Many women across the country are struggling to get their hands on estrogen patches after the FDA removed black box warning labels on many hormone therapy drugs.
As CBS News reports, while the removal was initially celebrated, making therapy more accessible for women experiencing menopause and perimenopause symptoms, the demand has now sparked national shortages.
What are estrogen patches?
Gynecologist Dr. Maria Sophocles says estrogen patches contain estradiol, which is used for hormone replacement therapy to control menopause symptoms and aid in healthy aging. Without the use of HRT (hormone replacement therapy), menopause “slows down the loss of the strength of bone that all women have,” Dr. Sophocles explained.
This often leads to irregular periods, hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, and sleep disturbances. “It impacts the ability of women who want to take control of their health to get started,” Dr. Sophocles added. “Immediately from the day you start, by helping you with some of your symptoms, feeling better, sleeping better, having more energy, indirectly helping with weight gain.”
Women and healthcare professionals applauded the updated guidance. “Now, more women feel safe using estrogen,” Dr. Sophocles said. “So, they’re preemptively going to their physicians saying, ‘I want this patch.'”
Supply and demand
Dr. Sophocles believes an increased demand, supply chain issues, and manufacturing limitations are what’s driving the shortage.
“Manufacturers have been unable to provide sufficient supply of hormone replacement therapies (HRT) over the last several weeks,” CVS Health admitted to WJZ in a statement. “When these manufacturer supply interruptions occur, our pharmacy teams make every effort to ensure patients have access to the medications they need and, if possible, will work with patients and prescribers to identify potential alternatives.”
What You Can Do About It
As The ‘Pause Life reports, Dr. Kathleen Jordan, chief medical officer at Midi Health, the nation’s largest telehealth company treating 25,000 midlife women a week, offers these three tips to help women using estradiol patches ensure that they don’t run out.
Plan ahead.
Get in the habit of ordering your patch refills a couple weeks in advance of putting on your last patch. That way you have some cushion in case there’s a delay.
Ask for a transfer.
If your pharmacy is out of patches and no restocks are coming soon, ask them to transfer your prescription to another pharmacy. “Pharmacies don’t always offer that. You kind of have to ask,” Jordan says.
Ask about equivalent options.
Twice weekly patches are the most common, but ask if they have once weekly patches in stock. Or, as urologist Kelly Casperson, MD suggested on Instagram, if you use a .05 mg patch, see if they have a 1.0 in stock and cut it in half.
If you’re tired of searching for patches, then consider asking your clinicians about the other options for systemic estradiol. The choices include estradiol gel and spray applied to the skin, plus a vaginal ring that delivers estradiol just as safely and effectively as a patch. And oral estradiol, which contains a much lower dose of hormones compared to birth control pills, is also an option for some women.
A new medication requires a new prescription, but at least you won’t have to go without the estradiol you need to treat your symptoms.
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