Women are not small men

Have you ever been to the doctor, had a medicine prescribed and found that you didn’t respond in the way the doctor had described you should?

Maybe you experienced a side effect not listed by the doctor, or you had the desired effect but amplified to an amount that felt unsafe. For example a medication meant to help you sleep for 8 hours makes you feel drowsy for 24 hours, or a thyroid medication meant to help improve your energy levels actually makes you feel incredibly anxious.

For some of us the reasoning is in part, because most of our commonly prescribed medications are actually only ever clinically trialled on men! 

Science is catching up, albeit not quite quickly enough. The reason for this is because women are far more variable in their responses to medications due to changes in their physiology based upon where they are in their menstrual cycle. The hormone fluctuations women experience can disrupt the data.

But women are not small men. 

Which means that you cannot just change the dosage based on the weight of a woman and expect the same results as if you were treating a man.

Women metabolise some drugs more slowly than men, their livers function differently, and so they may need HALF the dosage of a man of the same size 

The same pattern follows in exercise science and nutrition. Some great examples of this are fasting and ketogenic diets. These are excellent tools for weight loss and there is a growing body of research in regards to utilising fat for energy over carbohydrates in athletes, but again, the research is predominately conducted on men. 

Women don’t have the same benefits as men when they fast for 16 hours and eat in an 8 hour window. They tend to retain fat, rather than lose it. Women cannot utilise fat as a source of energy in endurance exercise, in the same way that men can. This is why the weight always seems to drop off your husband or brother at a faster rate when it feels like you are making all the same changes. 

Your metabolic needs are different.

Your hormones impact metabolism and need consideration.

We are seeing change, medical research is starting to look at women’s physiological differences and requirements. Until the research catches up, women need to be that little bit more cautious of the advice they receive and ensure they are always asking questions - does this medication have any side effects? Will it interfere with my other medications or lifestyle habits? is this dosage specific for me as 40year old female?

Never be afraid to be your own advocate and get a team behind you that understands YOU as an individual.