THE TRUTH ABOUT PREMARIN Date: Fri, 31 Dec 1999
LETTERS 1999
Subject: Premarin
Are there any organizations in the UK campaigning about Premarin? If so, do you have their web-site links ? I am a doctor in the UK and always inform my patients where Premarin comes from. When patients find out virtually all want to change to a different HRT (without even mentioning the cruelty involved!). I am trying to find an organization in the UK interested in spreading the message of Premarin's origins to the public. No luck yet. Can you help? I've tried Animal Aid they directed me to PETA who are based in the US!
M.A.
Member of Doctors & Lawyers For Responsible Medicine
Ed Note: The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) campaigned to educate doctors and women throughout the UK about effective alternatives to Premarin. There are at least 30 alternative HRT products currently available in the UK, many of which are synthetic or plant derived from soya and/or yam plants. Information was sent to 10,000 doctors encouraging them to consider prescribing other HRT drugs. WSPA is located in Canada, but they work in cooperation with over 300 member organizations in 70 countries to promote animal welfare and conservation.
WSPA was part of an international inspection team that looked into the treatment of mares on PMU farms in 1995. The investigation uncovered the 'factory-farming' of thousands of horses in tiny stalls with harnesses attached to their rear quarters to collect urine and some unable to lie down or move around. They found that most of the farms provided inadequate bedding and limited amounts of water, with some mares suffering from sores caused by constant rubbing against tight harnesses and tiny stalls. Although Wyeth-Ayerst claims to have estbalished a voluntary code of practice to improve conditions and welfare, they have refused to allow WSPA inspectors back into the PMU farms to verify this.
WSPA contact information:
Silia Smith, Executive Director, WSPA Canada
Phone: (416) 369-0044; Fax: (416) 369-0147
Website: WSPA
E-mail: wspacanada@compuserve.com
Date: Thurs, 23 Dec 1999
Subject: Premarin
Thank you so much for your wonderful article "The Truth About Premarin" My question is this: I am 53 year old woman. I had a complete hysterectomy 2 years ago. I have been taking premarin .625 mg.for 2 years. Calcifications showed up in my mammogram. I have a repeat test every 6 months. No new calcifications in the last 1 1/2 yrs. Calcifications are benign -I am small framed 98 lbs 4'10". My father died at 66 from conjestive heart failure. My mother is 79 and has no health problems. I am confused whether to lower dosage of premarin, try Evista or another alternative, or not take anything. What do you advise? Are there diagnostic tests I should take such as bone density? I am most concerned about protecting myself from breast cancer, and stroke and then heart attack. Please advise if possible. Thank You S.D.
Date: Sun, 05 Dec 1999
Subject: Leg Cramps from Premarin
I am 31 and a year ago had to have a complete hysterectomy. I am shocked by the information I have read about at this web page. I always wanted to know more, but I didn't know how to find it. The day after my surgery I was told to take premarin 1.25 and so I automatically did what the doctor told me. Now a year later my legs ache all the time and at night I get leg cramps so bad I can't sleep and my legs hurt for weeks at a time afterwards. I also have headaches all the time, so now I'm on premarin 2.5 so does this double the chances of me having a stroke or blood clot. I feel so naive and helpless when it comes to this because i don't understand any of it. I really apreciate your web site, I just showed my husband the pictures of the horses it makes me sick to know this is happening and I'm so stupid I didn't ask questions about this drug. Thank you, F.F.
Date: Sun, 5 Dec 1999
Subject: Just Wanted To Thank You
Hi, I have just been on your website for women's health issues and appreciate having the information. I am another patient whose ob/gyn pushed estrogen (and when I broke down and cried because I did not want it, her response was 'we have to tell you your alternatives') for borderline osteoporsis. After reading your information, I realize they (Renaisance Women's Center, Austin TX) are not operating in my best interest. I tried to report them to ACOG but that web site has no place to take mail for complaints. The other doctor also recommended Premarin to combat thinning hair, thin skin, incontinence and, to help the bones absorb calcium. In both cases, I broke down and cried because my mother died of breast cancer and I don't want to take estrogen. I got through menopause on my own so it is frustrating to me to have estrogen be pushed so hard now. I will be interested in learning about plant sources for estrogen and the compounding pharmacies. Estrogen, in particular Premarin, has gotten out of hand! Keep up the good work, A.C.
