How to Wean Yourself From Prempro
Prempro is a medication prescribed by doctors for women to manage the symptoms of menopause. Prempro contains estrogen, which can be used to treat night sweats, hot flashes, vaginal dryness and other menopause-related symptoms. Since it is a type of hormone replacement therapy, your doctor will not likely recommend long-term use. Therefore, you may need to wean yourself off of Prempro.
Instructions
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Allow your doctor to determine the time frame that you should remain on Prempro. The hormone therapy can increase your risk of certain health conditions, such as breast cancer and heart disease. Therefore, your condition should be evaluated every three to six months.
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Decrease your dosage of Prempro. Many physicians will recommend that you gradually lower your dose as you wean yourself off the drug. Tablets come in .3 mg, .45 mg and .625 mg dosage amounts. If you are taking the .625 mg dose, your doctor may recommend starting on the .45 mg dose for the next few weeks.
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Keep reducing the amount of Prempro you take each week under your doctor's discretion. If you become symptomatic during the weaning process, he may recommend that you stay on the medication for an extended period.
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Report any side effects that you may experience while weaning yourself off of Prempro. Vaginal bleeding is a common occurrence when you stop taking Prempro.
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Consider herbal alternatives during the weaning process. In order to help manage symptoms as you stop taking Prempro, ask your doctor if it would be OK to try herbal remedies for menopause symptoms. For example, soy and black cohosh are used for hot flashes, insomnia, mood swings, night sweats and dryness.
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