Practical Practitioner
By: Pamela Egan, FNP-C CDE
Women’s Health
Now that long-term hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is falling out of favor, many women are asking how to discontinue HRT. Most women who start HRT for menopausal symptoms can discontinue it a few years later. The risk of breast cancer doesn’t seem to be increased in women who take HRT for less than five years.
The problem is that some women get severe hot flashes when they stop taking HRT…even if it’s been many years since menopause. Tapering or decreasing the dose slowly seems to be the best way to discontinue HRT. Go slow, if symptoms emerge. Wait until symptoms are tolerable before the next decrease.
Women will soon see ads touting Zoloft for premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), which is the new terminology for PMS. This is a new indication for Zoloft, but it’s not a surprise. Prozac is already marketed under the brand name Sarafem specifically for PMDD. Sarafem is identical to Prozac. These anti-depressants can improve both the emotional (depression, anger, irritability) and physical symptoms (breast tenderness, bloating, headache) of PMDD.
This article was originally published June 10, 2002 in The St. Tammany News.
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