A number of the hormonal treatments for prostate cancer can cause hot flushes as a side effect. The treatments that do this in particular are orchiectomy (which is an operation to remove the testicles), the LHRH analogues, and total androgenic blockade using the newer antiandrogen drugs. Although there is no sure way to control or get rid of the hot flushes they can cause there are a number of drugs that can often help reduce the flushing substantially.

These include low doses of one of three hormonal treatments (cyproterone acetate, medroxyprogesterone acetate or low doses of oestrogen) and some other non hormonal treatments.

Cyproterone acetate is an older type antiandrogen which is not used much these days as it has been overtaken by the more modern antiandrogens that generally have less side effects. The one advantage of cyproterone acetate is that it suppresses hot flushes much more than the modern antiandrogens so giving a small dose of cyproterone acetate together with the hormones that are causing the hot flushes can help these symptoms in a lot of men.

Medroxyprogesterone acetate is related to progesterone, one of the main female hormones, and also has an antiandrogenic effect. Like cyproterone acetate small doses can substantially reduce hot flushes in the majority of men.

Similarly, small doses of oestrogen , either as the tablet stilboestrol or as a low dose oestrogen patch, are often effective.

More recently, it has been shown that an antidepressant, venlafaxine (Efexor) has the surprising effect of reducing hot flushes in some men. A very small dose of another tablet called clonidine, which alters the sensitivity of the blood vessels (but which can cause light-headedness, especially on movement) may be helpful but is generally less effective than the other methods and is less used nowadays.

So there are several treatments which may help hot flushes and if the are bothering you then it would be worthwhile discussing with your specialist whether you could try one of the tablets to see if they help.

If none of these bring about an improvement, or if you are reluctant to take more tablets, then you could try complimentary treatments. Although these have not been tested in medical trials, some people find treatments such as acupuncture, homeopathy or the use of evening primrose oil can be helpful.