Provera (Medroxyprogesterone)

What is Provera (medroxyprogesterone) expected to be used for?
Provera is derived from the female hormone progesterone. Your medical assistants can prescribe you Provera if your menstrual periods have stopped or a female hormone imbalance is causing your uterus to bleed abnormally. Provera is also prescribed to prevent abnormal growth of the uterine lining in females taking estrogen replacement therapy. Other forms of medroxyprogesterone, such as Depo-Provera, are used as a contraceptive injection and prescribed in the therapy of endometrial cancer. Some health care providers prescribe Provera to treat endometriosis, premenstrual tension, menopausal symptoms, sexual aggressive behavior in males, sleep apnea (temporary failure to breathe while sleeping).

What is the most important fact about Provera?
Never take Provera during the first 4 months of pregnancy. During this formative period, even a several days of treatment with Provera might put your unborn baby at increased risk for birth defects. If you take Provera and after discover that you were pregnant when you took it, please consult your medical assistant at once.

What are Provera side effects?
Get emergency medical help if you have some of these signs of an allergic reaction:hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, tongue, throat or lips. Consult your doctor immediately if you have any of these serious side effects:

• sudden headache, confusion, problems withvision, speech, balance
• rapid breathing, sudden cough, chest pain, wheezing, fast heart rate
• feeling like you might pass out
• vaginal bleeding if you have already gone through menopause
• fever
• sweating, nausea, chest pain or heavy feeling, pain spreading to the arm or shoulder, general ill feeling
• a breast lump
• sudden numbness or weakness, especially on one side of the body
• jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes)
• swelling in your ankles, hands, feet
• symptoms of depression (sleep problems, dizziness, mood changes, headache)
• pain or swelling in one or both legs

• mild itching or skin rash
• breast tenderness or discharge
• spotting or breakthrough bleeding
• vaginal itching or discharge
• changes in appetite or weight
• changes in your menstrual periods
• sleep problems (insomnia)
• mild stomach pain, bloating, nausea
• skin color changes
• increased acne, hair growth, loss of scalp hair

In what cases Provera shouldn't be taken?
Provera should never be taken during pregnancy. Avoid it if you even suspect you're pregnant. Medical assistants some time ago prescribed Provera as a test for pregnancy, but no longer do so for 2 reasons:

• Quicker, safer pregnancy tests are now available.
• If you are in fact pregnant, Provera might injure unborn baby.

• A dead fetus still in the uterus
• Cancer of the breast or genital organs
• Undiagnosed bleeding from the vagina
• Liver disease or a liver condition

What are special warnings about Provera?
Before you start to take Provera, your doctor has to give you a complete physical exam, including examination of your breasts and pelvic organs. You should also have a cervical smear (Pap test). Provera may cause some degree of fluid retention.

If you have a medical condition that could be made worse by fluid retention—such asepilepsy, asthma, migraine, or a heart or kidney problem—make sure your doctor knows about it. There is some concern that Provera, like birth control pills, may increase your risk for a blood clot in a vein.

If you experience any symptoms that might suggest the onset of such a condition—pain with swelling, warmth, and redness in a leg vein, coughing or shortness of breath, vision problems, migraine, or weakness or numbness in an arm or leg — please consult your medical assistant immediately. If you are diabetic, Provera could make your diabetes worse; your doctor will want to watch you closely while you are taking this medication. Provera may make you depressed, especially if you have suffered from depression in the past.

If you become seriously depressed, tell your doctor; you should probably stop taking Provera. Provera may mask the onset of menopause. Better to say, while taking Provera you may continue to experience regular menstrual bleeding even if your menopause has started. Tell your doctor at once if you lose some or all of your vision or you start seeing double. You may have to stop taking the medicine.

What is possible food and drug interactions when taking Provera?
If Provera is taken with certain other pills, the effects of either may be increased, decreased, or altered. It is especially important to consult your doctor before combining Provera with aminoglutethimide.

What is recommended dosage for Provera?
ADULTS Abnormal Uterine Bleeding Due to Hormonal Imbalance Beginning on the 16th or 21st day of your menstrual cycle, you will take 5 to 10 milligrams daily for 5 to 10 days. Make sure you discuss what effect this will have on your menstrual cycle with your doctor. You should have bleeding 3 to 7 days after you stop taking Provera. To Accompany Estrogen Replacement Therapy The recommended regimen is 5 or 10 milligrams of Provera a day for 12 to 14 days each month, beginning on either Day 1 or Day 16 of the cycle. Provera may be taken with food or between meals. Do not change from one brand to another without consulting your doctor.

If you miss a dose of Provera:
Take it as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the one you missed and return to your regular schedule. Never take 2 doses at the same time.

To Restore Menstrual Periods Provera Tablets are taken in dosages of 5 to 10 milligrams a day for 5 to 10 days. Make sure you discuss what effect this will have on your menstrual cycle with your doctor. You should have bleeding 3 to 7 days after you stop taking Provera.

What to do if you suspect an overdose of Provera?
Although no specific information is available, any medication taken in excess can have serious consequences. If you suspect an overdose of Provera, please contact your health care provider at once.

What is Provera Oral Interactions?
Do not start, stop, or change the dosage of any medicine before checking with your doctor first. Before using this medication, tell your health care provider of all prescription and nonprescription/herbal products you may use, especially:

• drugs affecting liver enzymes that remove medroxyprogesterone from your body (such as rifampin, St. John's wort, azole antifungals including itraconazole, certain anti-seizure medicines including carbamazepine/phenobarbital/phenytoin)
• aminoglutethimide

How to store Provera:
Keep out of the reach of children. Store the medicine in a closed container at room temperature, away fromheat, moisture, or direct light. Keep from freezing. Do not keep and use outdated medications.