HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY

October 16, 2000

When I read the ingredients of Bellamine-S

(Ergotamine/Belladonna/Phenobarbital), I felt a little concerned.

About 20 years ago, I used to take ergotamine for relief of migraine

headaches. At that time, there was very few effective medications

for migraine which weren't narcotics. Ergotomine is not a narcotic,

but it came with all sorts of warnings about dosage -- you could only

take so many doses per migraine attack, and so many doses per month.

Apparently, it closes down blood vessels and, if overused, can result

in gangrene of fingers and toes due to blood flow being cut off. The

other two drugs listed in this prescription drug, belladonna and

phenobarbital, both have sedative effects. Phenobarbital is a

barbituate. I looked up Bellamine-S and found out that it is listed

by the FDA as a LTE (less than effective) drug. If you'd like to

read more about what the FDA means by less than effective, please

check out http://www.hcfa.gov/medicaid/drug11.htm. Further info on

this combination of drugs at

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/ergotaminebelladonnaalkalo

idsa202217.html. Joan, I don't mean to knock something you've found

helpful, but I personally would be concerned about taking this

combination of drugs, even without knowing that the FDA has ruled it

less than effective. Since it's been permitted to remain on the

market, I have to assume the amount of ergotamine is very small.

Anyhow, I just felt compelled to pass on this info. Leonie

> Hi DLSSEARCH - your headaches as well as night sweats are very

possibly

> menopausal symptoms, the night sweats for sure! i believe a

healthy diet &

> exercise helps for sure but i'm also taking a prescription drug

that was used

> years ago for hot flashes & menopausal symptoms that seems to be

coming back

> into use becasue so many women r afraid of hormones...it's

Bellamine-S

> (Ergotamine/Belladonna/Phenobarbital-oral tablet) i take this once

at nite &

> it helps w sleep for sure...if anyone has any info on this drug i

would love

> to hear about it! also, vitamin E & Primrose Oil r very commonly

used for

> hot flashes/nite sweats as well as an increase in soy

products...thanks for

> replying to me...keep me posted...Joan

October 16, 2000

I went to see a gynecologist about aftercare for UAE (She was okay about UAE, but the IR says I need myomectomy for a large subserosal). To my surprise her main concern was whether I could use HRT later on. As someone with an proven tendency to grow fibroids, I would be cautious. and there are alternative treatments (herbs, drugs for osteoporosis, etc). But once you've had UAE, your fibroids should all be dead. No amount of hormone will make them grow. Maybe you could grow new ones, but it isn't likely they'd grow to any appreciable size. The amount of estrogen in HRT is less than you'd produce before menopause.

As for alternative blood supplies to fibroids, your IR will be able to tell you whether of not all your fibroids did infarct. If they did, they are dead. If not, you could still take HRT and monitor the situation - stop if the fibroids grow.

note of caution - They say uterine tumours which grow after menopause are more likely to be malignant. I don't know how you determine this possibility vs fibroid growth due to hormone replacement treatment.

All things considered I don't think fibroids would be a contraindication to HRT if the fibroids have been treated by UAE.

October 22, 2000

thanks Helen...sorry about your fibroid growth while on ERT...i'm very

interested in hearing your doctors recommendations/options! it just

reinforces something etched in my brain along my path in fibroidville

" estrogen fuels fibroids " plain & simple!! i know women who r using it w

" wait & see " & another who had an emergency hysterectomy due to taking

ERT...for myself having had UAE & still sitting w a uterus full of fibroids

i'm too afraid of even trying it just now...my menopausal symptoms have

calmed down some & i'm due back to my gyn for 6 mo post UAE check up...UAE

was only successful on one of my two significant fibroids at my 3 month post

ck up so i'm an unusual case anyway...i still have pressure & frequent

urination just not as bad as before procedure...still can't see myself

jumping in aerobics class! keep in touch...good luck w any decision

making...Joan

October 26, 2000

LUCIE,

I HAD UAE IN APRIL. AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS MONTH I HAD MY 6 MONTH SONOGRAM

AND THE FIBROID WAS EXACTLY THE SAME AS BEFORE THE PROCEDURE. THE IR SAID I

COULD HAVE SHRINKAGE UP TO THE FIRST YEAR AFTER. THE BLEEDING HAD REMAINED

THE SAME SINCE BEFORE THE UFE. HE SAID IF IT HADN'T GOTTEN BETTER BY NOW IT

WON'T. MY PERIOD LASTS 12 DAYS AND IS VERY HEAVY WITH CLOTS, GUSHING ETC....