Date: Thu, 02 Dec 1999
Subject: Premarin Alternative
Your page is very informational and interesting, but I am wanting to know if you have a listing of products available that can be purchased over the counter for menopause? I stopped taking Premarin when it made me "feel like I was having a heart attack" and have not taken anything since. I still have mild night sweats that interrupt my sleep and the doctor that I have been seeing doesn't seem to know of anything else but Premarin. I'm looking into changing doctors. Any help is appreciated. Thank you, B.R.
Date: Thurs, Nov. 4, 1999
Subject: Premarin Caused Stroke
I started taking Premarin a month ago after seeing my ob/gyn. Let me first state that I am a healthy 51 year old woman, NEVER smoked, stopped drinking 17 years ago. I exercise daily, walking 2.5 miles. My blood pressure is normal. Last Sunday night, I woke up, couldn't open my left eye, the left side of my face was numb, and my speech was garbled. My partner knew this was definitely a stroke. After going to the ER, and insisting to whoever would listen that Premarin had to be the culprit, I'm going through a battery of tests to determine if there was an underlying disease that caused this. My diagnosis in ER was TIA (transient ischemic attack.) I mean, come on now, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this one out! So... needless to say, I'm not taking estrogen again. And I'm almost certain that the MRI's and the dopplers and the whatevers of testing will come up negative. I'll keep you posted.
L.M.
Ed. Note: Please be sure to read the product insert sheet that should be included with Premarin/PremPro. Ask your pharmacist for one if it wasn't included with your prescription. It is a 4-panel fold-out (in very tiny print) that lists all the possible side effects. Under a heading "Risks of Estrogens and/or Progestins"there is a paragraph titled: "Abnormal Blood Clotting" - "Taking estrogens may cause changes in your blood clotting system. These changes allow the blood to clot more easily, possibly allowing clots to form in your bloodstream. If blood clots do form in your bloodstream, they can cut off the blood supply to vital organs, causing serious problems. These problems may include a STROKE (by cutting off blood to the brain, a heart attack (by cutting off blood to the heart), a pulmonary embolus (by cutting off blood to the lungs or other problems. Any of these conditions may cause death or serious long-term disability."
Ed. Note: Women should be aware that doctors will never admit that something they prescribed may have caused a serious health problem such as stroke or blood clot. When I voiced my concerns to my doctor about all the possible side effects he brushed off my concerns with "maybe they should tell you what can happen if you don't take it."
Date: Mon, 15 Nov 1999
Subject: Premarin Caused Blood Clot
I am a 39 year old who just had a hysterectomy about 3 months ago. I felt so wonderful after the agony of PMS and endless periods that I did not know what to do with myself. However, after about a month I started to feel terrible, I had a blood clot in my right leg and was suffering with extreme swelling. The doctor told me not to worry that, although the blood clot was very painful - it would not kill me and for the swelling he told me to contact my family physician and get a diuretic. Even though he had doubled the dose of Premarin I had been taking, he did not think that had anything to do with the problems I was having. So about a week ago I stopped taking the Premarin. I could not get over how much better I felt after two days. And the hot flashes were not any worse than when I was on the Premarin. I am still having to contend with the swelling, so much so that I had to quit my job as an administrative assistant at a real estate company. I thought not sitting for most of the day would make a difference - so far it hasn't. Other than the insert in my prescription, that I read, I wasn't even asked if I would mind taking it. It was handed to me the next morning after my hysterectomy and I assumed it was what I was supposed to do. I did not do my homework and will never take a medicine without asking more questions. I never will assume that my doctor always knows what he is doing when prescribing certain drugs. Thanks for the information and for giving me a place to voice my opinion - at least I know I am not alone or crazy. Thanks!! L.S.
Ed. Note: Another example of a doctor who will not admit that Premarin caused a blood clot even though he had this woman on a double dose!! Would this doctor's casual and indifferent attitude regarding a serious health problem be the same if his wife, or a close relative suffered a blood clot while on Premarin and would he then encourage her to stay on it? The number of women suffering stroke and blood clots from Premarin is very likely much higher than we are being led to believe because doctors will not admit that Premarin is causing them. And they continue to say "the benefits outweigh the risks"? I think after reading the letters of women who've suffered strokes and blood clots after going on PremPro,(who were very healthy before going on it) some reassessing on the safety of PremPro needs to be seriously considered. BE SURE to read the next letter.
