Hormone Balancing With Hormone Pellet Therapy

I believe strongly in the first rule of medicine: "In the first place, do no harm." You may or may not be a candidate for hormone therapy. Hormone therapy, whether it be Hormone Pellet Therapy or another type, is NOT for everyone.

The truth is that I turn down almost as many hormone patients as I accept for hormone therapy. Often patients are already undergoing Hormone Pellet Therapy and they want to change physicians for one reason or another. That is fine by me; however, some of these patients are simply not good candidates for hormone therapy and I would much rather err on the side of caution. In those cases I tell the patient my concern(s) so that they can act on that information.

Some productivity oriented “practices” are not physician-owned or -operated and are not necessarily fully staffed with a physician. As your physician, I will always strive to give you what your need -- enough hormones but not more than you need. This is important because hormone therapy, like most any type of therapy, has effects. Some side effects are good and some not.

I began doing hormone therapy two years ago and love doing it. The results that patients get have been quite rewarding; not just for them but for me as well.

Hormone pellets are small, pressed caplets that have been described as the size of a grain of rice or the size of a Tic-Tac.

The pellets contain hormones, generally either estradiol or testosterone. These hormones are compounded and structured to be identical to the hormones that are in the human body. That is why they are often called bio-identical hormones.

The FDA, however, is not in favor of the use of the term "bio-identical hormones." It is felt that this term implies that these hormones are better than the hormones that the large pharmaceutical companies manufacture.

Hormones have been reported to be helpful for a myriad is symptoms related to both menopause and andropause (male aging).

Although many women enjoy relief of many of these symptoms which are listed below, hormone therapy is not FDA approved for all of these symptoms.

Common problems which patients encounter:

Potential benefits of Hormone Pellet Therapy:

Patients have reported seeing the effects of hormone pellets even as soon as one day to three weeks after insertion. Since everyone is different, a time cannot be accurately predicted.

Call Dr. Gelhot to schedule a consultation. At that consultation, Dr. Gelhot will determine whether this type of hormone therapy is right for you and will answer any questions you may have.

Dr. Gelhot meets with new patients on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons. If hormone therapy is right for you, you may be able to start the therapy as soon as the day after your initial consultation, though it may take up to a few days after that first appointment.

To set up a consultation, call 314.322.0337 or email md@stlouissmartlipo.com.

No. Actually they have been around since 1935 in Europe and the USA since 1939. They have not gained in popularity until recently, however.

Drugs or hormones are advertised on TV, radio or in magazines are those which are patented and afford the pharmaceutical companies a good profit. They pay for advertising because they will make the profit. Hormone pellets are generic and are compounded by a pharmacist. The pharmacist is overseen by the FDA in order to make sure the hormone pellets contain the proper amount of active ingredient and are manufactured in a safe and sterile fashion.

In fact, one large pharmaceutical company, Wyeth, filed a citizen petition in October 2005 requesting that the FDA initiate enforcement actions against pharmacists compounding bio-identical hormone therapy (BHRT) drugs. They also asked for enforcement actions against pharmacists whose facilities or practices violate the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act in dispensing or manufacturing BHRT.

In response to Wyeth’s request, the FDA has developed a public-awareness campaign about the risks and benefits of hormone therapy for the treatment of menopausal symptoms and other conditions.

Pellets achieve a steady state in the body and do not have the up-and-down blood levels of more frequent or daily dosing. Patients who come to us have usually first tried multiple types (oral and transdermal) of other preparations to relieve their symptoms. More often than not in those cases, they are surprised to find that our hormone pellets are significantly more effective in helping them.

Hormone pellets happen to be an extremely effective form of hormone therapy. This therapy has been called bio-identical hormone therapy (BHRT for short). The FDA, however, warns us against using that term. They feel it is misleading to imply that these hormones are better than the traditional hormone pills sold by the large drug companies. With that being said, however, the FDA has also issued several Warning letters notifying certain compounding pharmacies about unlawful practices related to their compounded BHRT drugs. The FDA’s letters warned the pharmacies that they make false and misleading claims about their BHRT drugs, including claims that compounded BHRT drugs are safer or more effective than FDA-approved hormone therapy drugs which are sold by the drug companies.