HRT deficiencies could lead menopausal women to take their own lives, experts warned last night.
The producers have promised to solve the problems by June, but activists say it may be too late for some.
And they criticized the government’s “poor planning” – the failure to respond to the growing demand for hormonal treatment.
Estrogen gel has been in critical deficit since the beginning of the year, forcing women to take desperate action.
Some resort to standardizing their prescriptions, exchanging treatments in parking lots, turning to the black market, driving to remote pharmacies, and even looking abroad.
There are fears that without HRT, some women will lose their jobs, marry or – in the worst cases – become depressed and even suicidal.
The producers have promised to solve the problems by June, but activists say it may be too late for some. And they criticized the government’s “poor planning” – the failure to respond to growing demand for hormonal treatment (image)
Panic: Millie Kendall, pictured leading the British Beauty Council, admitted that she was so desperate that she bought Oestrogel from the black market online. She also bought a dose from a colleague’s mother for £ 50
“Women are horrified that their symptoms are returning,” said Katie Taylor of the Latte Lounge support group.
“Some women say they feel suicidal, have extreme anxiety and depression, and panic at the thought of the black hole they were in before treatment returned. It is no coincidence that the highest suicide rate among women is in the age group of 45 to 55 years.
“Women are losing their jobs, marriages are falling apart – someone needs to deal with this urgently.”
Health Minister Sajid Javid announced yesterday that he would appoint a new king of HRT to deal with the crisis.
Ministers blame increased demand and Covid-related global supply shortages.
But Labor MP Carolyn Harris, co-chair of the UK’s Menopause Working Group, said the Ministry of Health must take responsibility. “Awareness is rising and this has led to women like me who have been prescribed antidepressants, realizing that they may not have been depressed after all, but have been through menopause,” she said.
A boom in libido-boosting pills
Retailers hope to benefit from a return to normalcy after two years of social restrictions are now advocating for products that increase libido.
Holland & Barrett offers “natural libido enhancers” for £ 24.99.
While Harrods sells an intravenous libido booster for £ 240, as well as syringes with caramel-flavored liquid designed to boost sexual desire for £ 1,100.
While Selfridges offers JSHealth capsules to support “hair and libido” for £ 30.
Pictured: Pew’s caricature
“Women are authorized to go to their GP and ask about HRT. The government has long had to talk to suppliers, they have to realize that demand is increasing.
“If it was insulin, there would be a protest. HRT is no different from diabetes. There are women who are prone to suicide. People do not take it seriously and women’s health is neglected.
The problem arose because prescriptions for a popular form of HRT gel, Oestrogel, have increased dramatically, with 500,000 now prescribed every month, up from 300,000 a year ago.
Besins, the company that supplies it to the NHS, admitted it was struggling to meet “extraordinary” demand, but promised to increase production.
Meanwhile, GPs are forced to prescribe alternatives. But supplies of these gels are now also depleted, and women are reluctant to try alternative treatments or even return to taking HRT pills, which are less popular because they have a higher risk of blood clots and strokes.
The Daily Mail spoke to pharmacists in the UK yesterday, and they said the situation in the South East and London was “very acute”.
A Middlesbrough pharmacist said they had been deficient in all HRT drugs for at least a year.
“We need to return the prescription and tell the patient to try another chemist,” he said. “They’re really upset about that, but there’s nothing we can do.”
Another Norwich pharmacist said the patients were upset. “Then they have to go back to their GP to get a different prescription,” she said.
“Often this is for patches or tablets, to which many more women react negatively than gels. Understandably, people are really disappointed. Not very pleasant for them.
A spokesman for Boots chemists said: “We are in regular contact with suppliers and understand that they are increasing their production and expect the problems to be resolved in the coming weeks.”
Health Minister Sajid Javid, pictured, has announced he will appoint a new HRT king to tackle the crisis.
About 1.5 million women a year experience debilitating symptoms of menopause, including sleep disturbances, hot flashes, anxiety, depression and joint pain.
About 10 percent of them are prescribed HRT gels, patches or tablets. A businesswoman yesterday described the national shortage of HRT as a disgrace.
Millie Kendall, who heads the British Beauty Council, admitted that she was so desperate that she bought Oestrogel from the black market online.
She also bought a dose from a colleague’s mother for £ 50. “I panicked,” said Miss Kendall.
“I am 55 years old, my legs are very swollen, I can’t sleep and my anxiety has returned. This is a necessity, and scarcity is a disgrace.
Dr Claire Spencer, a Leeds-based GP and menopausal expert, said it was almost impossible to get a HRT gel and switching to a patch was not always as effective.
For confidential support, call Samaritans on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org
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