Is there such a thing as an honest online pharmacy for HRT?

    • 15 posts
    October 1, 2012 3:31 AM BST

    Hi,

    Or are they all scams? Does anybody know of a reputable one,
    where one could not only get proper medication, such as HRT,
    but which has been mixed in the correct amounts and created in a hygienic
    environment? All I have seemed to have seen so far, which is not a great deal,
    has seemed to be reports of effectively dangerous medications, due to their
    content, being prepared in dirty garages or basements somewhere in 3rd world
    countries, mainly run by criminals just looking to make money out of it.

    I would only consider this as a last resort though if I don't get HRT via the NHS.

    Thanks
    • 26 posts
    October 1, 2012 9:05 AM BST
    Hi tiara try inhousepharmacy.vu they have a special section for transgender medication
    Lots of love Anniemarie xxx
    • 8 posts
    October 1, 2012 1:11 PM BST
    Nope there is not!

    And please do NOT go down that route

    Hormones are very dangerous you need to have proper medical supervision, and get your Lipids (blood fat content) liver function, blood pressure to name but a few regularly tested to make certain the dose is OK for you.

    Everyone is different and no amount of reading books or surfing the web can help you get the right dosage.

    Get it wrong and you could have a stroke or a heart attack so please doesn’t buy things off line.

    I now that it is really frustrating waiting for hormones to be prescribed, but better to wait a while and make sure everything is right for you.

    There are lots and lots of ways that you can be more feminine without going for the un-prescribed hormone route and all of them are far far safer.

    Read some of the posts on here about how us girls wax IPL etc etc …

    And lastly do remember if you decided to self medicate it is highly likely that no Gender Clinics in the UK will accept you as a patient.

    This is well meant advice so please do not think I am telling you off!!

    • 15 posts
    October 2, 2012 2:23 AM BST
    Hi folks, thanks for the replies.

    Anniemarie

    I did enter that pharmacy into a Google search and thanks to the WOT browser add-on, it was flagged and reported in several cases as a 'rogue pharmacy', involved in phishing, identity theft etc etc etc.

    I do appreciate the suggestion though and thank you for that.

    Debbie

    I have heard all about the dangers of taking HRT without proper medical supervison that you refer to, hence my earlier post.

    It seems that there are a heck of a lot of 'rogue online pharmacies' about but surely I would have thought that some of them at least must be honest?

    I have spent a considerable sum in the past on phyto-estrogens and herbal remedies, which have not been exactly cheap and I spent £120 on 2 small jars of cream, both supposedly containing the appropriate hormones but I can't really say that either had any effect. These I went along and bought in person at a shop in London that has been around for about 25 years and I haven't yet seen any comment online about any of their products spoken of in a negative light.

    Maybe I was expecting too much, as both of these creams were only 3 month supplies, and one of them didn't even last that long.

    I was told that they should have at least some effect but I didn't notice any.

    I then ordered something online which was considerably cheaper, although didn't contain any hormones, as it was natural and I did notice a bit of an effect from that I believe, but maybe once, again, one is maybe meant to use these things on a long-term basis, to get more of an effect from it.

    In any case, before I even considered making an order with any online pharmacy, I would look into the possibilities of the gender clinic in Manchester, that is maybe known to some here that may have been there, which is associated with the TG shop in London that I went to last December.

    Thank you for your reply and I didn't think of it as telling me off at all and I much appreciate you taking the time to type it out.

    Thanks again to you both.
    • 10 posts
    October 27, 2012 4:32 PM BST
    There are several online pharmacies that offer TG prescription items, as well as items for other folks. I'm not sure it is wise to give their URL here as I have seen over the years that they seem to get discovered and shut down; and then resurface under a new name and URL. Some of them are offering a real service to our community if anyone cares to go that route. BUT Yes, there are real dangers from self medicating and extreme caution is advised. Some people have had good results; but some have had results that have harmed their health. There are side effects that can change your life permanently; breast growth, redistribution of fat and muscle are ones we hope for; but deep vein thrombosis can also happen, severe mood swings and depression as well as many other side effects that are dangerous. So IF you choose to go this route read the warnings, so if any negative side effects happen occur you recognize them early and can get help from a doctor before it gets out of hand.
    • 16 posts
    October 27, 2012 7:39 PM BST
    I have been using InhousePharmacy-europe.com for twenty months now. I have found them helpful, knowledgeable and fast, and their med quality is standard prescription.

    There are perhaps issues with self medication. The NHS don't have a problem with it - in their leaflet they suggest that you regularise the situation with your doctor. The Gender Clinic doesn't have a problem with it - I told them where I was getting the HRT drugs from, gave them all my monthly blood tests and print outs of my visits to the doctor, and what I was taking, and they are perfectly OK with it. In two months they start paying for my meds (authorising the doctor to prescribe) and I've already been told by the endocrinologist that I'll be prescribed the same meds I'm on now at exactly the same strength.

    If you're going to self-prescribe, get your doctor involved and have regular blood tests. Particularly if you are on any other medication, as there may be contra-indications. And very particularly if you don't know enough endocrinology.

    One last thing. There is no such thing as a transsexual drug. All the drugs sold and prescribed are licenced for other uses. Their use in a transgender setting is entirely unlicenced.
    This post was edited by Wrolf Blinkdog at October 27, 2012 7:55 PM BST
    • 15 posts
    October 28, 2012 2:48 AM GMT
    @ Erin Jogue Steph Holmes - Thanks you both for your replies, I much appreciate you taking the time to do that!

    It is not an issue to be taken lightly and maybe is only taken as a last resort by those unable to get HRT via the NHS if they live overseas or if their request for HRT has not been supported by the GIC. I hope mine will be, if I ever get around to seeing them that is.

    I haven't even been sent any details for any appointment with them to date and I was referred to them back in March this year. At the moment, I am waiting to see what
    might arise from a complaint that I recently made about them to the mental health trust that is associated with them, who thought that I had a valid reason to complain
    about them.

    I can't say that it has been that smooth going so far, as I also had reason to complain about the local CMHT that I was referred to back in November 2011, who made a complete mess and totally mishandled my initial appointment with them at that time. That complaint came out in my favour and they were obliged to make a complete 180 degree turn about from their original decision, that there wouldn't be any point in my going back to see them after the first visit.

    Well I was invited back to see them, when they offered their sincere apologies for not having treated me properly during my first appointment with them.

    I think that there is something very wrong about this current system, when one has to make an official complaint about somebody, in order to get them to do their jobs properly, which is something that they should have done from the outset.

    Thanks again for the comments,

    Tiara
    • 16 posts
    October 28, 2012 3:12 AM GMT
    @ Tiara Trinketz

    The NHS in England and Wales (but not Scotland which is much more progressive) adhere to the Harry Benjamin care guidelines (22 years out of date). You generally won't get hormones until you have been on the care path doing the 'Real Life Experience' for at least three months, possibly six, and you won't get on the care path until you've been assessed over six months.

    So don't expect rapid developments. It's mainly for this reason that many people self-prescribe.

    Again, I urge anyone thinking of self-prescribing to visit their GP and to get regular blood tests.