I AM TAKING IRON SO AM ONLY SLIGHTLY ANEMIC. THERE IS AN APPROX 90% SUCCESS

RATE FOR UFE BUT I WAS UNFORTUNATE. THE ONLY POSITIVE OUTCOME I HAVE HAD IS

THAT THE PRESSURE AND BLOATING I HAD ALL THE TIME HAS SUBSIDED. THE RECOVERY

FROM THE PROCEEDURE WAS RELATIVELY EASY AND I WASN'T IN TOO MUCH PAIN. I

HAVE BEEN HAVING TERRIBLE PAIN NOW DURING MY PERIOD WHICH I DIDN'T HAVE

BEFORE THE UFE. IF YOU HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS JUST ASK.

KAREN

Re: Re: HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY

>To Joan, ,

>You have had UAE procedure. Can you tell me a bit about it. The procedure,

>the risks, the recovery, the results? I am researching what are my options

>and need personal experiences. Thanks...

>Lucie

>

>Hi - it's very comforting to know you're not alone in this so thanks

>for writing! fortunately for me i was perimenopausal last april at time of

>UAE & it did indeed push me over edge into menopause so i'm hopeful that

>will also factor into shrinkage although at 6 mos post UAE i'm not all that

>better off than i was before procedure! my next step is going back to gyn

>and/or uroligist since presssure & frequent urination remain my main

>symptom...bleeding stopped w onset of menopause last may so i no longer

have

>to deal w anemia issue, hooray! i'm basically very disappointed in not

>having more significant results after UAE! keep me posted...Joan

>

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October 26, 2000

,

Forgive me for asking this if you've already posted it but I'm concerned about your posting of only having 1 fibroid. 1? Are you sure? What kind of imaging tests have you undergone to confirm this? Just the sonogram? There was truly no shrinkage whatsoever? Has your current gyn questioned the singular presence of this fibroid? I don't mean to unnecessarily over concern you...but I do think that if you truly have only 1 fibroid -- something not very typical of fibroids -- then I would sincerely hope we can help you find a gyn to talk to about myomectomy as soon as possible. I don't think you should delay pursuing this. Particularly not with your ongoing bleeding and pain. BTW, did you have an endometrial biopsy prior to your UFE? If so, what were the results?

Carla Dionne

Re: Re: HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY>To Joan, ,>You have had UAE procedure. Can you tell me a bit about it. The procedure,>the risks, the recovery, the results? I am researching what are my options>and need personal experiences. Thanks...>Lucie>>Hi - it's very comforting to know you're not alone in this so thanks>for writing! fortunately for me i was perimenopausal last april at time of>UAE & it did indeed push me over edge into menopause so i'm hopeful that>will also factor into shrinkage although at 6 mos post UAE i'm not all that>better off than i was before procedure! my next step is going back to gyn>and/or uroligist since presssure & frequent urination remain my main>symptom...bleeding stopped w onset of menopause last may so i no longerhave>to deal w anemia issue, hooray! i'm basically very disappointed in not>having more significant results after UAE! keep me posted...Joan>>_________________________________________________________________________>Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com.>>Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at>http://profiles.msn.com.>>>>

