HRT to be sold over the counter!

Haven't felt well since I came off HRT so I will certainly investigate.

It wouldn't be a wise thing to do in my opinion.

While I have no problem with HRT on principle, I don't think it should be OTC. I don't think Viagra or the Pill should be OTC either. Let me explain.

1. If a woman only has one or two more severe symptoms of menopause, it may be preferable for her to start medications designed to treat those one or two things, rather than everything. Some women may not be aware that there are other medications that can help.

2. For women who still have a uterus, HRT usually involves both estrogen and progesterone. I do not know what the protocol is now, but I recall reading when I was in graduate school that you can't give unopposed estrogen to a woman with an intact uterus. It can cause endometrial cancer - cancer of the uterine lining.

3. Some women have other medical issues, such as hormone receptor positive breast cancer, for example, that make it unwise for them to go on HRT.

4. In terms of men, the issue I have with Viagra being OTC is that there are a number of potentially very serious health issues that can cause erectile dysfunction. Seeing a health care professional provides an opportunity for discussion and testing to rule out these issues. Viagra may help a man out in the bedroom, but it isn't going to do much for his soaring blood sugar due to diabetes or his clogged arteries. (In the latter case it could even cause serious harm. If men have taken Viagra or related medications within 24-72 hours or so, depending on the medication, they can't be given nitroglycerin or related medications for cardiac related issues. Their blood pressure can drop dangerously low.)

5. In the case of the Pill, I'd want to have a serious discussion with a young lady. Why does she want to go on the Pill? (Not all girls and women take it for birth control.) If she has issues with her period, it may be important to figure out what those issues are. For example, there are some types of synthetic progesterone that are not recommended for women and girls who have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) because they're known to elevate male hormones - which are often already elevated in PCOS. If the birth control is to treat acne, what's her skin care routine? Has she tried anything topical? What has she tried? If it's to prevent pregnancy, does she know it doesn't prevent STIs? Either way, does she know it can cause blood clots and strokes? Does she know the signs and symptoms, and when to seek help right away?

All of these are potentially very serious issues, and some people may not be aware of them if they don't have a health care background.

I didn’t understand morning sickness till my daughter suffered from it. And sailed through the menopause. But I do understand how badly many people suffer. I remember saying to my doctor I like being a woman because I can get to 50 take HRT and then get younger again but I never needed it. Friends who do take it look much younger than me!

Totally and utterly confusing...

I do question why a perfectly natural process has suddenly become an illness which needs treating

Yes, it is a perfectly natural process - of ageing.

As is arthritis, incontinence, prostate cancer and dementia - do you mind if these sufferers have treatment?

BlueSky

I think it’s scary if they become OTC items, same as for some birth control pills, the morning after pill, or Viagra. They are powerful drugs not Smarties!

Totally agree. If someone needs to start taking them I’d advise getting a prescription prepayment certificate in case they have to chop and change for a while. I remember when statins were going to be sold over the counter at a cost far higher than a prescription. Some HRT is quite expensive and people will be shocked at how much they will have to pay. It’s also important to have any medication on your medical notes in case of other medical issues that might be connected.

MissAdventure

Messing around with hormones isn't to be done lightly, in my opinion.
I think it's a terrible idea.

Replacing the normal hormones which you lack is good medical practice.

Oldbat1

My gp never prescribed hrt in any form for me! I would have loved to be able to get something/anything for menopause symptoms after my total hysterectomy and ovary removal. This was immediate. I was told he wasn’t prepared to prescribe anything due to increased risk of cancer! Also he told me the “majority of women cope without HRT” not at all helpful.

That is inhuman. Your surgeon should have settled you on appropriate HRT after your surgery.
You should ask your GP for a referral to a menopause clinic. Do have a read of the NICE guidelines on the menopause. It is the NHS best practice guidelines.

I think it’s scary if they become OTC items, same as for some birth control pills, the morning after pill, or Viagra. They are powerful drugs not Smarties!

FarNorth

^Out of my friends (mostly 50s and 60s with a couple of 70 Yr olds) you can tell which ones are on hrt and which aren't.^

How can you tell? Do you know for a fact that you have guessed right?
I have never had hrt and I think I'm fine, fairly fit & supple and not needing any medication only a multivitamin.
Perhaps it's because I use a lot of soya products, including soya milk. Or just my good luck.

You can often tell if someone is on HRT. This of course is anecdotal but when visiting my local supermarket I noticed a car outside with HRT on the number plate. I kept looking around and at the checkout I spotted her. She was glowing and full of life. I said “I love your number plate” and she replied “It’s funny how we can recognise each other”.

Boots are doing over the counter HRT you have to do a questionnaire on line. I put my date of birth in (67) and it said I have to get intouch with my doctor so it was a waste of time. I suppose if your in your 50s it would be ok.

I just felt really happy when I finally stopped menstruating. I suffered from horrible stomach cramps and dreadful headaches when I was menstruating. Best thing that ever happened to me, didn’t have any terrible symptoms and it was just one less thing to worry about. I did have a fibroid, got checked out, all okay. I take enough meds already without taking more.

