Menopause Medication: How Do You Decide Which Is Right For You?

If you are like most women, you are understandably confused when confronted with all the information, some proven, some scary and some downright ridiculous, when it comes to the treatments available for you and your menopause medication arsenal. How about some objective, sensible advice on how to research your options and choose a plan that will work best for you? Well, read on to get some of the best and most up-to-date information available which you will need to make the right decision regarding your personal regimen. Which is right for you? Prescription, natural therapies, or a combination? Let’s look at them all.

Available Choices in Prescription Medication

Pills, oral or vaginal, creams, gels, rings; the choices seem to be endless. Let’s look at our options in prescription medication often used during menopause.

Prescription medication which does contain hormones

• Birth control pills can relieve symptoms during perimenopause, but are not used after menopause. There are many contraindications to using birth control pills and only you and your healthcare provider can decide if they are right for you.
• Low-dose vaginal estrogen, which is available in cream, a pill inserted vaginally, or ring form, helps with localized symptoms such as vaginal dryness and loss of elasticity, but at a much lower dose that is not absorbed as much as when taken in oral pill form.
• Hormone replacement therapy, or HRT, is also available in many forms such as pill, patch, vaginal ring, gel, or cream form, and is probably the most widely used form of medication used for the symptomatic treatment of menopause. However, it has been shown to have significant health risks for some women. To provide relief, experts recommend only the lowest dose possible be used for the least amount of time. Talk to your healthcare provider to get more information on whether this medication is a good option for you.
• Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy is a form of hormones usually made from plants. Because it is believed to most closely resemble those hormones made by our own bodies, they are thought by many to be a safer bet than those available in the traditional form. There is quite a lot of controversy surrounding this form of hormone therapy, so be sure to do your homework and discuss this with your healthcare provider. Experts on both sides of the debate still feel that any form of hormone therapy should only be used in as low a dose and for the shortest time possible.

Prescription medication which does not contain hormones:

• Antidepressant medicines have been shown to decrease the amount and severity of hot flashes in some women.
• Clonidine, a high blood pressure medicine, may also help decrease hot flashes, but there could be problems with low blood pressure.
• Neurontin, a medication used to control seizures among other uses, can also reduce hot flashes. However, there are possible and significant side effects.

http://www.enhancementhq.com/avlimil_complete.html
http://www.enhancementhq.com/avlimil_complete_article.html

Author: Pam Lyon

Menopause medication can be confusing and challenging for any woman, but real help is available. Don’t wait to start getting the relief you deserve. For even more valuable information on menopause medication, be sure to visit http://www.squidoo.com/menopausemedication You’ll be glad you did.

Technorati Tags: medication for menopause, menopause medications

Menopausal medication has recently been shocked by the WHI (Women’s Health Initiative) study which changed the entire way of considering prescribing menopausal medications drugs to alleviate menopause symptoms. Hence, this worldwide, major study was surprisingly stopped in the middle of its course after preliminary results showed that what was once freely prescribed menopause medication were holding a considerable threat to women using them for a long term.

Menopausal medications which consisted of an association of estrogen and progesterone were found in this study, when used over a prolonged period of time to maybe have an association with an increase in cardio-vascular complications and even some breast cancers.

The conclusion of this wide study was that further studies were needed but that caution in prescribing menopausal medications is warranted. Hence, what used to be almost an automatic reflex for doctors to prescribe HRT (hormone replacement therapy) to all women going through menopause is now highly questioned. Hence, if at all considering using menopausal medications in the form of HRT, a physician always needs to weight the benefits and the now known risks of such medication.

Caution has been emphasized in women using menopause medication for a longer period, their risks of developing serious complications increasing as the duration of HRT increases.
In order to limit the needs for menopausal medications, a woman going through peri menopause should take proper action and consider adopting a healthy lifestyle. Exercising regularly and eating properly have shown in numerous studies to have beneficial effects and are a good alternative to .

After the shocking results of the WHI study and the serious questioning of how society view menopause more as a disease that a natural passage, the use of menopausal medications has been highly reconsidered and a more natural approach privileged. It is a common reflex in our society who is often in search of a ‘quick fix’ to small disturbances to favor the medicalization or even overuse of drugs in answer to common and often benign problems. Such overuse of menopausal medications has been now condemned by a very serious worldwide study and more natural solutions to menopause symptoms are now searched.
Routine menopausal medications prescription is now a thing of the past and the medical community has been alarmed that what was considered the safe and standard of treatment for menopause carried serious health risks.

Such a warning should definitely apply to all drugs that have been liberally prescribed for common problems such as ADD, male hair loss, common mood disorders, etc in the past. Who knows maybe very soon such a shocking study as the one about menopausal medications will unreveal serious health threats for people who have used these drugs for a prolonged period. That is the second valuable lesson to be learned form the WHI study on menopausal medications.

http://www.enhancementhq.com/avlimil_complete.html

http://www.enhancementhq.com/avlimil_complete_article.html

Author: Nathalie Fiset

For more information now go to: http://www.happymenopause.com/Early-Menopause-Symptom.html

 Mail this post

Technorati Tags: over the counter menopause medication, the counter menopause medication 1 - 3 3.50 Not enough data 73 No data No data Add

Menopause is an extremely difficult period in a woman’s life. How the woman deals with the bodily changes occurring in her system is up to her and the doctor she is working with. It is important to know all of your treatment options for the symptoms you may have during menopause. There are hot flashes, mood swings, depression, weight gain, loss of sexual appetite, and headaches. Menopause and Prozac seem to go hand in hand for those who experience menopause symptoms to the extreme.

First, let us look at what Prozac has been used to treat. Prozac was originally designed to help those who suffered from depression. During the study, for this pill it was also determined that those who were in menopause and treating depression with Prozac had less hot flashes. So now, we know that menopause and Prozac go well together. You can treat two symptoms of menopause if you decide you need Prozac. Keep in mind that there are natural methods to treating depression and hot flashes so you if you have doubts about taking a manufactured drug you might try these methods first.

Menopause and Prozac has a nice ring to it if you have found the natural methods are not helping you. Some women are more affected by depression, mood swings due to the hormone imbalance, and they need stronger acting medications. Another medication you may consider when in menopause is Zoloft for depression though it may not treat the hot flashes as Prozac does.

When it is your body you are dealing with it is important to be comfortable with the treatment you are seeking. You may have adverse reactions to one or the other drug listed above. Therefore, you might find that you are not treating hot flashes with Zoloft or you might find that Prozac works better for you. Speak with your doctor about the side effects you may have while taking this medication and keep in mind that if you are still seeking a natural way to treat depression the two will counteract the effects you are seeking and cause severe depression.

Menopause and Prozac tend to be to peas in a pod when you are looking to relieve yourself of menopause symptoms. It is important to understand what affects manufactured medications can have on your body before taking them as well as trying the natural method first if that would make treatment more comfortable for you. Menopause is a difficult time in your life and you should not have to suffer unduly.

http://www.enhancementhq.com/avlimil_complete.html
http://www.enhancementhq.com/avlimil_complete_article.html

 Mail this post

Technorati Tags: menopause medication