Suzanne Somers takes 60 pills a day & bioidentical hormones

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Suzanne Somers is obsessed with youth. She was on “Oprah” yesterday, where she admitted that she takes 60 pills a day, along with estrogen and progesterone creams. Oh, and estriol, which she injects vaginally. That’s quite the hardcore routine. Somers admits she comes across as a nut and is obsessive about her routine. Which is a bit of an understatement.

Suzanne Somers has always been preoccupied with staying fit and looking young. But has the former Three’s Company star gone too far? On an appearance Thursday on “Oprah,” Somers, 62, invited cameras into her home to watch her daily routine of hormone injections and supplement popping.

She begins with rubbing a syringe of estrogen on one arm, every day. For two weeks out of the month, she rubs progesterone on the other. After that, she injects estriol vaginally, which she graciously spared the audience from watching. But it doesn’t end there.

She can’t start her day without taking 40 pills, 15 of which she downs in a thick, yellow smoothie her husband makes for her (she says it’s the secret to their marriage!). Then she ends her day with an additional 20 pills at night before bed.

While she admits the routine makes her seem “like some kind of fanatic,” she says it has helped her beat the “Seven Dwarfs of Menopause: Itchy, B**chy, Sleepy, Sweaty, Bloated, Forgetful and All Dried Up.”

“I wanna be there,” she said, pointing to her head. “Until I’m 110. And I’m going to do what I have to do to get there.”

[From Fox News]

The Huffington Post has a video of Suzanne’s routine. I will admit she looks good for 62, but what would really make her look better is a hairstyle that wasn’t all the rage in 1995. And that wouldn’t require any pills! I have a theory that all women keep whatever hairstyle they have at forty for the rest of their lives. Suzanne was clearly trendier than the average woman so she’s stuck with the hairstyle she had at about fifty.

This is one of those great opportunities to lecture about moderation – which she does do in the brief Oprah clip. Somers basically says that she knows she’s really extreme about her routine, but it’s just something she’s fanatical about and she’s not saying other people ought to take it that far.

A lot of it really depends on what she takes. Some people don’t like taking a multivitamin/multimineral and prefer to take things separately. If that’s the case, it’s not quite so crazy. She does look good for her age, but I bet it takes a lot of work to keep up with that kind of regimen. However many women have managed to age gracefully without 60 pills a day. I’m sure there’s a sane middle ground somewhere.

Here’s Suzanne with husband Alan Hamel at the 2009 Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards on January 6th. Images thanks to WENN.

palm springs festival2 070109

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61 Responses to “Suzanne Somers takes 60 pills a day & bioidentical hormones”

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  1. rules says:

    OMG, a hoodie with a ’80s ball gown skirt……what the? Oh, and she needs a hobby that doesnt include taking pills. She has way too much time on her hands.

  2. Anna says:

    I have no idea who that woman is but: she reminds me a lot of Melanie Griffith (and that’s not a compliment these days) and whoa, she is bats**t crazy! It’s unhealthy to take that many hormones at her age. My grandma did the same (well, to not quite the same extent) because she thought it would keep her young. It made her contract ovarian cancer; which I was surprised to learn can be caused by the continual, long-term intake of such hormones after menopause. She is dying at the moment. If that Suzanne Somers (again, who is she?) wants to live to a 110, she better stop the madness right now.

  3. tigerlille says:

    Besides which, does she really look that good for 62? Only from a distance, I suspect.

  4. mE says:

    Inject? As in with a needle or like those yeast infection creams you put up the old batcave with an applicator?

    Either way, I guess she is a better woman than I. I have to wonder about fooling with ones hormones so much and the long-term risks associated with it. She does look pretty good for a 62 yo though.

  5. MaiGirl says:

    I think that’s part of what the bangs and wispies around her face are all about. Goldie Hawn and a lot of other older celebrity females do or have done this. It covers wrinkles and surgery scars!

