What causes hotflashes.

[erikboy (imported)]

Hot flashes are a sign of very low T. But it is not clear what is the mechanism that causes it and how it is possible to reduce or eliminate it.

In menopausal women, this phenomena is more studied, as the problem is general and massive. As there is no big difference in this aspect between male or female body chemistry, then studies done on women hot flashes apply to male hot flashes as well.

This work was published in 2013. I am not aware if there are developements in that area.

MENOPAUSAL HOT FLASHES: MECHANISMS, ENDOCRINOLOGY, TREATMENT

Robert R. Freedman, Ph.D.

Here I quote most interesting parts of it:

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Since HFs (HotFlash) occur in the vast majority of women having natural or surgical menopause, estrogens are clearly involved in their etiology. This is consistent with the fact that estrogen therapy virtually eliminates HFs. However, estrogen reduction alone does not explain the occurrence of HFs because there are no relationships between these symptoms and plasma, urinary, or vaginal [20] levels of estrogens, nor are there differences in plasma levels between women with and without HFs [9,20]. Additionally, clonidine reduces HF frequency but does not change estrogen levels [21], and prepubertal girls have low estrogen levels but no HFs.

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The main point here is that prepubertal girls do not have hotflashes despite their estrogen levels are low.

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Therefore, estrogen withdrawal is necessary but not sufficient to explain the occurrence of HFs. A temporal relationship was observed between HFs and luteinizing hormone (LH) pulses [22,23]. However, further work demonstrated that women with isolated gonadotropin deficiency had HFs but no LH pulses [24], and those with hypothalamic amenorrhea had LH pulses but no HFs. Also, HFs occur in women with LH suppression from GnRH compounds [25,26], in women with pituitary insufficiency and hypoestrogenism [27], and in hypophysectomized women, who have no LH pulses [28].

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HotFlashes are not related to pulses of GnRH, LH or FSH.

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Thus, we believe that hot flashes are triggered by Tc (Body core temperature) elevations acting within a greatly narrowed thermoneutral zone in postmenopausal women with HFs. A HF, consisting of sweating and peripheral vasodilation, is provoked when Tc reaches the upper threshold. Tc then declines, and when the lower threshold is crossed, shivering occurs. What biochemical mechanisms account for this?

Basic science investigations have found that increased brain norepinephrine (NE) narrows the width of the thermoneutral zone [31]. Conversely, clonidine lowers NE release, raises the sweating threshold, and reduces the shivering threshold. We therefore hypothesize that increased brain NE narrows the thermoneutral zone in menopausal women with HFs.

We determined the Tc sweating threshold in women with and without HFs during I.V. clonidine and placebo [45]. We showed that clonidine significantly elevated the sweating threshold compared to placebo in the women with HFs, whereas, the opposite occurred in the women without HFs. We therefore believe that clonidine reduces HFs by raising the Tc sweating threshold.

We then conducted a similar study to examine the mechanism through which estrogen ameliorates HFs [46]. Symptomatic menopausal women were randomly assigned to receive 1 mg/day 17 β-estradiol P.O. or placebo for 90 days. We found that the Tc sweating threshold was significantly elevated and HF frequency significantly ameliorated in the E2 but not the placebo group. Thus, estrogen ameliorates HFs by raising the Tc sweating threshold, but we do not know the precise mechanisms of this.

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8.2.2 Clonidine

As noted earlier, clonidine ameliorates HFs by widening the thermoneutral zone. Two small placebo-controlled studies found that clonidine P.O. reduced HF frequency by 46% and transdermal clonidine reduced it by 80% [58]. Two studies of breast cancer survivors receiving tamoxifen showed smaller, but significant reductions in HF frequency for oral [59] and transdermal clonidine [60] compared with placebo. Side effects of clonidine include hypotension, dry mouth, and sedation [61].

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Clonidine could be one of the solutions against HF's for people who do not want sex steroids.

Full text and graphs are available here:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4612529/

[Valery_V (imported)]

Low Testosterone (Low-T) Symptoms

https://www.medicinenet.com/low_testost ... /views.htm

7 SYMPTOMS OF LOW TESTOSTERONE

https://www.agelessmenshealth.com/7-sym ... tosterone/

Low Testosterone: When Do Men Need Treatment?

https://www.endocrineweb.com/news/hypog ... -treatment

Low Testosterone (Low T) Symptoms

https://www.rejuvinage.com/andropause/symptoms

That’s Right—Men Have Hot Flashes, Too.

Treatment For Hot Flashes In Men

https://www.spartanmedicalassociates.co ... t-flashes/

Low Testosterone Could Kill You

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/ActiveAgi ... 29de8f3741 9a5&utm_source=AWIN&utm_medium=Affiliate

Hot flushes and sweats in men

https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about- ... and-sweats

[OneBallBoi (imported)]

Hot flashes.. I don't think in reality they ever disappear. I have a Eunuch for 16 years and still have them a lot. I don't think they ever really go away.