Date: Sunday, October 31, 1999
Subject: Premarin Side Effects
Thank you for saving my life. I have been taking Premarin for many years, never thinking it could be bad for me. I certainly didn't know that it came from horses. When I think about how sick I have been, throwing up, lasting two days at a time. I would be so sick, someone would carry me like a baby to the emergency room. They would give me a shot of Phenergan and Demerol, push me in a wheel chair to the car. I never even remember any of the trip there and back home. This has been going on for many years about one or two times a month. I have been seen by at least five different doctors, all of them thinking I was having migrains. My blood pressure is high, so I am on medication for that. I am also on an anti-depressant. The last time I was so sick, I made up my mind that I could not go through another attack like this, no matter what it took.
I was on the computer one day when I found your site. I quit taking Premarin and have not been sick at all. Now I get so mad at so many people for not telling me about Premarin and it's side effects. I have spent thousands of dollars on medicine and doctors, not to mention lost time at work and away from family, because of this drug. I have been sick from Premarin for so many years, it seems almost strange now that I feel good again. I am going to take all the material that I have collected on the subject to my family doctor, whom I have been going to for only a year. He is a very understanding young man that is very open to anything that will help his patients. I know he will give me something else to replace the Premarin, and be glad to get the information. I feel as if I have been given a new chance at life. That medication would build up in my system so, that I could almost feel it, then I would start throwing up. Anything that makes a person that sick, should not be given to anyone. I am an animal lover, having many birds and the sweetest dog, so it just bothers me so much to think any animal is being treated badly. Thanks for letting me get this off my chest. Maybe, somehow, I can help someone else.
Y.K., North Carolina
Date: Sat, 13 Nov 1999
Subject: Side Effects of Premarin/Provera
I started going through the change at the age of 37. I could not get my ob/gyn to help me with the abnormal bleeding etc. After much frustration and emergency room visits, I insisted that a blood test be performed to determine if, in fact, I was going through the change. The results were positive and my doctor prescribed Premarin and Provera. I never did feel good while taking these, especially on the sixteenth day when I had to start the Provera. I had shortness of breath and would wake up suddenly gasping for air. I complained to my family doctor who thought I was experiencing some asthma, which I had never been bothered with before. The episodes continued and each month it got worse. I notified my gyn and she reduced the miligrams of Provera and the breathing became better. In Feb. of 1996 I had to have breast surgery for a tumor which, thank God, was not cancer but my surgeon felt it was related to hormones. I was scared to take these but my family doctor said the good outweighed the bad. So, I continued. The abnormal bleeding and fatigue continued and I went to my gyn for my yearly exam in March of 1998 and was having abnormal pap smears. By the time all the repeat pap smears were being done I was starting to panic. I went to my surgeon who began his own tests and found that I had to have a hysterectomy. There was cancer in the uterus but the surgeon said he got it all and I didn't need further treatment. I chose never to use Premarin again and at this time I am not using any hormone replacement. I do have hot flashes, but I don't have the other problems associated with Premarin. I would not recommend this to anyone and have cautioned women about taking this medication. I do not feel it is safe.
K.A.
Date: Fri, 12 Nov 1999
Subject: Dear Friend
I just pulled up your site - If someone has no signs of menopause... maybe a couple of warm, not even hot flashes and has a couple of mood swings, why would the doctor prescribe PremPro. Last year it was suggested at Pap time and I said no. Yesterday I said, "YES" took one and knew it felt wrong. I didn't feel right about it to begin with, but why would a respected doctor prescribe it to a woman in her early 50s who is seemingly healthy?? I read about the perks and free pills, but I would hate to think I fell into that trap. It is so upsetting. I am just going to call him and tell him that I will pass for a while. MY question...WHY DID HE PUSH IT SO MUCH...without me asking?? In any case, I am not continuing with the medication. I don't think the one pill I took would hurt. I did feel so strange last night though. I am a vitamin/herb/natural type of person. I even told him about chaste berry, black cohosh, etc. and he has always been up for alternative stuff. I just don't understand it. I am really disillusioned and feel duped. I will look into the naturals. I have been reading about them, but not enough to make a permanent decision. If there are no side effects as in the black cohosh extract etc.,then I would try any of the supplements. This really bothers me - when I read all the contraindications and warnings...that would have been enough...then your site...I don't think so!!! I will read it in more detail after work. I just read the main page.
