Women's Medicines

Many health-related problems are common both to men and women. The fact is that these health problems affect women in a different way. A very common example is of heart diseases. The symptoms of heart disease are a lot different in the case of women. Similarly, some problems affect women in a unique way because of their biological makeup. Menopause and depression fall in this category. It follows from the above discussion that medication of women should also be different from that of men and indeed this is the case. Listed below are some differences.

1. Women's metabolism is different: Yes, it is a big factor as far as the effect of certain prescription drugs is concerned. Let us take the example of erythromycin. It is known to cause heart related problems in men. But with women the case is totally different. Women have slow digestive system so this drug cannot disturb a woman's heartbeat and does not lead to heart related problems even if used for a considerable length of time. Similarly, the level of hormones in women is such that they are not as sensitive as men as far as such drugs are concerned.

2. Women are more sensitive to pain: It has been thoroughly researched and is even a matter of common experience that pain in women is very sharp most of the times. Moreover, pain in case of women is not located at a particular part of the body but gets distributed almost throughout the body. So, doctors are extra cautious while suggesting prescription or generic drugs for them.

3. More fat in women means less drugs: You may feel surprised but it's a fact that women have more fatty tissue in them as compared to men. Certain drugs get collected in these fatty tissues. The result is that they are metabolized slowly and hence generally less quantity of drugs is needed for women. Prescription medicines should be given to women keeping in mind the above-discussed fact.

4. Hormones aid or mar the effect of drugs: The medicines for women are based on the fact that women have certain hormones that are not at all present in men or are present in very small quantities. The result of these hormones is that they can retard or enhance the effect of drugs that keep on moving in the circulatory system of our blood. So, depending upon the level of hormones in the women's body medication has to be increased or decreased accordingly. Women specific medication and hormone therapies especially keep track of this factor.

As discussed above, women's medicine may not be a lot different from men's medicines as far as the composition is concerned. But their potency and the frequency of intake do matter a lot. Women seem to be sturdier than men, however, they are more prone to certain diseases than men like lung cancer and depression. Women's medication of such problems is considerably different from that of men.