SSP on Estradot extended (again)

[SnoozingFox]

SSP on Estradot patches extended AGAIN, now until 2nd May.

https://cpe.org.uk/our-news/three-new-ssps-issued-for-estradot-patches/

That's another 4 weeks. I am getting desperate. I have run out of my regular stash of 75s. I have 3 boxes of 37.5s and 3 boxes of 25s. This will last me 72 days if I use at the right dose. It is 82 days until I will be in Spain and hopefully able to buy patches.

So here's the dilemma - do I keep using patches at the correct dose and gamble on Estradot being back in stock in May or early June, or do I start now cutting the dose to 62.5 by combining patches and hope that's enough.

Fucks sake. This is a nightmare. (and before anyone asks, I don't absorb the gel and am allergic to the glue on Evorel, even though the pharmacist keeps supplying and I have 6 boxes of useless patches sitting in the bathroom.)

Personally I'd be trying other brands, appreciate Evorel is not good but AFAIK there are some others out there. If it's got such manufacturing problems I'd want at least 1 alternative

I think I'm going to order some FemSeven as a back up. I know there are issues with them actually sticking but I should be able to deal with that somehow.

Why do you think you will be able to get them in Spain? My local Spanish pharmacy has been unable to obtain any since last year.
I agree it’s such a difficult situation, they have offered to get Evopad which I think are much bigger, but I will probably have to agree when I run out of Estradot.

I have heard that it is much easier to source supply in Spain than anywhere in Northern Europe. You've really worried me saying this isn't the case - off to Google

If you find any PLEASE let me know!

I have emailed a couple of pharmacies which are close to where we will be staying and will report back. There is plenty of stock of Evorel in the UK, and FemSeven and I think some of the conti ones which I don't need as I have had a hysterectomy.

I honestly could cry. I cannot go back to my non-HRT medicated state as I was so unwell, both physically and mentally.

Lots of pharmacies use Whatsapp to accept orders, also Instagram messaging!

OP I think you need to source a back up just incase, as I am in another country and we do not have stock either. They have straight out told us that we will only be getting stock in 2026!

I am not in Spain but if we are affected (I am in SA) then I am sure it's a worldwide shortage, and not just UK. So EU is probably affected too.

Urgh. I will have to try the femseven.

the site says the 25mg patch isn't affected - is it possible to use two of those at the same time? I haven't started HRT yet, was hoping to discuss with my doctor soon, and I know that I'll likely start on 50mg. I would rather choose the smaller patch but if it's unavailable, then I guess I should try the other one first. But if I could use two 25mg then at least I wouldn't have to switch brands/types longer term? (Or are two 25mg bigger than a 50mg of the Evorel?). I thought I might also be started on 25mg to get used to it

Or is everyone buying the 25mg and therefore supply of that is affected, even if not officially?!

I have been on 2 x 25 patches for a couple of months and now they are out of stock too because everyone has been doing the same. I have been told by my doctor that there is no hope of getting any Estradot anytime soon and I am desperate. I was given Estraderm as an alternative and I am pretty much back to how I was before I started HRT which is really getting me down.

I have an appointment at the doctors next week to discuss alternatives but they were a bit dismissive when I first spoke to them. I don't think they believed me when I said the Estraderm wasn't working.

Good luck to anyone going through this, it's a nightmare!

Write to the health secretary, write to your MP. Write to bloody Lorraine Kelly or Davina McCall. Anyone who will raise this issue.

I can't see how this is going to help in all honesty.

It's out of stock worldwide.

I've changed onto a pill version recently, and although I prefer a patch, it's been a good option to get through this.

You will have to look for an alternative. Even if you Google Estradot I says it is only likely to be available again next year.

FFS. Left a voicemail on my GP's repeat prescription line on Monday asking for Fem Seven as an alternative to Evorel, told them I was allergic to Evorel, was in GP on Wednesday for a blood test, confirmed again with receptionist that I wanted Fem Seven and she wrote it down, prescription just arrived and - you guessed it - it's fucking Evorel.

Straight in the bin. Huge waste of time and money.

Can you not return them as incorrect, rather than throwing them away.

I am quite aghast at someone throwing medication away like this.

I do come from a country where we have to pay for them, so this might be influencing my shock here. And here Evorel is also becoming quite hard to find as well, as it is being used as substitutes for both Estradot and Estalis which are both out until next year seemingly.

No - once they have left the pharmacy they will not take them back under any circumstances as they cannot guarantee they haven't been tampered with. I have asked.

I totally hear you on the waste. NHS doesn't really care about waste which is a lot of the problem.

Can you ask the pharmacy to tell you what is in the prescription before they send it? Or tell your gp to stop prescribing it.

It seems wrong to be just throwing them away.

I have tried - the last three times I have said NOT EVOREL and every time they send it. I have given up and bought what I need online. I tried to offer patches online to others who may need them and posts were deleted as you're not supposed to share prescription medication.

The issue is that pharmacist are under instructions to issue alternatives when rhe product is not available and Evorel is the replacement they are being told to issue. You need to get the GP to issue the prescription for the non Estradot brand you want and then you need to not have an auto dispense so you go to the actual Pharmacy and decline the substitution. If you are getting the meds posted to you then there's no opportunity to stop the substitution

I'm not blaming the pharmacist, I am blaming the GP who ignored instructrions from both me and the admin lady I spoke to, and issued a generic estradiol prescription not one for a specific brand.

I just posted a new thread about this and deleted it because I found this. I can’t fucking believe that this is still going on after all this time. It’s literally been years now. I managed to get some Estrado at 100 last October and I’ve just run out I had no issues getting them and I thought that everything had been sorted out. Previously, I’ve been on Evorelle and I hadn’t been absorbing them very well. I’m not sure what to do now. I’m contacting my menopause clinic nurse to get advice. It really fucking annoys me that this issue, because it affects women has still not been sorted out. I thought they had appointed an HRT tzar (lol) to try and get this a sorted. What annoys me is that if this was a shortage of erectile dysfunction medication? It would’ve been sorted out long ago just wanted to have a rant about all this.

I've recently moved on to the lenzetto spray as I didn't absorb the patches. Maybe worth considering. I much prefer it.

@wantmorenow thank you. How often do you have to apply this ?

Daily but it's an alcohol based spray. No residue or patches.

Honestly, I’m too scared to start trying other things. I just want to stick to what I know works.