chills.
Nausea, loss of appetite, or weight loss.
Irritability, insomnia, or confusion.
Depression.
Thyroid problems.
Hair loss or skin rash.
Low levels of red cells, white cells, and platelets in your blood.
If you develop anemia as a result of taking ribavirin, your doctor may prescribe a medicine called erythropoietin to help your body create more red blood cells.
Most side effects go away when you stop taking the medicines.
See Drug Reference for a full list of side effects. (Drug Reference is not available in all systems.)
What To Think About
You will need regular follow-up visits with a liver specialist during treatment. The specialist will order blood tests to check your liver enzyme levels and to see whether the virus is still present.
People with normal or slightly elevated liver enzyme levels but whose liver biopsy shows little or no liver damage may choose not to have antiviral treatment. Instead, a doctor can monitor the condition with periodic liver function tests and a liver biopsy every 3 to 5 years.
Even if the initial treatment does not eliminate the virus, your doctor may advise you to continue antiviral treatment, because it may reduce liver inflammation. For some people with significant liver damage, antiviral therapy may slow the progression of liver damage or make liver cancer less likely. If you already have cirrhosis, some studies show that antiviral therapy can help you live longer.5
If it is possible that you are pregnant, you will need a pregnancy test. Women and men who are taking ribavirin need to avoid getting pregnant or fathering a child, because the medicine can damage a developing fetus. Women who could become pregnant and their partners must use two reliable forms of birth control during treatment and for 6 months after treatment, to avoid pregnancy.
Only a few clinical trials have tested antiviral medicines in children. The results suggest that they work about as well in children as in adults. Combination therapy using interferon and ribavirin is now approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in children ages 3 to 17 years.
If you are obese or have diabetes, you may need to delay treatment to get your weight or blood sugar under control.
If you have tried interferon in the past and did not get good results, talk to your doctor about newer combinations of peginterferon with ribavirin or any new, experimental treatments.
The long-term health effects of combination antiviral therapy are not known at this time.
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