Overview
Hot flashes in men are not a new phenomenon. Although the term and symptoms are typically associated with women who are going through menopause, men can experience this condition as well. So, for all those men who are heating up without being infuriated by their wives and feeling excessively sweaty or waking up at night drenched, it might be a relief to know that hormonal changes, lifestyle causes, and other medical reasons can lead to hot and cold flashes in men. If anyone is wondering, ‘Do men get hot flashes?’ this article will provide the right answers.
What does a hot flash feel like?
A hot flash is often described as a sudden, intense feeling of heat not triggered by your surroundings.
Men with hot flashes experience the same symptoms as women: A sudden feeling of intense flushing or a sensation of warmth that is strongly felt over the head and trunk. These can be accompanied by redness of the skin and profuse sweating. Hot flashes commonly occur at night. Hot flashes for men are usually brief episodes lasting four minutes or so, ending in a cold sweat. Flashes may be mild or severe and can occur several times a day. Both males and females have reported anxiety, irritability, or palpitations as accompanying symptoms.
For women, hot flashes can last a year or can occur for several years, with or without therapy. Male hot flashes caused by temporary androgen deprivation usually last three or four months with treatment. However, hot flashes in men caused by permanent androgen deprivation have the tendency to last, but newer treatments that have been introduced can help.
What do hot flashes in men indicate?
Random hot flashes in males or cold flashes in men can be pretty distressing. In men, the culprit is low testosterone. Although males don’t experience a sudden drop in hormone levels, testosterone decreases about 1% a year once they reach the age of 40. Most men do maintain levels within the normal range and almost have sufficient testosterone to prevent hot flashes. Unfortunately, some testosterone deficiencies can develop and lead to a similar experience as women have, depicting a picture that can be termed as ‘male menopause.’
Low testosterone can also stem from causes such as injury to the testes or specific cancer treatments.
Testosterone is widely responsible for reproduction, but this hormone can have an overall impact on the body, and unregulated or low levels may lead to:
- Fatigue,
- Mood changes,
- Decrease in muscle mass
- Sexual dysfunction
- Loss of bone density,
- Hot flashes
How do men get rid of hot flashes?
Dealing and treating hot flashes in men can be tricky, but the first step is checking the testosterone levels. If a deficiency is discovered, several approaches can be adopted according to the condition of the patient:
- Testosterone replacement
- Lifestyle changes
- Weight management
An array of testosterone replacement therapies are available, including:
- Topical gels
- Patches
- Slow-release pellets
- Oral inserts
- Injections
These hormone replacement therapies can be significantly effective, but lifestyle changes, such as quitting smoking, managing stress, and losing weight, can contribute substantially to normalizing your testosterone levels.
What medication is good for hot flashes in men?
Before a treatment can be initiated, the cause of the symptoms must be determined. Hormonal therapy and other treatments are some available options that have helped both men and women. Antidepressants, specifically SSRIs such as paroxetine and venlafaxine (Effexor), have proven to be effective. Generally, both are well tolerated, but venlafaxine tends to raise blood pressure, whereas SSRIs can contribute to sexual dysfunction, but that doesn’t cause issues for most men on androgen deprivation.
Hot flashes in men that stem from low testosterone levels can be counteracted by bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) is synthetic hormones produced from plant sources, chemically similar to our hormones. Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy can be administered in the form of injections, patches, topical creams/gels, insertable pellets, pills, etc.
These doses of testosterone help in relieving the symptoms of male menopause, such as hot flashes. Bioidentical hormones effectively balance the hormone levels that have been decreased due to aging, medications, disease, or chronic stress. This enables a man to get rid of symptoms such as anxiety, palpitations, and excessive sweating and to retain a healthier lifestyle.
Do you get hot sweats with high blood pressure?
Hypertension can lead to profuse sweating. Typically, if our blood pressure is high, more blood will be pumped into the arteries, more energy/heat will be released, and the sweat glands will resultantly release a large amount of sweat and heat.
Consult a doctor
Men having hot flashes can create havoc, and seeking help or determining the cause may be hard. If you have been experiencing symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, and hot flashes with anxiety, it is time to consult a doctor who specializes in men’s health or your primary care doctor. An integrative approach is required to treat the root cause and improve overall health. Talk with our doctor at Your Doctors Online to determine the best treatment.
FAQs about hot flashes in men
As compared to women, who commonly experience hot flashes due to the rapid, age-related decrease in hormone production, men exhibit a slower decline in testosterone levels.
This typically occurs after 40, and hot flashes are closely linked to health conditions or side effects of treatments, chronic stress, and androgen deprivation therapy.
Low testosterone levels induced by chronic stress and anxiety can result in hot flashes. The most common cause of hot flashes in men has been identified as androgen deprivation therapy, which is a treatment for prostate cancer that affects testosterone production.
The cause behind hot flashes in men is still being determined as researchers can’t quite pinpoint what causes this mechanism. The reproductive hormones such as testosterone influence your hypothalamus, the center regulating the body temperature, and low levels of testosterone can lead to these hot flashes.
Testosterone deficiencies can develop, leading to worsening of the hot flashes. In such cases, hormonal replacement is required to manage the symptoms and provide relief.
