Good News for Menopause: Prescription Medications Help!

By Kim Allarie

There are many prescription menopause drugs that can help to lessen the symptoms of this phase of a woman's life. Some of those symptoms that cause such distress include hot flashes, fast heartbeat and high blood pressure, mood swings, trouble sleeping, fatigue, anxiety, depression, irregular or heavy periods and many others. The reason they take place is because of hormone changes or lack of hormones associated with the onset of menopause.

Hot flashes are almost certainly one of the most aggravating symptoms that transpire throughout the change of life. This is when a wave of heat comes over the woman, commonly in the face and chest area, which causes flushing, sweating, heavy breathing and the feeling of being thrown into a furnace. The heart might race and hot flashes can last from 3 minutes up to 30 minutes. They can come up at any time throughout the day and sometimes even at nighttime.

There are a few medicines in the antidepressant department that can aid in easing the symptoms of hot flashes and of course they also help with the symptoms of depression that often accompany menopause. These medications include Effexor and Prozac, both of which also help with mood swings. Other medicines used for menopause are Zoloft, Norpramine, Tofranil and Aventyl. All will help to manage depression and some also aid in relieving hot flashes. Some women get confused easily throughout menopause and these medications also help out there.

Some women experience high blood pressure throughout menopause, even if they have never had it before. Clonindine is the drug that is normally prescribed in these circumstances, because this drug also aids in stopping hot flashes. There are some nasty side effects such as insomnia which can compound sleep difficulties that are already associated with going through menopause. Conversely, this drug can also cause you to become sleepy when you don't want to be.

In the'70's artificial estrogen and progesterone drugs given to menopausal women were found to be associated with endometrial cancer, then to breast cancer, heart problems and strokes. This spurred a search to try to find other methods to treat menopausal symptoms utilizing more natural ingredients.

The result was the creation of Bio-Identical Hormones for use in treating menopausal symptoms. These are hormones that are molecularly the same as the hormones that are produced in the body. Medical professionals can write a compounded prescription that's tailor made to the woman which balances all three hormone categories within the body: estrogen, progesterone, and androgen. Although there is not any actual medical proof that these things work, women who use them will tell you that they do.

Another alternative is to give over the counter menopause medication a shot. Some of the natural, herbal products are quite effective at managing menopausal symptoms without the negative reactions you may experience with prescription menopause medications. - 30307

About the Author:

Menopause is a difficult time for many women, and requires them to make a number of adjustments to their lifestyle in order to combat the symptoms. They also need to make decisions regarding whether or not to take menopause medication to help ease their distress.

Guide To Menopause

By Donna Caruthers

Menopause is often a difficult time for many women, because of the symptoms that go along with it. These symptoms often include hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings and sometimes sexual issues. The severity of these symptoms can vary from mild to quite severe. Menopause generally occurs in women sometime between the ages of 48 to 55.

When a woman's ovulation and menstruation cycles cease, this is when menopause occurs. There are a number of hormonal changes that take place in the body during menopause, which are what cause the various physical and emotional symptoms to occur. There are usually some early indications that menopause is about to begin, such as irregular periods that fluctuate between a heavy and light flow, and hot flashes might begin to occur. This transitional stage is known as perimenopause, which precedes the actual onset of menopause. Perimenopause is common around the age of 40 to 45. However, this timeframe does fluctuate, and some women actually experience symptoms as early as age 35.

There have been studies that seem to indicate that various factors in a woman's life can bring on menopause earlier than normal. Increased stress levels, as well as the various environmental toxins that are ever-present are often to blame, as is the fact that women often smoke. Smoking as a general rule is thought to bring on perimenopause approximately two or three years earlier than what would be considered normal for a woman.

Some symptoms can be especially troubling and uncomfortable for some women, such as the hot flashes and night sweats. Hormonal changes in the body are responsible for these types of symptoms, and they can even cause sleeping problems in some women. Menopause symptoms, especially if they are severe, can increase a woman's stress levels. There are also often changes in a woman's libido levels during menopause. Hormone changes in the body can cause vaginal dryness and irritation, which can make sex painful. This often has the end result of reducing a woman's desire for sex. Another factor that can enter into a woman's sexual desire is the mood swings that are common during menopause.

In many cases, there is not a specific need for medical treatment for menopause, because it is simply part of the body's natural aging process. However, when there are severe symptoms, there are types of prescribed medications that can help alleviate these symptoms. If symptoms are milder, women often choose to manage menopause by living a healthy life, reducing stress, and managing symptoms without medical treatments. Light exercise is often helpful, due to the physical benefits as well as stress reduction and mood enhancing benefits of exercise.

To deal with severe symptoms, doctors often prescribe hormone replacement drugs. These drugs are effective for many women, but do have the possibility of side effects, including water retention or the increase in certain types of symptoms. There are both synthetic and natural hormone treatments available, which a woman can discuss with her doctor if she feels they might be beneficial for her. - 30307

About the Author:

The author writes on a variety of health topics and is especially interested in women's health issues including menopause and perimenopause. Please visit Signs of Menopause Guide for additional information.