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[brandydog1]

Hi,

Just wondering if anybody knows if its possible to buy HRT over the counter in pharmacies in Italy, Greece, Cyprus or Malta?

The reason for asking is that my GP is a bit unhelpful and won't prescribe Estrogel as a 'top up' for Tibilone.

When I've visited Spain in the past I've been able to pop into a pharmacy and just buy Estrogel over the counter quite reasonably and without them asking for a prescription.

I'm looking to book a mini break in August (coronavirus restrictions permitting) and wondered if anyone knew if its possible to buy HRT in pharmacies in other EU countries in the same way as Spain?

Many thanks
 

[Katejo]

Hi,

Just wondering if anybody knows if its possible to buy HRT over the counter in pharmacies in Italy, Greece, Cyprus or Malta?

The reason for asking is that my GP is a bit unhelpful and won't prescribe Estrogel as a 'top up' for Tibilone.

When I've visited Spain in the past I've been able to pop into a pharmacy and just buy Estrogel over the counter quite reasonably and without them asking for a prescription.

I'm looking to book a mini break in August (coronavirus restrictions permitting) and wondered if anyone knew if its possible to buy HRT in pharmacies in other EU countries in the same way as Spain?

Many thanks

Last September I had a week in italy. I had heard of women buying HRT in Spain in this way. 1. I asked in an Italian pharmacy in Bologna but was told that it required a prescription. 2. My Greek lodger tried to get me some in Greece but they didn't have the one which I needed.

[brandydog1]

Thank you that's really helpful.
 Looks like i'll have to try to book somewhere in Spain 

[NinaH]

No chemists in Seville would sell me any over the counter in January

[brandydog1]

Thank you, Seville was where I was planning to go !
I wonder if things have changed in Spain in general then.

I went to malaga in last October and was able to buy Estrogel and Intrarosa easily.

Looks like I might have to brave the GP again.

[Hurdity]

Just what I would have said myself indigo!

Brandydog, your doctor is not being unhelpful but correct. If you still have your uterus then you should not take any extra oestrogen with Tibolone although I have read on here it has sometimes been prescribed. There is no way that I would as it is a very different type of HRT with the metabolic products of the drug behaving like all three hormones. Thickening of the womb is one side effect that can happen with Tibolone and when I was contemplating taking something to help with libido before testosterone could potentially be prescribed ( even if off-licence), it was for this reason especially that I decided against it.

If you need to take something for libido it is far better to take oestrogen only as patch pill or gel along with progesterone and testosterone (you might need to go to a menopause clinic for this although I get it from my GP).

Yes please do brave the GP and if we can help before you go then do please ask!

Hurdity x

[brandydog1]

Hi Indigo and Huridity,

Thank you for your replies and your advice. I'm sorry i should have made clear in the post. I'm in surgical meno so i don't need to worry about womb lining. I also take a pea sized amount of testosterone every other day.

The main reason for topping up was that for some reason tibilone seems to help more with VA and libido for me than anything else I've tried (including vagifem) but estrogen wise doesn't seem quite strong enough and i was still getting a lot of flushes.

I've chopped and changed over the last four years (tablets, patches, gel) and been to a meno clinic to try and find regime that suited but sometimes, ones that seem to work drop off after a few months or have side effects that are not tolerable.

The GP has got fed up with me i think, and just suggests that HRT may not be for me!

I've had some success with tibilone and a bit of either estrogel or Lenzetto spray but now the GP will only prescribe either or. It was really easy before when in spain just to pop into a pharmacy and get a tube of estrogel and I just wondered if things open up travel wise soon if this is still the case and the same in other countries or if it has stopped.

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply though. i'm a frequent reader of the forums and often get lots of good advice from here, which is great as I don't know anyone offline that is going through the same thing, so its a big help.

xx

[Hurdity]

Hi brandydog

Thanks. Yes that's why I made the comment about having a uterus because I do know some docs prescribe tibolone to menopausal women. The thing is I am surprised the doc won't prescribe extra in that case because tibolone is in fact equivalent to a low/medium oestrogen dose and as such may well not be sufficient for women in your position and also depending on your age you may well need more to help protect your heart and bones etc. In fact if the doc is suggesting it's not for you, if you are under the average menopause age of 51/52 then they should not be saying this!

Are you able to be referred to the menopause clinic again?

Also have you tried just the oestrogen and the testosterone but without the tibolone?

However the main thing is if you find something that works for you the docs should consent to it, because surgical menopause is a particular state which can sometimes be difficult to treat hormonally ie to get the right balance, judging by what I've read on here.

Good luck!

Hurdity x

[Mary G]

brandydog1, there are some pharmacies in Spain that may refuse to sell HRT without a prescription but things have slackened off since the coronavirus outbreak.

I'm still buying it in Spain without any problems and have recently bought Oestrogel (Oestraclin in Spain) and I bought some Estradot patches for someone else.   It's a bit tricky buying HRT in large quantities now but it's possible to shop around and buy it in small quantities from several different pharmacies.

I hope that helps.