HRT how do the prescriptions work? (possibly a dumb question)

[MargoLivebetter]

I'm fairly new to HRT and I'm wondering how the prescriptions usually work. Do all you HRT takers get prescribed monthly? That seems to be what I'm on and it is going to be a right chore and expensive if I have to remember each month to re-order.

How does it work for others?

Yup, monthly ordering here. I believe it varies by GP practice though, so you might be with one that agrees to issue several months at once.

And yes, I often forget and get grumpy about it.

My HRT is 3 monthly prescriptions
HRT-you can get an HRT prepayment cert for £19.80 for the year
Once age 60 prescriptions are free

I get two months at a time but pay for a yearly prepayment cert as I get other meds too. About £11 a month

You can get a pre payment certificate specifically for HRT that costs £19.80 and lasts a year. You do need to check your HRT is covered by it, but it saves a fortune.

You can buy a pre paid HRT prescription thing (can’t remember what it’s called, oh, the irony) which is around £20 for the year

I get mine quarterly and use the HRT pre-payment certificate which costs £19.80 for as many HRT products on the approved list for a year. Was monthly until I said it was a ridiculous amount of admin for me, the GP and the pharmacy each month if nothing was changing.

You should be able to setup a recurring/repeat prescription, mine is three-monthly. And get an HRT pre payment certificate as PP have mentioned.

Mine is 3 monthly and I do it all through the app and you can also use an online pharmacy who will email you to remind you and then post it to you. Simples !

Mine is 3 monthly

Hi @MargoLivebetter Mine only went to every 3 months once I'd been through a review with my menopause nurse after the first 3 months of being prescribed HRT (though it was a nightmare trying to align to the review to the 3 month mark, and was more like 4 months).

Normally they give you one month so they can check how you are getting on (and because sometimes the dose changes after the first month). Then they review and if things are stable will give you a few months at a time.

You can get a prepayment certificate that is less than £20 for the year for as many prescriptions as you need.

Thank you all. As ever, a font of shared knowledge. I've just downloaded & paid for the HRT pre-payment certificate. That will make a huge difference. I've got my HRT review coming up soon, so I will talk to the GP about how often it could be prescribed.

I'm on 3 months now, and have a 'full' pre-payment thing for the year, as I have various other meds as well.

I think I was on monthly for the first 6 months, and then they changed it when I asked.

I’m in Scotland so prescriptions are free, but it was still a pain in the backside going to pharmacy to pick up a prescriptions with different quantities for capsules, patches, estrogen cream - felt like I was there every week.

After latest review the Dr is now prescribing 3 boxes of patches/capsules which will make it a bit easier, but they are still not in sync with each other 🤦🏻‍♀️

Well I never, I didn't know there was such a thing as a pre-payment certificate! Why didn't anyone tell me?

I get mine monthly, but it's online order and delivery and they send a reminder so it only takes a minute or two each month. I'm not sure how to use the PPC for an online pharmacist?

I'm Scotland too....and I was a GP. I used to prescribe 3 months initially and ask them to come back just after 2 months then I'd put them on 6 monthly scrips. (All free...paid by tax payers...here)

I get either 3 or 6 months from my GP with shockingly few checks. I used to like to see my patients yearly but I've not been called in since pre COVID. My progesterone and oestrogen are out of sync for some strange reason but it's ok.
They do monthly scripts in England which I have always found daft as you've barely started one pack when you have to order the next and it's so much work for the practice...but despite being independent practitioners our hands are tied.

Just watch that the certificate covers your particular HRT. I believe some formulations aren't covered. I'm in Scotland so can't say which ones.

I get a 6 month prescription and have a face to face appointment each time. I’m in wales so free prescription.

If you manage your timings well, you can make your prepayment cert last quite a bit longer than a year. I get 24 weeks worth of patches at a time, so when the third one is due, I make sure I get it before my current cert expires. I then let it lapse and don't renew it until I need another prescription, which is nearly 6 months later.

Just for added fun, my GP surgery just messages up to ten days later to say "Your prescription is ready" and to collect from an outside box. Then I have to guess whether it's more likely to be the HRT (on prepayment) or something I should be paying for, and grovel if I get it wrong.

Roll on 60, I say.

I think IT systems are finally starting to talk to each other!!! I had a PPC previously with an exemption card that I could show the pharmacist (but they don't give the cards out any more and tell you to just say you are exempt).

I switched to an on-line pharmacy prob about a year or so ago, and they know I have a PPC, so I think technology is now working better that the pharmacies get informed.

Also testosterone isn’t covered by the certificate but if you get “tostran” one pump lasts 7-8 months.

Just make sure that when you order your HRT, you dont add any non HRT items to that prescription. I had to do one order for HRT and a separate request for Citalopram. The pharmacy needs the HRT isolated on one prescription if you have a prepayment certificate.

I'm every month, and it is a logistical nightmare. I have to place the order (and online it blocks it for 2 weeks until they deem it acceptable to reorder), then I have to wait a week to collect the goodies. It doesn't help that the pharmacy closes between the hours of 1-3pm every day.

I did move my pharmacy to one more local, but then the GP changed my HRT and said I had to move it back to them to collect. Now everything has settled, I must move it back to the pharmacy across the road to where I work.

I get mine every 3 months. I can order it as a repeat prescription through the NHS now, but I couldn’t for the first year - had to have a review before they’d add it as a repeat.

I only take HRT so have the HRT pre-payment certificate apps have mentioned, but if you take other meds it may be worth buying a normal yearly pre-payment certificate