Premarin

What is Premarin?

Premarin tablets contain conjugated oestrogens, a mixture of the naturally occurring female sex hormone oestrogen.

Premarin is used to treat menopause symptoms such as hot flashes and vaginal changes, and to prevent osteoporosis (bone loss) in menopausal women.

How to use Premarin

How should I take Premarin?

Generally, when oestrogen therapy is prescribed for a postmenopausal woman with a uterus, a progestogen should be considered to reduce the risk of endometrial cancer.

A woman without a uterus does not need a progestogen. In some cases, however, hysterectomized women with a history of endometriosis may need a progestogen.

PREMARIN may be taken without regard to meal.

Treatment of Moderate to Severe Menopausal symptoms

Generally, women should be started at 0.3 mg PREMARIN daily. Subsequent dosage adjustments may be made based upon the individual patient response.

PREMARIN therapy may be given continuously, with no interruption in therapy, or in cyclical regimens (regimens such as 25 days on drug followed by 5 days off drug), as is medically appropriate on an individual basis.

What happens if I miss a dose?

Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. Skip the missed dose if it is almost time for your next scheduled dose. Do not take extra medicine to make up for the missed dose.

What happens if I overdose?

Seek emergency medical attention

What should I avoid while taking Premarin?

Avoid smoking. It can greatly increase your risk of blood clots, stroke, or heart attack while using conjugated oestrogens.

Grapefruit and grapefruit juice may interact with conjugated oestrogens and lead to unwanted side effects.

Side effects & precautions

Use of Premarin may increase your risk of cancer of the breast, uterus, or ovaries.

Using this medicine can increase your risk of blood clots, stroke, or heart attack, or cancer of the breast, uterus, or ovaries.

Discuss this with your own doctor before starting this treatment.

To make sure this medicine is safe for you, tell your doctor if you have ever had:

• a hysterectomy
• heart disease
• liver problems/jaundice
• kidney disease
• gallbladder disease
• asthma
• epilepsy/seizures
• migraines
• lupus
• endometriosis or uterine fibroid tumours
• porphyria (a genetic enzyme disorder that causes symptoms affecting the skin or nervous system)

Side effects

Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction to Premarin: hives; difficult breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Call your doctor at once if you have:

• Chest pain or pressure
• Signs of a stroke
• Signs of a blood clot – sudden vision loss, stabbing chest pain, feeling short of breath, coughing up blood, pain or warmth in one or both legs
• Jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes)
• Memory problems, confusion, unusual behaviour
• Unusual vaginal bleeding, pelvic pain
• a lump in your breast

Common Premarin side effects

• nausea, gas, stomach pain
• headache
• depression, sleep problems (insomnia)
• breast pain
• vaginal itching or discharge
• changes in your menstrual periods; breakthrough bleeding

Reporting of side effects

If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. This includes any possible side effects not listed on this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the Yellow Card Scheme at: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard. By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.

Documentation