Doctors rationing HRT to one month amid shortage

Menopausal women denied as supplies dwindle after prescriptions changed to allow year’s worth of drugs

FAMILY doctors are rationing HRT to just one month’s supply for women, in order to “take pressure off ” the system, it has emerged, despite a legal change that allows GPS to prescribe a year’s worth of the drugs up-front.

Supply shortages have forced menopausal women to turn to the black market, share drugs between friends or pay to go private to secure their hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

Rising demand for the drugs has seen monthly prescriptions more than double compared to five years ago.

In October, the Government announced that changes in prescription rules would be made that were intended to save women hundreds of pounds a year on HRT.

A woman prescribed two HRT drugs on a monthly basis would pay £18.70 a time, totalling £224 a year. But the change meant doctors could issue a batch of prescriptions for up to 12 months with one charge, significantly reducing the cost.

However, The Daily Telegraph has learnt that some GPS are only issuing patients with one month’s worth of the drugs at a time, following a surge in demand. One clinical pharmacist in Truro, Cornwall, told a patient, who did not wish to be named, that “there is not a product we can offer that has no [supply] issues”.

“It is a case of ringing around pharmacies to see who has stock – if your pharmacy has no stock when you next need it, please contact us again and we will issue a new script,” the letter, seen by this newspaper, said.

“However, at the moment we can only issue one month at a time, to try and take pressure off the existing stock and allow everyone who needs it a smaller supply.”

Other women have reported their GP “refusing” to give them a 12 month prescription. A pharmacy source said GPS can prescribe “as they see fit” and may be subject to local prescribing policies.

Shorter-term prescriptions may ease shortages, they said, but will be less convenient for patients.

Clare Woodward, a 47-year-old teacher from Kidderminister, Worcestershire, said she had been signed off work after struggling with the HRT shortages and recovering from recent surgery. She had a hysterectomy in September 2019, and was put on HRT to treat low oestrogen levels.

But a shortage of the gel initially led her to self-ration her supplies, causing a return of her symptoms, before she was given patches as a substitute, which made her situation even worse.

“Now I’ve been given some patches and I don’t feel great on them at all, I’ve just asked for my levels to be rechecked because they don’t stick, I don’t feel like I’m absorbing it,” she said.

‘Now I’ve been given some patches and I don’t feel great on them at all ... I don’t feel like I’m absorbing it’

Her daily life has been drastically affected by her symptoms – including fatigue and anxiety – meaning she cannot currently work or even socialise.

“I’m not working, it’s just exhaustion, pains, aches,” she said.

Sajid Javid, the Health Secretary, has pledged to appoint a HRT tsar to tackle the shortages. The Department of Health and Social Care was approached for comment.