Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => All things menopause => Topic started by: Dana on October 28, 2016, 11:58:18 PM
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I'm not sure if any Aussie ladies here are using Estradot 50mcg, but it's in very short supply at the moment, in fact almost impossible to get. I've been told by two pharmacies it won't be available until about 24 November. I'm in Brisbane, so I can't be sure if this is Australia wide, although I assume it is.
I only had enough on hand for another 2 weeks, but by calling every pharmacy in my area I've been able to get another two boxes. I did have a supply of tablets to fall back on, so I wasn't really panicking, but I prefer the patches.
So if you need them you'd better start calling around now. It only seems to be the 50mcg that's not available, so at a pinch you could get your doctor to write another prescription so you could use 2 x 25mcg or half a 100mg patch.
I often hear ladies in the UK talk about supply problems, but I've never known it to happen here before. It's been a lesson to me. I nearly always have at least a month extra on hand, but for some reason I'd run short. That won't happen again. I wonder if they would allow any other kind of medicine to run so low.
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Oh no Dana, this is not good news. Thanks for the warning. I am on Estradot 50mcg so will go and get a script now...hopefully!!
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Good luck. I hope you are able to get some. Also try some of the online pharmacies. That's how I got a box yesterday. A local Chemmart had an online page that said they had them in stock. I phoned to make sure and they had one box left, so I hot footed it straight there.
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Does anybody have any idea what is going on with this in Australia?
There is STILL a shortage, with no ETA on when they will be back!
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I was told they would be available around 24th November, but I phoned my local pharmacy and they're still out of stock. She's offered to phone the supplier, but they had her on hold forever, so she didn't really find out anything from them. She left a message so not sure if she'll hear anything back.
The problem is that now all the other dosages are out of stock or very low, so getting the 25s or 100s will also be difficult or impossible. She suggested the best option would be a new prescription for Climara which is a once a week patch because it is still in fairly good supply. Estraderm is also getting very short because I suppose it's similar to Estradot.
I've still got enough for 8 weeks, but if it goes on for another month I will have to get a new prescription or temporarily go back to Premarin, because I've got a few boxes of that stashed away. I was going to get rid of them a while back, but something made me decide to keep them. I really don't understand how something like this is allowed to happen. I bet it wouldn't be allowed to happen to any other type of medication.
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PS - Maybe try contacting Novartis directly. Here are their contact details. Perhaps give them a call or email them. Time to go directly to the source.
https://www.novartis.com.au/about-us/contact-us
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Thanks Dana.
I have some hundreds that will last me about 2 months.
If something doesn't happen soon. I'll order them online directly from goldpharma.
It will be expensive but I'm not willing to change brands when I'm just settling into my dosage.
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Yip ladies also experience the same problem here. Started with the 50mcg patches, now it is all of them. Fortunuately I have extra stock but worried for the future...
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Same problem across whole of Estradot range in the UK. GP had to give me Evorel as alternative.
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It must be a world-wide thing then. I've tried googling for more information, but nothing much comes up except for a trans-gender site, but they mostly seem to be talking about estrogen injections being hard to get, and I think it was mostly America. It's just not good enough. Why is it always women who have to be anxious about their hrt?
I've just realised I also have an unopened box of Estalis (combi patches) that I can use up. I wasn't that keen on using them long-term, because of the norethisterone, but a month was okay when I used them before. So I've now got about 12 weeks of patches on hand before I have to either change brands or go back to Premarin. And who knows, maybe the Estalis might work better this time and I can have a conti routine in future (always looking for the potential silver lining :)). I'm really glad I've managed to have quite a stash of hrt squirreled away, but once all this get sorted out I'll have to work on building up my stash again. ..lol... Using this a learning experience - try to have at least a few month's supply up your sleeve.
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Agree Dana, very annoying!!
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No problem here in SW England - got a 3 month refill last week! (Estradot 50)
Hurdity x
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Just managed to secure my 50's up here in Scotland. Fingers crossed this doesn't become more of a serious supply problem for all of us! I personally couldn't bear another HRT change right now! :-\
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Yeah I don't want to swap brands.
I just got myself another pack of 100mcg so I'm okay the next 3 months.
I wish they would get their act together!
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Agree Sonia! Was just told by a pharmacist they looking at only getting new stock mid 2017!!! :(
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Well that's just ridiculous. I sent a blasting email to all the email contacts on the Novartis website yesterday. So far it's been acknowledged by one person who told me she had forwarded it on to the "medical information team".
