Is Premarin bad for horses?
Premarin: A Prescription for Cruelty. Both drugs contain horse urine, specifically pregnant mare’s urine (PMU). Not only has this form of HRT proved to be dangerous to humans, horses raised for their urine are also kept confined and pregnant, and their foals often end up in the slaughterhouse.
What are Premarin hormones?
These drugs use the estrogen from pregnant mare’s urine as the hormone component. Premarin stands for Pregnant Mare’s Urine (PMU) and it is prescribed to women to reduce the symptoms of menopause in menopausal and post-menopausal women.
Where does Premarin urine come from?
Where Premarin Comes From According to an industry report, 19 ranches in remote areas of Canada house approximately 1,300 pregnant mares who produce urine for Premarin and Prempro. 1,2 For most of their 11-month pregnancies, these horses are confined to stalls so small that they cannot turn around or take more than a single step in any direction.
Where are Premarin and Duavee made?
To make organic Premarin and DUAVEE from mare’s urine, Pfizer contracts with PMU (Pregnant Mare’s Urine) horse farms throughout Canada and the U.S., and now China. Today, there are 800 PMU horses in the U.S., mainly located in North Dakota, that are used to make these drugs.
Are horses slaughtered for Premarin?
The vast majority of Premarin mares give birth to a foal every year. Afterward, they are almost immediately impregnated again. If they fail to become pregnant, they are sent to slaughter. If they do become pregnant again, their foals are taken from them at the premature age of just three to four months.
Why was Premarin taken off the market?
A government study of Wyeth's hormone replacement drugs, Prempro and Premarin, was discontinued in 2002 when it became apparent that taking Prempro heightened the risk of breast cancer, coronary heart disease, stroke, and pulmonary embolism, and that Premarin increased risk of stroke.
What is the drug Premarin made of?
Premarin, a complex of conjugated equine estrogens manufactured by Wyeth for use as hormone replacement therapy in women, was originally developed by the Canadian pharmaceutical firm Ayerst, McKenna and Harrison. The name Premarin was coined from pregnant mare urine, from which the estrogen complex was isolated.
Is horse urine still used in HRT?
You might have heard that HRT is made from horse urine, which is was in the past. These days the type of oestrogen used is typically 17 beta-estradiol, which is made from yams. Although it's derived from a root vegetable, this has the same structure as the oestrogen that you made in your body.
Is there a substitute for Premarin?
Another alternative, Activella, also has a generic option: estradiol/norethindrone. This combination estrogen-and-progesterone pill is used to relieve symptoms of menopause and lower the risk of osteoporosis, just like Premarin.
What happens if you suddenly stop taking Premarin?
If you stop HRT cold turkey, or suddenly, you will likely experience symptoms of estrogen withdrawal, including hot flashes and night sweats. You can manage these symptoms by slowly decreasing your dose over time.
Which HRT is not made from horse urine?
Cenestin is a conjugated estrogen. It's natural in that it's made from plant sources, but it's not bio-identical to human estrogens. Instead, as a conjugated estrogen, it's the plant-based copy of Premarin. It's not horse urine, like estrogen, but the estrogens in it are copies of equine estrogens.
Where does synthetic estrogen come from?
Synthetic hormones are produced by synthesis, and manufacturers synthesize estrogen and progestin using urine from pregnant mares. According to the FDA, synthetic hormone therapy can increase the risk of severe conditions including breast cancer, strokes, gall bladder disease, and heart disease.
Is Premarin bioidentical or synthetic?
Bioidentical hormones (such as estradiol, estriol and progesterone) have the same molecular structure as the hormones made by your body. Synthetic hormones (such as Premarin and Provera) do not have the same molecular structure as the hormones in your body, but your body converts them to a usable form.
What happens to the foals of Premarin mares?
Some of the thousands of foals born on PMU farms each year are used to replace their exhausted mothers. Some are offered for adoption, but the remaining foals—along with worn-out mares—are sold at auction, where most are purchased by buyers for slaughterhouses.
Is Premarin cream safe to use?
Premarin Vaginal Cream should not be used if you have unusual vaginal bleeding, have, or had cancer, had a stroke or heart attack, have or had blood clots or liver problems, have a bleeding disorder, are allergic to any of its ingredients, or think you may be pregnant.
Does Pfizer make Premarin?
PREMARIN®(conjugated estrogens) | Pfizer Medical Information - US.
Is Premarin FDA approved?
PREMARIN®FDA-Approved Patient Labeling (conjugated estrogens) | Pfizer Medical Information - US.
How is Premarin different from estradiol?
Premarin is a mixture of 30-plus substances derived from the urine of pregnant mares. Estradiol — the dominant sex-steroid hormone in woman — accounts for about 17 percent of Premarin's total content.
How long do you take Premarin?
