Menopause?
_xo asked:
What remedies/treatments are there, (which are available from chemists) to help ease menopause????
Thanks.
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What remedies/treatments are there, (which are available from chemists) to help ease menopause????
Thanks.
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Comments (7)
have you tried cream of sumyunguy?
Kara T…grow up.
some women start hormone treatments but I don’t know what the medication is called. Ask your doctor about it.
Red Clover, Magnesium tablets and a whole host of other things but look for the obviously better quality products as mentioned.
Kara T, man get a life
Heya
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is the main treatment for menopausal symptoms. It relieves hot flushes and vaginal dryness, and reduces the chance of urinary infections. It can also help if you feel depressed.
But HRT increases your chances of getting breast cancer. This increased risk is very small, but it gets bigger the longer you use HRT.
HRT can also increase your chances of getting clots in your blood (called thromboembolic disease), getting heart disease and having a stroke. For most women these risks are small. The risk of having a blood clot gets smaller the longer you are on HRT.
If you take HRT containing only oestrogen, you run a high risk of getting cancer in the lining of your womb. If you still have your womb, you will be prescribed another hormone called progestogen to protect against this cancer.
A drug called tibolone (brand name Livial) helps with hot flushes and night sweats, and can increase your sex drive. Like HRT, tibolone slightly increases your risk of some serious side effects.
We don’t know whether phyto-oestrogens (plant oestrogens found in some foods, such as soya) help with symptoms of the menopause. There’s not much research on herbal remedies either.
Treatments that work:
HRT: HRT stands for hormone replacement therapy. You can get it in different forms including tablets, patches, gels and vaginal cream. HRT contains the hormone oestrogen, either alone or combined with another hormone called progestogen. Some oestrogen-only brands of HRT are Elleste Solo, Estraderm, Evorel, Harmogen, and Premarin. Some brands of combined HRT are Climesse, Femoston, Nuvelle, Premique and Prempak-C. More…
Tibolone: Tibolone is another hormone treatment. It’s a drug that copies the action of the natural sex hormones in your body. The brand name is Livial.
Alternatives to HRT:
Lifestyle
Some women find that regular exercise, lighter clothing, sleeping in a cooler room, and reducing stress reduce the number of hot flushes. Some women find that things such as spicy foods, caffeine (in tea, coffee, cola, etc), smoking, and alcohol may trigger hot flushes. Avoiding these things may help in some cases.
Progestogen tablets
HRT usually refers to replacing the oestrogen hormone. Progestogen hormone has also been shown to reduce flushing in some women, although to a lesser extent than oestrogen-based HRT. The risk of taking a progestogen hormone is less than taking an oestrogen hormone.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRIs)
SSRIs are a class of antidepressant. It had been noticed as a ’side-effect’ that menopausal women who take these medicines had fewer hot flushes. A recent clinical trial of an SSRI called paroxetine showed that it did seem to reduce hot flushes. Some women in the trial had no hot flushes whilst taking paroxetine. Many women in the trial had some hot flushes, but much less often than before. Venlafaxine is another SSRI which has been shown to reduce hot flushes.
These are relatively new findings from small clinical trials. So, the exact role of SSRIs in the treatment of the menopause is yet to be clarified. It may become a more common treatment if these effects are confirmed with further research.
Clonidine
This medicine may reduce flushing symptoms. However, it frequently causes side-effects such as dry mouth, drowsiness, dizziness, and feeling sick. It is therefore not commonly used, but may be worth a try if all else fails.
Complementary treatments
Because of the recent concerns regarding HRT, complementary treatments have become more widely used. The most commonly used for menopausal symptoms are: black cohosh, red clover, dong quai, evening primrose oil, ginseng, vitamin E, and kava. Some small clinical studies have concluded that:
Black cohosh is the most promising and seems to ease hot flushes in some women. However, the long-term effects are unknown.
Red clover may be of benefit but different studies gave conflicting results. In addition, some species contain coumarins, which makes them unsuitable for women who take anticoagulants such as warfarin.
Dong quai, evening primrose oil, vitamin E and ginseng are no better than placebo (dummy tablets). So, they are unlikely to help.
You should avoid kava as it has been linked to cases of serious liver damage.
Soy foods have been studied and seem to have a modest benefit to reduce hot flushes. However, the studies are not conclusive. Soy foods have been a staple part of the diet in parts of the world for thousands of years and are presumed to be safe. So, it may be worth trying to increase the amount of soy foods that you eat.
Hope i helped, i recommend you go and have a chat to your family gp to put your mind at rest and talk about further options
x
Try B-6 it helped me with the hot flashes and the night sweats, it will make your urine dark almost orange, but it does help. Also good cardio workouts, they help with the mood swings.
I’d ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice. HRT is available if you’re having severe symptoms, and is usually very effective. Different medications can be used to relieve different symptoms, so the treatment most suiteable for you depends on what the problem is.
Remember that complementary medicines (herbal medicines etc.) are drugs, even though they aren’t on prescription. They can react bady with some other medications, so check with the pharmacist that it’s ok for you to use them before you buy.
St Johns wart is a good remedy to help keep your mood lifted, It takes a couple of weeks to build up in your system and is a good natural replacement to anti-depressants. As for the other menopause related problems, sorry im not too sure