A Serious Shortage Protocol for HRT has been announced.
UK pharmacists to offer alternatives to out of stock HRT products
Prescribing rules relaxed to tackle ongoing shortage after some women have travelled across the country to access medicines
Rest of article accessible here:
With respect to thyroid hormone medicines, I hope pharmacists are more aware of differences than doctors. But some of the attitudes that have been described here suggest too many are not.
I suppose, you have two bites at the cherry? First see if the doctor will help, second, try the pharmacist.
However, I do see problems if there are different costs. For an obvious example, there is quite a difference between the least and most expensive liothyronine products. How will a doctor react to a pharmacist overriding and supplying a more expensive product? (Or, indeed, Teva 12.5 microgram levothyroxine which is grossly out of alignment re cost.)
As I sort-of implied in another response here, we will very likely see prescriptions divided into at least two sorts.
Prescriptions fulfil several jobs and the overlaps and distinctions are often ignored.
Identify the medicine required.
Inform the supplier how the cost is to be handled.
Permit a medicine which is restricted (ostensibly on safety of patients grounds in most cases) to be supplied to an individual.
Identify the person authorising/advising the product.
Transmit the patient instructions on how to take the medicine.
Certainly there seems to be a gap wide open for informational prescriptions. For example, vitamin D. The prescriber would identify the type (almost certainly D3), maybe the form (tablet, capsule, spray) and the dose. Then the patient can go wherever they like - pharmacy, supermarket, online - and have something to guide them. Specifically for vitamin D, you can imagine it having quite a bit of information on it.
Many patients (understandably) get confused by units (IU or micrograms) and doses (1,000 or 10,000), etc.
People can walk in and ask. And some have been successful for thyroid.
Likely only to get a few levothyroxine tablets.
Yes, a relationship is very likely to help.
I had a brilliant chemist - nothing too much trouble. When there was a shortage of HRT a few years ago, my GP wrote a prescription for one that would mean I would bleed every three weeks - I am an OAP and anaemic! I had a chat with the chemist and he found my usual HRT, phoned me and arranged to have it delivered. He got a huge box of chocs for his efforts.
He has now retired and the new chemist is hopeless - can never get a prescription right and does not care. Last week they were out of Liothyronine and just laughed about it. Luckily I had taken my HRT or would be writing this from prison!
Where I used to live, the local Boots seemed always to have a locum pharmacist. With the best will in the world, they couldn't manage even a vestige of continuity.
The pharmacy in the local Asda was more helpful! One of the pharmacy assistants had the most positive attitude and always put herself out.
Advanz/Mercury Pharma Liothyronine - Out of Stock
T3 out of stock in UK?
T3 (liothyronine) UK OUT OF STOCK (manufacturing problems)
Out of stock thyroid-s 
Panic Mode! NDT out of stock
