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[Ju Ju]

Just been to collect my prescription from my surgery, only to find the HRT patches left off. As I have a doctors appointment on Saturday and a couple of weeks supply left, I let it go. I went to the chemist near the surgery and mentioned they hadn't issued my prescription for HRT and she said she couldn't get any patches of any make anyway! I looked on the BMS site, which says there are no problems getting Estradot patches at the moment, so maybe some hope? The pharmacist suggested I see my doctor and get the gel. Never tried this before. This is getting stressful and time consuming. My nearest chemist is 3 miles away and as they never have everything, it requires two trips every month at least. After my saying at least I hadn't had problem getting my asthma meds, she said that over the last two years, one mediation after another has become unavailable. What is going on? The uncertainty of Brexit?

[Hurdity]

Thanks for the update pepperminty and thanks also Dotty for posting the link on the other thread! This is very thorough. Very annoying about the patches especially Estradot - and it does seem like some whoilesalers or whoever the dispensaries get it from are holding things up somewhere along the line. Our supply chains are so very long and complex these days and what with purchase agreements or whatever they are between dispensaries or pharmacies and their suppliers - it is diffcult to intervene.

I for one will be writing to Novartis as they suggest! My prescription has already been changed to Estraderm and they can't now get these although it seems from the below there is no info....!

Hurdity x

[Hurdity]

Good luck Hurdity. Btw, what's wrong with Femseven? I don't know much about all the different products.

Hiya shropshirelass - sorry only just seen this,

Nothing wrong with Femseven at all! It's just that my body is used to the twice weekly patches (for 12 + years!) so would prefer not to change to a 7 day one at this point. However if that was the only one available I would change to that rather than gel as my body is used to estradiol being delivered by patches.  However in these difficult times I think we have to take what we can get!!!

Hurdity x

[Wrensong]

Sorry if this has already been posted elsewhere - have not been on the forum for a week or more.  Interested to find the following BMS statement on government intervention wrt HRT supply shortages:-

https://thebms.org.uk/2019/10/bms-response-to-the-governments-new-measures-to-tackle-hrt-shortages/

Hope everyone is OK & managing to get theirs.
Wx

[bear]

Hi Wrensong,

Unfortunately the measures should have been implemented BEFORE the shortages have escalated.

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-47742899

Let's hope it's not too late. I echo your wishes, hope everyone is managing to get their meds.

BeaR.

[Wrensong]

Couldn't agree more BeaR.  Thanks for posting this link.  My understanding of the reasons behind the situation was incomplete & this article's an eye opener that makes for grim reading and a lingering heartsink feeling.

[bear]

Hi again Wrensong,

You're welcome. I like to read 'old news', hindsight is an important tool when it comes to filter the overwhelming amount of information we have to absorb these days.

BeaR.

[Ladybird 2]

Thank you for posting the updates, after femseven was stopped I was not able to get Utro from Dr so had to go private which was very expensive. Then a new female Dr started & gave me the prescription the private Gynae was prescribing
Yesterday to needed to review as I am having night sweats again but told now due to new concerns over breast cancer risk she is not able to raise dose from 2 pumps of gel a day - I am 56 so have to go privately again. Will I be able to get oestrogel with shortages or would a oestrogen patch be easier to get from my own Dr on NHS after private Gynae gives a prescription? LB 

[Hurdity]

Hi Ladybird 2 - you do not need to go privately to obtain the dose of HRT you need. This is ridiculous,. They are just trying to save money or are ignorant of the valid criticisms (but the academic medical menopause societies) of the latest Lancet study. There is a huge amount of information and links on this website and forum if you want to look - or we can show you (re the Lancet study and BC risk). I would ask for referral if this doc will not increase your dose - this is absurd and if you feel up to it, needs challenging. Why should you have to pay other than a prescription charge?

As far as we know there are no shortages of gel (the BMS have publicised the shortages list and no-one has said they have any problems getting hold of it). Please try again with your GP or another in the practice or ask to be referred. Did your private gynae only prescribe 2 pumps or did s/he make prpovision to increase to 4 if your symptoms are not controlled?

Another alternative is to have an e-mail consultation with Dr Currie ( founder of MM) at a cost of only £30 with your question (look on home page of website) and if/when she recommends up to 4 pumps max (provided there is no contra-indication in your personal situation) then you can print off and take to your doc in lieu of expensive private consultation?

