4 Prescribing Checks Before Oral Ospemifene

If dryness or painful sex has made you avoid intimacy, you may want to know what an oral treatment would change. Before deciding, ask the prescriber to explain the reason for choosing it and the checks that go with it.

Four prescribing checks

1. Have we addressed unexplained bleeding? Undiagnosed abnormal genital bleeding is a contraindication. Report unusual bleeding after menopause before starting and promptly if it occurs during treatment.¹

2. Does my history affect eligibility? The label lists past or active blood clots, stroke or heart attack and estrogen-dependent cancers among contraindications. Discuss cancer history, liver problems and other conditions with the prescriber.¹

3. Have my medicines been reviewed? Ospemifene should not be combined with estrogens or other estrogen agonist/antagonists, fluconazole or rifampin. Give the pharmacist your full list, including supplements.¹

4. What happens at review? The label calls for periodic reassessment and the shortest duration consistent with treatment goals and risks. Discuss upcoming surgery or prolonged immobility, which may require interrupting treatment.¹

Ask how to respond to a problem

Seek urgent medical help for warning signs such as changes in speech or vision, sudden severe headache or chest or leg pain, especially with breathlessness.¹

Bring the symptom you most want addressed to the review: what hurts, what you have stopped doing and what you hope treatment would make possible. Ask the team how they will assess the response.

My Body Changed. Now What? includes a symptom diary and Visit Brief. Use them to organize the symptoms and questions you want to discuss with your prescriber. See the book.