 |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
PREMARIN
(generic name: Conjugated Estrogens) |
|
|
Premarin is an estrogen replacement drug. The tablets
are used to reduce symptoms of menopause, including
feelings of warmth in the face, neck, and chest, and
the sudden intense episodes of heat and sweating known
as "hot flashes." Cenestin tablets, containing
a synthetic form of conjugated Estrogens, may also
be prescribed for these symptoms. In addition to the
symptoms of menopause, Premarin tablets are prescribed
for teenagers who fail to mature at the usual rate,
and to relieve the symptoms of certain types of cancer,
including some forms of breast and prostate cancer.
In addition, either the tablets or Premarin vaginal
cream can be used for other conditions caused by lack
of estrogen, such as dry, itchy external genitals
and vaginal irritation. Along with diet, calcium supplements,
and exercise, Premarin tablets are also prescribed
to prevent osteoporosis, a condition in which the
bones become brittle and easily broken. The addition
of progesterone to estrogen-replacement therapy has
been shown to reduce the risk of uterine cancer. Prempro
combines estrogen and progesterone in a single tablet
taken once daily. Premphase is a 28-day supply of
tablets. The first 14 contain only estrogen. The second
14 supply both estrogen and progesterone. Both Prempro
and Premphase are prescribed to reduce the symptoms
of menopause, including vaginal problems, and to prevent
osteoporosis.
|
|
|
Sertraline (brand name Zoloft) is used to treat depression
(a persistently low mood that interferes with everyday
living. Symptoms may include loss of interest in your
usual activities, disturbed sleep, change in appetite,
constant fidgeting or lethargic movement, fatigue,
feelings of worthlessness or guilt, difficulty thinking
or concentrating, and recurrent thoughts of suicide),
obsessiveor counting, panic disorder (unexpected attacks
of overwhelming anxiety, accompanied by fear of their
return), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), (re-experiencing
a dangerous or life-threatening event through intrusive
thoughts, flashbacks, and intense psychological distress)
and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).
Sertraline is in a class of drugs
called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Sertraline
affects chemicals in the brain that may become unbalanced
and cause depression, panic or anxiety, obsessive
or compulsive symptoms, or other psychiatric symptom.
|
|
|
Littlemore Hospital, Oxford.
BACKGROUND. There is considerable
inconsistency in the results of studies of the psychological
and sexual sequelae of the menopause and their treatment.
METHOD. A search of the literature on Medline was
made of studies of psychological symptoms in women
who were either naturally or surgically menopausal
or who were receiving hormone replacement therapy
for menopausal symptoms. RESULTS. There is evidence
of a small increase in psychological morbidity (not
usually amounting to psychiatric disorder) preceding
the natural menopause and following the surgical menopause.
Psychosocial as well as hormonal factors are relevant.
While the response of psychosocial symptoms to hormone
replacement therapy with oEstrogens is variable and
most marked in the surgical menopause, in some studies
the effect is little greater than that for placebo.
Where sexual symptoms are present, there is more consistent
evidence that hormone replacement therapy is effective.
CONCLUSIONS. In the light of the available evidence,
the current use of hormone replacement therapy to
treat psychological symptoms detected at the time
of (but not necessarily therefore due to) the natural
menopause must be questioned. It does appear that
oestrogen therapy ameliorates psychological symptoms
after surgical menopause.
|
|
|
Department of Psychiatry
and Human Behavior, Brown University School of Medicine/Butler
Hospital, Providence, RI 02906, USA.
The diagnosis, epidemiology, etiology,
and treatment of premenstrual syndrome are reviewed.
A relationship between depression and premenstrual
syndrome is suggested by the increased prevalence
of prior depressive episodes in women with premenstrual
syndrome, common neurotransmitter and chronobiologic
abnormalities, and the successful treatment of premenstrual
syndrome with regimens used for depression. The relationship
between menopause and depression is not clearly defined,
but the perimenopausal years may be a time of increased
depression for women who are at risk for depressive
recurrences. The role of hormone replacement treatments
in either ameliorating or promoting depression in
menopausal women is a subject for future studies.
|
|
|
Service de Diabetologie,
Hopital Jean-Minjoz, 25030 Besancon Cedex.
Compliance is an old issue but crucial
in the management of chronic diseases. This is the
case in type 2 diabetes mellitus which requires several
drugs, either to treat diabetes or to prevent cardiovascular
complications. In this review, we discuss the relationships
between drug treatment regimens and treatment compliance
in type 2 diabetes and other chronic diseases. The
greater the number of daily drug intakes, the worst
the compliance, even if a single daily intake may
cause an increased risk of overdosing. Although the
number of tablets or treatments is less frequently
linked to compliance level than the number of daily
intake, polytherapy is generally associated with a
poor compliance. The consequences of a poor compliance
on the prognosis or the management of these diseases
are analysed based on cardiovascular studies. Even
if nearly no studies exist in type 2 diabetes, to
improve treatment compliance represents a major challenge
in these patients. Such improvement requires to preferentially
use once-a-day intake, but this is still difficult
with several oral anti-diabetics. Fixed combinations
such as the glibenclamide plus metformin combination,
cause a decrease in the number of daily tablets and
this permit a better compliance. Such approaches,
to be fully beneficial, should be part of a global
management of these type 2 diabetic patients, taking
into account all their difficulties to follow their
treatments, and based on a strong physician and patient
relationship.
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
