What are the Choices in Prescription Menopause Medications?

There are various prescription menopause medicines on the market these days that will help to ease the symptoms of menopause. These symptoms can include rapid heartbeat, hot flashes, blood pressure concerns, sleeplessness, tiredness, depression, fatigue, mood swings, and difficulties with monthly periods. Symptoms appear since the hormones that are usually produced in the body stop being produced or they are produced in lower quantities.

Among the most horrible effects of menopause is hot flashes. Hot flashes occur when a feeling of extreme heat takes over from the chest to the top of the head. Your face may become flushed, and you may experience perspiration and heavy breathing. Your heart may beat quickly and it can last from a few minutes to more than thirty minutes. These take place both during the day and during the nighttime, and you never know when they'll abruptly appear.

There are several drugs 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 medicines include Effexor and Prozac, both of which also help with mood swings. Other medications 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 drugs also lend a hand there.

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

Estrogen and progesterone are often prescribed for women to fight menopausal symptoms, however in the'70's if was found that they were linked to endometrial and breast cancers. They were also associated with strokes and heart disease. A search was on to find another technique to treat menopause symptoms using natural substances.

The result was the creation of Bio-Identical Hormones for use in addressing 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 isn't any actual medical proof that these things work, women who use them will tell you that they do.

Some women are reluctant to use prescription medications for menopause, and may prefer natural solutions. There are many effective over the counter menopause medications that can ease your symptoms without resulting in the adverse reactions that might be experienced with stronger drugs.

About the Author

Do you think you might be starting menopause? If so, you need to know what the symptoms are, how to treat them, and whether menopause medication is right for you.