Estrogens: function, dosage, side effects, how to use

What Drug Estrogens?

What are estrogens used for?

Estrogen is a female sex hormone that is produced by the ovaries. While estrogens is a man-made drug that has a mixture of estrogen in it.

This drug is available in tablet, gel, patch , creams, or injectable fluids. Primarily, this drug is used to treat the following conditions:

• overcome menopause symptoms (changes in the vagina)
• breast cancer in women and men
• prostate cancer symptoms
• prevent osteoporosis caused by menopause
• chronic vasomotor symptoms
• overcome hypoestrogenism, which is the body lacks the hormone estrogen due to hypogonadism, which is abnormalities in the testes or ovaries
• castrated
• early menopause

This drug is included in the class of prescription drugs so that it cannot be purchased over the counter at pharmacies.

How to use estrogens?

There are several things that you should pay attention to when using estrogens, including:

• Use this medication as directed by your doctor and follow all the instructions that have been given on the prescription.
• Do not use this medication in more dosages or for a longer period of time than prescribed by your doctor.
• The schedule for taking this medicine depends on the condition of each patient, some have to drink it every day, some every few days.
• To find out whether this drug is working well, it is usually recommended that you check regularly with a doctor.
• If you are going to have major surgery, you should stop using this drug first or tell your doctor right away.
• If using estrogens in the form of injectable fluids, discard the syringe and syringe in the correct place. Don't litter.
• If using a spray drug, avoid the heat of fire and smoking until the drug dries on your skin.
• Avoid using sunscreen on the treated area for at least one hour of use.
• If you are taking this medicine to treat cancer, you will likely take this medicine more than once a day.
• Use this medicine at the same time every day.
• Your doctor will start with the lowest dose, but will gradually increase the dose if your symptoms are still bothersome. The dose will be reduced when your condition is resolved.

How do I store estrogen?

How to store estrogens is as follows:

• Estrogen is best stored at room temperature
• Keep this drug away from direct light and damp places.
• Don't keep it in the bathroom.
• Do not store and freeze Do not freeze.
• Observe the storage instructions on the product package or ask your pharmacist.
• Keep all medicines away from children and pets.

Meanwhile, here are the rules for removing estrogen that must be done:

• Do not flush estrogens down the toilet or into the drain unless instructed to do so.
• Discard this product when it has expired or when it is no longer needed.
• Consult your pharmacist or local waste disposal agency about how to safely dispose of your product.

Estrogens dosage

The information provided is not a substitute for medical advice. ALWAYS consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting treatment.

What is the dose of estrogen for adults?

Adult dosage for osteoporosis

• 0.3 milligram (mg) taken by mouth once daily
• Treatment therapy is carried out using the smallest dose, but the dose can be adjusted according to your health condition and how you respond to treatment therapy.

Adult dosage for menopausal symptoms

• Initial dose: 0.3 mg orally once a day
• Maintenance dose: 0.45-1.25 mg orally once a day
• The dosage must be monitored regularly.

Adult dose for inflammation in the vaginal area (atrophic vaginitis)

• 0.3 mg taken by mouth once a day
• You may also be able to use a special vaginal ointment to accompany the treatment using estrogens

Adult dosage for hypoestrogenism

• Tablets: 1-2 mg taken once a day.
• The therapy must be done with a cycle period, for example 3 weeks of use and 1 week of stopping use)
• Patch: 1 patch is used once a week
• Injection: 1.5-2 mg injected through the skin once every 4 weeks

Adult dosage for abnormal uterine bleeding

• Initial dose: 25 mg IM or IV. This use is repeated after 6-12 hours if needed.
• For this condition, this drug is better given through an IV needle because the response to treatment will be faster.

Adult dosage for prostate cancer

• 1.25-2.5 mg (2 × 1.25 mg) orally three times daily.

Adult dosage for early menopause

• 1.25 mg taken by mouth once a day.
• Therapy must be done with a cycle period, for example 3 weeks of use and 1 week of stopping use).

Adult dosage for end-stage (palliative) breast cancer

• 10 mg taken three times a day and treatment is carried out for at least 3 months.

Adult dosage for ovarian surgery (ooprectomy)

• 1.25 mg taken by mouth once a day

Estrogen dosage for children?

There is no provision for the dosage of this drug for children. This medicine can be dangerous for children. It is important to understand the safety of drugs before use. Consult your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

How is estrogen available?

Estrogen is available in the following dosage forms and uses:

• Tablets: 1 mg, 2 mg
• Tablets: 0.3 mg, 0.625 mg, 1.25 mg
• Gel: 0.1% / 1gm, 0.06% / 5gm
• Patch: 0.025 mg, 0.05 mg, 0.1 mg, 1.5 mg
• Injectable liquid

Estrogens side effects

What side effects can estrogen have?

The side effects that may arise when using this medicine are:

• chest pain
• stomach aches
• gag
• constipation
• chest burning
• diarrhea
• farting constantly
• changes in weight
• leg cramps
• depression
• burning effect on the hands or feet
• muscles become tense
• hair loss
• growth of body hair in unwanted places
• black dots on the face
• swelling, itching, irritation in the vaginal area
• changes in sexual desire
• flu symptoms

If the conditions that have been mentioned do not improve, contact your doctor immediately. Meanwhile, there are serious side effects that may occur, such as:

• sore throat, fever, chills, severe cough, and other signs of infection
• loss of appetite
• the body feels weak
• jaundice
• the body moves but you cannot control it
• skin rash
• swelling of the eyes, face, tongue, throat, hands, feet, ankles and calves
• hoarseness
• difficulty breathing
• difficulty swallowing
• coughing up blood
• a part of your body suddenly goes numb
• lump in the breast
• memory disorders

Get medical help immediately if you experience any of the conditions above.

