Should I Take Vitamins, Supplements Or Follow A Special Diet, and Can I Drink Alcohol While Taking Hormone Therapy?

— -- Question: Should I take any vitamins, herb supplements or follow a special diet, and can I drink alcohol while taking hormone therapy?

Answer: During hormone therapy, you may need to be very careful about your diet. Some women will notice weight gain. Some men will notice weight gain. So, a look at what your nutritional status is, and what you're eating before you begin hormone therapy, may help to determine any changes that you need to make during or after.

Also, everyone's response to therapy is a little different, depending on a number of issues -- how you were before you started the therapy: were you overweight, were you underweight, were you just right, how active were you? So, all these things have to be taken into consideration.

Supplements are that, just that. They're supplements.

I would be careful about alcohol consumption during hormone therapy because it has the potential to impact that hormone therapy for women who are taking some hormone blockers; they're already having hot flashes and menopausal symptoms, and alcohol may actually worsen those symptoms.

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