October 28, 2000

Hi Lucie - sorry it took me a couple of days to get back to you...hope you

have been reading embo egroup archives on UAE...i was diagnosed w fibroids

yrs ago before turning 40 & that female doctor did an endometrial biopsy

immediately which frightened me to death as my late husband was battling lung

cancer & our family was already devastated so word " biopsy " put me over the

top! for years after that my only symptom was some heavy bleeding maybe one

or two days per cycle, not bad & my current male gyn was taking a watch & see

attitude as the fibroids were indeed growing & sonograms became part of my ck

ups since he could no longer feel my ovaries during regular gyn

exam...eventually my symptoms progressed to pressure on bladder & extreme

frequency of urination sending me to urogolist thinking i had a urinary tract

infection...there was no infection, it was a garden of fibroids growing &

pressing down into bladder...my gyn never even mentioned the dreaded H word

b/c by now i was perimenopausal & he felt i should " tough it out " or try

lupron...i came to realization last march that i had no quality of life

running from one restroom to another & having to plan where i could pee along

any short journey as well as increasing heavy bleeding leading to anemia!!

so in april i finally made a decision & had a consult with IR with my MRI in

hand to see if i was a good condidate for this procedure...his prerequisites

were an MRI and a new endometrial biopsy...had the procedure almost

immediately after that meeting...i did not have any great pain...i did

however have what i call a " draining " for weeks afterward that i wanted to

believe were the fibroids draining...that draining (like a period of thin

blood) did make me very tired but no pain involved...i was tired for a couple

of weeks...had a sonogram at 3mos & one of my significant fibroids shrunk 20%

which is normal but on opposite side the other large fibroid did not shrink

at all...IR said there r secondary blood vessels feeding into uterus, ASK

ABOUT THIS!! now i'm due for 6mo ck up & then sonogram so i'll let u know if

i have any additional shrinkage...also, this put me into a rather abrupt

menopause which i was happy about since i hope for additional shrinkage...i

did get significant relief from symptoms but am still dealing with frequency

of urination which i am about to look into further now & may have to revisit

urologist to see if i have a different unrelated problem but i still CANNOT

do my much loved aerobics classes due to this continued pressure/urination

problem??? so basically, i feel i had minimal success with UAE!! in

hindsight, i'm not certain if i would have chosen this path & i'm still here

with a uterus full of fibroids & in this egroup still listening & learning!!

much luck to you...Joan

October 28, 2000

- have you had a recent MRI??? that should show any/all

fibroids...also, i'm in oyster bay cove, long island if u need to talk " live

conversation " ! Joan

October 28, 2000

Hi Joan,

Thank you for your reply. I have been reading up about adenomyosis. I also

tried to join the egroup but something didn't work right. I'll try again. I

never heard of secondary blood vessels?? What do you mean??

Will try to find info.

bye Lucie

Hi Lucie - sorry it took me a couple of days to get back to you...hope you

have been reading embo egroup archives on UAE...i was diagnosed w fibroids

yrs ago before turning 40 & that female doctor did an endometrial biopsy

immediately which frightened me to death as my late husband was battling

lung

cancer & our family was already devastated so word " biopsy " put me over the

top! for years after that my only symptom was some heavy bleeding maybe one

or two days per cycle, not bad & my current male gyn was taking a watch &

see

attitude as the fibroids were indeed growing & sonograms became part of my

ck

ups since he could no longer feel my ovaries during regular gyn

exam...eventually my symptoms progressed to pressure on bladder & extreme

frequency of urination sending me to urogolist thinking i had a urinary

tract

infection...there was no infection, it was a garden of fibroids growing &

pressing down into bladder...my gyn never even mentioned the dreaded H word

b/c by now i was perimenopausal & he felt i should " tough it out " or try

lupron...i came to realization last march that i had no quality of life

running from one restroom to another & having to plan where i could pee

along

any short journey as well as increasing heavy bleeding leading to anemia!!

so in april i finally made a decision & had a consult with IR with my MRI in

hand to see if i was a good condidate for this procedure...his prerequisites

were an MRI and a new endometrial biopsy...had the procedure almost

immediately after that meeting...i did not have any great pain...i did

however have what i call a " draining " for weeks afterward that i wanted to

believe were the fibroids draining...that draining (like a period of thin

blood) did make me very tired but no pain involved...i was tired for a

couple

of weeks...had a sonogram at 3mos & one of my significant fibroids shrunk

20%

which is normal but on opposite side the other large fibroid did not shrink

at all...IR said there r secondary blood vessels feeding into uterus, ASK

ABOUT THIS!! now i'm due for 6mo ck up & then sonogram so i'll let u know

if