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[Mandee]

Hello all,

I'm 53 and have been on HRT for about 5 years including Vagifem twice a week which have been brilliant at keeping away all the cystitis attacks and soreness I had before my fantastic doctor started me on them just after starting the HRT.
I moved house 9 months ago and have had nothing but stupid problems with the doctors here including having my Testogel stopped until I'd seen a new gynaecologist despite being on it from the start under another specialist. Luckily this new one agreed to it and I got it back again.
The same (typically young female) GP also said I should start reducing my HRT dosage and come off altogether so I told her straight “No thanks” but she then said she can't stop me from using it but can refuse to prescribe it. This made no sense at all. If she won't prescribe then how the hell can I get it? 
The latest farce happened when I ordered some more Vagifem only to get a call soon after telling me it's been stopped. I was told that the doctor signing prescriptions that day looked at the other stuff I'm on and, without even speaking to me, wrote to an equally useless gynaecologist who told her I don't need to be on them any more!
I made an appointment with the doctor in charge who said the other doctor must have got confused somehow and agreed to let me carry on having the Vagifem as long as I agree to a “compromise” and use it as normal for a month then take 2 weeks off because I'm on HRT and he thinks this should be enough and he's concerned about “hyper-oestrogenizing the tissues as it can cause problems”. I told him that it's very low dose and fine to take even with HRT as stated in the NICE guidelines but he stuck to it.
I now have to make a pack of 24 last 4 months instead of the usual 3.
I found another way to make it last this long by taking one every 4 1/2  days instead of every 3 but don‘t know if this is would be enough to control the symptoms as I was a bit sore during sex but luckily no cystitis. I am going to order some Hyalofemme moisturiser just incase.
What do you think of this idea?

I'm very well aware of the huge problem women on here are having with these idiot doctors being stuck in the past thanks to that crap WHI “study” from 16 years ago despite the new guidelines and I'm expecting a call anytime from mine telling me it's being stopped and having no choice but to go private.
I have also read on here about ordering online such as Pushdoctor etc but is it safe and would my GP find out?

Thanks for any advice. 

[CLKD]

Your Practice is talking b....shit!   

Speak to a local Pharmacist to see which Surgeries support HRT?  Treatment for HRT is totally different from other forms of HRT and there is no reason for anyone to stop using any form.  This seems to be beyond box ticking!

Maybe send a personal e-mail to Dr Currie, then take a copy of her suggestions to the Surgery? I would be sending her a copy of what you have typed to us pointing out that again, a GP isn't taking any notice.  Unless we tell Dr Currie the system will never improve.   It will cost .......... R U in England or does Wales ring bells ?

No one needs to reduce usage of any drugs unless there really are side-effects.  I would send an e-mail asking exactly why she wants me to stop and 'please quote any studies that cause you concern regarding HRT'. 

[Tinkerbell]

I had similar last year, told in the October that I had exceeded my quota and wouldn't be prescribed any more Vagifem until the January.
I need to use it everyday alongside full HRT, I would have been in agony if I stooped, fortunately I made another appointment with sensible GP who said he was happy to prescribe what I needed.

[Annie0710]

Your story is exactly like mine! Every bit of it! I'm making ground but it's slow

Mine sent me to a gynae after i argued with him, gynae agreed with me but not much has changed on my repeats and as a consequence I suffered a really painful kidney infection.  Luckily I have a stash of oestrogel and testosterone to bide me time x

[Mandee]

Thanks for your replies.

CLKD,
I'll speak to the local pharmacy and let you know what they say, they're really nice in there but I live in a small village with just one surgery which has 6 doctors so only 3 of them left to try now. There are no other surgeries here.
I'm on Evorel 100 patches, Utrogestan 200 for 12 days a month, Testogel 1/5 sachet a day and the Vagifem. All on repeat apart from the Vagifem.
The option to email Dr Currie is a great idea. I live in England.

Annie0710,
How did you get your stash? Docs round here don't allow ordering earlier than a week before it's due to run out so there's no way to build up any surplus.
I wish I knew someone who goes to Spain, they could bring some back for me.

I don't know if it's permitted to mention where I live on here. There maybe other ladies here who live near me who could recommend a good HRT friendly GP, if any actually exist that is.
I'm wondering if an appointment with one of the nurses would help or would that be a waste of time?

