How to stop hot flashes fast
If you need relief right now, the quickest things to try are cooling your body and catching the flash early. Sip ice water, use a handheld fan, peel off a layer, and get somewhere cooler if you can. Slow deep belly breathing can help too, breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth, aiming for about 5 to 7 breaths a minute. At home, a cool shower, cotton clothes and sheets, and even a cold pack under your pillow can make a difference.
For the next few days, it also helps to dodge common triggers that can set flashes off fast, especially alcohol, caffeine, hot rooms, heavy clothing, stress, smoking, hot tubs, and hot showers or baths. Some women also notice spicy foods make things worse.
If you mean stop them fast overall, the most effective treatment is usually hormone therapy. Here at Alloy, we offer FDA-approved estradiol options like the estradiol pill, estradiol gel, Evamist estradiol spray, and patches. Our estradiol products can start helping in as little as 2 weeks for many people. If you’d rather avoid hormones, low-dose paroxetine is an FDA-approved non-hormonal option, and most people who benefit see improvement in 2 to 4 weeks.
Estradiol Pill
Starting at $39.99 /month
If you’re still having periods and think this is perimenopause, low-dose birth control can also help with hot flashes while regulating cycles.
Low-Dose Birth Control Pill
$39.99 /month
A little caution, estrogen isn’t right for everyone. Women with undiagnosed vaginal bleeding, active liver disease, a personal history of heart attack or stroke, blood clots, or estrogen-dependent cancers may not be candidates. For more on quick remedies and treatment options, this Alloy guide is useful: hot flash remedies.
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