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Local medical profess ionals encourage
consultation for hormone therapy
By Kelly Davis C line, a fam ily phys ic ian and
�..;-:,
' ''}'''' Independent· Mall coordinator of obstetrics and
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" " ", , gynecology for the AnMed
�:;i::.::.- �, . Women taking replace ment Fam ily Practice Res idency pro­
� hormones should c on sult with gra m .
their physicians before quitting
At issue i s t h e u s e o f estrogen
Sarah Bates Independent-Mall the therapy out of fear th e y are at
and pr o ge st in hormones fo r post­
Pam Tribble, pharmacy manager at AnMed Pharmacy increased risk of breast cancer,
menopausal wo m e n . Doctors
and Medical Equipment on Greenville Street, holds a stroke or heart attack. local
have p rescribed the hormones for
variety of different forms of estrogen. News that e stro­ p hys ic ians and pharmacists say.
years to re d u c e the effects of
gen and another hormone, proge stin , may have danger­ " What we have ended up rec,
ous side effects has caused concern among women who ommending is. one answer does­
take them to relieve the effects of menopau s e . n't fit everybody, " said Dr. Matt Please see Experts. Page 4A
From Page l A
menopause. espec ially hot flashes. i.nsom­
n i a, vaginal dryness and fatigue. The hor­
mones have also been thought to reduce
the risk of heart disease, bone thinning
and some cancers.
But two studies investigating these hor­
mones' benefits may have unearthed
unacceptable side effects. including more
frequent breast cancer, heart attacks and
strokes.
The increased risk remains small. and
Dr. Cline said women s hould talk to a doc­
tor before abandoning their regimes cold
turkey
One study showed that taking estrogen
and progestin over long periods aoes noth­
ing to reduce the risk of heart attacks in
older women who already have heart dis­
ease.
The second study, the Women's Health
Initiative of the National Institutes of
Health, was des igned to see if the same
combination of hormones reduced the
risk of heart disease in younger women,
between 50 and 79 years old, who do not
have heart d isease.
That study was supposed to follow
16,608 women for eight years but made
headlines this month when it was stopped
after an average of just more [han five
years of follol,\'-up because [00 many par­
ticipants - e ight in 10.000 deve!oped
- may change the amount of added risk.
-
breast cancer.
The drama of a maj or study being
stopped in irs tracks has caused some
panic. bm medical experts are urging
women taking the hormones not to be
alarmed but to schedule a talk vv ith their
health care provider to reevaluate their
options.
"I've seen some people just quit taking
it," said Anderson pharmacist Kevin
Bryant of Bryant Pharmacy.
About a dozen people have called the
pharmacy to cancel prescriptions or ask
for advice, he said.
"Doctor's don't reveal to us all the cus­
tomers' diagnoses, so we don't know all
the reasons they're taking it," he said. "So·
I'm not able to tell them one way or the
other."
He does tell his customers they should
check with their doctor but need not stop
therapy right away
Dozens of patients of the AnMed
Family Practice Center have called since
the news broke, Dr. Cline said.
But " if they're on d iffe rent therapy
than what was in the study, these results
don't necessarily apply," he said.
For example, the stud ies d i d not
address whether smaller hormone doses
Also unknown is whether estrogen,
progestin or the combination are respon­
sible fo r the increased risks. Patients
whose uteruses have been removed don ' t
take progestin and therefore may not b e
affected. Dr. Cline said.
" It depends on what the hormone
replacement therapy was being used to
do," he said. "If it was for heart disease
reduction, it's not a valid use. If it's fo r
osteoporosis, it's still a valid use, but you
have to balance it against the risks . "
Menopausal symptoms, which occur in
American women at the average age of 51,
can be extremely uncomfortable and hor­
mone replacement therapy is effective for
those symptoms.
Dr. Cline predicted that it would contin­
ue to be used fo r menopause relief but the
duration of treatment may shorten to
months instead of years.
" S eriously, if I'd had a menopausal
patient in front of m e six months ago, I
would have said, 'Yes, you will most likely
be on hormone replacement therapy for a
decade or more' , " he said. "I doubt I would
say that ever again. Those (other benefits)
have all been shot down."