Premarin

What is Premarin by Pfizer?

Premarin is a hormone replacement medicine made by Pfizer. Each tablet contains 0.625 mg of conjugated estrogens, and one pack holds 28 tablets. Although it is listed among anti-estrogens in our catalog, Premarin works in the opposite direction: it is an estrogen, not a drug that blocks or lowers estrogen.

The name comes from its source, PREgnant MARes' urINe. Conjugated estrogens are a mixture of estrogen compounds, mainly sodium estrone sulfate and sodium equilin sulfate, obtained from that natural material. In the body they are converted into active estrogens that bind to estrogen receptors and replace the hormone that the ovaries no longer produce after menopause or after their removal.

What is Premarin used for?

Premarin has been one of the most widely prescribed estrogen therapies for decades. Its main uses are:

• moderate to severe hot flushes and night sweats during menopause;
• vaginal dryness and other changes of vulvar and vaginal atrophy;
• low estrogen caused by hypogonadism, surgical removal of the ovaries or primary ovarian failure;
• prevention of postmenopausal osteoporosis in women at significant risk, when non-estrogen medicines are not suitable;
• palliative treatment of selected cases of breast cancer and of advanced prostate cancer.

Premarin is not a tool for managing estrogen side effects of a steroid cycle. A man who takes it on a cycle would raise his estrogen activity, with a greater risk of gynecomastia and water retention, which is the reverse of what SERMs and aromatase inhibitors are used for.

How is it taken?

Premarin is taken by mouth once a day, either continuously or in cycles such as 25 days on and 5 days off. For menopausal symptoms, treatment often starts at a low dose and is adjusted to the lowest amount that controls symptoms; 0.625 mg is a commonly prescribed strength. Treatment is reviewed every few months, with the aim of using estrogen for the shortest time that is needed. Women who still have a uterus are usually given a progestin as well, to protect the lining of the womb.

The dose, the schedule and the length of therapy must always be agreed with a qualified medical professional, who will also arrange regular checkups.

Risks and side effects

Common side effects include breast tenderness, headache, nausea, bloating, irregular bleeding or spotting, leg cramps and fluid retention. Serious risks are well documented: estrogen therapy raises the chance of blood clots, stroke and endometrial cancer, and large studies linked estrogen with progestin to a higher risk of heart attack, breast cancer and dementia in older women. Premarin should not be used by anyone with unexplained vaginal bleeding, known or suspected breast cancer or another estrogen-dependent tumor, a history of blood clots, stroke or heart attack, liver disease, a clotting disorder, or during pregnancy.

Package

The pack contains 28 tablets of Premarin 0.625 mg made by Pfizer. It can be ordered on MaxLabs.co.