  6. banana says:

    with all do respect, anna, what your grandma took — post menopausal hormone replacement therapy — is certainly not the same dosage or even combination of hormones that Suzanne Somers takes. the therapy that your grandma once took has been taken off the market because of the connection to ovarian cancer. Im sorry to hear that your grandma is dying. But I can assure you that Suzanne is under the care of doctors who are well aware of the risks of taking these hormones and are not giving her the improper combination and dosage.

  7. Zoe says:

    god, anna, sorry to hear about your gradma…

    yeah, I’ve heard there’s a connection between hormones and ovarian cancers. (Women who menstuate young or have kids after 30, etc.) are exposed to more estrogen than otherwise would be (probably explaining this badly, somebody step in to explain please).

    She must’ve heard of this connection. It’s remarkable because I think she is a breast cancer survivor. Ahhhh Vanity. (Wasn’t it a big scandal that she had lipo on her thighs when she was marketing the “Thigh Master”?

    BTW: she was in a great 70’s sit com called Three’s Company with John Ritter. I used to love that show when I was little!

  8. Ana says:

    Didn’t she start all this because she had cancer???

  9. Spike says:

    Yikes!

    Why does she remind me of the Joker?
    http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/2181/joker59cl.jpg

    Suzanne, that is not a good or natural look.

    Damn I hated Three’s Company — what crap…

  10. jUDY says:

    SHe has had plastic surgery too to help her face and body along. They showed picutres of her leaving the plastic surgery place all bandaged up lol She can swallow all the crap she wants and inject her self wherever she wants, when her time comes, poof she will be gone. I think she had flipped her lid.

  11. Codzilla says:

    mE: I was wondering the same thing about the injections: needle or “applicator”? If it’s the former, then, holy shit, I’ll just live with the damn wrinkles.

    Anna: I’m also very sorry to hear about your grandma. Just awful.

  12. Dirty Martini says:

    I have a friend who is into that hormone stuff and is following Somers’ regime based on her book.

    My crazy friend thinks she is keeping her body the way it was supposed to be. It will keep her having periods for as long she’s taking them.

    Bat Sh*t crazy is right! Like I still want to be buying Tampax when I’m 78…..

  13. sandy says:

    actually, she has had those bangs even longer!
    she had them when she was on “threes company”.

  14. Chiara says:

    SS has been on the bio-identicals for 10 years and cancer free for 5.

    She loves to, “sell,” and credits her ability to market successfully to her husband.

    I see plastic surgery, botox, hair extensions and one hell of a sales campaign 🙂

  15. Baholicious says:

    Really? I though she used 60 Thighmasters a day…

    I love me my Chrissy Snow. Her life story is quite something. You go girl!

  16. Ned says:

    Getting a tan is the number 1 reason their skin look so terrible.

    Stay away from the sun, and you won’t need do much work on your skin.

  17. Anna says:

    As I said, my grandma did not take exactly what this Somers woman is taking. She dilligently took a hormone that was meant to alleviate menopausal symptoms, for over 17 years. She thought it would keep her looking young. This therapy/medicine is most certainly not off the market. The point is: these hormones aren’t bad whilst you’re *actually* going through menopause. It’s taking them for a prolonged period of time after menopause that increases the risk of cancer drastically. I’m no doctor but I’m sure that whatever combo Somers is taking cannot be healthy in the long-run, simply because it’s not healthy to take such strong hormones after menopause.

    Thank you to all of you who said they were sorry to hear about my grandmother. I was touched.

  18. Leandra says:

    My mother inserts a Vagifem tablet twice a week with an applicator so the vag doesn’t dry up. She uses sunscreen and exercises every day. She eats healthy and has a tiny bit of Botox for the wrinkles between her eyes once every six months. She looks great. You don’t need all this other crap to look and feel good. It’s just hype.

  19. vdantev says:

    She left out the devouring of children’s souls twice a month, in keeping with the Satanic pact. Her appearance is about as natural as the vinyl seats in my car.

