Hi Pauline
Welcome to MM!
I too was a Premique fan- and have tried a number of preparations since it has been discontinued. As I could not get a repeat prescription back in February , my doctor supplied another unrelated HRT ( that is different estrogen AND progesterone) which I started immediately as I was panicking to not be without, but wish I had done some research at the time to find a match to the Premique to avoid messing my hormones up (which is what has happened!) It's great you have a month's supply so you can avoid this.
I have subsequently done A LOT of reading up! The closest you can get is Premarin (conjugated estrogen only) which is made by the same company, Pfizer, and it comes in three strengths. I was on 0.625 in Premique which is medium dosage, but it is available as 0.3 and up to 1.25 which would be quite a high dose. I'm guessing you were on the medium dosage of Premique as the last time I looked low dose was still available. You then would need to add in a separate progesterone Provera 5mg which is the same progesterone in Premique (0.625/ 5mg). My doctor said not to have 5mg each day as she felt this was too much progesterone and said 2.5mg for 14 days but this would give a bleed. However, a different GP said 5mg!! I also know there are ladies on here taking 5mg continually with the Premarin and as this was same dosage given in Premique I can't see what the issue would be. If the progesterone suited you in Premique it should be a good combination for you. The only issue then is taking 2 separate tablets.
Maybe you could discuss this with your GP as the two separates are definitely available.
If you put Premarin into the search bar on this site, you'll see posts from other users.
Your other options are to go with estradiol which is a bioidentical estrogen, basically the same as we would produce in our own bodies and is used in all of the other tablets, gels and patches with a progesterone added in. A lot prefer estradiol , but I have seen posts where some users have felt better on the conjugated estrogen. There are tablets that have the estradiol with the same progesterone in as in Premique, Provera, but the technical name is Medroxyprogesterone (spelling??) abbreviated to MPA. If you decide to go for estradiol, I'd be tempted to stick with the same progesterone so that you are only changing one component. I didn't do this and so therefore was not sure whether I was struggling with the new estrogen or progesterone.
The only other alternative progesterone available as a single to put alongside the Premarin would be Utrogestan- this is sometimes called micronised progesterone and is bioidentical. There are lots of users here who love it, some manage it and others don't tolerate it. Again, worth a read up on it.
In my experience having been where you are, I'd stick with the closest as if it ain't broke, don't fix it! As I've bounced around different preparations in the last six months and been on a hormone rollercoaster, I only wish I'd had a doctor up to speed with HRT which would have offered the Premarin and Provera straight off. As it is, I'm trying to settle on femoston for at least 3 months to try and get some kind of consistency in my system. I tried the Premarin/ provera briefly but at a time when I was under some severe personal stress, probably exacerbated by hormone meltdown, and had lots of dizziness. I wasn't sure if it was Premarin and could well have been anxiety related, so it's a combination I would try again. It was brilliant at removing my meno symptoms and I felt super calm and slept well! I've read loads of positive posts on Premarin and it's one of the most prescribed in the USA so it must work for many.
I'm sure more experienced posters will be along to offer ideas and experiences.
Be great to hear what you decide 😀 SQ xx