[dingoaud (imported)]

Hi all

I have never been able to get to a stage where the hot flashes stop or let up, i have tried multiple times since i have been a eunuch for nearly 9 years.

The flashes start around 4 days after coming off testogel with little side effects like small hot flashes with sweats and then building up stronger as time goes by the 7 to 10 days with full effects kicking in.

I have tired to ease myself of testogel from 5 pumps daily down to 1 over time and still get the same results. I end up having full on hot flashes with beads of sweat running off my forehead, one time getting my hair cut one hot flash decided ut was time to show me how bad it can be ,it seem like in a couple of second my whole head was dripping with sweat and the worst part my hair became wet from the amount of swear.

Even the hairdresser i could see by her look and her hands was amazed by how much sweat there was. She even ask my what was going on i told it was a hot flash and why lucky she was cool about it,

Since xmas and with some time off work and working in a different area I'm trying again, let see how long i can go this time. To be testosterone free is why i became a eunuch, it was long and hard process to get to that stage.

So hopefully this time i can withstand the hot flashes, waking during the night in a ball of sweat and the ither sude effects.

[seanthomas (imported)]

Funny how hot flashes affect some people and not others. Post castration I've had some night sweats but never a hint of hot flashes. My wife went through menopause in her early 40s and never had them either. However, several of her friends suffered severely.

[kristoff]

At first (21 tears ago) I maintained a normal T level of about 600 ng/dl. Prior to castration I averaged about 800 ng/dl. For quite some time now I have gradually tapered my T-gel way down. I maintain about 100-150 ng/dl and feel fine. When I was first cut, I got no testosterone for about 3-4 months before the Doc realized his mistake and put me on it. There were a lot of hot flashes. Even with it, my first year sans nuts was a lot of hot flushes, but have long since died way back. Not getting them now that me T is way down. I episodically go without T (30-45 days at a time), and manage just fine, no hot flushes.

[DerKastrierte (imported)]

I'm eunuch for 14 months now, I've taken T as a gel and will try now to drop it, so my castration makes more sense. Have taken a low dose since my balls have come off and stopped T several times for longer lasting periods. Normally I got hot flashes after five or six days without T, was the same after my castration. At the moment I'm off for day number 6 again and so I'm waiting for the flashes and some night sweat to come and as well for my libido to disappear. But have to admit I never had flashes in a way that made me wet like coming out of a shower or so. Just short soft ones, good to stand.

Now gonna see if and how life works with no more T. My New Years resolution

[Valery_V (imported)]

I'm eunuch for 14 months now, I've taken T as a gel and will try now to drop it, so my castration makes more sense. Have taken a low dose since my balls have come off and stopped T several times for longer lasting periods. Normally I got hot flashes after five or six days without T, was the same after my castration. At the moment I'm off for day number 6 again and so I'm waiting for the flashes and some night sweat to come and as well for my libido to disappear. But have to admit I never had flashes in a way that made me wet like coming out of a shower or so. Just short soft ones, good to stand.

Now gonna see if and how life works with no more T. My New Years resolution

Congratulations on your new sensations!

It seems to me that hotflashes will occur less often when testosterone levels do not jump, that is, they will not periodically change, but will remain constant at a low level. The "body will think" that this is normal for it and will eventually cease to seek any hormonal changes during which these so-called "hotflashes" are caused.

Of course, I judge only by my own feelings. Although my modification happened a long time ago, nevertheless, I sometimes have hotflashes. But they are not very strong for me. I try to just ignore it.

[JesusA (imported)]

It’s not the low testosterone, but the low ESTRADIOL (E2) that provokes hot flashes. It’s not even just how low it is but the speed of change and not the absolute value. Normally, some testosterone is changed by the body into estradiol and it is the estradiol that helps to prevent both hot flashes and osteoporosis.

Skipping the testosterone and using a small amount of TRANSDERMAL estradiol can help with both issues. Many prostate cancer patients who have been castrated either chemically or surgically now use low dose transdermal estradiol for those purposes. The amount you would want would be that which your body would need to produce from testosterone, so it should not cause any more feminization than you would get from the use of low dose testosterone that your body would then convert to the estradiol.

Is there any reason that you do not use low dose estradiol or that you have not considered using it? I would be interested in any reasons that you might have as it might help others with their decisions.

[dingoaud (imported)]

I never understood and always believed that hot flashes was caused by no testosterone in a way tbats true, but did not know how or understand how testosterone worked in the body and what it makes your body produces. That does help a lot what you just said.

Some reason this time going without testogel the hot flashes are very bearable just like drink something and sweating after it.

Thats for that info