Understanding Activella: Side Effects, Risks & Alternatives

Activella is a medication prescribed by doctors to reduce symptoms of menopause. Activella helps reduce hot flashes, sweating, and dryness, burning and itching around the vagina. Activella is a combination of estradiol, an estrogen, and norethindrone, a progesten. Norethindrone is added in order to reduce the risks of uterine cancer. Activella is not for everyone and the risks, including dementia, breast cancer, stroke and heart disease, sometimes outweigh the benefits. If you are currently using Activella and want to stop taking it, consult your doctor first.

Things You'll Need

• A prescription for Activella

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Instructions

• 1

  Talk to your doctor. Your doctor will help you decide whether or not you are ready to stop taking Activella. Patients getting off Activella may experience mood swings, hot flashes, dizziness, headaches and have trouble sleeping. Be sure you are willing to put up with these side effects before you start getting off of Activella.

• 2

  Your doctor will recommend some type of tapering method. One example is to take your Activella dosage as normal. On the seventh day of the week, do not take your dose. Continue to take your dosage this way until you feel comfortable and normal doing so.

• 3

  The following week after you are feeling normal, take your dosage for five days and then do not take your dose.

• 4

  Continue tapering down until you are only taking your dosage one day a week. Continue taking this dose until you feel normal, then taper off completely.

• 5

  If you have any problems while tapering off Activella, contact your doctor immediately.