Dudes, You Get Hot Flashes Too!

Guys do get hot flashes! The hot flashes can be due to drop in testosterone levels however, these symptoms are less likely to be hormonal based, that in women. But: just as likely to be life disruptive!

Management of hot flashes includes both prevention and treatment. Nonmedication-based techniques are usually tried first.

Researchers who have looked into this. recommends documenting the number, intensity and duration of hot flashes, which can help identify triggers to avoid. Taking a hot bath or eating spicy food may spark a hot flash, for example.

He also recommends lifestyle changes such as avoiding excessive caffeine and alcohol, and quitting smoking. A cool environment during the day and while sleeping, with cotton clothing and sheets and cool showers, can help. Relaxation activities such as yoga, meditation and breathing exercises may help as well.

Dr. Charles Loprinzi of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, who has researched cancer symptoms for more than 25 years, told Reuters Health by phone, “One patient told me that in the winter, she’d get in her car, put on her seat belt and then put her coat on backwards so she could easily pull the coat off if she had a hot flash while driving.”

In gold-standard trials, Loprinzi’s team has found that for both men and women, hot flashes for those who want to avoid hormone use can be managed with low doses of certain antidepressants, such as venlafaxine, citalopram, clonidine, gabapentin and oxybutynin if hormones are not able to be checked.

Herbals, weight management, and hormone therapies could be tried, but getting a check on your hormones is probably the first best thing. Hot flashes in men can be treated by a variety of hormone compounds such as testosterone. Call us at Women’s Health Practice.