The old chestnut about menopause being a natural process is seriously flawed. For millions of years hominids rarely lived to be 50. Nowadays that age is only about two thirds of a normal life span.
Menopause is a state of hormone deprivation. We have diabetes treated with the missing hormone insulin, thyroid problems with the missing hormone thyroxine, men with low libido who cannot have an erection are treated with the missing hormone testosterone. These types of HRT are accepted but women are assumed by many to be unworthy of such treatment.
You would never think it acceptable to deny a diabetic insulin yet judgmental people deem it unnecessary for women to have their missing hormone replaced. Why?
Nowadays menopause is not quite the taboo subject it was in our mother’s day. It is general knowledge that hot flushes, night sweats and brain fog occur around the time oestrogen levels dip. What many women don’t know is that the really debilitating life changing effects of oestrogen deprivation tend not to show until late sixties and seventies. Then women not on HRT start presenting with vaginal atrophy, incontinence, urinary infections, prolapse, osteoarthritis, low libido, dementia and possibly the most crippling of all, osteoporosis.
Women on HRT have better health, look younger and usually have a much better quality of life
I was told by a consultant that she can see in the near future HRT being routinely offered to all menopausal women for whom it is not contra indicated because the benefits greatly outweigh the disadvantages not just in quality of life but in savings to the NHS.

Some women NEED HRT ,I'm glad you dont mind us taking it trisher as if I had carried on with the symptons I had I'd at least be divorced and worst dead .
Its not a few hot flushes ,its a whole list of horrible symptoms that make life unbearable .It may be "normal" but in my grannies day women were more likely to die before they reached menopause than survive to suffer for a decade or more .Obviously you didn't have any issues and I'm very happy for you but I wont be made to feel like a wimp or guilty for putting MY health and happiness first .

Amitriptyline

Hmmmm, HRT. I am really sceptical about it for the simple fact i have heard both positive and negative stories, so i would say i am more on the no side than the yes.

I have irritability, i have the hot sweats, the crying over absolutely NOTHING, hair fell out, anxiety and a whole heap of other symptoms but i take the stance that i would rather put up and shut up ( well, i dont put up with the scary anxiety, i take Amity for that ) than take HRT i suppose the negative feedback has scared me.

trisher

I don't mind women taking it if they want to. I do question why a perfectly natural process has suddenly become an illness which needs treating and will of course make millions for drug companies. I also dislike the fact that some of the drugs involved still necessitate the mistreatment of so many horses who are kept in foal just so their urine can be collected. There was a thread a bit ago about a woman who kicked a horse and she was roundly condemned, yet thousands of women are taking Premarin and thousands of horses are suffering because of this www.humanedecisions.com/premarin-horses-the-suffering-of-premarin-mares/
If you want to take it ask for a plant based one.
But I think there are benefits to being post menopausal. The idea of old wise women didn't spring from nowhere.

I have been on HRT for 33 years. My type of oestrogen is made from yams. I am surprised that/if Premarin is still prescribed in this day and age.
Nowadays mostly transdermal gels and patches are prescribed plus implants. Pills are not recommended as the dosage has to be very much higher to survive the first pass through the liver.
Any doctor prescribing Premarin is seriously out of date and any woman accepting it is personally responsible for allowing it.

Same as you, Oldbat.
My hot flushes were terrible and I desperately needed help to manage them, but I wasn't allowed HRT.

Thinking about it now, though, the pill caused me no end of grief, so I'm glad really.

Sounds as though the news is a red herring - HRT over the counter? - I don't think so. And if, at some point in the future it does become available I am sure there will be an age restriction. Vaginal oestrogen creams are not HRT.

My gp never prescribed hrt in any form for me! I would have loved to be able to get something/anything for menopause symptoms after my total hysterectomy and ovary removal. This was immediate. I was told he wasn’t prepared to prescribe anything due to increased risk of cancer! Also he told me the “majority of women cope without HRT” not at all helpful.

I dont like this idea ,I had a fair few different pills before I found the patches that actually helped.Some of the side effects were scary ,heavy bleeding for instance.I wouldn't recommend buying accross the counter or online for something that is not easy to get right at first attempt .

Messing around with hormones isn't to be done lightly, in my opinion.
I think it's a terrible idea.

Before covid, I was in a library which had a sign saying there were free period items in the toilets.
There weren't.
I asked and was told they were kept at the desk because kids had been destroying them.
So anyone wanting them had to ask, in a fairly public area.

Out of my friends (mostly 50s and 60s with a couple of 70 Yr olds) you can tell which ones are on hrt and which aren't.

How can you tell? Do you know for a fact that you have guessed right?
I have never had hrt and I think I'm fine, fairly fit & supple and not needing any medication only a multivitamin.
Perhaps it's because I use a lot of soya products, including soya milk. Or just my good luck.