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Had Hysterectomy, Have Both Ovaries. Have Anxiety, Mood Swings, Insomnia, Adult Acne And Facial Hair, Prescribed Premarin. Safe?
Question: I had a hysterectomy in May 2012, still have both of my ovaries. I had blood work done 3 months (september 2012) after my surgery and my hormones were normal . I have notice in the last 10 -11 months, I have anxiety, flushing, mood swings, insomnia, adult acne and facial hair. Are my ovaries not producing enough hormones, is this the reason I'm having these symptoms? This week my doctor prescribe Premarin 0.3, which I haven't taken yet. He said i should notice a difference once I start taking it. My concerns are should I take this hormone drug for relief, is Premarin safe for me? or is there some else i should be taking that may be better for me. I have no history of strokes, heart disease or breast cancer. I also hear about these supplements from women to women, is this something you recommend for my symptoms. I'm really not sure what I should be taking at this point.
Brief Answer:
Get hormones tested again before starting drugs
Detailed Answer:
Hi and thanks for this query.
I am so sorry to hear about the hysterectomy and these recent disturbing symptoms . I hope we get to figure out the problem and provide you with a permanent solution.
Your age suggest that you could be soon heading into menopause. Though these symptoms are suggestive of menopause, it is difficult to tell it is the cause as we cannot have a recent menstrual history to aid in this diagnosis. I will suggest that you get these hormonal levels measured again. If the values are suggestive of menopause, then we shall go ahead and manage your symptoms as such and premarin would be a good choice for you.
Premarin should be safe for you and more so if you use it only for a short time for symptoms relief. Most of the complications often result with prolonged use and I guess this would not be the case with you. Also, your history doesn't suggest any clotting abnormalities or any other pathologies that should make this medication more likely to cause complications to you.
There are lots of different supplements that women take and report relieve of symptoms. If they do not contain any active substances, then trying them is of benefit. The medical community has not yet found a better alternative than the hormonal therapy we propose and so I cannot and will not pretend to recommend one over the other. We leave this decision to patients, give them our honest, unbiased and up to date thoughts on this and let them make the decisions.
In summary, get laboratory support for menopause as possible cause of symptoms.
Premarin is a good drug and safe for you and more so if used for a short time.
Supplements are good if you find them helpful but I cannot recommend any without a sound backing right now.
I hope you find this helpful. I wish you well and feel free to ask me more questions if they do arise.
Once more, Thank you so much for this opportunity to answer your health query today.
Dr. Ditah, MD
Get hormones tested again before starting drugs
Detailed Answer:
Hi and thanks for this query.
I am so sorry to hear about the hysterectomy and these recent disturbing symptoms . I hope we get to figure out the problem and provide you with a permanent solution.
Your age suggest that you could be soon heading into menopause. Though these symptoms are suggestive of menopause, it is difficult to tell it is the cause as we cannot have a recent menstrual history to aid in this diagnosis. I will suggest that you get these hormonal levels measured again. If the values are suggestive of menopause, then we shall go ahead and manage your symptoms as such and premarin would be a good choice for you.
Premarin should be safe for you and more so if you use it only for a short time for symptoms relief. Most of the complications often result with prolonged use and I guess this would not be the case with you. Also, your history doesn't suggest any clotting abnormalities or any other pathologies that should make this medication more likely to cause complications to you.
There are lots of different supplements that women take and report relieve of symptoms. If they do not contain any active substances, then trying them is of benefit. The medical community has not yet found a better alternative than the hormonal therapy we propose and so I cannot and will not pretend to recommend one over the other. We leave this decision to patients, give them our honest, unbiased and up to date thoughts on this and let them make the decisions.
In summary, get laboratory support for menopause as possible cause of symptoms.
Premarin is a good drug and safe for you and more so if used for a short time.
Supplements are good if you find them helpful but I cannot recommend any without a sound backing right now.
I hope you find this helpful. I wish you well and feel free to ask me more questions if they do arise.
Once more, Thank you so much for this opportunity to answer your health query today.
Dr. Ditah, MD
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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