Thank you,
A.G.
Date: Tue, 09 Nov 1999
Subject: PremPro
I started out taking Premarin and Provera. When PremPro came out my Dr. gave me samples to try. The nurse told me to take them and see if they were alright for me. I took them and they did not seem any different from the other prescriptions. One night while driving, I also got the feeling in my head that I had a hat on that was too tight. I nearly passed out and prayed that I could get out of traffic and off the road. I also had another spell that I can not quite explain, it seemed like I was not quite myself, not like I was passing out but like I was not quite with it. I became flushed and thought if I could put my head down that I would feel better. I ended up in the ER with very high blood pressure and am now on medication for it. I have had that feeling many times with the tight hat on my head, when I explained it to my doctor they looked at me like I was crazy. When I read about J.P. having the same symptoms I decided I needed to do something about this medication. I also have had many polyps removed, spent a lot of my savings on tests, and have bleeding now since I had a D and C. The doctors say that I am alright, but I do not agree. Thanks for listening.
M. M. Oil city, PA
Date: Sun, 16 May 1999
Subject: Cenestin is a Better Alternative to Premarin
Hi, I am an RN and soon to be Women's Health Nurse Practitioner. I graduate in September. I used to raise horses and lived on a ranch doing this for 15 years. I LOVE horses and I have known about Premarin for many years. There is a new product out for HRT called Cenestin which is the only other conjugated estrogen available. It got FDA approval about a month and 1/2 ago. It is now available for doctors and NP's to prescribe. It is manufactured by Duramed Pharmaceuticals. I feel strongly about the use of Premarin and would like to do whatever I can to ban its use. How can something produced from a horse work in harmony in a woman's body? Yes, it may alleviate some symptoms of menopause but I know that the impurities in the product do more damage then good!
I would like you to please let the world know that there is an alternative out there that is vegetable based and is cheaper than Premarin and more effective. I have emailed your link to every female I know and I have printed out all 15 pages to pass along to my fellow classmates and professors. Thank you so much for the work you have done to help rescue the horses. They are such fine noble creatures and anyone who has ever been around them know that having them stand anywhere for very long is cruel! They are meant to be free to run and graze.
And anyone who has ever seen a mare and foal know the bond is unbelievably strong for both of them. I can't even bear the thought of what is happening to these animals. Thank you again. And if there is anything I can do just let me know. I am passionate about this cause.
Respectfully,
J. A. F. RN, OB/GYN NP Student
Date: Wed, 29 Sep 1999
Subject: Questions
Hi, I have been reading your research and it has really given me some helpful information, but I have a question. I am currently on Premarin at a low dose of .3, but don't like being on it and after what I just read in your research the pills are kind of sickening to swallow. My doctor has recommended Estratest and Provera. What do you know about them as far as causing cancer of any kind; and does plant based estrogen cause any more or less cancer than others? I have lupus and am fairly young for my hormones to have stopped working. My hairdresser told me my hair is the texture of an old woman. I am willing to try the natural estrogens you mentioned: "Remifemin or Promensil, but how do they compare to estrotest for benefits and side effects as well as efficacy. My doctor won't even talk about the natural ones and says they are from "anti-government" people. I thought that was rather funny, because all my lupus med have made me sicker than my lupus, and when I went natural with them, I have still been sick with lupus, but I don't have the hair loss, hair graying, nor the bone loss I did with the meds, nor the incredible muscle weakness. I would appreciate any feedback and wisdom you might have to offer. Thank you. Sincerely, D.B.
(Follow-up letter from D.B.)
