No HRT to fill prescription

[ChocolateHelps]

So I've just popped to my local chemist to collect my repeat prescription of oestrogen 50 patches and utrogestan tablets.

They don't have any, can't get any and don't know when they will have some.

Apparently I can try ringing other chemists but I'm assuming it's the same for everyone.

WTFA do I do?

Anyone have any inside info on when supplies will be available again? I've got about 2 weeks of patches and 3 weeks of utrogestan

Thank you, I will wait till April in that case.

Local Boots told me utrogestan due in 26th Feb - tomorrow, si should be available Mondsy abd hopefully elsewhere. Resorted to buying it and oestrogel from private pharmacy online. If you know of a chemist that has it, other than your usual pharmacy, and you have a repeat prescription, you can call 111 and they can put through an emergency request for it.

That’s worrying then! That’s what the pharmacist said.

I posted about this earlier in the week. I emailed my MP and am waiting for a response.

Thanks everyone and it's shocking to read that this is so normal and widespread. Looks like the menopause government tsar was very short lived.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-62721742

Will write to me Mp today. Don't expect much. Have written to him twice in the past on the same subject and he sent the same exact letter in reply both times!

Oh and I've called 6 local pharmacies and none of them have any stock. My neighbour has a private prescription and will lend me some if it gets desperate. Never thought it would come to this! Oh and my GP surgery are implementing a new booking system so I can't even book a Gp appointment until next Friday. Grrr

I know sharing prescriptions is very frowned upon. I'm in a FB group for menopausal women and they have a total ban on offering patches/gel to other people as it's prescribed for you.

But I have in the past offered patches to other women, especially the ones I'm allergic to. Or when my prescription has increased.

@Mezmer The government produced a list of options for patches if the usual ones are out of stock. (You can find this online under HRT/ Shortage of medicines .) It gives pharmacists the option to swap, without you having to get a new prescription.

It may have also included Oestrogen gel (not sure on that) so they could substitute Lenzetto or Sandrena.

However, there is no substitute for micronised progesterone.

I haven't been able to get Utrogestan and now need to stop my patches as I ran out 3 weeks ago.

Utrogestan is coming back into stock, I got mine last week so hopefully you will be able to get yours this week

So relieved. Picked up my hrt prescription today. Took just over a week. Will.be putting my next repeat prescription in a few weeks early next time!

That stock checker is really useful, thank you.

Will presumably require me to get and pay for another prescription if my pharmacy can't get stock to issue the remainder of my prescription before I run out 😖- they had the grand total of four patches in stock when I went, which they gave me - but at least helpful to be able to see where I'd have to go to fill it. What a mess this all is.

As an aside - what should happen when you are given the wrong prescription? My husband collected one for me a previous time, and had I been collecting it myself I would have been able to see it was wrong before I left the pharmacy (wrong shape/size boxes), and presumably could therefore have handed it back and got a refund?

As it was, I had to get and pay for a new prescription, and the stock presumably had to go in the bin - frustrating on many counts, not least when stocks are so low of HRT and someone else may have been trying to get hold of that.

Still no Utrogestan near me. I ran out several weeks ago and my pharmacy still have no idea when they will have stock. I nearly burst into tears when I went in today and they shook their heads at me.😥