Anyone taking Ortho Prefest???

I had my surgery December 17th, and started HRT 1 week after surgery. My DR had me on FemHRT once a day, then 2 weeks ago changed it to 2 times a day, because I was still having terrible night sweats and not sleeping at all. The 2 a day have helped with the night sweats although I still have a terrible time falling to sleep, but I also started having a lot of swelling in my legs and hands and breast tenderness. Now today he has given me these new pills to try, Ortho Prefest. The estrogen in them is natural, and the progestin is synthetic. 3 days you take a pill with only estrogen and then 3 days a pill with the combination of estrogen and progestin. You continue this cycle for the month. I have looked it up on the web and found most articles saying it has a lot less side effects, but just wondering if anyone has taken this and how you got along?

Toothfairy,
Are you more interested in taking the bio-identical hormones(natural) ? I noticed that you mentioned the estrogen is natural in your new HRT. You could ask your doctor for one of the estradiol patches or pills and then use bio-identical progesterone instead of the progestin. Progesterone is available through a compounding pharmacist in a pill, cream, or sublingual tablet. Here is a link to find a compounding pharmacist www.iacprx.org A compounding pharmacist will often help discuss this with your doctor. If there is no compounding pharmacist near you, let me know and I will get you the links to a couple that do mail order.
take care

Becky in OHIO

Hi I just started taking these pills, I felt ok on the estrogen pink pills but just started on the white pill last nite and had a really bad headache at 3:00 am, I tried Activella and they made me dizzy, I to have had a complete hyster. when I was 38 now 49, and I have tried everything, from pills, patches, implants, and compounded medicine, liked the compounded medicine but my estrogen levels were way to low. I also have Graves disease a thryroid thing, so hard to get regalated. But can't understand why dr. has me on a pill with progestrone in it , says women who have had a hyster should'nt take it, I am going to try just taking 1/2 of the white pill tonite and tommorow to see how I do. Let me know how u are doing with it . byeeeeeeeeee Julia

Thanks for the input, Julia. I've been on this Ortho Prefest for 1 week now, and I don't think it's working! I have no energy, feel very depressed about everything. I still get night sweats and still have a terrible time sleeping. last week I was up almost all night for 3 nights in a row. I read about these herbal pills called Kava Kava extract, that can help with sleep. So i have tried those the last couple nights and they do seem to help. But I don't know if I should be taking them or not. I called my Dr, and have an appointment this afternoon to talk to him. There's got to be something out there that works! I also still feel very puffy and have gained 5 pounds in 1 week. This alone has gotten me very depressed. I feel like a blob! I have to go back to work in 1 week and I am scared to death. I am a dental assistant and I am so afraid I will start crying or something during a procedure! As far as the progesterone goes, my Dr. says women still need this even after a hysterectomy, and especially since I'm still pretty young, 40. But feeling more like 60 right now! I would like to crawl back in bed, pull the covers over my head and just stay there...not an option though. Well I hope you get straightened out with everything too. Good luck.

Lisa

Hi Lisa,

Sorry you're having such a hard time. You will find something that
works.

I had a consultation with a gynacological oncologist before my hysterectomy who was not only a wonderful surgeon but who had experienced the surgery from both ends of the scalpel. She had had a hysterectomy in her early fourties and had been on homones ever since. Based on her personal experience and her experience working with many women on HRT, she felt that they (the doctors) were getting very good at the hormone thing and that while they did not always get it right immediately, they could eventually find a balance. Hang in there.


Just a note about kava kava. Health Canada has issued a warning about kava kava. It seems there have been a few cases of liver damage in Europe that may be attributed to the herb. Nothing to be alarmed about but to be on the safe side, they are recommending that you not use kava kava until they have further assessed its safety.

You can check it out at:
http://www.hcsc.gc.ca/english/protec...2/2002_02e.htm

Sending you lots of 's and long wonderful visits from the sandman.

Danny

Hi Lisa,

Good Luck with your Dr. I have to go back in a month to my gyn. eversince I have been on estrogen again, was on the compounded stuff for 7 months, I have a knot in left boob, and had a ultrasound done but couldn't find anything, but dr. called and he wants to keep a check on it. but then I can tell if these pills work or not, I have started walking on my lunch hour, I also feel bloated with these but any estrogen does it to me, I sleep for 4 hrs. then wake up , the best stuff I liked was Progest which is a natural stuff yam cream but after 2 yrs. on it I got messed up thyroid Graves disease went wacko on me and estrogen level was almost zero, so feel like I am back to the strart again, all of this is a pain in the rear. Good Luck and keep me posted. byeeeeeeeeeeee Julia