Unfortunately, middle-aged women may run a risk of pathologic menopause. Therefore, it is necessary to take into account what specific features may aggravate the problem. The author of the post under consideration suggests that their patient with obesity and predisposition to breast cancer should take Metoprolol instead of Norvasc to illuminate the symptoms of premature menopause. Also, it would be of help to keep a diet and give up smoking. Such recommendations are bound to be efficient because they fully correspond to the patient’s needs.
Admittedly, in case of menopause, a patient’s hormone levels and BMI are measured to find out whether there is a possibility of severe impairment. According to recent studies, “sex hormone levels after menopause are associated with women’s increased CVD risk later in life” (as cited in J Am Coll Cardiol, 2018, p. 2555–66). It sounds sensible that the patient under analysis should discontinue Norvasc intake because of its side effects, causing the risk of heart diseases in the long run because of reduced of motor activity. Being a beta-blocker, Metoprolol is sure to be an accurate decision for this particular case.
However, the patient’s obesity status is better to be reconsidered before prescribing an exact diet. Banack and their team of researchers conducted a research, the results of which “demonstrate that a BMI cut-point of 30 kg/m 2 does not appear to be an appropriate indicator of true obesity status in post-menopausal women” (Banack et al., 2018). It means that fast weight loss can be useless and even harmful. The same concerns HRT application as the patient has a cancer predisposition. Doctors claim that “although less effective than HRT, SSRIs/SNRIs are demonstrated to reduce hot flashes and may be recommended for women who wish to avoid the risks of HRT” (Stubbs et al., 2017). Thus, HRT is not to recommend because it is generally believed to increase the risk of cancer.
To sum it up, the author’s recommendations are likely to lead to a successful treatment of the symptoms of premature menopause. The suggestion to replace Norvasc with Metoprolol seems to be a reasonable decision. As far as HRT is concerned, it is of utmost importance to diminish the risk of cancer. That is why SSRIs/SNRIs may prove to be the right approach to hot flushes treatment. Still, the prescription of a diet should be reconsidered according to new data.