"Treat the disease, you win some, you lose some. Treat the patient, you always win."
~Patch Adams~



Monday, March 25, 2013

Osphena

The FDA has recently approved a new drug for peri/menopausal women called Osphena.  It's an oral drug that acts like estrogen on vaginal tissue, easing symptoms of thinning of the vaginal tissue, and the dryness that often causes sex to be painful or impossible.  Here is the FDA's press release about the approval of Osphena.

This drug is a perfect example of women getting screwed over by the pharmaceutical companies.  Bioidentical estriol cream  has been used for many, many years to treat vaginal atrophy. Estriol is the weakest of the three estrogens, and in a vaginal cream (compounded) is even used in  women who have been treated for breast cancer.   But because estriol cannot be patented, the drug manufacturers don't want to hear about it (or have women hear about it).  Doesn't it make more sense that if a woman is having a problem with vaginal dryness, that you give her something to put in her vagina rather than in her mouth?  I didn't even go to medical school and it's clear to me that topical treatment, replacing what the body has lost with age, makes more sense than giving an oral medication that has unwanted side effects.  I almost choked when I read that some of the side effects of Osphena are thickening of the uterine lining (that's because mainstream medicine hasn't figured out yet that women need progesterone too!), and hot flashes/excessive sweating.  Really?  Are you kidding me?

I've taken bioidentical estriol cream vaginally (at night just before bed) for more than five years, and it works fine.  It's relatively inexpensive (I think about $60 for a two month supply), and has no side effects.  If you are having an issue with dryness and/or painful sex, talk to your doctor.

Still very few signs of spring here in NC, as in much of the country.  Usually by now I am full time into capri pants and sandals, not this year!  I had a wonderful girl's day out with a friend on Saturday, lunch and theater (we went to see the national touring company of Wicked----it was amazing!) and I wore a sweater and a shawl.  I'll be glad to see April arrive.  Have a great week!