Unfortunately, I agree w/auntjen. My family has doctors in it back several generations (including one ancestor who treated people in both the Union and Confederate armies, believing that people are people no matter what), but they'd all be spinning in their graves/urns to see what's become of "medicine" and associated industries today. Big pharma doesn't feel it really has to "prove anything with science", either, as evidenced by the rampant cheating, misreporting, ignoring side effect reporting, balancing how many lives they can lose before the damages payments become overwhelming, before they have to do a recall, etc. Or maybe they feel the right to prove anything they want with 'science', is another way to look at it. Basically, as auntjen said, profit conquers all. Kind of funny to be warning against alternatives when some big pharma products have *just above* been revealed to be horrendous and decptively advertised. If I had waited for conventional medicine to address my hormonal issues adequately, I'd probably be in a mental hospital by now. Geting a friend's mom's reference to Emerita pro-gest when I was about 40 was the best medical thing to happen to me next to having cancerous moles taken off and a heart attack stopped with incredibly high levels of nitroglycerine. OH, and last month my pharmacy which has known me for about 5 years once again messed up my prescription for something I take every day, giving me a yet-cheaper generic rather than the somewhat-less-cheap generic they had been giving me before, even though I've told them every single month to order the somewhat-less-cheap one for me because the yet-cheaper one just *doesn't work*. Did I check this last month? NO, because I was harried and I guess I trusted them. I know them all by first name, one mom's daughter is on my daughter's XC team...but I was miserable for a MONTH because of human error in mainstream medicine, and because the so called generic "identical" meds, with loads of "science" stats behind them, are anything but. I don't trust any of it anymore.

To really get a good grasp on the dangers of Prometrium you should stop by the FDA website for & check out the Physicians Fact Sheet. Had I known that there was such a huge difference between the Patients Fact List and the Physicians, I would NEVER have begun to take the Prometrium. I suffer from Secondary Amenorhea and took Prometrium for 4mo. I gained 30lbs & became increasingly depressed with crying spells and intense anxiety. I already suffer from depression and it diminished the effectiveness of my current meds. I don't know why my doctor didn't inform me. But she didn't. I am going OFF the Prometrium on the advice of my Psychiatrist. What I mean to say is BE WELL INFORMED BEFORE YOU TAKE ANY MEDICATION. Read below. The most common adverse experiences reported in 5% of patients in all PROMETRIUM Capsules dosage groups studied in this trial(100 mg/day to 400 mg/day) were: dizziness(16%) breast pain(11%), headache(10%), abdominal pain(10%), fatigue(9%), viral infection(7%), abdominal distention(6%), musculoskeletal pain(6%), emotional lability(6%), irritability(5%), upper respiratory tract infection (5%) PRECAUTIONS - General -Patients who have a history of psychic depression should be carefully observed & the drug discontinued if the depression recurs to a serious degree. -The pretreatment physical examination should include special reference to breast & pelvic organs, & Pap smear. -Because progesterone may cause some degree of fluid retention, conditions which might be influenced by this factor, such as epilepsy, migraine, asthma, cardiac or renal dysfunction, require careful observation. -In cases of breakthrough bleeding, as in any cases of irregular bleeding per vaginum, nonfunctional causes should be borne in mind. In cases of undiagnosed vaginal bleeding, adequate diagnostic measures are indicated. -Any possible influence of prolonged progestin therapy on pituitary, ovarian, adrenal, hepatic or uterine functions awaits further study. -Although concomitant use of conjugated estrogens & PROMETRIUM Capsules did not result in a decrease in glucose tolerance, diabetic patients should be carefully observed while receiving estrogen-progestin therapy. -The pathologist should be advised of progestin therapy when relevant specimens are submitted. -Because of the occurrence of thrombotic disorders (thrombophlebitis, pulmonary embolism, retinal thrombosis, & cerebrovascular disorders) in patients taking estrogen-progestin combinations, the physician should be alert to the earliest manifestation of these disorders. -Transient dizziness may occur in some patients. Use caution when driving a motor vehicle or operating machinery. A small percentage of women may experience extreme dizziness and/or drowsiness during initial therapy. For these women, bedtime dosing is advised. WARNINGS -The physician should be alert to the earliest signs of thrombotic disorders (thrombophlebitis, cerebrovascular disorders, pulmonary embolism, & retinal thrombosis). Should any of these occur or be suspected, the drug should be discontinued immediately. -Discontinue medication pending examination if there is sudden partial or complete loss of vision, or if there is a sudden onset of proptosis, diplopia or migraine. If examination reveals papilledema or retinal vascular lesions, medication should be withdrawn. -The administration of any drug to nursing mothers should be done only when clearly necessary since many drugs are excreted in human milk. Detectable amounts of progestin have been identified in the milk of mothers receiving progestins. The effect of this on the nursing infant has not been determined -Retrospective studies of morbidity & mortality in Great Britain & studies of morbidity in the United States have shown a statistically significant association between thrombophlebitis, pulmonary embolism, cerebral thrombosis & embolism, & the use of oral contraceptives. -The estimate of the relative risk of thromboembolism in the study by Vessey & Doll was about seven fold, while Sartwell & associates in the U.S. found a relative risk of 4.4, meaning that the users are several times as likely to undergo thromboembolic disease without evident cause as nonusers. -The American study also indicated that the risk did not persist after discontinuation of administration, & that it was not enhanced by long-continued administration. The American study was not designed to evaluate a difference between products. Other adverse events reported in -Autonomic Nervous System Disorders: dry mouth -Body As A Whole: accidental injury, chest pain, fever -Cardiovascular System Disorders: hypertension -Central & Peripheral Nervous System Disorders: confusion, somnolence, speech disorder -Gastrointestinal System Disorders: constipation, dyspepsia, gastroenteritis, hemorrhagic rectum, hiatus hernia, vomiting -Hearing & Vestibular Disorders: earache -Heart Rate & Rhythm Disorders: palpitation -Metabolic & Nutritional Disorders: edema, edema peripheral -Musculoskeletal System Disorders: arthritis, leg cramps, hypertonia, muscle disorder, myalgia -Myo/Endo/Pericardial & Valve Disorders: angina pectoris -Psychiatric Disorders: anxiety, impaired concentration, insomnia, personality disorder -Reproductive System Disorders: leukorrhea, uterine fibroid, vaginal dryness, fungal vaginitis, vaginitis -Resistance Mechanism Disorders: abscess, herpes simplex -Respiratory System Disorders: bronchitis, nasal congestion, pharyngitis, pneumonitis, sinusitis -Skin & Appendages Disorders: acne, verruca, wound debridement -Urinary System Disorders: urinary tract infection -Vision Disorders: abnormal vision -White Cell & Resistance Disorders The following adverse experiences have been reported with PROMETRIUM Capsules in other U.S. clinical trials: increased sweating, asthenia, tooth disorder, anorexia, increased appetite, nervousness, & breast enlargement. The following additional adverse experiences have been observed in women taking progestins in general: breakthrough bleeding, spotting, change in menstrual flow, amenorrhea, changes in the cervical squamo-columnar junction & cervical secretions, changes in weight(MORE or LESS), jaundice, anaphylactoid reactions & anaphylaxis, rash (allergic) with & without pruritus, melasma or chloasma, pyrexia, & insomnia. Luck,Wendy