[Annie0710]

You could say the area you live in.

My testosterone lasts 5 months +
A lovely member here was prescribed 10x oestrogel in error and stopped using it so sent me some of it but it's the vagifem, I need it daily to stop uti's, this new surgery wiped testosterone off my list, oestrogel every 2 months I think (I use one can every 3 weeks) and vagifem is 8-12 weeks (I use a box a month) they even wiped off my epipens !!!!

I sent such a stinking email to them threatening them that if I have an anaphylactic episode whilst not having epipens my husband knows to kick up a fuss.  Ironically I ended up in an ambulance this past Friday with anaphylaxis .  Luckily they had panicked and prescribed 2

If you've had the go ahead from the gynae you need to push this to the dr x

[Mandee]

Hi Annie0710,

I live in the Peterborough area.

It was the gynae who said I no longer need to be on the Vagifem after another doctor queried it and wrote to him/her when signing my prescription that day. Luckily the GP I usually see reinstated them but only with that stupid “compromise” as he called it. This gynae is fine with the rest of my HRT thank goodness but I don't know if it's the same one I had to see to get my Testogel back after it was stopped.

I'm wondering if my GP has actually put a note on my records stating the new regimen and that I have to make them last 4 months.
I could try ordering some in the usual 3 months time just to see if anyone notices when signing the prescriptions I guess. If it's refused I could say I forgot to change the reminder on my calendar or something.
Nothing has been changed on the label on the box, it still says “Two to be used per week”.

That's outrageous your surgery stopped your epipens, something seriously wrong there. I'd go to the papers over that one for sure!

I just read on here that some doctors stop HRT after only 5 years. I've always been worried that mine will be stopped when I'm 60 but now I'm even more worried and stressed as it's almost 5 years I've been on mine!

[Annie0710]

You are just a short distance from me !!!

X

[Mandee]

Hi Annie0710,

Really?? Oh wow!!  I wouldn't be surprised if we lived in the same village judging by your crap GP.
I read about Louise Newson, she seems great if I need to go private but her new clinic is much too far away. If I can find a good one, private or NHS, I would feel so much better as the worry is always there making me miserable every day.

The law needs to be changed so we can get HRT from the chemist like in Spain!

[Annie0710]

I saw a great young gynae recently at hinchingbrooke, she totally supported me but gps haven't fully taken on board her directions x

[Mandee]

Just been to the local pharmacy and explained everything. Turns out she's fully aware of the NICE guidelines and that useless WHI thing and was appalled by what I told her. She also knows what each of the doctors are like and asked me which one messed up the Vagifem dosage. When I told her she just pulled a face and said “Say no more”.
She then recommended one I hadn't seen so far and said he's got good knowledge of menopause and HRT and should sort this mess out. A couple of neighbours have said he's really nice as well. I have an appointment with him next week.

If everything goes well I'll ask him to put a note on my record telling the other docs not to interfere with my meds when signing prescriptions in future. I'll also ask him if he'll allow me to continue the HRT after 60 as I really can't be doing with the constant worry of being forced off it at any time.

[SueLW]

Good idea to check in advance with him.  But if you don't get a satisfactory answer about continuing indefinitely, rest assured that a private hormone specialist would have no qualms prescribing for you indefinitely.  There are women in their 80's using HRT and doing well.  We don't have to come off. 

Going privately involves the expense of the initial appointment, but if you are settled on a regime then after that you would just be phoning up for prescriptions and they are not expensive.  So hold that at the back of your mind.  You can get this stuff by hook or by crook.

[Annie0710]

It's good when you have a good rapport with your pharmacist.  When we moved here I was advised to try one specific surgery out of the 2 available.  The one I tried was/is fully booked until at least sept 2019 so had no choice.  The pharmacy closest  I them are just as useless and rude so I get everything sent electronically to my old pharmacy in the town I lived before.  They keep shaking their head every time drs are getting my scripts wrong, as they can't deviate from what is written.  I wish my pharmacy were my drs ! X

[Mandee]

SueLW,
That's so good to know and such a relief, thanks so much for that!

[CLKD]

Sometimes it works to ask!  Pharamicists are at the bottom of the chain and have their ears to the ground ;-).