Typical dosing for Premarin (conjugated estrogens) The starting dose ranges from 0.3 mg to 1.25 mg by mouth once a day for 3 weeks, with 1 week off (no tablets taken during this week). Then this cycle is repeated. Breast cancer: The typical dose is 10 mg by mouth 3 times a day for at least 3 months.
When did the FDA approve Premarin?
Approval Date: 9/8/1998.
What is Premarin used for?
Premarin (and Premarin-containing products such as Prempro, Premphase, and Prempac) is a drug used in hormone replace therapy HRT regimens prescribed for women to help lessen the symptoms of menopause and reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, and osteoporosis.
Why is Premarin controversial?
The continued use of Premarin has generated controversy because of issues associated with the industrial use of animals required to produce a supply of the drug; information regarding concerns over the “pee line” collection of urine from mares to produce Premarin is available on a number equine advocacy web sites.
What are generic alternatives to estrogen?
The development of generic alternatives (such as Estrace, Estraderm, Ogen, OrthoEst, Estratab, Menest, Estinyl, Estrovirus, and OrthoDienestrol) and synthetic estrogens (such as Cenestin) has been cited as an advancement that eliminates the need for animal-derived estrogens such as Premarin for most women.
Where does Premarin come from?
Claim: The drug Premarin is produced from the urine of pregnant horses. Status: True. Origins: One of the inevitable aspects of the aging process in women is the decreased production of the hormones estrogen and progestin. A 40% to 60% drop-off in estrogen production generally occurs with the onset of menopause ...
Is Premarin an animal drug?
Premarin is not unique as an animal-derived drug, of course, as generations of diabetics have been kept alive through injections of purified insulin obtained from the pancreases of cattle and pigs.
Is Premarin a pill?
Premarin is available in several forms (pills, creams, injections, patches ) and, as the name (a shortening of the phrase “pregnant mares’ urine”) suggests, contains conjugated estrogens obtained from the urine of pregnant mares.
Is Premarin a hormone replacement?
are accompanied by uncomfortable symptoms (such as hot flashes, night sweats, and vaginal dryness), and. estrogen loss is also linked to a significant increase in the incidence of heart disease, stroke, and osteoporosis. Premarin (and Premarin-containing products such as Prempro, Premphase, and Prempac) is a drug used in hormone replace therapy HRT ...
What is premarin made of?
One of the HRT drugs that has historically been among the most widely prescribed is made from animal waste.
How many pregnant horses are there in Canada?
According to an industry report, 19 ranches in remote areas of Canada house approximately 1,300 pregnant mares who produce urine for Premarin and Prempro. 1,2 For most of their 11-month pregnancies, these horses are confined to stalls so small that they cannot turn around or take more than a single step in any direction.
What is the most commonly prescribed HRT drug?
One of the HRT drugs that has historically been among the most widely prescribed is made from animal waste. The drug is Premarin, an estrogen-therapy drug currently manufactured by Pfizer (formerly Wyeth Pharmaceuticals), which also produces Prempro, an estrogen/progestin combination.
Does Prempro help with hot flashes?
The researchers concluded that Prempro is effective for short-term relief of hot flashes but nothing else. Many women find that they can control hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms by making easy lifestyle changes—like eating a low-fat vegetarian diet and getting regular exercise—rather than contributing to animal suffering. Dr. Jennifer Hays from the Baylor College of Medicine commented, “The average woman will not experience an improvement in her quality of life by taking this pill.” 10
Does Prempro affect women?
6. The WHI also found that Prempro has no meaningful effects on women’s physical or emotional health, pain levels, memory, sleeping patterns, or energy levels.
What is premarin used for?
Premarin, a complex of conjugated equine estrogens manufactured by Wyeth for use as hormone replacement therapy in women, was originally developed by the Canadian pharmaceutical firm Ayerst, McKenna and Harrison. The name Premarin was coined from pregnant mare urine, from which the estrogen complex was isolated. Although the complete composition of Premarin and its active components remains undisclosed or unknown, Wyeth reports that it contains a mixture of 10 estrogens. The history of Premarin is entangled in a fascinating story of human intrigue involving ingenuity, influence, controversy, animal rights, competition, money, protection of stockholders, government regulatory power, patient rights, emotions, greed, power, personal and professional freedom, state rights, and perhaps even, ultimately, constitutional issues. As the saga of Premarin evolves, it no doubt will continue to be one of the more interesting and compelling stories of the practice of pharmacy.
How many estrogens are in premarin?
Although the complete composition of Premarin and its active components remains undisclosed or unknown, Wyeth reports that it contains a mixture of 10 estrogens.
Where did the name Premarin come from?
The name Premarin was coined from pregnant mare urine, from which the estrogen complex …. Premarin, a complex of conjugated equine estrogens manufactured by Wyeth for use as hormone replacement therapy in women, was originally developed by the Canadian pharmaceutical firm Ayerst, McKenna and Harrison. The name Premarin was coined ...