I did take myself off the premarin, and started the promensil. I took it for about three months with only a little change, but recently was in Wal-Mart and found something called Estroven by Amerfit. I have used it only a few weeks and am noticing a big difference. Please let your readers know that some doctors now are advocating that if you can live with your lupus it is better to try natural remedies because the prescription ones are eventually debilitating as much or more than the lupus. I am proof that would have been true in my case, since after only one year of Prednisone, my hip bones are in the last stage before osteoporsis...and I am only 45. I am aggressively searching the web for natural remedies for autoimmune problems and have benefitted from several. Now that I am also off the Plaquenil, I have some moderate muscle strength back and can work a full day without total exhaustation. The key is eating very "right", and getting rest as well as alot of laughing and some supplements. I have found that grape seed extract worked well.
The following may be of interest to anyone suffering from Lupus. Also, Colostrum has benefitted me by almost stopping respiratory infections. I used to be on antibiotics 10 times and more some years. I've been using Colostrum now since 1998. Too, small amounts of GH-3, growth hormone once a day and recently Olive Leaf Extract in liquid form. What works for me might not work for them, but at least they can get the idea to start searching for solutions on their own. It has taken me 8 years to dig and discover the right things and even a health food store can't help alot, because after all they are there to make money, too. I have to take the prednisone again, but my body had become well enough and after 8 days of alot of sleep, some light housework, lots of laughter, I recovered without meds. It was a wonderful blessing. Finally, I have to add that for me none of this would have been possible without alot of prayer and trust in God through Christ. I am not saying that for any reason except that it is true. He led me, I am convinced, to find a way other than the medical community for many of my needs. Illness, too, can have its purpose. Last of all, I encourage Lupus patients to contact any state Lupus foundation. Usually an 800# or other phone # can be obtained from directory assistance. They can provide alot of knowledge even doctors don't all have. Doctors can't master every illness, the best they can do is practice. Sincerely, D.B.
Date: Wed., July 14, 1999
Subject: PremPro Caused Uterine Fibroid Growth
I was a 50 year-old very healthy woman when I went for my GYN appointment in July of 1997. The only problem I had was uterine fibroids. I had two and they had been there for at least 8 years and never bothered me. When I went for my check-up in 1997, I had not had a period for 3 months, and only had minor menopausal symptoms. My GYN said I should take hormones to prevent osteoperosis and heart attacks. I trusted her and started taking PremPro. A week after I started taking it, I was very sick with flu-like symptoms for about 10 days. I did not associate this with PremPro. I then started feeling PMS everyday. I had cramps, bleeding almost all the time, terrible bloating, light-headedness and seeing spots, feeling numbness in my face. I called the Doctor and was told that it takes time for your body to adjust to hormones so I continued to take them. Then I started having pain in my lower back, and throbbing pain in the area of my left ovary. I was given an anti-inflamatory drug and the pain in my ovary went away. A few months went by and the pain came back. I went to the Doctor and told her something had to be done, as the pain was intense. She prescribed a different anti-inflammatory drug and it went away for a while longer. In the meantime, the backaches and the light-headedness and seeing spots continued. In February of 1998, I almost fainted while driving home from work. It felt like I had a hat on that was too tight and I was on the verge of passing out. I went to the emergency room and my blood pressure which had usually been 120/62 average was 177/84. I told him I thought it was the PremPro and he told me to stop taking it and see my regular doctor. I was diagnosed with high blood pressure and put on blood pressure medicine and the seeing spots, lightheadedness, and numbness disappeared. I am not overweight, and have never smoked or drank. The only strike against me was my mother had high blood pressure. The pain in my side got worse and I told my GYN Doctor that something would have to be done. I had a total hysterectomy. I had 4 large fibroids in my uterus, one pressing on my spine (the back pain). I had two cysts on the left ovary and one on the right. The pathology report also said I had multiple, other fibroids. The uterus is supposed to weigh between 77-100 grams, mine weighed 578 grams. Right before I had my hysterectomy, I was dragging. I had to lie down as soon as I got home from work, and sometimes I felt as if everything was going to fall right out. I was swollen, bloated, bleeding, and cramping. I truly believe that the fibroid growth was caused by the PremPro, and I may have developed high blood pressure eventually, but I don't think it would have been as sudden and as soon. My mother developed it in her late 60's. The day after surgery I had hot flashes from hell, and was so miserable that I let her put me on Estradiol (estrace, generic) the lowest dose you can take. The only problems I have had was insomnia. She increased the dosage to 1.25 mgs and now, a year later I feel like a new person.
J.P.
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