  20. lola lola says:

    I bet Helen Mirren doesn’t do anything like that and she looks amazing! Anyone else see those bathing suit photos of her recently?

  21. boomchakaboom says:

    Ana: Sorry for your grandma’s condition. I know it must be real hard take in such a loss, made even more poignant since it was unnecessary for her to even have the illness.

    It can never be good when pharmaceutical companies (profits) are driving the car carrying the medical profession.

  22. boomchakaboom says:

    But as to S.Somers, I think she’s always been a bit kee-razy. She kind of pulled a David Caruso and left a hit show to pursue “other options” and never really rebounded. I believe she left under somewhat nasty terms with everyone related to Three’s Company. That’s when she wrote a ditzy book of poetry, found out nobody cared that much about her inner thoughts and started making her body her career, with the work out videos, Vegas, thigh-master, etc. This is just what she morphed into and she looks exactly like I would expect her to.

  23. Cha Cha says:

    My mom is 67 and looks younger than her. She definitely looks, overdone.

    It just proves that all the pills and surgery in the world will not keep you from looking fug.

  24. Baholicious says:

    I’m shocked people at how little you know. Suzanne Sommers’ father was an abusive alcoholic. And she got away…cut her some slack.

  25. Sunnyjyl says:

    I agree Baho, her life story is amazing. She is a true survivor.

  26. Cha Cha says:

    Ok, not reading her biography and knowing that makes me feel bad for saying what I said.. in all honesty, I like her, just making an obvious comment on her obsession with vanity…but how many celebrities on here have had bad upbringings? Ali Lohan, for example, has completely screwed up parents, and people shredded her in another thread. So if we’re to not be able to say harsh things on a superficial celebrity site, then that will rule out most people.

    I’m sure she has gone through a lot, but taking 60 pills and plastic surgery is still extreme.

  27. BluePlanet says:

    If she’s happy and healthy, more power to her. I’m not sure I would take that many pills a day to do it, but if you can avoid the discomfort and misery of degenerative illness, then why not?

  28. Annie says:

    actually, bio-identical hormones really are not that different from the hormone replacement therapy hormones used to treat millions of women a few years ago (and actually still in use!). The dosages and quantities are similar–and really the quantity is the problem. Women’s bodies don’t make anywhere near the amount given in one dose (not even over the course of a decade)–so they are just as dangerous as the chemically synthesized hormones they used to prescribe by routine.

    Many women on bio-identical hormones have become susceptible to cancer–Somers herself came down with it a few years ago (and these hormone related cancers usually target the breast and uterus, either one or the other, or one then the other).

    In any case, I can’t stand to see celebrities shill for pharmaceutical companies–and pushing the idea that menopause is disease that needs drug treatment. That’s a load of hooey, but it keeps her in the public eye and I’m sure it pays better than acting.

  29. Ally= says:

    ok, who doesn’t know who Suzanna Summers is????? Are you all toddlers on here????

  30. Baholicious says:

    Ali Lohan?? Come ON.

  31. Rosebudd says:

    She is a true survivor..I give her credit. Better 60 vitamins a day than a handle of vodka. Typical A type over achiever fr. alco. family. Whatever success is in a personal way! My mother is similar. One twin sister gone fr alcoholism. Younger sister gone fr. same. Her father was alcoholic. Sad. Good for Suzanne, but, God is she annoying!!!!!!! Go away already Suzanne. No hormones for me and boy, that itchy, bitchy & sweaty is not a pretty picture. Give me a handle. J.K. no alcohol for this dried up old lady.

  32. jojo says:

    I hate the font you used! Hard to read and gives me a headache. Sorry to be a grouch, but it’s true!

