Women told: order repeat HRT prescriptions early

WOMEN taking hormone replacement therapy have been urged to order repeat prescriptions earlier than usual amid some shortages.

The crisis has seen women resort to the black market and meet up in car parks to buy and swap medication.

HRT helps to combat menopausal symptoms, which include anxiety, joint pain, disturbed sleep and hot flushes. It is used by one million women in the UK.

Yesterday, Scottish pharmacy leaders called on women to request their medicines earlier than usual to give them extra time to source the drugs.

The UK-wide shortage of some HRT treatments includes Oestrogel – a daily gel that replaces oestrogen. Manufacturers blame rising demand and pandemic disruption.

The number of prescriptions for HRT has risen by a third in the past few years as more celebrities speak out about the menopause and campaign for better care.

Between 2017 and 2020, the number of HRT prescriptions issued by the NHS in Scotland rose from 306,526 to 404,183.

But supply of some of the drugs has failed to keep up with demand. Pharmacists want the rules changed so they can supply different medicines to women when there are shortages.

At the moment, in Scotland pharmacists can make only very minor changes to prescriptions.

These include changing a prescription for 2x10mg of tablets to 1x20mg – but they have to be the same tablets and the same total amount as requested by a GP. In the meantime, pharmacists say women should allow extra time for them to get their treatments.

Clare Morrison, director for Scotland at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, said: ‘Pharmacy teams deal with medicines supply issues every day and work hard to source medicines from multiple suppliers. While these shortages of HRT continue, it would be really useful if patients ordered repeat prescriptions a bit earlier than usual to give pharmacists extra time to contact multiple suppliers to source HRT.’

Manufacturers are currently increasing supplies and have said the supply of Oestrogel should be back to normal by around June.

The British Menopause Society said on Monday that women who cannot get Oestrogel should consider ‘equivalent alternative HRT preparations’, including 0.5mg or 1mg of Sandrena gel or Lenzetto spray preparations.

HRT replaces the hormones a woman’s body no longer produces because of the menopause. The two main types are oestrogen and progesterone.

Medication tends to be split into combined HRT (both hormones)

‘Work hard to source medicines’

and oestrogen only. The NHS says there is little or no change in the risk of breast cancer taking oestrogen-only HRT.

Combined HRT can be associated with a small increase in the risk of breast cancer, related to how long it is taken for. This risk falls after you stop taking it.

The NHS says there is no raised risk of blood clots from HRT patches or gels but a small increase taking HRT tablets.

HRT does not significantly raise the risk of heart disease or strokes. When started before the age of 60 it may even reduce the danger.