norethindrone ace 5mg for amenorrhea

[Cgerard2]

My gynecologist prescribed the above progesterone pill for my lack of menstruation. I’m in my late 40s but I’m currently not yet menopausal according to my labs. Anyway, I am not one for taking pharmaceutical drugs and I said I would think about the options she recommended. My doctor did mention that she did not think prometrium is an effective treatment. The only one of the three she offered that I am considering taking is the norethindrone, the doctor said if I don’t feel comfortable taking it every month I can instead take it every 2-3 months as long as I do shed some of the lining of my uterus during the initial stages of taking it. Just curious about adverse side effects and long term safety issues of using it. I was interested in the other options. I may just use dong quai first since that worked for me in my mid to late 20s along with acupuncture. Any advice on this topic would be appreciated. Looking forward to reading the hormone repair manual. Thank you

[Jeslyn]

Yikes, that just seems like bad advice. Norethindrone is a progestin (i.e. it's NOT progesterone). It cannot give you a period, it cannot help you ovulate (it does the opposite), so all it can do is cause a withdrawal bleed - NOT a period.

In your late 40s, you are likely to be perimenopausal. During peri your hormones fluctuate more, which means you might happen to have normal levels when the tests were done, but not all the time.

The other common cause of amenorrhea is undereating or excessive exercise, but I'm assuming the gynecologist ruled those out.

It's odd that she ruled out prometrium.

[Cgerard2]

Hi Jeslyn,
Thank you for your helpful response.
I went back to my gynecologist and she did prescribe the progesterone that is 200 mg. It is from Kaiser so maybe a generic form of progesterone.
Well, here's the thing, I have malabsorption issues and am underweight because of that. I also have SIBO, Leaky gut, dysbosis, IBS there are too many names although they vary in symptoms etc. I was diagnosed with SIBO many years ago tried rifaximin for 2 days was nauseous and terrified to take an antibiotic that was going to potentially screw up my microbiome for years to come so stopped it. Then moved on with life and manage it with my own supplements. I'm back to using Dong Quai but haven't gone back to the accupuncturist. I think the 2 in combination in my 20s were the synergistic solution to my issues. Although, I haven't received the progesterone, I may give it a try unless I have cold feet since I often do about any drug a conventional doctor prescribes me. I'll take herbs and natural supplements but once a conventional doctor prescribes something I am very apprehensive about the long term side effects.
(exuse my lack of editing grammatical and spelling errors)

[Cgerard2]

Is prometrium safe to take? Has anyone experienced adverse effects from taking it? I was prescribed 100 mg of prometrium, I am apprehensive about taking it since I don't have much experience taking pharmaceutical drugs. As of now, I only take vitamins, minerals, and herbal supplements.