  33. boomchakaboom says:

    I’ve always liked S.S. Loved her as Chrissy on Three’s Company, plus she never seemed like anything but a truly sweet, genuine person. She just took some bad advice, career wise, I believe, but who doesn’t sometimes? She looks like she always has, only a bit older. I have to hand it to her, at a time when she could have really gone whole hog into self pity crap, she just moved on and made a career for herself in a different area. Suzanne Somers is one woman I will never pick on just for the hell of it. She deserves better.

  34. Jim Donovan says:

    Suzanne should be congratulated for having the guts to stand up to the Pharmaceutical industry who would like to keep everyone a little sick and taking some of their prescription drugs (read- $$$) every day.

    If one takes the time to actually read her books, they will realize that this is not simply a lay person’s opinion. She has done the work of interviewing the top leading edge longevity doctors in the nation. THEY are providing the information and guidance.

    It’s not, for most people about living longer. It’s about aging with a decent quality of life and not winding up in a nursing home or sitting around mumbling to yourself because you can’t remember your name.

    This is not some Hollywood fad, it’s the leading edge of complementary medicine.

    The only one’s opposing it are the drug companies who stand to lose a fortune if people are healthy.

    • Elle says:

      With so many taking medication for supposed age related health issues and some of the less than kind defiant comments reflected here, around being at a mature age ie dried up? than one might consider where the pressure to stay youthful and be counted comes from? SS is trying to stay clear of medications and that home many are forced to go to, so not to be a ‘burden’ to society. You either invest time in yourself while you can or wait years for the end in a retirement home..we are all vain to some degree, it is human nature and it shows we still care to have the energy to contribute and participate..

  35. lrm says:

    Has anyone ever heard of Chinese Medicine? Herbs? Helloooo…there’s a reason why longevity/life expectancy is so high in china,japan,etc. [and I mean GOOD quality of life-not just alive for being alive’s sake]…Herbs and that tai chi;when i was in taiwan,parks were FULL at 5:30 am with mostly old folks doing tai chi/qi gong religiously. And there are plenty of herbs that alleviate symptoms safely,and assist in longevity/youth maintenance. It’s about your life force,not your biochemistry [rather,the first feeds the second].
    Anyway,these ‘toxic’ hormones are made from what? usually an active compound of a plant,distilled,and/or animal parts. I’m sorry,but I do believe less is more,food choices play a bigger role than people realize [not just eating ‘healthy’,based on your personal definition of that],and chemical compounds will always kill you in the end. Take the whole plant,if you have the option,not the drug compound. [consult someone with training,not this over-the-counter b.s.,where americans think popping herbs like popping tylenol is going to ‘fix’ them…it’s not how the body works.]

  36. lrm says:

    ps-I’m 39;people usually think I’m 27/28…and often i’m still carded,esp. when i’m not with my child. last time,guy said you are not 39;you look at most 24. so the advice i give is based on first hand experience. oh,and a friend of mine,49,looks early 20’s,has grandkids. truly jaw dropping. hey i wont list her web address b/c it’s tacky,but the info is out there if you want—-search beyond the mainstream stuff.

  37. lrm says:

    Western medicine is the research and treatment of disease. Chinese medicine is the research and treatment of good health. Traditionally in China, doctors were paid to keep their patients well. If a patient fell ill, the doctor had to treat them for free. So their focus has been on preventing disease before it starts, by building a state of radiant health.

    Chinese herbal formulas are considered to be the most sophisticated in the world. Time-tested, well researched, very safe with almost no side effects, these herbs are powerful adaptogenics that counteract the effects of stress – a major cause of disease. Since the liver and kidneys are the organs that “age” us, most Chinese anti-aging longevity herbs are liver and kidney tonics.

    Unlike most western drugs, these herbs not only help to relieve symptoms, but they also work to remove the underlying cause. Chinese tonic herbs can help your body maintain strength, longevity and balance
    [tip: google ‘herbs for immortality’ and thus begins your research…]

  38. Holley says:

    you naysayers are jealous and/or ignorant…she looks fantastic, no matter what her “routine” is.

