For years, drug companies touted the benefits of HRT. Marketing campaigns for medications like Premarin, Prempro and Provera targeted both women and their doctors, promising that the drugs could perform miracles. Manufacturers boasted these drugs could not only temper bothersome symptoms of menopause, including hot flashes, mood swings, and vaginal dryness, but they had the added benefit of protecting women against heart disease, a serious concern among older women. Use of these drugs was even encouraged for off-label uses, including the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease.