Cost of natural thyroid medication - should we be paying for this life saving medication?

[Staxwood]

Now that HRT is to be offered "free" to persons living in England as it is hormone based, surely Natural Thyroid should also come under this as is is hormonal treatment and more importantly life saving.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

I don't think there is an obvious parallel.

Levothyroxine and, if prescribed, liothyronine are effectively "free" in England already. Which seems the appropriate parallel case.

If porcine or bovine oestrogen/progesterone were available, it might well be treated in the same way as desiccated thyroid. Dismissed and pretty much never prescribed.

However, if someone does get desiccated thyroid prescribed on the NHS in England, they get that "free" already. The difficulty is not the "free" aspect but the getting desiccate thyroid prescribed at all.

Possibly a rational argument could be made that if someone needs HRT, their other prescriptions should also be "free" by making HRT an exemption category like myxoedema? After all, the symptoms which indicate need for HRT might well need several other medications.

[RedApple Administrator]

Staxwood, Natural Thyroid should also come under this as is is hormonal treatment and more importantly life saving.

A major problem is that NDT is still not a 'licensed' medication in the UK. This is the biggest reason why it's so rarely prescribed on the NHS. Add to that the cost compared to levo of course.

[Sparklingsunshine]

HiI guess that because the NHS already provides Levo and very occasionally T3 on the NHS for free they've covered themselves. It's not like they are denying treatment, just one that isn't effective for everyone.

It happens to a lot of medications, I used to get high dose vitamin D on a monthly prescription mega dose. Now I have to self fund. My IBS med got discontinued as the manufacturer massively increased the cost. I get another one but its much less effective.

[serenfach]

No, no, they provide HRT because a woman in full meno rage is deeply scary to them, and they want to avoid that at all costs. Men get embarrassed at the thought of a woman having a hot flush, or any hormone activity at all! Keep them quiet with HRT at all costs!

But

Woman who need NDT go quiet, hide away and are not scary. That is fine, they dont scare the horses.

I take both. I am thinking of wearing purple.