Hurdity x

[Ladybird 2]

Thank you Hurdity,
I do feel like pushed from one Dr the another I have Osteoporosis as well so this is the main reason to take it. I have been given this month supply but used to get 6 months on Femseven. Its such a battle now 5 years on HRT we have no meno clinics near so I will battle on.
Thanks again, always great advice

[oldsheep]

haven't been on here for ages.
There's been a total supply shutdown of both of my HRT prescriptions. Evorel 50 patches and Utrogestan 100. Been on them for 10+ years now. GP didn't inform me. I heard yesterday when I tried to get a repeat of the Utrogestan.
I can only see my consultant in January and my GP is out of his depth and uninterested in HRT. If I move practice to the other one around here, they are hostile to HRT.  I have 2 weeks left of Utrogestan and 2 months of Evorel. Obviously I can't take Evorel unopposed.
The pharmacies say they are being kept in the dark and info changes daily. We are very vulnerable to lack of HRT as it's not something that was ever prescribed more often than needed to help patients deal with shortages.
No Evorel until at least summer 2020.
My GP knows nada about HRT but relies on the consultant at the meno clinic (the one that wrote the BMS article). If he's in the dark as well, what on earth to do? He's so busy I can only see him in January.
It's difficult not to be anxious.

Going cold turkey is terrifying. I have other serious health issues that will be affected if I suddenly stop HRT after so many stable years. 
Ladybird, I also have osteoporosis and this is another reason why the evorel has been prescribed.
Someone is stockpiling and it isn't us....other meds of mine are also suddenly unavailable too. All the PPIs. They are on the Yellowhammer list.
I hope everyone can find a way that doesn't break the bank. This is gross irresponsibility to patients.

[Katejo]

haven't been on here for ages.
There's been a total supply shutdown of both of my HRT prescriptions. Evorel 50 patches and Utrogestan 100. Been on them for 10+ years now. GP didn't inform me. I heard yesterday when I tried to get a repeat of the Utrogestan.
I can only see my consultant in January and my GP is out of his depth and uninterested in HRT. If I move practice to the other one around here, they are hostile to HRT.  I have 2 weeks left of Utrogestan and 2 months of Evorel. Obviously I can't take Evorel unopposed.
The pharmacies say they are being kept in the dark and info changes daily. We are very vulnerable to lack of HRT as it's not something that was ever prescribed more often than needed to help patients deal with shortages.
No Evorel until at least summer 2020.
My GP knows nada about HRT but relies on the consultant at the meno clinic (the one that wrote the BMS article). If he's in the dark as well, what on earth to do? He's so busy I can only see him in January.
It's difficult not to be anxious.

Going cold turkey is terrifying. I have other serious health issues that will be affected if I suddenly stop HRT after so many stable years. 
Ladybird, I also have osteoporosis and this is another reason why the evorel has been prescribed.
Someone is stockpiling and it isn't us....other meds of mine are also suddenly unavailable too. All the PPIs. They are on the Yellowhammer list.
I hope everyone can find a way that doesn't break the bank. This is gross irresponsibility to patients.

If your GP will give you a prescription, you can still order from the Independent Pharmacy. I have just checked and they do have your Evorel 50 in stock. https://www.theindependentpharmacy.co.uk/menopause-hrt/evorel'default=evorel-patches-508-patches
You don't pay more than the NHS prescription charge as long as you can send them a prescription. I have ordered once before and got Evorel Conti from them.

[Wrensong]

Hi Oldsheep, heart in mouth for you.  Can you maybe ring your consultant's sec & explain the situation, asking whether he can at least email your GP stating that you must not be made to come off your HRT & organise for you to have a script you can send to the Independent Pharmacy as Katejo suggests.  I have also used them when no local pharmacy would even take my script for Estradot a few weeks ago, & they were really helpful. 

I may be in a similar position to you wrt future scripts - when I collected my Estradot from the pharmacy on Sat, was astonished to see all my HRT bar MPA has been removed from repeat order form with no explanation.  So that's Vagifem, Estriol & Estradot I am seemingly no longer able to order.  Waiting to speak to GP to find out whether an error or deliberate.  I so hope the former!
Wx

[jaycee]

Could it be the gap in ordering is longer than usual, at my surgery if you haven't ordered repeat in 3 months it is automatically removed and you have to see your Dr again
It was explained to me that it is the computer that removes it not the Dr
Hope this helps, it could be a mistake though,as far as i know vagifem is still available, but livial of which there was plenty has now been added to the list i saw

[Wrensong]

No Jaycee, I have to order a box of Vagifem roughly every month as directed to use 5 nights a week, had ordered Estriol approx a month ago & Estradot dosage was Consultant raised only last week, which had involved my requesting the new strength from the surgery on Thurs.  Didn't get to speak to the GP who issued the script - was arranged via Cons email to surgery together with written request from me.  That seems to have been when the 3 HRT items were removed from repeat.  Hoping it was a locum GP who's unfamiliar with the system & deleted accidentally.  But have a heartsink feeling about it, especially as I have quite a few items on repeat & the Vagifem was spaced apart from the other 2 on the order form, with other repeat order meds in between, so at least 2 of the missing 3 must have been removed individually.