Menopause Medication - Know Your Options

Menopause Medication: How Do You Decide Which Is Right For You?

If you are like most women, you are understandably confused when confronted with all the information, some proven, some scary and some downright ridiculous, when it comes to the treatments available for you and your menopause medication arsenal. How about some objective, sensible advice on how to research your options and choose a plan that will work best for you? Well, read on to get some of the best and most up-to-date information available which you will need to make the right decision regarding your personal regimen. Which is right for you? Prescription, natural therapies, or a combination? Let's look at them all.

Available Choices in Prescription Medication

Pills, oral or vaginal, creams, gels, rings; the choices seem to be endless. Let's look at our options in prescription medication often used during menopause.

Prescription medication which does contain hormones

• Birth control pills can relieve symptoms during perimenopause, but are not used after menopause. There are many contraindications to using birth control pills and only you and your healthcare provider can decide if they are right for you.


• Low-dose vaginal estrogen, which is available in cream, a pill inserted vaginally, or ring form, helps with localized symptoms such as vaginal dryness and loss of elasticity, but at a much lower dose that is not absorbed as much as when taken in oral pill form.


• Hormone replacement therapy, or HRT, is also available in many forms such as pill, patch, vaginal ring, gel, or cream form, and is probably the most widely used form of medication used for the symptomatic treatment of menopause. However, it has been shown to have significant health risks for some women. To provide relief, experts recommend only the lowest dose possible be used for the least amount of time. Talk to your healthcare provider to get more information on whether this medication is a good option for you.


• Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy is a form of hormones usually made from plants. Because it is believed to most closely resemble those hormones made by our own bodies, they are thought by many to be a safer bet than those available in the traditional form. There is quite a lot of controversy surrounding this form of hormone therapy, so be sure to do your homework and discuss this with your healthcare provider. Experts on both sides of the debate still feel that any form of hormone therapy should only be used in as low a dose and for the shortest time possible.

Prescription medication which does not contain hormones:

• Antidepressant medicines have been shown to decrease the amount and severity of hot flashes in some women.


• Clonidine, a high blood pressure medicine, may also help decrease hot flashes, but there could be problems with low blood pressure.


• Neurontin, a medication used to control seizures among other uses, can also reduce hot flashes. However, there are possible and significant side effects.