Times: Chemist sells hormones for kids online

So I ended up on here because I have been desperately seeking information about what's going to happen with my prescription. I've been taking hormones (as I'm trans) for 18 months. I'm pretty scared to have got the email today from GGP telling me that medication that I need due to my medical diagnosis suddenly might be unavailable to me. Can you imagine if that was happening to you with medication you have finally found to have treated a long-term condition that you've suffered with for decades?

I'm really stunned to see folks here being smug and downright unpleasant, whilst so many of us are actually in a really horrible position now.

I'd much rather not have had to go privately, but the NHS waiting list is super long, due to underfunding of the service. If you want trans people to be seen within the NHS (and most of us would far far prefer that too!) the best thing you can do is to campaign for better provision within NHS.

Additionally treatment that gives us an actual chance of life. I had poor mental health for decades, and seen therapists at various times, been on anti depressants etc. Until finally decided to stop trying to push down my gender feels and transition. I didn't want to be trans, I don't want to face the horrible way folks talk about us. I don't want to spend so much time and money accessing healthcare. I'd much rather be cis. But I also know how I have felt for decades, how unhappy I've been about my body and gendering. I have tried everything I can think of to be content with it, but never found a solution that actually worked. Until I decided to go ahead with the transition I'd first started thinking about in my early twenties.

GenderGP is affordable. And treated me with compassion, empathy and dignity. That is why I use them. They saved me and hundreds, prob thousands of people from years of unhappiness, and allowed us to get the healthcare we needed without having to go through 3-4 year waiting lists. I was 44 when I started transitioning, I'd wasted 20 years of my life with terrible mental health. The thought of losing my 40s as well as my 20s and 30s was unbearable.

Interesting that the link to alternative dispensing sites is not available. If the GPhC have stopped one pharmacy from dispensing the scripts how can they expect to be able to arrange it with someone else? How do you negotiate that agreement?
Its interesting that a tweet has a link to the GPhC. I am sure they will love the complaints that they have stopped the dispensing of scripts presumably because there is a question about some aspect of the process. It might not have the result they want.

As for them trying to make ‘#StandWithGGP‘ happen.. please.

I get angry about waiting times on the NHS. I'm sure we all have a personal story about waiting times. One if my children has been waiting some 3 years for mental health support, we've been passed from post to post. She has been suicidal. She's 12. (Not at all related to gen der iden tity). We need better mental health for kids and many of the symptoms tra ns kids get like self harming and suicide need the correct help. I have looked for alternatives for my daughter and she did have some private counselling when we could afford it, but I would never get her drugs off the internet. I understand parents are desparate and I see this on an autism forum I'm in with CBD oil and sleep drugs, but I wouldn't do that without a GP. I feel for these parents but at the same time I just don't understand their urgency and lack of research.

In case anyone had any doubt about that, UK professional regulators obviously do not shut anyone down because of ‘negative press attention’

Gender GP are talking down to trans patients as though they are stupid. It’s offensive.

I wonder how many of their customers are children?

These are their amazingly DARVO tweets from the last hour

GenderGP
@GenderGP
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1h
As a result of the recent negative press attention our prescribing chemist has been told they are unable to fulfil the prescriptions of the thousands of trans patients who use GenderGP.
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GenderGP
@GenderGP
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1h
These changes have been enforced by the Pharmacy Regulator pharmacyregulation.org. We are acutely aware of the distress this is causing our patients. We are currently negotiating with alternative partner pharmacies to ensure our patients healthcare is not affected.
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GenderGP
@GenderGP
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1h
All our patients have been sent an email listing alternative options currently available to them. We are creating an FAQ and will continue to post daily updates as the situation evolves. Live options will be updated here cognitoforms.com/GenderGPOwner/InformationAboutDispensingOptions…
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GenderGP
@GenderGP
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1h
This situation serves to highlight the unacceptable gaps in trans healthcare in the UK. We remain as committed as ever to supporting the trans community.
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GenderGP
@GenderGP
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1h
We believe it is discriminatory that trans people trying to access healthcare are being treated as second class citizens.
We call on everyone to #SupportTransHC #StandWithGGP

I like this twitter response about investigating themselves!

"thousands of trans patients" according to that tweet.

Jesus. How much must they be making while pronouncing piously about the needs of patients?

What does it say?

twitter.com/gendergp/status/1313905523335585793?s=21

From twitter, it looks like GenderGP are no longer able to use ClearChemist as the regulator has stepped in.

Don’t forget to write to your MP if you feel strongly about this. They make the law, many of them will have no idea what pressures kids with distress about gender stereotypes are under and what’s available online and how serious, permanent and devastating the effects of taking these off-label drugs can be.

Alternatively this was a pretty obvious attempt by Mermaids to signpost vulnerable people to gender gp.

Yes without actually saying anything out loud

The problem is - gender identity and “the trans child” are adult inventions. They are very lucrative. Not sure why Haddock is so keen

problem: "gender identity" pseudoscience causes a 4 year WL of miserable children

solution: ?

I see a lot of people protesting that GenderGP is filling a gap that the NHS waiting list creates - a 4 year WL in repeatedly mentioned.

Isn't the main gap that needs filling the massive void in CAMHS?

twitter.com/i/status/1313480810364915712
twitter.com/i/status/1313481969603313665

Interview on Victoria Derbyshire as well on this subject. The above two Twitter links are part one and part two of interview. Sorry don't have I player link

I see a lot of people protesting that GenderGP is filling a gap that the NHS waiting list creates - a 4 year WL in repeatedly mentioned.

That's a good point, no one should have to wait that long for care, it's not acceptable.

The wider issues are:

1. what has caused this massive spike in referrals?
2. why can't they recruit more staff for clinics?

It takes a long time to train a specialist medic, 10 years for a consultant. But, there must be plenty of HCPs who'd be "nearly there" with their skill set and could be tempted to specialise in the field. And yet, every GIC seems to have real problems creating a workforce.

What is it about working in this field which puts staff off?

Mermaids respond

twitter.com/fayekirklandgp/status/1313435869513166849?s=21

@ErrolTheDragon

Makeup tips from a discredited GP? they could have linked to someone who does it professionally, eg John Maclean.

Alternatively this was a pretty obvious attempt by Mermaids to signpost vulnerable people to gender gp.

There needs to be an enquiry.

Makeup tips from a discredited GP? they could have linked to someone who does it professionally, eg John Maclean.

"Trans friendly make up tips" - what's that, now? Since when was make up is gendered?

I'm from the 80s. Makeup doth not make a man.

Mermaids retweeted Gender GP last month. What is their association now? HW used to be on Mermaids’ page.

I read this and think of Mr Scumsnet's suggestion that MNers should stop talking about politics and stick to discussing parenting. I don't know about you, but I think we're bang on topic here.