| Brand
Name Manufacturers |
Premarin
by Wyeth-Ayerst (made from Pregnant Mare Urine)
Cenestin by Duramed (synthetic plant-derived) |
| Generic
Manufacturers |
None
|
| Pharmacology
|
Sodium
salts of estrogen sulfates. Apparently acts on receptors
the same as endogenous estrogen. |
| Delivery
|
0.3mg,
0.625, 0.9, 1.25, 2.5mg tablets |
| Typical
dosage |
Pre-op
Oral 1.25-7.5mg/day
Post-op Oral 0.625-3.75mg/day |
| Availability
|
Approved
by U.S. FDA |
| Indications
|
Estrogen
replacement therapy in females. Treatment of selected breast
and prostate cancers. |
| Contraindications
|
Active
blood clotting disorders. Known or suspected breast cancer,
unless that is the intended target. Known or suspected estrogen
dependent tumors. |
| Adverse
reactions |
- CNS
- Dizziness.
Headache. Mental depression. Migraine. Spasms of limb
and facial muscles.
- Eyes
- Intolerance
of contact lenses. Steepening of corneal curvature.
- Gastrointestinal
- Abdominal
cramps. Bloating. Cholestatic jaundice. Nausea. Vomiting.
- Skin
- Blood
eruptions from skin. Blotchy skin pigmentation. Increase
of facial and body hair. Loss of scalp hair. Red skin
patches from capillary congestion.
- Other
- Blood
clotting disorders. Breast tumors. Elevated blood pressure.
Fluid retention. Gall bladder disease. Increased calcium
level in blood. Increased sensitivity to light. Reduced
carbohydrate tolerance.
|
| Comments
|
Conjugated
estrogens in Premarin are derived from pregnant mare urine
under cruel conditions including continual confinement,
continual standing with no option to lay down or turn around,
restriction of drinking water, inadequate veterinary oversight,
killing of the newborn or young foals, then immediate reimpregnation.
The pregnancies are repeated until the mare becomes infertile
or sick, at which time she is killed. This treatment has
not been directly witnessed by the author. However, Redwings Horse Sanctuary, World Society for the Protection
of Animals, and others have researched
this issue, interviewed Wyeth-Ayerst representatives, and
directly inspected the farms in question. Furthermore, Wyeth-Ayerst
has aggressively blocked every attempt other drug companies
have made to obtain FDA approval to sell a synthetic generic
equivalent, based on the argument that those generics cannot
possibly be equivalent--because they do not contain the
same organic impurities (huh?). Well, they lost because
Duramed recently introduced a sythetic alternative derived
from plants called Cenestin. |
| Additional
Info: |
Premarin
Prescribing Information (PDF file on this site)
Cenestin
Prescribing Information (PDF file on this site) |