Premarin vs. Cenestin

Does anyone have any comments or advice as to which is better. I've heard not such good things about Premarin re: weight gain, etc... But I'm having a hard time finding out anything about Cenestin.
Thanks
Jeniffer

Hi!

Both Premarin and Cenestin are conjugated estrogens. Some women do very well on Premarin, some do well on Cenestin, and some do well on other types of estrogen. The trick is to find the one that works best for you! There's an article in the Hormone Jungle Articles that gives more information on conjugated estrogens. Look up article #12, or just click here.

Hormones out of balance can be a cause of weight gain. It will be important to track your symptoms and work to find the right dose and method of delivery that works best for you. You can keep a journal of your symptoms, and it helps to refer to the too much/too little list as a guide while working to balance. Generally women start with estrogen only and then later add in progesterone and/or testosterone, one hormone at a time. It can take time and it can be frustrating finding the right hormone therapy, but some women are lucky and get it right the first try.


It might also help you to read these articles:

Weight and HRT

Weight and Menopause

Hopefully someone with Premarin and Cenestin experiences will be along soon to share.

s

Thanks for the info. I just hope I'm one of those ladies that get it right pretty quick.

I would also love some info about this-- I was on Premarin 1.25 the first 8 weeks, but then switched to .9 Cenestin last week... no real reason for it-- those were just the extra samples my Dr. had at his office... I wasn't feeling overwhelmingly wonderful on the Premarin, but I know this takes time. I was willing to try something else, might as well, right? Anyway, the biggest change for me is that my urine had a very strong (horsy??) odor while on Premarin-- and it was driving me nuts! Since starting Cenestin, the odor has gradually "improved"-- not near as strong as before-- so that is a positive! btw, i have never heard anybody mention urine odor issues before with Premarin, so I am not sure if that is a common occurence or not...
other than that, I basically "feel" the same as I did when I was taking Premarin...still kinda snappy/short-tempered, insomnia, you know, the usual post-surgery stuff....

I went from Premarin to Cenestin. Premarin made me feel achy all over. Liked Cenestin 1.25 better was on it for quite a number of years. They say it is more natural made from plants but it is not a bio-identical hormone.
The only reason I went off was that I was having really bad memory problems. Not sure if it was the cenestin or the fact that I was only on estrogen at that time.

So, can someone explain in laymans terms what a bio-identical hormone is and what the Brand names are? What are the differences? I'm new to this & I'm the only person I know having to deal with this so early on in life. Help!!! I'm so confused and really nervous.

Hey Jenique,
Dont feel like you are the only one. I had my surgery 5 months today and the dr has changed me for the 3rd time. I started on Premarin first day out of surgery then at 4 weeks I mentioned to her that I got a little hot during bedtime, but was overall happy considering it could be worse. I didnt want to be like some cases you read on here.
She decided to put me on vivelle dot (patch) I didnt mind the patch. But I tried it for 2 full weeks and felt like I had an upset stomach all the time. So I went back on premarin and the upset stomach stopped immediately. She wanted me to try femring, but I felt really uncomfortable with that. Not to mention not good reviews on this site about it. So tomorrow I will try femtrace and see how that is works. It is a on going thing. Good luck on finding what will work for you!

Well, now I'm starting to research Vivelle Dot, wondering if that would be better. Of course, all of them list weight gain, fluid retention as severe side effect. I have a pretty solid stomach, I don't get sick from anything. Before my ablation surgery I had been bleeding for 22 months straight and the b/c patch was something I tried. I didn't bother me but it didn't stop my bleeding either, so to make a long story short, I'm wondering if the Vivelle Dot would be something to try? What about sun exposure? I think I read somewhere that increase in heat or sun exposure made the patch release to much estrogen at once. True? I have a pool in back yard and spend every possible moment out there. Of course I wear 30 sunscreen every time I'm outside. Any thoughts, anyone?

The dr. found it to be very odd that I had an upset stomach. I liked not having to take that pill everyday. Especially since I take synthroid for hypothyroid. I am curious to see what other people write about there experiences. I think I am going to start a thread and ask what people take and what experiences they have. I didnt hear anything about the sun issue. I have a pool also. A friend of mine goes to the beach all the time and she wears a patch, and never said anything. Lets keep looking and maybe we will find out something!

Thanks so much for the encouraging words. I found out in Jan I was going to have to have this done and was able to delay until June. Now that it's right around the corner I'm starting to completely freak out. I've worked myself into a tizzy about estrogen. I really don't have any fears regarding the surgery or even the recovery but taking something that may or may not work and may or may not make me fat, moody, mean, bloated, you get the picture, really scares me. My husband thinks I'm nuts for reading everything ever printed and said he's going to take my laptop away if I don't get a grip. He just has no idea how incredibly scary this is. Or how scary I'm making it?