HRT shortage

It's not that I'm without sympathy. I had a truly horrible menopause (still get hot flushes) but HRT was not for me. I have little faith in doctors so I would have worried far more about taking it than enduring a natural process.

Women rightly object to pregnancy (another natural process) being viewed as needing medical intervention. Monitoring, assistance and checks are welcome, of course.

Nobody can tell how they would have been (long term) without their HRT, given time to adapt and adjust to their next stage in life. Menopause intervention remains a first world problem and even here, three quarters of women manage without it.

Surely, availability of life-saving drugs is a far more important concern?

paperbackwriter i am on Tibolone and had no problems getting it, my Dr said it was one of the easiest to get.but thinking of stopping it as i am losing hair and wonder if this is the cause,it is very androgenic

Goldenage if anyone wants HRT to keep their hair and nails nice,they might be very disappointed, my hair is falling out since i have been back on HRT

If anyone is saying get on with it and get over it,then they have either not reached menopause or have sailed through it
I am still getting flushes and night sweats,and my mother used to say she felt like running into the sea,as we lived at the seaside it was worrying,as she got very hot and wound up,and did disappear at one time

I made the decision to not take HRT if I could help it. My mother died from breast cancer, aged 63, and I’m 60 now. I know they’ve looked at these issues with a new approach the last few years, but the seed was sewn for me, and didn’t want to take the risk. I have to say, that generally, I’ve coped. The last three years, I’ve felt below par on and off, and haven’t felt like me. The worst has been sickness( another thread ). From what I’ve read about HRT, it only really treats hot flushes, and settles down any intermittent bleeding. Since neither of these has been a problem to me, there was no point to HRT. I know there are women who are worse than me and it must be awful if they can’t get the one thing that helps them. I wish you all the best ?

Not the same but we cannot get epinpens for my granddaughter. Prescription still outstanding since August when she was hospitalized and nearly died due to peanut allergy. The epipens saved her life whilst waiting for the ambulance. It absolutely terrifies me that we cannot get it ( we do have one spare)

I was lucky enough to sail through the menopause with no real problems. I sympathise greatly with those that do suffer and being told to get on with it isn’t helpful. Thinking back to how our mothers coped - I must have been in my early teens when mine went through it. She never ever spoke about illness and hated visiting the GP but I remember she had a spell when she was very low, always turning the heating down as she was so hot and found fault with us all including my Dad! So in hindsight I suspect she would have been a prime candidate for HRT.

Tooting
I watched my late mother cope with the menopause and the discomfort it can bring as many did when HRT was not at that time available. She got through and lived to ninety three. What was good enough for her was good enough for me and I too have survived without HRT.Now waiting for the its all right for you etc etc etc.

Agree that the comment 'just get on with it' is thoughtless and aggressive. Menopause can cause very debilating problems which can affect the individual and wider family - so if there is help available why not take it. I took HRT briefly but it didn't suit me so I just gritted my teeth and managed till the symptoms abated. My poor husband probably suffered during this time. I have a friend who is struggling to get supplies and gets friends who are travelling abroad to buy supplies for her because you can get them across the counter, without prescription, in countries like Spain. Not something I advocate but I guess you will do anything if you are desperate and the pills are from a proper Chemist rather than the dodgy stuff you get on line. I am running a petition to save NHS funds by reducing waste of prescription medication and other equipment to address these sort of shortages - this following recent personal experiences with the NHS - here is the link if anyone would consider supporting me by signing and sharing.

I have a couple of comments to make here. Having had a particularly bad menopause and had to come off the HRT for medical reasons, I fully sympathise with anyone who needs this and can't get it. I struggled through with sage tea but found the flowers from the Turkish sage, much more helpful than the leaves from the sage plant common here.
I do also know some women way into their 60s who don't need HRT and want it simply to keep their hair and nails as they used to be. Personally, while I believe in every woman's right to look as she wants, in a climate of austerity and non-availability of certain medications, I think women who fall into this category should not be prescribed.
And finally, am I right in believing that certain HRT brands are not available because of Brexit? If so, I hope the many people who are posting on here and voted to leave the EU are beginning to realise the enormous changes that this decision has brought to our daily lives already.

