Drug name: Femoston

Other names used:

• Climaston®

Active Ingredients:

• Didrogesteron,
• Estradiol Hemihydrate

Therapeutic action of Femoston: Femoston is a combination drug with two tablets. One, is made up of Estradiol Hemihydrate which is a form of female sex hormone, estrogen, and the second tablet is made up of two components namely, dydrogesterone (manmade progesterone) and estradiol hemihydrates. Femoston is mainly used to ease the unwanted symptoms experienced by women during menopause. During this process (menopause) women's body tends to produce lower amount of female sex hormones which results in certain unwanted symptoms. To avoid these symptoms doctors use hormonal replacement therapy (to use medicines like Femoston) to ease the symptoms and allow the body to get accustomed to the changing atmosphere. Apart from the above mentioned function, dydrogesterone also prevents the overgrowth of uterus lining which may cause cancer. This medicine, Femoston is also used to treat osteoporosis by preventing the thinning of the calcium in the bones.

Indications: Femoston is administered for treating:

• Menopause and its various symptoms such as itching and dryness in the vagina, sweating a lot at night, irregular menstrual cycle and hot flushes
• In some cases women are not allowed to use the regular medication meant for osteoporosis, so in such cases femoston is used to treat osteoporosis.

Precautions and Restrictions:

• Women using this drug as hormone replacement therapy should undergo regular checkups to constantly monitor the changes happening to the body because of the treatment.
• Users of this medicine should personally check their breasts on a regular basis and if they find any changes then they should contact a doctor immediately.
• Users who had heart problems should discuss it with a doctor or medical care provider.
• For people who are about to undergo surgery and are going to be immobile for a considerable period must never use this medicine.
• Users of this drug may experience bleeding at the end of each month and if the bleeding becomes more frequent consult a physician at once.
• Even after a year or two of the last menstrual period women can become pregnant, so it is advisable to use contraceptive whenever required. So if a person is using this medicine then only barrier contraceptive should be used.

Use this medicine with caution if you have the following conditions:

• Renal failure
• High blood pressure
• Alcoholic
• Obese
• Long term autoimmune disorder called lupus erythematosus
• Previous records of heart disorder or problems related to clotting of blood
• Any history of cancer, especially breast cancer

Strictly avoid using Femoston if:

• you had surgery to remove cancerous breast tumors or you suspect having breast cancer
• you have cancer (any stage)
• bleeding in vagina for unknown reasons
• you had heart attack in the recent past
• chest pain due to stress (Angina pectoris)
• liver disease in the developing stages
• pregnancy or planning to get pregnant in the near future
• lactation
• lactose intolerance
• intolerant to the ingredients of this drug

Side effects of Femoston: Use of Femoston tablets may cause some side effects in users, but it has not been proven that these side effects will affect every user of this drug. Some of the potential side effects of Femoston include the following:

• Moderate or severe headache
• Stomach ache, nausea
• Seizures in the leg
• Pain in the breast or changes in breast feel and form
• Bleeding in the vagina
• Lack of strength
• Increase in body weight
• Mood changes and depression
• Lightheadedness
• Unusual libido
• High blood pressure
• Gall bladder disorders
• Swelling of the extremities and body swelling
• Itching and rashes
• Contact lens Intolerance
• Changes in liver function
• Thrombosis

The above mentioned list of the side effects are by no means exhaustive, so for the complete list of adverse reactions and possible side effects please see the information provided by the drug manufacturer or consult a doctor or a pharmacist.

Interactions: Femoston tablets or the ingredients in them may react with certain medicinal substances and increase or decrease or cause a totally unintended effect. This can be best avoided by consulting a doctor before taking Femoston. It is also a good idea to mention to the doctor the medicines or treatments you are currently taking.

Femoston may react with the following medicines:

• Medicines used for treating Parkinson disease
• Drugs administered to treat diabetes
• St John's wort
• Antibiotics like rifamycin
• Medicines used to prevent infection by viruses including HIV
• Drugs used to treat HIV
• Depressants like barbiturates
• Drugs used to treat epilepsy (antiepileptic medicines)

Additional Information: Femoston tablets should not be used without prior approval of a doctor and do not share these drugs with anybody else. Femoston tablets are made for specific conditions and it's not advisable to use them for other purposes. Keep medicinal drugs, needles, syringes and other such medical substances out of the reach of children.