  39. dr.grrl says:

    well said Irm!!!

    (as a TCM practitioner, i applaud your comments and wish i had more patients like you!)

  40. bwoz says:

    Boo hoo, she had a “bad” family life so it’s OK to pop pills and give herself injections in her crotch…any “normal” neighbor you who did this would make you sick and share the gossip ASAFP in any venue you could.

  41. Rosebudd says:

    Irm, sounds like you are well advised. My husband is American born Chinese and his family believes in a lot of old tradition. He is from San Francisco and his parents worked closely in Chinatown community. Along with herbs, shop daily for fresh food, no refrigeration if possible, do not ever drink cold beverages, etc….There is whole lifestyle involved. Also, I worked in Southeast Asia 15 days a month for 3 yrs. & often went to Chinatowns & other for medical care. I just want to advise people to FULLY research herbs because there are some scary ones that can be very harmful, as mau haung. Not sure I spelled right, but, it is used often and can cause heart problems, pre-mature aging, hair loss, early menopause,etc. Thank you for info., just wanted people to know beware and be well advised.

  42. sissoucat says:

    Sorry to intrude, but the life expectancy in China is clearly under the life expectancy in Japan, which is the same as in Canada, Australia and part of Europe, and higher than in the USA, granted.

    So, maybe there’s more to it than just herbs. Maybe utter poverty, which exists in China and in the USA, is a factor too…

    Not than I don’t condone a healthy lifestyle, herbs and culture and all that.

    By the way, no makeup makes wonder for one’s skin.

  43. DLR in Canada says:

    What I found really freaky icky is those vaginal injections. Geez. I also looked up the bioidentical hormone thing and came across the Wiley Protocol and found out no matter what kind of bioidentical hormone thing or HRT you use if you continue to get a period even if you’re like 63. Ick. There has to be a better way go go through menopause without buying tampons, popping 40 pills a day, and sticking a needle in my vagina for the rest of my life! Ick, ick, ick. 😮

  44. Yadira says:

    Whatever happened to aging gracefully? I’m sure she’s sold plenty of thigh masters and jewelry on the home shopping network so that she won’t have to worry about keeping up appearances to get more work.

    I think no matter how old a woman is, natural is more beautiful.

  45. pixiegirl says:

    Ah yes, it’s the DOCTORS who are trying to keep us sick. So THAT’s why my doc is always pushing hemlock on me? Whatevs.
    Really, I’m so sick of people shilling crap that only appeals to people because it’s ‘complementary’ medicine. Does that mean it’s not a load of crap? Traditional medicine does have it’s problems, but overall it is self correcting and improving over time. Is complementary medicine improving? Nope. It’s the same old sh*t just repackaged year after year.
    Get over yourself, Chrissy.

  46. what baloney says:

    remember that a lot of supposedly homeopathic chinese medicnes have been found to contain unhealthy ammounts of LEAD.

  47. barneslr says:

    She’d better be careful. As a cancer survivor, she really should not be taking hormones.

    If she looks youthful it is clearly the result of the obvious, multiple plastic surgeries that she has had, not because she wastes her money on supplements.

    What people don’t understand is that the supplement industry in the US is unregulated. A bottle of say, ginko biloba, may or may not actually contain ANY ginko biloba at all. Or it may contain 50 times the strength that is advertised on the label. Or it may vary wildly from manufacturer to manufacturer and even from batch to batch. Taking those supplements is like playing Russian roulette. You have no idea what you are actually taking or in what quantities. Until there is regulation and oversight over supplements, it is a bad idea to take them.

    The other thing people forget is that those supplements can and will interact with any medications one is on and may even interact negatively with each other. It is much smarter to just eat a healthy and balanced diet and get regular exercise. Get plenty of sleep and drink lots of water. Just doing those things will do you more good than throwing your money away on supplements.

