Estrogen may protect against bone disease
Dear Dr. Gott: I went through an uneventful menopause at 52. Now, at 60, my doctor has put me on estrogen. I also take Synthroid and Xanax. Will these drugs interfere with the hormone?
Dear reader: I’m unclear why your physician chose to prescribe estrogen so many years after you finished menopause. Perhaps he believed that the hormone would help protect you against osteoporosis and heart disease.
If so, you should be aware that hormone supplements may increase the risk of breast cancer and other negative consequences. Therefore, I advise you to discuss this issue with your doctor so that you can learn about the risks and benefits of this therapy and thereby make an informed decision.
You should also know that too much thyroid supplement (Synthroid and others) can accelerate osteoporosis. Thus, make sure you have periodic blood tests to make sure you’re receiving the proper amount. You might also consider using calcium (about 1,500 mg a day) to help treat osteoporosis.
To answer your specific question, estrogen, Synthroid and Xanax (an anti-anxiety drug) are safe to take together.
Dear Dr. Gott: When I was 16, I had a routine chest X-ray. My mother was told that I had a dangerously enlarged heart and should be prohibited from sports.
I am now 51 and in excellent health. I recently had an examination (with an X-ray). The doctor told me that my heart was “critically enlarged.” Subsequently, I underwent a complete cardiac workup, including a stress test and coronary angiogram. All the cardiologists agree that my heart is in every way normal: no hypertension, coronary disease or other problem. I am physically active and have no symptoms. How can the doctors be so confused and misleading?
Dear Reader: You are, in statistical jargon, an “outlier”: Your normal heart appears enlarged on X-ray.
Heart enlargement can reflect cardiac disease when, because of diseases (such as hypertension or arteriosclerosis), the heart stretches and becomes flabby. If the underlying problem is not corrected, severe disability will result.
On the other hand, some healthy people — notably well-trained athletes — have big hearts that are very muscular and perform well.
Because your heart has been tested and found to be normal, I assume that your (healthy) heart is merely larger than ordinary.
I believe that this has caused consternation among your doctors because a large heart customarily indicates disease.
Your case supports the axiom that doctors should look at the patient as a whole, not as one specific test, before establishing a diagnosis. Doctors, being human, make mistakes. Tests are imperfect. The human body is complex. Enjoy your good health.