Can I suggest others also send emails or phone as well? If we sit back and say nothing they will just get away with walking all over us. All the contacts are shown here. https://www.novartis.com.au/about-us/contact-us/media-contacts
This goes also for the ladies in other countries/areas with similar problems. You can't just let these pharma companies think that we don't have a voice. You will need to search for your own local contacts though.
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I have a couple of thoughts on this, Dana! As far as I know, they seem to have regular 'production issues' with the Estradot - quite what these are, we can only guess but I think it leaves us all in a very precarious position!
Also, I read over at Hystersisters (US site) that the Vivelle Dot (US name for Estradot) is being replaced by the Minivelle which is produced by Novartis and is about the size of a US quarter, and is round. Women are not liking this as it seems that the round patches seem to 'lift' more than the lozenge shaped dots and are harder to apply as there is difficulty removing the backing as it is removed in one go and then the adhesive has contact with the fingers. I'll pop over and have a further dig around on this. I'm THINKING (and these are just my thoughts) that maybe production is slowing down on the dots to prepare to move to this new product worldwide maybe? Who knows!
It would be nice if us as the consumers were kept informed! >:(
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That would seem a reasonable explanation Tempest. Like many other products which disappear for months on end, then reappear in new packaging. Never have figured out why there needs to be such long gaps between old & new though. Sounds like bad planning.
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Yes "keeping us informed" is exactly the problem I have. I don't have a huge issue with the lack of availability because there are other options, but it's the complete silence and lack of of updates that is really annoying. This is exactly the point I made in my emails yesterday. FWIW here's what I said......
"I'm just wondering when Australian women are going to be given accurate information on when Estradot patches (specifically 50mcg) are going to be available. Pharmacies seem to have no idea, and when they contact their suppliers they either get no call back from them, or aren't given any information anyway. I was initially told they would be available around 24th November, but now there doesn't seem to be any information available at all.
This is seriously not good enough. Women should not be forced to change to different brands or types of delivery, because for a lot of women getting on to the right kind of estrogen supplement can be a very trying and lengthy experience. Menopause is a very stressful and life altering experience for some women and they don't need to have things made worse by not being able to access their medication of choice.
At least make some kind of public announcement, and give us some information. If this is going to go on for much longer women have a right to know, so they can make alternative arrangements. The uncertainty is just not fair, and your silence is insulting. It shows a complete lack of compassion and understanding of their situation."
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I've just had an email response from them, and matildamouse your information seems to be correct - unfortunately. It's interesting that apparently a letter has been sent to all pharmacies, but these same pharmacies are saying they have no idea. Who's telling the truth. Anyway here is the email......
Thank you for taking the time to share your concerns and feedback.
Earlier in November we sent the attached letter to all pharmacies and wholesalers, as well as informing both the PBS and TGA.
Unfortunately at this stage we cannot be more specific than the mid-2017 date specified for consistent supply, although there will be intermittent supply before then.
We have taken on-board your feedback and will include a similar statement on the Novartis website to make it easier for both patients and healthcare practitioners to find the information.
Best regards,
Sandoz Pty Ltd
Retail Marketing
54 Waterloo Road
Macquarie Park, NSW 2113
AUSTRALIA
and here is the attached letter that was supposedly sent to the pharmacies at the beginning of November....
10th November 2016
Dear Valued Customer,
Novartis has been a experiencing a disruption in the supply of Estradot, Estalis
Continuous and Estalis Sequi in Australia. We apologise for the inconvenience this has caused
and are working to resolve the fluctuations in supply as a priority. At this time, we anticipate a
return to stable supply in Australia by mid-2017.
Should you have any queries, please find below the contact information.
For all stock queries:
Sandoz Pty Ltd
Customer Service
Telephone: 1800 726 369
Fax: 1800 040 644
Email: [email protected]
For all Adverse Events related to these products:
Novartis Drug Safety
Telephone: 1800 814 677
Fax: 1800 650 493
Email: [email protected]
For all Medical Enquiries, and Product Complaints:
Novartis Medical Information
Telephone: 1800 671 203
Fax: +612 9887 2419
Email: [email protected]
Sincerely,
I'm sorry for the bad news ladies, but at least now you know you will probably have to find an alternative for the time being.
EDIT BY Emma
personal contact details removed by request of Sandos, Australia
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Hi Dana,
what do you suggest would be the closest alternative here in Aus?