  48. Susie says:

    Wow..so many negative, bitchy comments..I highly doubt any one of you would look as good as SS at her age. At least she has the guts to research and stand up to the medical community who are more concerned about being puppets for pharmaceutical companies to make money. You should be grateful that someone has done so much research on behalf of women (including you bitter negative ones)..Holy hot flash ladies..I think you need to try what is obviously working well for SS because it sure appears nothing is working for you?

  49. cammy says:

    I recently read her books “The Sexy Years”, “Ageless” and “Breakthrough”. Before I read these books, I wrote her off a a kook, but I found these books fascinating and informative. She advocates that women (and men) should be replacing their progesterone, estrogen and testosterone which they no longer produce due to the aging process. I found it curious, however when she covers her personal regimen, I don’t see where she uses testosterone (Alan uses it though). Also she says that she uses these hormones in a monthly cycle that produces a period every month, but can a women have a monthly period if she doesn’t have a uterus? She writes that she has had a hysterctomy, so unless she’s grown a new uterus with her stored stem cells, I was just wondering how she was having a period.

  50. jwall says:

    Not many of you get it. You’ll die at 50 and could have lived to 100. If you read the books by Suzanne Sommers you would get it. To many of you are negative. Hope you make it past 50.

  51. kat says:

    Naturopathic care should be covered by medical insurance. It should be made available by the purposed National Health care plan. More people should be able to utilize it. Try to get a medical doctor to do all that and they don’t know what you are talking about. I respect her for sharing her health care information with us.

  52. BRAYDEN says:

    Definitely worth the read

  53. Jo says:

    I’m 61 y’s/o and have been taking bioidentical hormones for 10 years. I only started taking them after having side effects from synthetic hormones as well as significant and progressively worsening joint pain developed during menopause. I use a topical cream of 3 natural estrogens and a topical cream of natural progesterone both about the size of a small pea once a day and this is enough to control all my joint symptoms. I mention this background because I think that I’m typical of those who use bioidenticals…i.e. for control of symptoms and not primarily as an anti-aging too. I do not consider menopause a disease and have worked as a health care professional all my adult life. The doctor who prescribes my hormones was interviewed by SS for one of her books and he considers her an extremist. He feels advocating a forced continuance of periods after menopause with bioidenticals is unwise and dangerous, as do I. Perhaps I could understand the compulsion to try and protect myself if I had had cancer, but thankfully, as yet, all my yearly tests have come back negative, and I feel that my regimen of diet, restricted hormones and exercise contibute greatly to my good health. One has to be their own best advocate, be informed and then make reasoned and responsible choices as the whole bioidentical scene in medicine is not as yet a dependable science.

  54. Hotrod says:

    She looks scary. I wonder what she’s doing next Halloween.
    What does her stomach lining look like after 60 pills a day? Smoothie or not, it ain’t good for you.
    She walked from three’s Company and it has been down hill ever since. I’ll bet when you’re around her she does nothing but talk about her self imposed therapy and, of course, herself.
    Damn, Like I said, I could of used her on Halloween and saved pumpkin money.
    What a scary looking freak.
    Hotrod.

  55. Not many of you get it. You’ll die at 50 and could have lived to 100. If you read the books by Suzanne Sommers you would get it. To many of you are negative. Hope you make it past 50.

  56. Patrick says:

    I laughed at the guy who said S.S. was about as natural as the vinyl seats in his car. This woman is sad, taking all those pills, and cramming things up her midge to keep it from “drying out” is especially sad. I like how all you people who slam on the pharmaceutical industry don’t do the same to the supplement industry. She takes far more supplements than she does pharmaceuticals. I bet that isn’t even her real hair.
    Also, I don’t care what she “survived” as a child, that was 50 years ago. Get over it already. Geeah

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  58. hydrogen says:

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  59. MaidMan says:

    Plastic surgery sucks and has never improved anyone. This was once a beautiful woman who was aging very well.

    Damn shame, what we’ll do for fame…and our agents.

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