We are often reminded that drug medications (and other medications for that matter), are often made available to patients under prescription only. What does this mean? It simply means that the medicine has to be prepared by a doctor in the form of an order to a pharmacist who then fills out the order as prepared by the qualified physician. The doctor takes certain features of a patient to prepare the prescription such as height and weight, sex, age, health, interactions and intolerance. Read on.
Clomiphene given only under prescription
Clomiphene has to be provided under prescription because it has unique characteristics that distinguish it from other drugs.
It’s uniquely used for the purpose of inducing ovulation or egg production in women who are unable to produce eggs in their ovaries but strongly wish to become pregnant.
Because women are unable to ovulate, they cannot become pregnant and clomiphene addresses this problem by inducing ovulation in the ovaries which are later released and can be fertilized by the male sperm.
Clomiphene belongs to a group of medications that are known as ovulatory stimulants and their task is similar to that of estrogen, which is known as a female hormone responsible for the development of eggs in the woman’s ovaries before they are released for fertilization.
How should women use clomiphene?
Similar to many drug medications, this drug can also be taken orally in tablet form. For best results, it’s normally taken once every day for a period o 5 days.
The 5 days cycle is strictly followed and the tablet is taken on or round about day 5 of the cycle. In order for you not to forget to take your tablet, you should take it at about the same time each day.
Your prescription should be very clear on how to take your tablet so you need to strictly follow the instructions written on your prescription label.
The most important instruction is that you should follow the instructions carefully as directed which will keep your health in good form and you are safe from any harm or side effects.
If for any reason you are unable to understand anything on you prescription label, don’t hesitate to ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain them for you.
You should not take more or less than what has been prescribed. Similarly you should avoid taking your medication more than what your doctor has prescribed for you.
Any other uses for clomiphene?
In addition to inducing ovulation, clomiphene is sometimes used to address the health problem of male infertility, abnormalities in female menstrual cycles.
It can also be used for the treatment of fibrocystic breasts and non-stop production of breast milk.
If you feel that there may be risks to your health if you take this drug medication, you should discuss your situation with your doctor so that you are not placed in any risk.
There may be other uses that this medication can be prescribed for and the only way to know for sure is to ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.
Does clomiphene has special precautions you need to observe?
Prior to taking clomiphene:
- You should know yourself that you have an allergic reaction to clomiphene and any other medications. It’s very important that you let your doctor or your pharmacist know about these allergic reactions to this drug medication and other medications associated with them.
- You should inform your doctor or pharmacist about all the different types of medications you are taking, leaving none of them out. These should include any prescription, nonprescription medications, herbal products, vitamins, nutritional supplements that you are taking.
- Inform you doctor whether you currently have, or you’ve ever had liver disease, ovarian cysts (but not those that resulted from polycystic ovary syndrome), uterine fibroids, abnormal vaginal bleeding, tumor of the pituitary gland, thyroid or adrenal disease.
- Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or if you are breastfeeding your child. Tell your doctor straight away if you become pregnant while taking clomiphene.
- You should be aware that this drug medication can cause blurred vision. If you are taking clomiphene, you should avoid driving a vehicle or operate other machinery equipment, particularly where light is poor. Do this until you get used to the medication and you know it won’t affect you.
- You should also know that taking clomiphene increases the change of multiple pregnancies such as having twins or more. You should familiarize yourself with the risks of multiple pregnancies with your doctor.
What you should know about food intake
You doctor should alert you to what you should and should not eat. If they don’t say anything, simply continue with your current diet.
What you should do if you forget your dose.
As soon as you remember that you’ve missed a dose, you should take it there and then. However, you should know when your next scheduled dose is due.
If the time for taking it is very soon, you should call you doctor to advise you on what you should do. You should avoid taking a double dose to make up for the dose you missed.
What side effects does clomiphene produce?
With clomiphene the most important thing to take note of are the symptoms which are severe and those that just refuse to dissipate and disappear in any of these side effects:
- Abnormal vaginal bleeding
- Flushing or warm feeling
- Headache
- Vomiting
- Breast discomfort
- Stomach upset
Some of the side effects which are listed below and are caused by clomiphene can become serious. If you feel that you have any of them, immediately call your doctor:
- Shortness of breath
- Blurred vision
- Visual spots or flashes
- Wight gain
- Double vision
- Stomach swelling
- Stomach or lower stomach pain
One additional feature of using clomiphene is its ability to increase the risk of ovarian cancer. This is the reason why this drug medication shouldn’t be used over six cycles or 30 days. You should talk to your doctor about the risks involved when you are taking the drug.
It’s also very possible that clomiphene may cause other side effects over and above those already mentioned. If you are confronted with any unusual problems when taking this drug medication, you should call your doctor immediately.
Conclusion
To be given a drug medication under prescription only, is the best way to have your health problem addressed. However getting the medicine is only the start. You should have familiarized yourself with the special features of the medication such as how to use it properly and any other uses it might have; the precautions you need to exercise to ensure you safety as well as the side effects to avoid further harm to your health. This article has provided the information you need to know when before you decide to take this drug medication.