Trading Info is Key Before Taking Estrogen Hormone Replacement Therapy
Before prescribing estrogen hormone replacement therapy, your doctor owes you some explanation of what it is for, the benefits it can provide for your body and the risks it brings. However, it is not just your doctor who needs to say some important things. You yourself also need to divulge certain vital information that your physician should know about with regards to HRT.
Before Taking Estrogen Hormone Replacement Therapy
1. Inform your physician and pharmacist if you are allergic to certain medications, especially estrogen and progestin.
2. Alert your physician if you are pregnant, intend to get pregnant, or breast-feeding your baby. Estrogen hormone replacement therapy may cause undesirable effects to your pregnancy or your baby. Should you get pregnant while under therapy, contact your physician right away.
3. Let your doctor know of all the prescription and nonprescription drugs that you are taking including vitamins, herbal products, and nutritional supplements. Adjustments in the dosage or close monitoring may be required because estrogen hormone replacement therapy may have an impact on the effects of certain medicines, such as:
- acetaminophen (Tylenol)
- anticoagulants, e.g. warfarin (Coumadin)
- thyroid medication, e.g. levothyroxine (Levothroid, Levoxyl, Synthroid)
- morphine (Kadian, MS Contin, MSIR)
- cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune)
- temazepam (Restoril)
- medications for seizures, e.g. carbamazepine (Tegretol)
- oral steroids, e.g. dexamethasone (Decadron, Dexone), methylprednisolone (Medrol), prednisone (Deltasone) and prednisolone (Prelone)
- theophylline (Theobid, Theo-Dur)
- phenobarbital (Luminal, Solfoton)
- phenytoin (Dilantin)
- salicylic acid
- rifampin (Rifadin, Rimactane)
- temazepam (Restoril)
4. Keep your doctor privy to your health condition by disclosing your medical history. Let him know if you suffer from or have experienced any of these:
- asthma
- depression
- epilepsy (seizures)
- excessive weight gain and fluid retention (bloating) during the menstrual cycle
- hysterectomy
- jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes)
- kidney, gallbladder, liver, heart disease
- migraine headaches
- toxemia (high blood pressure during pregnancy)
- vaginal bleeding between menstrual periods
5. Confess to your doctor if you are a smoker. Your risk for adverse effects, like stroke and blood clot may increase, and the efficacy of estrogen hormone replacement therapy may decrease if you smoke cigarettes.
6. Tell your physician or pharmacist if you are a contact lens wearer. It may be possible for you to experience changes in vision or your capacity to wear your lenses if you are taking estrogen hormone replacement therapy. Consult an eye doctor if this happens.
7. If you are already under estrogen hormone replacement therapy and you are about to go under the knife, or even just dental surgery, let your doctor or dentist know about your hormone intake.
One single vital information that your doctor does not know of may seriously put your health or life at risk, so be sure to spill the beans before you swallow the pills.
See related articles.
“What is Hormone Replacement Therapy and What it Does”
“Hormone Replacement Therappy after Hysterectomy: to Take or Not to Take?”
“Decoding the Ageing Process Among the Female Species”
