Health Centres - Provera tablets (2.5mg, 5mg and 10mg)
How does it work?
Provera 2.5mg, 5mg and 10mg tablets contain the active ingredient medroxyprogesterone acetate, which is a synthetic form of the naturally occurring female sex hormone, progesterone. It is used to treat various disorders of the menstrual cycle.
A woman's menstrual cycle is a complex process that is controlled by at least four different hormones. The blood levels of these hormones change throughout the menstrual cycle, causing an egg to be released from the ovaries (ovulation), preparation of the womb lining for a possible pregnancy and shedding of the womb lining each month if pregnancy doesn't occur (a menstrual period). There are plenty of places that this complex process can go wrong.
If your periods are irregular or have stopped completely and your doctor can find no obvious cause, it may be that something has upset your natural hormone levels. Medroxyprogesterone can help to restore your natural hormone levels, because it mimics the effects of your natural progesterone.
Normally the level of progesterone in your blood increases about a week before your period. If medroxyprogesterone is taken for 5 to 10 days each month at this time (ie day 16 to 21 of your cycle) it mimics the natural rise in your progesterone levels. This can help your other hormones to behave in a more normal way. To treat irregular periods this medicine is taken in this way for two menstrual cycles. To treat periods that have stopped it is taken for three menstrual cycles. At the end of the treatment regular periods should return.
Endometriosis can also be treated by manipulating your hormones with medroxyprogesterone. In this condition, tissue resembling the womb lining grows abnormally around the ovaries, womb and bladder. This tissue is controlled by the same hormones that control your menstrual cycle, and thickens and is shed in the same way as your normal womb lining. Medroxyprogesterone is taken three times a day for 90 days, starting on the first day of your cycle, to control this. The medroxyprogesterone stops the abnormal tissue from thickening and then bleeding. As a result your menstrual periods are also likely to stop during the treatment as well. After treatment has finished the patches of endometrial tissue may be smaller, or may have shrunk away altogether.
What is it used for?
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Irregular menstrual bleeding
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Menstrual periods that have stopped
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Mild to moderate endometriosis
Warning!
- If you are taking this medicine every day, ie for endometriosis, then you may get irregular bleeding to start with. This should usually stop after about two weeks; if any bleeding lasts for longer than two weeks you should consult your doctor.
Use with caution in
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Asthma
-
High blood pressure
-
Decreased heart function
- Decreased kidney function
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Diabetes
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Epilepsy
- History of depression
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History of migraine
- Life long inherited blood diseases which can cause a variety of symptoms, including mental health problems (porphyrias)
Not to be used in
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Cancer of the breast or reproductive organs
- Decreased liver function
- Liver disease
- Pregnancy
- Abnormal vaginal bleeding of unknown cause
This medicine should not be used if you are allergic to one or any of its ingredients. Please inform your doctor or pharmacist if you have previously experienced such an allergy.
Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
Certain medicines should not be used during pregnancy or breastfeeding. However, other medicines may be safely used in pregnancy or breastfeeding providing the benefits to the mother outweigh the risks to the unborn baby. Always inform your doctor if you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, before using any medicine.
- This medicine should not be used in pregnancy. It does not provide contraception itself. You should use a method of contraception to avoid getting pregnant while taking this medicine. Seek medical advice from your doctor.
- This medicine passes into breast milk, however there are no reported harmful effects when used by breastfeeding mothers.
Side effects
Medicines and their possible side effects can affect individual people in different ways. The following are some of the side effects that are known to be associated with this medicine. Because a side effect is stated here, it does not mean that all people using this medicine will experience that or any side effect.
- Headache
- Difficulty in sleeping (insomnia)
- Tiredness
- Nervousness
- Depression
- Nausea
- Acne
- Dizziness
- Excessive fluid retention in the body tissues, resulting in swelling (oedema)
- Increased hair growth (hirsutism)
- Hair loss (alopecia)
- Weight gain
- Skin reactions such as rash and itch
- Breast tenderness or milky white discharge from the nipple(s)
The side effects listed above may not include all of the side effects reported by the drug's manufacturer.
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