ENDO Messages for June, 2004: Re: Synarel: Yay or Nay?

Re: Synarel: Yay or Nay?

From: Allie (anonymous@obgyn.net)
Thu Jun 10 14:49:55 2004

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In reply to: Shelby: "Synarel: Yay or Nay?"

Shelby,

I'm 20, and am in my 5th month of Synarel. I have had great luck with it; it's the most pain free I've been since I started having periods. As you probably know, it's a six month treatment, and then that's it. There is very little research on the effectiveness after six months, or on an additional six months later in life. The primary reason for this is bone density loss.

You can try to maintain your bone density by taking 1500mg of calcium per day. I actually take closer to 1600; two Viactive and one pill each day (Viactive chews are 500mg each, the pills I have are 600mg, but are huge and I don't like taking them, even though they are cheaper than the Viactive).

It offers the convenience of a nasal spray, meaning you don't need to go to a doctor's office every month for a shot, and it keeps the anti-hormone levels more consistent than with the shot. The spray tastes terrible (you inevitably taste it as it drips from your nose down your throat). Don't drink juice to hide the taste--it's even worse! Water works ok; I've found, strangely enough, that something carbonated works best.

The hot flashes I had for the first two months were awful; I rivaled my mother in the onset of menopausal symptoms. I couldn’t cool down unless I stuck my head in the freezer for a little bit. I had pretty bad night sweats, nausea, and was emotionally uneasy. Luckily I’m surrounded by loved ones who could cope with my irrationality, but there were days where I really thought I was going crazy, because stupid little things would make me cry (I mean, really stupid—like my partner putting the shampoo on the wrong side of the shower from where it usually was). That faded, along with the hot flashes, after the first two months. I also had a little bit of spotting during those months. I have not had a period in quite some time, and am almost pain free. I still do stabbing pains sometimes that will make me double over, but those are rare. I have gained about 20 lbs in the last four months, which is a common side effect. While I’m not happy about it, and am trying to work it off, I would honestly say that the decrease in pain is enough to make it worthwhile for me.

I would recommend trying something else first, and not resorting to the Lupron or Synarel unless you need to, if only because the side effects those first two months, and the continued weight gain are not good to deal with, not to mention the bone density risks. Finally, Synarel is VERY expensive; when I first started it, the price without prescription insurance coverage was almost $500 a month. I think it has come down some, but not all insurance companies have it in their formularies. It’s something to consider!

I’m not certain about the months that will follow, but I guess I’ll know in another couple, since I only have one more month of actually taking it. Hope this helped!

--
Allie

At Tue,  8 Jun 2004, Shelby wrote:
>
>I know synarel is pretty much the same thing as lupron, except you take
>it as a nasal spray twice daily.  What kind of experiences have people
>had who have taken it? What kind of side effects, and how soon do they
>stop after you stop treatment? What types of pain did it work for? Just
>curious.  Thanks a lot!
>
>--
>Shelby
>

Next message: Tricia: "my next surgery"
Previous message: anonymous@obgyn.net: "Re: More of a chance of ovarian cancer?"
In reply to: Shelby: "Synarel: Yay or Nay?"

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