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On the way home just now I called into my local pharmacy and I was happy to see the Senior Pharmacist was on duty because she's always more helpful that the younger ones. I asked her what else is available that isn't likely to go out of stock quickly too and she said that (understandably) when this kind of thing happens it puts pressure on everything else, so there are no guarantees about any of them. However, she printed off the list of HRT from the Australian Menopause Society site, which I already had, and marked the ones that are and aren't available.
This is a link to the information. http://www.menopause.org.au/for-women/information-sheets/426-ams-guide-to-equivalent-hrt-doses If you scroll about half way down you will see "Oestrogen only therapy" in pink. Then go the "medium dose" section. This is the information she's just given me about 30 minutes ago, but it could change at any time of course.
Available Tablets
Estrofem
Zumenon
Progynova
Premarin
Available Patches
Climara
Available Gel
Sandrena
Estradot and Estraderm are definitely not available.
She agreed that pharmacies have been told that availability will be very dodgy until the middle of next year, so I don't know why other pharmacists don't give out this information too. I told her that I had already ripped into Novartis twice (I sent a reply to the above email I received this morning), and she said "Good" and agreed that it's just not good enough and that they are treating women really badly. She said pharmacists rip into them too, but they don't take any notice of them. She said it will mean more coming from actual customers. I have my doubts about that, but you never know. She also looks about menopause age, so this is probably very close to her heart as well. She may even use Estradot herself.
So I can only say again, make sure you all contact your local Novartis and tell them what you think, even if this shortage hasn't affected you yet, because by the sound of it, it probably will. This sounds like it is a worldwide issue originating in America which is where these things are made.
At this stage I'm not going to worry too much about getting a new prescription for anything. With the combination of all the HRTs I have stashed away (Estradot, Estalis, Progynova and Premarin) I've got about 8-9 months supply on hand. I didn't realise I had so much until I started counting it all up, but now I'm glad I never threw anything out. I just feel really angry for all those ladies who have already struggled so hard to find the right one and don't have a good supply on hand. That's why I've taken to blasting Novartis. I'm also annoyed that my emergency stash is going to be pretty much depleted by the time this is over.
In answer to your question soniad I guess the best alternative initially would be either the Climara patch (which is a once a week patch as opposed to the twice a week Estradot, but my pharmacist said she wasn't aware of any issues with that), or the Sandrena Gel which I've never used so I don't know what it would be like. Of course on-going availability could be the issue.
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Just an update. I've decided to get a new prescription from my doctor this afternoon for Climara. I phoned the pharmacy again, just to make sure, and they said it's readily available at the moment, but I'm not taking any chances about what might happen over the next few months. As long as it suits me, I will get a new refill as often as I can, so I'm absolutely sure I have plenty of patches on hand. Who knows, maybe I'll prefer it because you only have to change it once a week.
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I've heard Climara can poop out before you get to the 7th day of wearing the patch.
But if it's a choice between that and nothing I'll take it!
I actually managed to get my claws on 2 packets of Estraderm this afternoon. I had no idea they were in short supply as well
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Yes I spoke to the Pharmacist on duty this afternoon when I got my new script filled, and he said the delivery was the same, but some people do have an issue with the patch coming off early, or being sensitive to the adhesive because it is a stronger type. They're about 3 times the size of the Estradot, but I don't care about that. No one sees my bum these days..lol...
I'm due to change my patch tomorrow afternoon and even though I've still got a couple of months of Estradot on hand I want to give the Climara a try, and if they are okay I'll get another refill in a few weeks, and keep doing that until I've got a good supply on hand.
You were lucky getting the Estraderm, and two packets!! They will never give me more than one at a time. Did you get a prescription for that, or were you lucky to get a pharmacist who would do a swap? None of them would do that for me. They all said they couldn't substitute and that I would have to get a new prescription.
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I'm in uk and I think there's been this problem once since I started estradot in summer of 2015. If it hit here again I'm going to try Tibolone I think. I had an awful 4 day migraine when I tried a different patch before and that was keeping brand name but going from pill to patch
X
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Hi All,
Production issues could mean that they have received poor regulatory findings on their manufacturing plant, as they will be inspected by the Regulatory authorities at specific intervals. If this is the case, they will be working with the authorities to put actions in place to sort. I don't know if Novartis have more than one manufacturing site producing transdermal patches, if they do then it may not effect the other sites. This may be possible has they have stated 'intermittent supplies'
I do know that in the UK they do not like to sell through the big wholesalers, which want large discounts, and that can be why availability can be difficult here for the big pharmacies.
