Some Menopause Medications Can Have Health Risks
Menopause - Symptoms - Nutritional - Supplements - Information - Womens Health - Natural Products
The primary menopause medications your doctor will prescribe are
various forms of hormone replacement therapy, HRT, or estrogen
replacement therapy, ERT.
Your physician prescribes these menopause
medications in order to relieve your menopause symptoms. HRT, hormone replacement therapy, involves taking
both estrogen and progesterone. ERT, estrogen replacement therapy is
for replacing estrogen alone and is usually prescribed for women who
have had their uterus removed. Estrogen is a well-established prescription therapy
for hot flashes. It also helps build bone mass, improves cholesterol,
and is helpful in preventing urinary symptoms and uncomfortable
vaginal symptoms. Taking HRT, estrogen and progesterone in
combination, is for women who have their uterus, and helps reduce
the risk of uterine cancer.
"Some Of The Available
Menopause Medications"
Menopause Medications - PREMPRO: Prempro
0.3mg/w.5 mg (combination of conjugated estrogens and
medroxyprogesterone acetate) provides women with relief from
menopausal symptoms using lower doses of hormones: 52% less estrogen
and 40% less progestin. The FDA is now recommending that women who use HRT
use the lowest effective dose for the shortest duration of time.
Menopause medications such as Prempro also come in a higher dose:
0.625mg/2.5 mg if required. Menopause Medications - PREMPROTM: Premprotm
(conjugated estrogens/medroxyprogesterone acetate tablet) is used
after menopause to reduce moderate to severe hot flashes, treat
moderate to severe vaginal dryness, itching and burning; and help
reduce a woman's chances of getting osteoporosis. Menopause Medications - PREMARIN: Premarin
(conjugated estrogens tablets) is used after menopause to reduce
moderate to severe hot flashes, treat moderate to severe vaginal
dryness, itching and burning; and help reduce a woman's chances of
getting osteoporosis. Menopause Medications - PREMARIN: Premarin
(conjugated estrogens) Vaginal Cream is used to treat atrophic
vaginitis.
Other menopause medications
your doctor may prescribe:
- Clonidine (Catapres) - this medication also lowers blood
pressure
Bellergal - contains Phenobarbital. Used for hot flashes. Has
the potential to become addictive. Can also make you sleepy.
Some Anti-Depressants (SSRI's) - studies are being done to see
if they reduce hot flashes.
- Estrogen is available in a variety of forms: vaginal
suppositories and creams (mainly for vaginal symptoms),
transdermal (skin) patches - Vivelle, Climara, Estraderm, Esclim,
Alora and of course oral tablets.
"Some Of The Risks Of Taking
Estrogen Menopause Medications"
- Women on estrogen developed gallstones more often than women
not on estrogen.
Increased risk of developing deep vein thrombosis or blood
clots - the overall risk is small but still something to keep in
mind.Estrogen creams used to treat vaginal dryness may be absorbed
into the bloodstream, so the same cautions apply as with taking
oral estrogen.
Estrogens increase the chances of getting cancer of the uterus
- report any unusual vaginal bleeding while using these
medications as this may be a sign of cancer of the uterus.
- Using estrogens with or without progestin may increase a
woman's chances of heart attack, stroke and breast cancer.
"A Discussion Of Risks In Taking
Hormone Replacement Therapy"
You must do your own research when considering
menopause medications, so you can make the most informed decisions
for you and your health history. Research has been uncovering
inconsistencies in the benefits of taking hormone replacement
therapy medications. For example a 1999 study found that taking estrogen
after menopause did not protect a women against heart attacks. In
fact an earlier study in the Journal of the American Heart
Association reported that hormones aggravated heart problems and
contributed to blood clots and gallbladder disease. In 2001 the American Heart Association warned
against hormone use to prevent heart disease. And again in 2002, the
nearly seven year HERS study confirmed that hormones did not reduce
the risk of heart problems in post menopausal women.
"The Women's Health Initiative Study"
The women's Health Initiative was a long term study
sponsored by the National Institutes of Health looking at ways to
prevent heart disease, breast and colon cancer and osteoporosis.
This study has received a significant amount of press as a result of
this study being halted early. This was supposed to be an eight year trial to study
the relationship between hormone replacement therapy and its
possible benefits for heart disease and hip fracture as well as the
risks associated with hormone therapy for breast cancer, endometrial
cancer and blood clots. The trial was not intended to study the effect of
hormone therapy on menopausal symptoms or other conditions such as
Alzheimer's disease. On July 9, 2002, the Women's Health Initiative trial
was halted after 5.2 years concluding that the risks for the study
group on combined hormone replacement therapy outweighed the
benefits. (The published report is in the July 17, 2002 issue of the
Journal of the American Medical Association). It was concluded that the risks for the women in the
trial who were on hormone replacement therapy included small but
significant increased risks of breast cancer, coronary heart
disease, stroke and blood clots. The benefits for those on hormone
therapy included lower risks for hip fractures and colon cancer. Regarding heart disease, unlike earlier studies that
suggested the possibility of some protection against heart disease
for women on hormone therapy, this study showed a small but
significant increased risk for events such as non-fatal heart
attacks. The risk for heart disease was 29% higher for the
group taking combined hormone replacement therapy than for the group
on the placebo. Regarding breast cancer, the risk for invasive
breast cancer was 26% higher in the study group on combined hormone
replacement therapy. On average per year there were 38 cases of breast
cancer per 10,000 women on combined hormone replacement therapy
compared to 30 cases of breast cancer per 10,000 women on the
placebo. So there was an average of 8 additional cases of breast
cancer per year per 10,000 women in the group taking combined
hormone replacement therapy. The increase in breast cancer was apparent after
four years of being on hormone replacement therapy and the risk
appears to be cumulative, increasing over time. Regarding stroke and blood clots, there was a 41%
increased risk of stroke for the group on combined hormone
replacement therapy. The risk of stroke appeared in the second year
for the study group on hormone replacement therapy and continued
into year five of the study. The study group on combined hormone replacement
therapy had two fold greater rates of blood clots than the group on
placebo. Find
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