Is this part of the cause and effect of Brexit do you think. I don't take HRT but I do take BP tablets.
Just a thought - why now are these medications not available?

The shortage I'm finding at the moment is my brand of contact lenses. I also think my HRT (Tibolone) is on the list. I certainly haven't had the usual delivery to my local Boots. I take it ever other day as a kind of maintenance dose and wouldn't want to be without it. I feel it keeps me sane and my bones healthy.

kircubbin2000 What an unpleasant and aggressive comment your "just get over it" is. That was totally unnecessary.

I dont know about HRT but my husband and I are finding a problem getting our blood pressure medication. Basically the pharmacist seems to have very low supplies. She ends up giving us a couple of days supply then waiting on an order coming in. This had been happening for months.

Why do women undermine each other like this? Everyone's experience of the menopause is different and to say "just get on with it" is wrong. Let's support each other and save our criticism for those who have let this happen. I suspect if this didn't only affect women it would be more of a priority.

My HRT, Kliovance is not on the shortage list and so I have a decent supply.

I suffer from anxiety and stress and the HRT keeps me balanced and reasonably happy. I agree with the above poster who commented on the variability of doctors and their willingness to prescribe HRT.

I recently nearly had kittens when a young, inexperienced GP did not like my lowish blood pressure reading and was all for refusing to prescribe unless the next reading was better. She took two more readings, each higher than the last and the final one was through the roof - because she was threatening to take my HRT away! Doh!

I came home, calmed down and sent in three more blood pressure readings by phone, all the usual very low numbers and the clinician approved the prescription, thank goodness.

kircubbin2000

As it's not an actual illness just get over it

What a stupid and ignorant comment.
It can be a breeze, it also be totally debilitating and in worse cases lead to long term MH problems and suicide. Or are MH problems not real either? Ffs.

Thanks for your empathy Magpie, much appreciated. I do know that my mother suffered terribly from crippling migraines and hot flushes and also died at the age of 53. Women nowadays are expected to hold down responsible jobs until their late sixties, made even harder if they are suffering from menopausal symptoms. We weren’t expected to live much longer than our childbearing years and therefore didn’t experience the effects of the menopause for so long. My sister is 82 and is still getting hot flushes! For SOME women it never stops. No, you’re right, it isn’t an illness but it can certainly make you FEEL very ill indeed.

Why on earth would you suffer if you don’t need to? Things have improved since our parents day and we are lucky to have the choice of HRT should we need it.

If you didn’t need it be grateful and don't put down other women that did. We are all different.

My mum used Premarin and it caused her breast cancer. Something to consider as well as the ethical issue

You’ll find from the HRT clinic (NHS) if your fortunate enough to find one and persist with your GP for referral, that menopause does not have a cut off period. It can last a lifetime. They also prescribed my HRT and progesterone and said most (younger) GPs were ill informed and foisted their opinion onto patients. I got my latest patches from France. I’d be suicidal without them.

should have said.....or "get over it"

I'm with you hotmama, how anyone thinks they have the right to say 'get on with it' or 'get on with it' is beyond me. But Hey Ho there are a lot of unreasonable posters on here.

I suffered terribly when I came off HRT so recently went back on it - on the advice of my GP. I trust his judgement not the biased and over-opinionated posters on here (I would go to Tenerife and buy a supply too)!!

To get back to the OP - I have no problem getting HRT patches but rarely the same brand and I am only prescribed one month at a time whereas I used to get three months at a time.

Tooting29, they just had to put up with the menopause, just like the vast majority of women do today. After all, it's not an illness.

I use Estradot patch, 50mcg which is not available. Fortunately I went to Tenerife on holiday and was able to get a supply over there. I just showed my prescription and they ordered them for me. I was more than happy to pay for them whereas I usually get them on the NHS. Not everyone is lucky enough to sail through the menopause. I had no quality of life for 12 years with no sign of it improving. I wasn’t able to ‘get over it’ or ‘get on with it’. HRT has given me my life back. If the shortage continues and I am unable to get the patches in the UK then I shall take another trip to Tenerife, that’s how much my HRT means to me.