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[Booblet]

Hi everyone,
Hope you are all being positive with the present climate ..
.
Here goes ...... I've recently been to a private menopause clinic and feel that they were not really honest with me considering the price of the private prescription
.
The actual cost ( from the Compounded pharmacy that this clinic uses) Was nearly 3 times more...The only reason I went to this particular clinic was because the of the prices

The prescription was for cBHRT - Testosterone,  dhea and progesterone in a lozenge form .

I was just wondering if it might be cheaper for me to go to a particular professor in London, (whom a women from the telly swears by him),  and to maybe give him my test results and arrange to purchase this particular individual prescription?

The problem is I'm not sure about the dhea and testosterone which show a very,very low result ..
Could this Proffesor arrange this prescription with my own NHS GP?

I really am so poorly at the moment....I am 60 yes old and still have a bit of oestrogen from the original blood tests,that's why, apparently,  I am still having periods .  I really feel like ending it all, yet I know the problem is hormones . I even saw a pychiatrist, who,unofficially agreed with me.i have been treated with,you've guessed it ..antidepressants for the last 10 years

Please help , any advice would be fantastic.
Kind regards to all,
Booblet xxxxxx

[Mary G]

Booblet, sorry to hear you are not feeling well and that your HRT regime has proved to be disappointing.

I use a lozenge but only for progesterone.  I use Oestrogel and testosterone separately which I prefer because it gives me maximum control over the dosage.

You might want to read my thread on compounded hormones in the Alternatives section on here.

You are right about the cost of compounded hormones but I was in the last chance saloon progesterone wise so I had no choice other than to take that route over 18 months ago and it has been a huge success and no more periods!  I pay ?140 for the annual telephone consultation and the actual medication costs ?1.00 per day.   I have all the scans and blood tests etc at a different clinic.  It's expensive but I had exhausted all other progesterone options and the only other alternative was a hysterectomy. 

Have you tried any other forms of HRT?   How do you get on with the progesterone component of HRT?  What type of oestrogen are you taking?

I assume you are referring to Professor Studd.   I was one of his patients for years and his regime worked well for me until I hit the buffers with Utrogestan.   I think he has retired now but there are two of his colleagues running the clinic now I believe.   They will write to your GP so you can have your prescription via the NHS.  I can tell you they do not prescribe compounded hormones.

If you want a cheaper (compounded) option, why not contact the Specialist Pharmacy and ask for a list of doctors who prescribe compounded hormones?   There are several throughout the UK and the cost varies.  You could also sound out some of the other compounding pharmacies.

I hope that helps.

Keep well!

[Hurdity]

Hi Booblet

So sorry to hear you are still suffering.

Just looking back I think I have answered you before about this on other threads:

Here is one: https://www.menopausematters.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,47498.msg764660.html#msg764660 where I said this:

In a word - no! You can get all the bioidentical hormones on NHS except for testosterone which is off-licence. Progesterone doesn't matter except to ensure you have a high enough dose to protect the uterus if you are also taking oestrogen.

Have a look at this recent thread:
https://www.menopausematters.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,47448.0.html

Forget the compounded stuff and go for the regular treatments. You might have to get a private consultation just for testosterone but the relative cost of this is minscule compared to going for cBHRT (see thread and links for definition of this).

I don't know anything about ACTH - this isn't normally tested for 

Hurdity x

and here is Dr Heather Currie's comment about Compounded BHRT which was discussed controversially on the thread Mary G was referring to:

Hope you don't mind me posting here, but I just wanted to clarify--the problem is the term "bio identical" which means different things to different people. There are genuine concerns about the use of compounded bio identical hormones, which are not recommended by myself, British Menopause Society, NICE nor International Menopause Society, but we do have preparations available on the NHS which closely mimic our own hormones and can be prescribed. An article which I wrote previously may be helpful-- https://www.menopausematters.co.uk/pdf/article%20Bio%20identicals%202017.pdf
In addition, a statement from the BMS can be seen at https://thebms.org.uk/publications/consensus-statements/bioidentical-hrt/

I hope that this is helpful.
Best wishes, Heather

Basically no need to go to these expensive private clinics that prescribe all sorts of compounded hormones  and which are not endorsed by the medical profession and especially not by the British Menopause Society. You don't need to spend all this money which you say you are finding expensive. Your starting point is NHS for oestrogen and progesterone.  If after starting treatment you feel you would like testosterone for example and can't get that on NHS then look for a private consultant that is approved by BMS, though I'm not sure whether they are operating at the moment ( maybe a reduced service by video consulation?)? They are all listed here:

https://thebms.org.uk/find-a-menopause-specialist/

I'm also concerned that you say you are having periods at 60, if you haven;t been taking any form of HRT, even the compounded stuff? This is extremely unlikely and any form of bleeding at your age needs proper investigation and the cause determined. It may be for example that you have fibroids or polyps but you should really have scans, hysteroscopy and biopsy if necessary, not just blood tests and I hope this would be possible even during this CV-19 crisis?

What does your GP say about the bleeding and have you been referred?

In the meantime if yuou are really feeling low then please do continue with the ADs for now and if possible talk to someone, especially at this difficult time when we are so restricted with our movements. Are you able to get out into the sunshine and have a daily walk to lift your spirits?

I do hope you get some help soon.

Hurdity x