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[Katy]

Picked up my 30 vagifem 25's from the chemist yesterday phew!  Whether I'll get my next lot in a couple of months time I don't know but at least I've got plenty for now.  The use by date is 02/15.

Katy x

[Suzi Q]

Where are you Katy?
If your in England or Britain
Get a new script go back to GP say they are disconinuing and want to stock up
Its no worry to him
 Or you could lie and say youve lost your script I know its wriong but anyway to get them
Isnt it shocking that we are being reduced to this Ive now got 7 Ful of 15 7weeks x 7  weeks = 49 weeks worth
Got 2 more rpt will ring GP Monday and ask for another script I just go to a diff chemist I pay for them so I dont care

[scriv]

My update.... saw my wonderful doctor and everything is so much better again, almost back to normal 

I used the new 10mcg daily for 2 weeks to deal with the flare up and to build up the levels again and am now using 5 x 10mcg spread over the week.

The aim is to working towards  4 x 10mcg spread across the week or 2 x 10mcg twice weekly, depending on what suits best.

[Suzi Q]

Fab well done you I think I could get away now with 2x25x 8 days
But s I had the blip in October and reloaded for 10 days in December Im not yet game to try
I now have 8 pkts of 15x25 in my bathroom cub
Got a new script 1 and 2 rpts 25mg so going to get them over the next 3 weeks or so
They must be putting them down here in Ozz if they must have had loads left  but stopped selling in December
In Ozz we normally get the dregs of all drugs etc dumped here till they run out
KOWONE honestly thought they just stop selling almost overnight and not have some plan for the huge reserve?

[Night_Owl]

Hi Scriv et al - I got authorisation from the meno clinic to use VF 10mcg on alternate days plus a dab of Ovestin cream on the outside - it has worked really well for a few months now.  (Also on three-quarters of Estraderm 25 + progesterone pessaries x 10 days every 8 weeks).

Think alternate day usage has been discussed before, it's def the way to go for me. 

Good luck with it.

Night_Owl
x

[Hurdity]

To add to this thread

Firstly there has been discussion about Ovestin/Orthogynest Vs Vagifem - so just to clarify thatOvestin?Gynest contain (O)Estriol and Vagifem is (O)Estradiol. Estriol is a much weaker oestrogen thasn estradiol but does the job very well in the vaginal area.

If you were relying on the Vagifem to give you a bit of systemic oestrogen then the other sort won't give you this in the same way as most HRT uses estradiol which does it's stuff throughout the body, so you may notice other symptoms creeping in.

scriv - I suggested elsewhere that women might try to use two at once (of 10 mcg Vagifem) twice a week, rather than increase the frequency (bit of a killjoy for intimacy this one!) as you will not then be dropping the dose by very much.

So then the task is to persuade the GP to prescribe twice as many. So why would this GP not prescribe more and go puce on 3 x per week? Cost I presume - well tough!! If the GP won't then I would suggest challenging him (was it?).

This is what everyone could be doing who is suffering from the reduced dose.

Maybe if no joy then try to see a meno-specialist in the practice or get referred if possible to a meno-clinic.

Hope this helps

Hurdity x

[scriv]

Hi Hurdity

I can't remember which lady it was who had the GP who turned puce. It certainly wasn't mine. No mention from my doctor as to the cost or a problem with prescribing more.Thankfully she - was completely focused on what would be best for me.

We discussed the 2 x 10 versus the 4 x 10 weekly and I am to try it and see. In my personal case - and we are all very different -  the 4 x 10 works best than double dosing twice a week.

I wonder if the GPs are getting advice from any uk medical body on this issue?

