I am currently taking the higher dose of Premarin, known here in England as Prempac C.  I would very much like to hear from anyone who has had side effects from this drug.  I have asked my doctor if I can switch from Prempac as I have recently heard of the way it is produced, but she says I must first finish my 3 monthly cause first.  Thanks Jen

Side effects include blood clots, nausea, abdominal pain, breast tenderness, higher risk of breast cancer, irregular bleeding, headache, and hair loss.

If you haven't had a hysterectomy, you should be using a progestin, as well, to help prevent uterine cancer.

Other possible side effects...      · an allergic reaction (difficulty breathing; closing of your throat; swelling of your lips, tongue, or face; or hives);      · a blood clot (pain, redness, and swelling in an arm or leg, shortness of breath, chest pain, headache, blurred vision, or confusion);      · a lump in a breast; or      · liver damage (yellowing of the skin or eyes, nausea, abdominal pain or discomfort, unusual bleeding or bruising, severe fatigue).

•  Other, less serious side effects may be more likely to occur. Continue to take conjugated estrogens and talk to your doctor if you experience      · decreased appetite, nausea, or vomiting;      · swollen or tender breasts;      · acne or skin color changes;      · decreased sex drive;      · migraine headaches or dizziness;      · water retention (swollen hands, feet, or ankles);      · problems with wearing contact lenses;      · depression; or      · changes in your menstrual cycle or breakthrough bleeding.

•  Conjugated estrogens increase the risk of developing a condition (endometrial hyperplasia) that may lead to cancer of the lining of the uterus. Taking progestins, another hormone drug, with conjugated estrogens lowers the risk of developing this condition. Therefore, if your uterus has not been removed, your doctor may prescribe a progestin for you to take together with the estrogen. Visit your doctor regularly and report any unusual vaginal bleeding right away.  

•  It is unclear to what extent estrogen treatments may affect the risk of breast cancer.

•  Side effects other than those listed here may also occur. Talk to your doctor about any side effect that seems unusual or that is especially bothersome.

This is a compilaton of info I got when I searched Power Surge using the search engine at http://www.power-surge.com/cgi-bin/newsearch/search.pl using the word "Premarin", although these side effects are usually listed for most types of estrogen.

I am unclear why you have to finish the 3 months, though.  Did your doctor give you any reason for that?

I'm curious about that "finish three months' worth" aspect too. I'm guessing, though, that this has to do more with the doctor's evaluation of its effectiveness for you than with your needs and preferences.

Premarin has a certain credibility in hrt among doctors because it is the oldest, most widely-used, and most heavily-researched (in part, because of heavy promotion and funding by the manufacturer). This means they can defend its use as "the best" rather than working with you on your preferences and exposing themselves to being questioned on using "less well documented" forms. Bah!

One other thought on hrt side effects, though. It's important to distinguish between true "side effects" such as clots or hypertension, and things that simply result from hrt used at the wrong dose for a person's individual bodily needs. This can cause many of the "side effects" that lead to hrt being abandonned by the majority of women who try it when they are not encouraged by their doctors to try other doses, combinations, or forms. This includes persistence of hot flashes, insomnia, breast pain, anxiety, depression, fluid retention, and headache, as some examples.

HRT is one situation where drug, dose and route must all come together to work for you, and having any one of them not be right can lead to failure of the regimen. And right should, to my mind, include ethical concerns.

Hi Jen,

I'm in England too and have recently been prescribed the lower dose of Prempak C because of endometrial hyperplasia, discovered by a hysteroscopy. However it does include some days of a synthetic progestin. Still worries me though that conjugated estrogen can cause this condition in the first place.

I was originally prescribed HRT by my GP, for flooding periods, plus various other debilitating symptoms, which I had no idea were to do with premenopause until I found this board. The GP wanted me to take it for 3 months, but when I had unacceptable side effects she lost interest and wouldn't try any others. For a while I tried natural progesterone cream from the US, and did feel rather better, but was concerned about using it without knowing my actual hormone levels. I asked my GP to test the levels but she refused saying she wouldn't know what to do with them anyway!! I had to go back three more times and really persevere to get a consultation with a gyn. However, following the hysteroscopy, the gyn wanted to see me after two months on the Prempak C, and made it clear that if I had any unacceptable side-effects I was to stop taking it and get an immediate appointment to see him. Don't put up with the 3 month stipulation! Go back if you're not happy with the results, and ask for a different form of HRT, different dose, or second opinion if necessary.  

Best of luck, Annemarie

Hi, was reading with interest on your side effects on HRT,  since being on Prempac I have had stomach cramps and terrible nausea causing loss of appetite, I would be interested to hear of any successful natural remedies.  I think perhaps that this feeling 'crappy' all the time may have something to do with hormone imbalance, as my doctor has never done any tests to monitor them .  Thanks Jen

ourjen..i was on bc pills for 2 wks. in sept/oct. of this yr..i quit them..because they made me constantly sick..after taking 2 pills ended up in emergency room..with vomiting that wouldn't stop..etc..was given those nice green suppositorys..(said yuckingly)..to use for that nauseaus feeling..well for 2 wks. almost every morning i had to use one of those before going to work..i thought..this is not right..hehe..so i quit..what i took wasn't premarin..but some synthetic type of bc pills..

Hello Everyone!