I have been having hormonal related migraines for years and in recent months it has become almost unbearable. Like many of you, I found no relief from my doctor. All the prescription meds, worked for a short time but lost their effectiveness. About a month ago on this site I saw the suggestion of natural progesterone cream and I bought some that day. I will tell you that I haven't have a headache since! I think it's a miracle. I found the cream at a health food store and it was $15. Not only have my headaches ceased, I feel so much better. My mood is improved and my sex drive has returned. I'm only 45 and I have not started menopause yet so I didn't think I needed hormones but I guess I was wrong. I don't know if this will work for all of you, but I am a believer!

Wow, its been almost 2 years since I originally posted..( I am this thread creator, my name was Mtn-Grl) .My periods are still the same, one month its just 2-3 days, very light, just spotting, and then after 2 weeks I get the heavy one that lasts 14-20 days. Very unconvienient, I am soaking through very fast. So I got my insurance back, went to the doctor. He sent me to the specialist. Checked for fibroids, turns out, they're too small to operate, the doctor didn't think its necessary to remove them. He found something else. The very thick layer of my inner uterus lining. He said its abnormal and in few weeks I'll be going to the surgical center, so they can get samples of my uterus. It freaked me out. Especially after my doctor said he did not like it. And, although this is the different doctor, he says I am not in peri stage yet. I really don't get it. I have all the symptoms. Plus even more now - my skin itches all the time. ( I moisturize it and take good care of my skin) but it itches every now and then. All over my body, my shoulders, my calves, my back etc. And the panic attacks, they got worse, too. I am at work, talking to the customer, smiling and joking, friendly conversation and suddenly BAM, I feel tingling in my face and this weird feeling in my head like I am disconnected from the world around me. So I rub my forehead in embarrassment ( I have a feeling that people could see my fear ) drink a lot of water ( which I have with me at all times, it helps) and try to convince myself "Its just a stupid panic attack" Sometimes it goes away, sometimes it lasts longer. I am terrified of passing out and losing consciousness , it happened to me before - for no reason at all. SO I am always scared it will happen again. Sometimes I cannot take a deep breath, my stomach hurts and I have to run to the bathroom. And everything seems to be all right, my blood sugar, my blood pressure and heart rate. I would be really happy to know that I am entering perimenopause, then I could blame everything on it but the doctors say that's not it. Well, lets see what they say after they take my uterus samples. For now I just have to live with it. Trying to think positive :)