Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[laszla]

For the last 2.5 years I've been taking testogel as prescribed by my longterm GP who gave it to me without any fuss.
Recently I've had phone only appointments with other GPs and I've been told my own GP is absent and they don't know when she's returning. Although I still have a fair amount of testogel sachets left as I use it sparingly, the batch expires in a couple of months so I asked this recent susbstitute GP if she would re-prescribe it for me. On the phone she said she might not be able to, that she'd have to check bla bla, I told her my normal GP prescribed it and she said "Well I'm not Doctor X".

Today she sent me a text saying the practice's pharmacist is consulting with Medicines Management Team (whatever the hell that is) about whether testosterone gel can be prescribed by GPs and will update me.

I'm fuming mainly because I feel infantilized by this. Can any of you ladies advise as to whether strictly speaking what she says is true, ie. that officially GPs cannot prescribe testosterone but some do at their discretion? Or is this BS - which I am inclined to think it is. I looked at the NICE HRT recommendations and they say to consider testosterone supplementation for "sexual disfunction" https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng23/chapter/Recommendations
Is there anything official saying that GPs can recommend it that I can throw at them?
Many thanks

[Denise Didi]

That's rotten, no idea why people can be so difficult, menopause is hard enough with this nonsense! The menopause clinic prescribed the gel for me but they had to write to the gp before I could get my repeat. Do you have a clinic? Or perhaps try a different gp practice.

[laszla]

Thanks Denise, the daily nonsense we're often subjected too is really infuriating and demoralising. I don't have a clinic - ironically I asked this same GP for a referal to a specialist meno clinic a few wekks ago and her text today said nothing at all about what the status of that request was, it just had this thing about needing to check whether they could prescribe the testosterone. I might have to end up changing Gp at this rate.

[sheila99]

It isn't their fault, it's a burearocratic problem. Because there isn't a product licensed for women when they try to prescribe it it flags up a warning that they are responsible for anything that goes wrong. So you can't really blame the gp. Normally it needs to be prescribed by a specialist. I have an ongoing problem with it too, they expect me to keep going back to the meno clinic which is a complete waste of their time and mine.

[laszla]

In that case Sheila it's not clear why my original GP (a practice partner) prescribed it without any objection or hesitation. If GPs can get into trouble for prescribing it, presumably that would apply to all GPs, arguably even more so to a partner who has greater responsibility. And I wonder why the NICE guidelines specify that one can consider prescribing testosterone in some cases, presumably those guidelines also apply to GPs? Any official references for the validity of their new position would be very welcome.
Also, as mentioned this GP did not respond in this missive to my previous request for a referal to a specialist meno clinic so I'm not even in a position currently to have it prescribed by a specialist.

[Taz2]

I've found this if it helps https://www.menopausedoctor.co.uk/menopause/understanding-your-gp-four-reasons-why-some-women-might-not-be-able-to-obtain-certain-types-of-hrt. Scroll down to Challenge 4. I couldn't even get my menopause clinic (oxford) to prescribe it for me. They said that as I was over 55 (at the time) then libido was not something that it could be prescribed for! Premature or early menopause was a different matter. I never went down the private route but maybe I should have.

Taz x

[Kelrob12]

I had the same problem - I had been prescribes testosterone whilst we we living in Manchester district but I hadn't optimised my estrogen so stopped (the battle to increase estrogen has been bad enough so still at it!). In the meantime I moved house to a different area nation Manchester. The GPs there say , even with a letter form a meno specialist, aren't allowed to prescribe testosterone. They said different areas had different rules . Now I don't know if there were just saying that or it could be true (I never followed up as its a losing battle I think and I haven't the energy atm!).
the private route is just too expensive at the moment too.
x

[Taz2]

If you look at the link I posted it explains it I think.

Taz x

[CLKD]

It should be enough that once a lady has been seen and advice given in a menopause clinic, that a letter from the Clinic when necessary to the GP should be OK what ever regime is suggested      . 

[laszla]

Thanks for the link Taz, very helpful and it confirms that the NICE guidelines to prescribe T are valid. Kelly, having read it through it does seem to be the case that different areas have different rules as you were told - though that makes my case all the more inexplicable as I encountered initial compliance with my request followed by a refusal in the very same practice.
Agreed CLKD - it should be enough but all too often we see that that isn't the case.

[CLKD]

It could be down to cost.  As well as new GPs sticking to practice rules.  The other GP may have had menopause 'training' or a wife with symptoms ........