Estrogens Drug Cautions and Warnings

What should I know before using estrogens?

Before taking estrogen:

• Tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to any brand of oral estrogen medication, other estrogen products, other medications, or any other ingredients in estrogen capsules.
• Tell your doctor and pharmacist about prescription or nonprescription drugs, vitamins, and nutritional supplements that you are currently taking or will be taking. Your doctor may need to change the dose of medication or monitor you intensively for possible side effects.
• Tell your doctor what herbal products you take, especially st. John's wort.
• Tell your doctor if your eyes and skin have suddenly turned yellow during pregnancy or during your treatment with estrogen products.
• Tell me if you have experienced several health conditions such as endometriosis (a condition in which uterine tissue (uterus) grows in other areas of the body), asthma, side-effects, seizures, porphyria), calcium levels that are too low or too high in the blood You have, or disorders of the thyroid, bile, kidney, gall bladder, or pancreatic disease.
• Tell your doctor if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding. If you become pregnant while taking estrogen, contact your doctor immediately.
• Talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of taking estrogen if you are 65 years of age or older. Older women should not take estrogen unless they also take other hormones. Estrogen taken without other hormones is not as safe or effective as other medications that can be used for the same condition.
• This medicine can increase your risk of having a stroke and heart attack. Your condition will be even more dangerous if you already have a history of high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity, or if you are a heavy smoker.
• This medicine should not be used to prevent heart disease, stroke, or dementia.

Is estrogens safe for consumption while pregnant or breastfeeding?

There is no adequate research on the risks of using this drug in pregnant or breastfeeding women. Always consult your doctor to weigh the potential benefits and risks before using this medication. This drug is included in the risk of pregnancy category X according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The following references the pregnancy risk categories according to the FDA:

• A = Not at risk
• B = No risk in several studies
• C = May be risky
• D = There is positive evidence of risk
• X = Contraindicated
• N = Unknown

Meanwhile, this drug can also be released from breast milk (ASI) and can also inhibit the work of hormones needed to increase milk production. In addition, this drug can also slow down milk production so you should reconsider if you want to use this medicine if you are breastfeeding.

Estrogens Drug Interactions

What medicines can interact with estrogen?

Estrogens can interact with other drugs that are being taken, which can change the performance of your medication or increase the risk of serious side effects. Not all possible drug interactions are listed in this article.

Keep a list of all the products you use (including prescription / nonprescription drugs and herbal products) and consult your doctor or pharmacist. For your safety, do not start, stop, or change the dose of any medicine without your doctor's approval.

The drugs that interact with estrogens most often include:

• Ambien (zolpidem)
• Low Strength Aspirin (aspirin)
• cephalexin
• Clomid (clomiphene)
• Cymbalta (duloxetine)
• DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone)
• Estroven (multivitamins)
• Fish oil
• ibuprofen
• Klonopin (clonazepam)
• Lexapro (escitalopram)
• Lyrica (pregabalin)
• medroxyprogesterone
• melatonin
• Mirena (levonorgestrel)
• Nexium (esomeprazole)
• Nexplanon (etonogestrel)
• norethindrone
• Osphena (ospemifene)
• phentermine
• prednisone
• progesterone
• Singulair (montelukast)
• Synthroid (levothyroxine)
• tamoxifen
• testosterone
• Tylenol (acetaminophen)
• Vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin)
• Vitamin C (ascorbic acid)
• Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol)
• Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol)
• Xanax (alprazolam)
• Zoloft (sertraline)
• Zyrtec (cetirizine)

Does food or alcohol interact with estrogen?

Estrogens can interact with food or alcohol, by changing how drugs work or increasing the risk of serious side effects. Consult your doctor or pharmacist about potential food or alcohol interactions before taking this drug.

What health conditions can interact with estrogen?

Estrogen can interact with your health condition. These interactions can worsen your health condition or change the way the drugs work. It is very important to always let the doctor and pharmacist know what health condition you are experiencing. The presence of other health problems can have an impact on the properties of this drug.

Some of the conditions that can interact with this drug are:

• Abnormal vaginal bleeding
• Hypercalcemia, increased calcium levels due to breast cancer
• Hypertension, high blood pressure
• Angioedema, swelling under the skin due to allergies
• Gallbladder disease, which is a disease of the gall bladder,
• Hyperlipidemia, excess fat in the blood
• Liver disorders
• Melasma, the area of ​​the skin that is darker than the surrounding skin
• Depression
• Glucose intolerance
  Tests for thyroid function

Estrogens overdose

What should I do in case of an emergency or overdose?

In case of an emergency or overdose, contact the local emergency services provider (118/119) or immediately to the nearest hospital emergency department.

What should I do when I miss a dose?

If you miss a dose of estrogens, take it as soon as possible. However, when it is nearing the time of the next dose, skip the missed dose and return to the usual dosing schedule. Don't double the dose.

Hello Health Group does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.