I started Prempro in May...the first two months were rough...after no periods for six months prior, I had two in May and June but only one in July...also had diarrhea every morning for the first six weeks....that's gone...my NP told me pretty much what to expect...I feel pretty good now...no hot flashes, night sweats, only one wake up in the night vs six or seven...I was on another board and no one had anything good to say about Prempro...Anybody care to share their experiences?I was in a funk for awhile and within a week of HRT, started feeling like my old self....

Cathy, Hi!!

I can't say, that I favor Prempro....as I'm one who had a lot of problems with it!!It was after a couple of years....of experimentations with different dosages, etc. that anything that had synthetic hormones in it, began to give me serious health concerns:(

Prempro, contains premarin, (urine from horses) plus progesterone!!My body, rejected both hormones....causing serious side affects!!I had continuous breakthrough bleeding...persistant yeast infections....anxiety/panic attacks....vivid dreams and nightmares, etc.,etc.

You mentioned taking it since May....I took it for several  years!!  My doctors told me, eventually my body would adjust and accept this med....and me not knowing any better, believed them!I just kept doing what the doctors tried to do....changing the dosage...schedules, etc., but it only got worse!!

Since premarin is from the urine of pregnant horses...my body...eventually got the message to me that I was not a horse....and rejected it as a poison!! Which in my opinion IS!! Two years ago I had a complete mental and emotional meltdown, caused by taking Prempro!!

Let me say here....that I know some woman who do very well on it....but I know more who don't!!  It's something you really....really have to be careful with, when it's your body, that could suffer:(

I'm not in favor of it!!  For me it was dangerous!!:oPlease be very careful...should you decide to continue taking it!!

I'm sure there will be other posts by other gals, who share the same feelings that I do!!

I will agree with you in ONE area....the Prempro...eliminated my Hot Flashes....but that eventually was not an issue, when my health became a serious concern for me!!

Hope that helped....feel free to ask any further questions!! I'm sure you will find the answers you need!!

Godspeed!!

((((((((Hugs from a Canadian Gal))))))))                         Nancy

i was on premphase for nine months (similar drug) and seemed fine until last month---then i had terrible terrible anxiety and sweats -----i have gone cold turkey off premphase in the past week and am looking for a new therapy, hopefully more natural.  It was poison for me, too!!!!

Cathy, Hi too!

I didn't have a period for 2 to 3 years, then went to my doc and started taking Prempro for bone health.  I have been using it just under 1 year and have been having periods with cramping periodically the whole time.  My doctor increased my dose to 5mg, and I have developed a bumpy red rash around my nose, plus I have gained 20+ pounds in about 4 months since the increased dosage right around my middle that I just can't get rid of with exercise and eating right--NOTHING FITS and my moods haven't been all that great either:confused:!  SO, rather than reverting to MORE DRUGS to make me happy :biggrin: and lose weight, which the drugs probably wouldn't accomplish anyway--after my last pill on Sunday, I quit taking Prempro and have started soy protein therapy--Revival--I have been taking it since Friday of last week.  I learned about soy protein from these message boards and our wonderful website.  This is Wednesday, and my hot flashes haven't come back as yet.:biggrin:  I think they probably will until the Revival kicks in--although I already have more energy!:smile:  Just thought I'd throw this in the pot too!!!  Thanks for listening! :wink:  The decision process is a scary one for all of us, but we are the ONLY ones who can really decide our own path! (Boy was that deep!) :biggrin:!!!!

Love to you all!MarySmo

Hi Cathy,Just to add my two cents worth...

A couple years ago, just as my periods were winding down, my doctor started me on PremPro and I had an awful time with it -- break through bleeding, anxiety, mood swings, etc.  Some months later, he prescribed Premarin and Provera (same drugs, separate pills) and I had most of the above problems, plus panic attacks and so on.  Personally, like some of the other gals here, I think it's poison.

But -- with that said, and in fairness, my sister has taken PremPro for about seven years now with no apparent problems...although, she's put on some 30 lbs. (she was already heavy) and needs THREE different diabetic medications to control adult onset diabetes.  Since she wasn't diabetic before the PremPro, is there a connection?  I don't know; some research suggests that there *may* be a connection between the synthetic hormones and blood sugar problems.  

I also have a good friend who takes PremPhase and has taken it for more than five years.  Overall, she's been pleased with how it's relieved her hot flashes, allowed her to sleep, relieved her anxiety, etc.  But her migraines have continued to worsen (she's on pain medication most of the time), and yesterday she had to have a breast biopsy done. Is there a connection...I don't know, since she DID have the occasional migraine before starting the hormones.

Perhaps age is the sole factor with my older sister and my friend -- they're both about 56.  I just don't know...the sad thing is I'm not sure the doctors know either.

At any rate, you seem to be having good effects from the PremPro and that's great.  But if it were me, I'd keep a close eye on how I feel and what else may--or may not--start going on with my body.

Take care,  

Thanks to everyone who replied to my post...I have been considering stopping the Prempro and trying a soy based product for awhile...I am also having trouble with weight...I am not thin but I am fit and healthy...I exercise a lot and eat right and I am gaining weight!!!  I attribute this to the Prempro...I have also taken Prozac for the last nine years off and n and it has stopped working...so...I'm off the to NP...something's got to change and pretty quick..BTW, I am 49 about to turn 50 in October.

Hi allI'm 46 years old and perimenopausal.  Haven't been ovulating for months now and decided to switch gyn after going thru all kinds of tests and my old gyn wanting to do a hysterectomy.  All the tests came back fine so I figured he just wanted to make extra money on a surgery and shut me up.    My new gyn switched me to from Climera .025 to the Combipatch to take care of the heavy periods that started up all of a sudden after next to nothing for years.  That wasn't enough so then she put me on Prempro.  This is my second month on it and I didn't know if it was me or the pills but I've felt like I'm stuck in permanent PMS mode!!  My poor husband!  At first I thought my thyroid meds needed adjusting.  Not!  I started HRT to help the mood swings.....this is not helping.   I'm spotting on and off continuously (they tell me that's to be expected for a while), and it's throwing my blood sugar out of wack (I'm hypoglycemic).  I had just gotten it back on track about 6 months earlier and was feeling human again and lost 25 lbs.  by going on the Sugar Busters diet and thyroid meds.  Now here I am 6 weeks after staring Prempro  and I feel like I'm back at square one with my blook sugar yo-yoing again and grouchy as a bear.    What are my options in HRT?  Soy counteracts the thyroid meds.  Suggestions?