[Suzi Q]

Yes youd have to ut one in then wait a few hours for it to be absobed then out another one in sod that
4x10 is still less it was 3x25 but its better far than 20m by 7 Id not be game to put 2 in at once
Id thinkn of it not absorbing or falling out and to use it every 3rd night or even every second nights not a problem
GPS are seeing that 10m is not enough 2 times a week are starting to understand up to 8months or so later new regime
NOT working but its money money money nd now with doubling up scripts and more appts time unless you have a GP
Who will have ring up rpts for up to 12mnths like i have the nit will also cost the surgery money to see you
Why is it always down to money

[Larney]

I'm in this club! Went to the GP for a repeat prescription of 25 vagifem last week, got to the chemist who said its no longer available, so went back to the GP. Was given Ortho Gynest pessaries. I'll reserve judgement, but I'm very scared that they won't do the job. Ive only used two so far. Fingers crossed. It's all just so horrible, I had no idea about all these awful symptoms, just heard about hot flushes (in a jokey way), never knew about hardly being able to sit down, constant UTI, painful intimacy etc etc. Such common symptoms, yet rarely talked about. So many women feeling so isolated.

[Suzi Q]

Give it ago 2 weeks if they start returning symptoms i mean
back to GP  say you want to use Vagifem 4x10 in 8 days see how that goes still only 40 in 8
Still less then 50 in 7days So you will need more on your scripts
I think we have to say nay even demand care
The Vagifem company certainly hs a lot to answer for medicaly and financially

[ariadne]

My pharmacy told me a few months ago that I needed to go back to my GP and ask for a new prescription for 10mcg because they could no longer supply 25mcg. To save having to make an appointment (and be number 50 in the automated phone queue ) I wrote and requested this and said that the pharmacy would collect the new prescription.

When I collected the Vagifem though, the pharmacy told me it was only a one off prescription and not a repeat and that I would have to go back to the GP to ask for a repeat. Grrrr!

So I wrote another letter 2 weeks ago explaining all this and asking for a repeat prescription to be left for the pharmacy to collect.

Guess what - the pharmacy told me on Tuesday that no prescription has been left.

So now it looks like I have to make an appointment just to get this to happen.

I have noticed that I need to wee a lot more often since starting the 10mcg Vagifem - not noticed any other problems yet.

ariadne xx

[Suzi Q]

Sorry not to have been on much had a lot of problems in the family but Ive nipped on and read from time to time

Hells bells Vagifem its proving hard so far not changed in Ozz but Im waiting to go get the next script and find 10s only
You will have to go see GP have a chat and get the right script 10s but more say 5rpts
Yes you will notice more wanting to wee the Vagifems evidently not getting up to the kneck of the bladder as much
HUGE HUGS go make appt and say YOU NEED IT END OF xx

[scriv]

Reporting back..... had two weeks on 10mcg x 4 weekly and it was ok - but only just and inserting on 4 nights was a bit of a hassle.

So I then tried 2 x 10mcg together x 2 weekly and actually found quite a difference in personal comfort and also an improvement in general wellbeing as if some was being absorbed into the system. Almost like the old days of the 25s!

Inserting one directly after the other has proved no problem at all either. I just have not felt them at all and there has been no irritation or mess.

It really annoys me that this decision was taken on a very small sample of women with such varying conditions and ages, regardless on whether they were pre-peri or post menopause and whether they were on other HRT or whether they already had low/high oestrogen levels. Also, they openly state that they have very limited experience in the over 65+. Well, I may not be over 65, but my body is - having had a very early natural menopause.

And yet they then come out with a one-size-fits-all statement that 10mcg twice weekly will be just as effective for every woman.

[Elena]

Hope you can continue on the twice weekly dose of 2 x 10mg.  I have yet to try the 10mgs....not looking forward to it.

[Hurdity]

Hope they also are able to prescribe double on the same prescription because you need it scriv!

The stats on which that statement was based are rubbish anyway (the thing about the 10 mcg) . I looked at the papers quoted. It was a very limited study and because it was statistically significant they say it's OK. But it wasn't 100 % response therefore there will be a significant minority of women for whom it is ineffective!

Hurdity x