[FEYZA]

Hey, all insomniacs out there! I’ve suffered from Insomnia all my life, used anti-depressants but they only partially helped. In 2015, I’ve had chemo and radiotherapy and started using Tamoxifen and for the last two years I’ve been taking Anastrazol. You can not imagine the hot flashes. They come every 35-50 minutes and would not let me relax for about 2-3 minutes. So, sleep has become a torture. If I manage to fall asleep, I am awakened by the flashes. I’m sure there are some of you out there with similar problems. What do you do? Please do not tell me about the meditation and the things I could eat or the exercise I should do or how I stick to a schedule and stay away from electronics, etc…. Tried and tested, no result…

[Martin Reed]

Unfortunately, I’m not an expert when it comes to dealing with hot flashes caused by medication. Correct me if I am wrong, but I would imagine that you have no control over these hot flashes — in which case, they might have a similar effect on sleep as hypnic jerks.

When things affect us in a negative way it makes sense that we want to fix that problem. Sometimes we can do just that (if that thing is in our control). Unfortunately, sometimes it might not be in our control — and it sounds like this might be the case with the hot flashes.

If we, quite understandably, expend a lot of effort trying to avoid/fight things that are out of our control, we can be more likely to get hooked by those challenges and end up moving away from the kind of life we want to live.

In my experience, what can be helpful when faced with challenges out of our control is to actually acknowledge these challenges and to even make a bit of space for them to exist. While doing that, if we can continue to engage in actions that are aligned with our values and help us continue moving toward the kind of life we want to live, these challenges might have a bit less of an influence over us.

I hope there’s something useful here.

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The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.

[Jim Evans]

Anastrazol has the side effects of insomnia and drug-induced hot flashes. Since your insomnia is probably made worse by this drug, you are probably right that meditation, your diet, exercise, and avoidance of electronics will probably not resolve the issue. It may help, but it might not address your biggest sleep problems. Feyza, the hard truth of it is that you may need to get off the anastrazol. I’ve tried certain medications in the past, and I was recently prescribed one that caused me insomnia. I told the doctor I wouldn’t take it and to look for other alternatives. Any drug that lists insomnia as a side effect that I’ve tried, always gives me insomnia. I’ve found that many drugs that are supposed to help with sleep, also cause me insomnia. I’d rather not treat the problem the drug is supposed to help than live with insomnia. These are just my thoughts. I’m sorry you are going through this.

[Author]

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