 Last August my dear 82 year old mother-in-law died of uterine cancer.  She had been on Premarin for several years and everyone suspects that the Premarin was the cause.  Of course we can't know that for certain and I don't want to frighten anyone because I know so many women take it with good success.  But  watching this happen to someone I love was enough to cause me to pursure something more natural- like soy perhaps.

 Sierra

(Edited by Sierra at 5:59 pm on Feb. 9, 2002)

I am on Premplus. (2.5mg progesterone) (0.625mg estrogen).  It has been 3 months now. As compared to before with insomnia, hot flashes, panic attacks, nausea, hair loss ect I am feeling almost like my old self. I know that there is a risk with cancer. ( a very small risk) but I think that I would have been put into the looney bin without it. My mom had breast cancer. She also never nursed 9 children and wore a bra even to bed. My sister has been on HRT for nearly 8 years now and it has meant the difference between her working and not. I'm wondering if anyone has experienced any side effects with my dosage of HRT. Also if we take HRT we are being given extra benefits for our hearts and our bones... Susan....

Hi, I am not against HRT it is just Prempac that I do not want to take due to the cruelty in how it is produced, I am now taking Climagest which is a more natural hormone replacement theray.  Hugs Jen

How is climajest working for you. Where do you get it? Whatever works and is natural has got to be a plus. Let me know Thanks :)susan

I'm back on again. Sorry just had another question. I've been reading through a lot of letters. I'm trying to find out just how much horse urine is used. Why is it cruel? and how much horse urine can someone injest and what are the side effects? I dont even take tylenols or alcohol or smoke. I'm into vitamins and sunflower bread. But I think I'm more scared of not taking HRT than I am of taking it. Anyone got any comments or knowledge.. Thanks again... Susan...

There are many other forms of HRT besides the Premarin family.  It is my understanding that, if you drop a pill into water, you can smell the urine.  

I did a search of the Power Surge site  at http://www.power-surge.com/cgi-bin/newsearch/search.pl and came up with 971 articles on Premarin - a "hot topic".

Here are 2 of them...

From one of the Power Surge Newsletters - #19

PREMARIN INFO

In the past few years, the animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has mounted a campaign against Premarin, the most widely prescribed estrogen replacement. PETA charges that horses are mistreated in the manufacture of the drug, made from the urine of pregnant mares. While the group has an ax to grind--it opposes all animal husbandry--more mainstream organizations, such as the World Society for the Protection of Animals, have also expressed their disapproval.

In response, Premarin's manufacturer, Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories, recently agreed to let a panel of international experts visit 32 farms. The company issues a detailed set of guidelines and, according to Tom Hughes, of the Canadian Farm Animal Trust, horses get sufficient food, shelter, and vet care.

But panelists reported a number of concerns. The mares spend at least six of the 11 months of their pregnancy tied in stalls in which they can tread in place but cannot turn around. They are exercised outside their stalls no more than once a week; some are not let out from mid-September until late March. In many cases, says panelist Joe Silva, the stalls are too small for horses to lie on their side, their natural sleep position, or to groom themselves. And the horses are kept thirsty (though not dehydrated) to keep their urine concentrated. Wyeth-Ayerst says it has already stepped up its inspections of the farms and that it will consider the panel's concerns.

Women looking for alternatives should know that many doctors are most comfortable with Premarin, the best-studied estrogen replacement. But according to the North American Menopause Society, other forms of prescription estrogen, such as those made from soybeans or yams, seem equally effective at reducing hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms as well as at cutting the long-term risk of osteoporosis. ~~~~~~~~~~

From Power Surge Newsletter - 23-24

PETA - PREMARIN: WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO KNOW

Premarin is under attack because of the risk of breast cancer associated with taking it, and because of what activists call "the appalling cruelty to mares and the slaughter of their foals" involved in its production.

Premarin, made by Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories, is the only ERT drug made from animal waste. Other drug companies produce ERT drugs from plant sources, which more closely mimic the estrogens in the human ovary. In a study released last summer, Dr. Phillip Warner of the Menopause Institute of Northern California reported that 66 percent of responding physicians have patients who complain of side effects from taking Premarin.

Each year, 75,000 mares are impregnated and tied in stalls so small they cannot turn around, take even a few steps, or comfortably lie down. Irritating rubber sacks are strapped around the mares' groins so their urine (known as PMU, or pregnant mares' urine) can be collected to make Premarin. The mares are denied free access to water so their urine will yield a more concentrated estrogen. The foals resulting from these pregnancies are considered unwanted industry "byproducts"--most are slaughtered.

"Women have a right to know the dangers associated with ERT and the cruelty involved in Premarin production," says PETA's Dr. Jean Rodgers. "Women and their physicians can opt not to use a drug cruelly derived from pregnant mares when great alternatives exist."

Consumers may obtain more information about Premarin by calling the PETA hotline, 1-800-KNOW-PMU

hi jen, ive bieng taking prempac c for 3 weeks now and having trouble with my arms,i cant seem to lift anymore and the pain is so ad i was in tears and i have a high pain level, i aslo am tired all the time . im going to see my doc at end of week to see if cann change it 3rd differnt type of hrt as none seem to bee doing the job,im on 38,and had hysterectomy 11 years ago, hope this helps ,kymco x