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[Sarokel]

I'm in surgical menopause and have been since 2019  Right now I'm very frustrated with my GP. Late 2021 on the advice of a specialist my estradot was upped to 150 mcg. I was very happy on 150 mcg, enjoyed life all good. Stayed that way for 2 years. Mid October just gone my GP phoned out of the blue and announces they need to follow the guidelines better and my prescription is too high.

He changes my prescription to estrogel at 4 pumps a day. My specialist recommended I try 5. After a couple of weeks I'm feeling awful, my work goes to s**t, my sleep goes to s**t, my weight training goes to s**t, horrendous night hot flushes. But I persevere and do as I'm told till my blood is due to be taken which it was Wednesday just gone.

Comes back with

Oestradiol - 197
Testosterone - 0.4
SHBG - 108

No wonder I feel awful. Oh he says it's quite low but some people feel fine on those numbers. Yeah well I don't. Then he says they won't prescribe anything above the 4 pumps a day because they don't know the impact of long term higher levels. Um does the medication dose count as a higher dose if it's not being absorbed? So I'm going to have to speak to my specialist again.

Why are some GPs making it so hard?

[CLKD]

Because a) the prescriptions come out of the annual budget and b) because they don't understand that women should be allowed to vary medication as necessary.

Ring the Surgery and ask for an appt to a dedicated menopause clinic ........ or contact the Specialist and tell him/her that your GP is refusing to keep to the suggested advice.  He/she may be able to speak directly to your GP with up2date advice.

Let us know how you get on?  In the mean time keep a mood/food/symptom diary and up the dose to get you through the festive season .......... even if it's occasionally through the week ? 

[joziel]

Are you in the UK? Just go to any one of the private menopause clinics, if you can afford it. Is that what you mean by a specialist?

I can't deal with the prospect of anyone ever taking HRT away from me at a dose which works, so sadly I will always be with a private clinic until the NHS catches up...

[Sarokel]

Yeah my specialist is a menopause specialist at Edinburgh Spire, going to be a pain getting hold of her over Xmas though

[Sarokel]

I upped to 6 pumps and I'll see if that helps, very annoying as I had all symptoms controlled till he started tinkering. Clearly I'm not a great absorber. The worst symptoms I'm having are fatigue and night hot flushes, I've actually felt like I have a virus most of the time. That kind of run down feeling. I've had to cancel work because of it which isn't great when self employed

quote author=CLKD link=topic=68193.msg930041#msg930041 date=1702669520]
Because a) the prescriptions come out of the annual budget and b) because they don't understand that women should be allowed to vary medication as necessary.

Ring the Surgery and ask for an appt to a dedicated menopause clinic ........ or contact the Specialist and tell him/her that your GP is refusing to keep to the suggested advice.  He/she may be able to speak directly to your GP with up2date advice.

Let us know how you get on?  In the mean time keep a mood/food/symptom diary and up the dose to get you through the festive season .......... even if it's occasionally through the week ?
[/quote]

[CLKD]

Will it be difficult?  I would ring anyway, leaving a message if necessary as well as when I'm likely to be away [if at all].

mayB put the product names into the search box here to see if threads pop up 2 C what others do in similar situations?

[Banjo1973]

Yeah my specialist is a menopause specialist at Edinburgh Spire, going to be a pain getting hold of her over Xmas though

Hi Satokel

So sorry to hear you're going through this.

If this is of any value - I really struggled with new oestrogel (I was happy on old oestrogel).

While waiting for a specialist, I would suggest asking for 'Sandrena'. It seems way more effective than oestrogel.

Good luck xxx

[sheila99]

Try the practise manager? If your hrt has been prescribed by a specialist the gp needs to come up with a very good reason to ignore the advice of someone who knows more about it  than he does.

[Mary G]

Sarokel, you were obviously very happy with your previous HRT regime so you should stick with it. 

Never change an HRT you are happy with.

I would refuse to change and immediately resume the patches.  Ask the specialist to prescribe the Estradot from now on and tell the doctor what you are doing and why. I don't know how much Estradot costs in the UK but I think they are about €20.00 a box here but whatever the cost, it's cheaper than losing your job.

This seems to be happening a lot at the moment.  It sounds like yet another ill thought out directive from the NHS which is destined to make people's lives miserable.

[joziel]

I agree, get back on the 150mcg patch which helps you feel good.

By the way, 4 pumps of Oestrogel is the same as a 100mcg patch ON AVERAGE - because women absorb these things differently. But it was a massive reduction from your 150mcg.

I don't know what 5 pumps of 6 pumps equates to, and whether that's going to get you up to 150mcg.... I'm about to go to 6 pumps myself, I'm at 5 pumps now.

It is a LOT of gel to be rubbing over yourself and it's a boring task to do every morning. If 150mcg patches work for you, go for those instead!!