However! Why can Pharmacies sell drugs to the public which NICE won't allow GPs to prescribe?
R U able to take a cancellation appt. if someone cancels ? Perhaps ring Dr Briggs' Clinic and ask if they provide that kind of filling in? It may get you there sooner.
Hormone blood tests are reliably un-reliable. Your levels mayB low one month, but within normal limits or higher the next. Why specifically do U think that you require testosterone? Any particular symptoms bothering you?
What qualifications has the "doctor" at Superdrug got, my husband is a Dr ;-). PhD. What happens if you begin buying the drug then the Pharmacy runs out of stock? Those costs do show how 'cheap' going via an NHS GP might be. I'm a bit wary about any Company 'that can sell' products that should be available on the NHS.
Let us know how you get on.
You raise some very good points CLKD!
My big concern is not technically being under the care of the doctor prescribing the meds online. No actual consultation/conversation/providing a history, no port of call to check in if there are any problems or questions, no follow up consultation like you’d get with a GP or specialist. They do insist on monitoring levels via regular blood tests and I do trust that the doctors are genuine GMC registered doctors (all the credentials/GMC numbers of the staff are provided). The speed and easiness is very appealing - no waiting lists, no private consultation fees, but it makes me a little uneasy - and having had some time to think I’m going to listen to that uneasiness. Maybe it could be a useful service as a back up in the future but for now I’ve decided I want to be assessed and treated by a meno specialist.
I feel that low testosterone could potentially explain a lot of the issues I’ve got going on and I’d like to trial it to see if it could make a difference. I have zero libido, really forgetful/blank moments (What am I doing? Why am I in this room? Where did I put this item 5 seconds ago? What did I do yesterday? Why is there a carton of half used sour milk in the cupboard?
![bang :bang:](https://www.menopausematters.co.uk/forum/Smileys/extended/bang.gif)
), lapses, can’t think clearly, a general ‘flat’ feeling like I’ve lost my spark/mojo/drive, and lots of fatigue. I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome which can cause a lot of this but these issues have definitely got a lot worse since perimenopause! I have a history of depression but this feels quite different. All the things I do that usually help when I’ve been depressed in the past don’t really make a lot of difference to this so I’m wondering if it could be hormonal? The Oestrogen part of my HRT has helped with a lot - no more hot flushes and the awful rollercoaster of mood swings/surges, despair and crying have stopped.
Re the prices - I suppose they’ve got the make up for the fact that we only need about 1/10th of the dose that men do! I suspect part of those monthly costs are prescribing/dispensing fees which I didn’t consider when I last posted. I will let you know if I manage to find out!
I really appreciate the different perspectives that have been offered - thank you!
![thankyou :thankyou:](https://www.menopausematters.co.uk/forum/Smileys/extended/thankyou.gif)