She Went Cold Turkey on Hormone Therapy

Re “Estrogen on Trial” (March 27):

In the many articles I read on hormone replacement therapy, I rarely see any mention of the more immediate side effects suffered by some of us. Having been told by various physicians that I must take hormones for all the usual reasons trotted out by doctors, I made a valiant effort. After Premarin, Estrace, Ogen, two types of patches and an injection, I finally decided to just say no.

When I started on my estrogen odyssey, I went from rarely having a headache to having one almost all the time--headaches so bad they caused muscle spasms in my neck, shoulder and back. My mental acuity diminished, my allergy problems became much worse, and I began having sudden, life-threatening asthma attacks. One doctor actually had the audacity to tell me, “You need this. Learn to live with it.”

I finally decided to listen to my body, which was telling me “Don’t do this,” and to ignore the doctors who in my opinion rely far too heavily on the self-serving literature provided by the drug companies pushing these hormone products.

--JAYCIE INGERSOLL

Beverly Hills