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estradiol/norethindrone - oral, Activella

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GENERIC NAME: ESTRADIOL/NORETHINDRONE - ORAL (ES-tra-DYE-ol/nor-ETH-in-drone)

BRAND NAME(S): Activella

Warning | Medication Uses | How To Use | Side Effects | Precautions | Drug Interactions | Overdose | Notes | Missed Dose | Storage

WARNING: Rarely, very serious side effects have occurred when estrogen-only and combination hormone replacement therapies (estrogen and progestin HRT) are used after menopause. Discuss the risks and benefits of hormone treatment and your personal health history with your doctor.

Combination HRT should not be used to prevent heart disease or dementia. Combination HRT can rarely cause heart disease (e.g., heart attacks), stroke, serious blood clots (pulmonary embolism and deep venous thrombosis), dementia, and breast cancer. The risk for stroke and breast cancer increases with age, especially for women older than 75. Estrogens may also increase the risk of cancer of the ovaries. Some of these risks appear to depend on the length of time this drug is used and the amount of estrogen per dose. Therefore, this medication should be used for the shortest possible length of time at the lowest effective dose, so you can obtain the benefits and minimize the chance of serious side effects from long-term treatment. Discuss the details with your doctor and check with him/her regularly (e.g., every 3-6 months) to see if you still need to take this medication.

If you use this drug for an extended time, you should have a complete physical exam at regular intervals (e.g., once a year) or as directed by your doctor. See Notes section.

USES: This medication is used to reduce menopause symptoms. It helps reduce episodes of flushing and sweating of the upper body and face, commonly called hot flashes. It also helps treat dryness, itching, and burning around the vagina. These symptoms occur when a woman's body no longer makes the usual amount of female hormone (estrogen). This medication is a combination of 2 female hormones: an estrogen (estradiol) and a progestin (norethindrone). A progestin is added to estrogen replacement therapy to reduce the risk of cancer of the uterus. A woman who has had her uterus removed does not need progestin and should not be treated with this combination medication.If you need treatment only for vaginal menopause symptoms, products applied directly inside the vagina should be considered before medications that are taken by mouth, absorbed through the skin, or injected.This medication may also be used to prevent bone loss (osteoporosis) in people at high risk who cannot take other drugs that are safe and effective to prevent or treat bone loss (e.g., raloxifene, bisphosphonates such as alendronate). These medicines should be considered for use before estrogen/progestin HRT therapy for osteoporosis.

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