Rhiner
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You were lucky getting the Estraderm, and two packets!! They will never give me more than one at a time. Did you get a prescription for that, or were you lucky to get a pharmacist who would do a swap? None of them would do that for me. They all said they couldn't substitute and that I would have to get a new prescription.
No, none of my pharmacists would do a swap.
I actually got a prescription Dana, but can you believe it - the doctor had never heard of Estraderm and could not find it in her list of available medicines! I had to call the Pharmacist myself while in the Doctor's office and THEY had to explain it to her!
Then she started lecturing me about getting mammograms and the like. Most of these doctors are clueless about the latest HRT treatments and still subscribe to the fear mentality that was generated by the WHI study in 2002.
Thank goodness for this site and all the well-informed helpful ladies on it.
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Mammograms aren't a bad thing to have though because with or without HRT you are still susceptible to breast cancer. I get one done privately every year, but you can get free ones every two years. They recommend that all women from 40-75 get one done at least every two years, although younger women are recommended to have ultrasounds as well due to the density of the breast tissue making it harder to see anything.
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Yes I agree, just had mine in August this year.
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Hi, I've only been on HRT since Mid January & the first patch I tried was Estradot. I've got sensitive skin with eczema related allergies so I was a bit wary about using patches. So I tried a few to see how my skin coped. I was fine with these patches & my hot moments calmed down. But since I've tried to get more, my pharmacist hasn't been able to get any Estradot. I liked them as they stayed attached, and were small, as I'm still recovering from a hysterectomy in November, I have scars all over my stomach, so being small these patches were good.
Since I've not been able to get more, my pharmacist tried me on Fem 7, which was a 7 day one, but my skin couldn't cope with it being on for 7 days, and also it was so much bigger, so after the first one stayed on for 7 days, I went through 4 in 2 days, as they wouldn't stick. I'm not back on another twice weekly one, but it's as big as the fem 7 patches, and although I'm feeling better as they are staying on, I don't like the bigger ones. Really hoping the supplier gets them sorted out.
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Supply in Australia has been up and down. I have managed to stockpile 4 unopened boxes, by putting my name on the waiting lists of a few chemists. I can also make one Estradot patch last 7 days, so I've got enough for more than 8 months.
Supply is supposed to improve in the middle of the year. I won't bother trying to get anymore for a while because I don't want to bother about expiry dates, but even when normal supply resumes I will always try to have a few boxes stockpiled in case supply becomes dodgy again.
It's ridiculous that women are faced with this kind of thing. I bet viagra is never in short supply.
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Hi Dana
I must have missed this thread at some stage! I'm on Estalis but doc says supplies aren't good, she laughed and thought she'd have a queue of angry women at her door, too right!
She's swapped me to estrogen patch (climera) and progesterone pills but the pills are a bigger quantity than in the patch so have to halve them.
Flipping nuisance as have to remember to take pill again each day!
Why can't people just leave things alone, was quite happy on one patch!
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Hi wombat
I tried the climera 50 and didn't like it. It definitely was a lower dose than the estradot 50. Supply of the estradot/estalis is coming through, but it's sporadic. A friend of mine has also had good results putting her name on a waiting list at the chemist. Give that a try and you might be able to get the estalis. Also experiment to see if you can make a patch last longer. I was surprised to find I could get my twice a week patch to last a full 7 days with no side effects.
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Doc's given me 75 because flushes and night sweats have come back, I'll see how it goes!
Problem is here you can't just keep changing scripts as it means another trip to the docs and $$$$$$$! I went into one chemist and they didn't have Estalis and I said what am I supposed to do, go back to docs, they wouldn't give me an alternative.
Wish I could come off it but hot flushes etc are still too much of a nuisance whilst I'm working!
I'll try it and if no good maybe I'll ask doc for back up script if and when it becomes available! It's good to know you've found that supplies may resume as I can pass that on next time!
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The official word I got from Novartis last year is that normal supply should resume mid year. Hopefully that is still right.
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Still seems messed up now?
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Yep, it's still a problem in Australia. I was told it should be sorted out by the middle of the year, but who knows. I've just sent a message on the Novartis FB page today, so here is the link if others would like to send them a message to let them know how you feel about it. They also have a twitter account, but I don't do twitter. Doubt it will achieve anything, but at least they know how I feel about them.
https://www.facebook.com/novartis/
https://twitter.com/novartis
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I've nothing positive to add here except it is sooo darned irritating that a product as simple as this (well in my reckoning it's simple!) is so often out of supply. And as one of the ladies above said if you ha e to change size, another visit to doc and more money!
Come on Novartis get your act together !