GPs halting transgender patients’ hormone treatment or refusing prescriptions, investigation reveals

11 comments

1. > The Cass Review, which was an independent review of gender identity services for children and young people in the NHS, said that for the majority of young people a medical pathway “may not be the best way to manage their gender-related distress”. It recommended extreme caution in providing hormones for anyone under the age of 18.

   > It also found that knowledge about the long-term health impacts of hormone interventions on young people was limited and the issues needed to be better understood.

   Could it be they don’t want to take the risk of prosecution if something goes wrong?

2. This is dangerous, nevermind ridiculous.

   Firstly it is moral panic driven crap that comes from the total myth that under 18 trans people are being given hormone treatment. Totally false and a transphobic myth made up by the far right.

   Secondly being on hormones like testosterone it is incredibly dangerous to simply cut off that prescription.

   It’s been a nightmare for years, and even non-trans people are suffering because of it – I’m not trans but do have naturally low testosterone. The bar to get it on the NHS has been reduced to near zero because of the ongoing war against giving trans people hormones. I have to get it from online steroid sources, which is fine for me as I occasionally do a “steroid” dose for a cycle, and my GP is fully on board. But someone not into the world of underground steroids wouldn’t know where to start with getting UGL testosterone.

3. We need to make it so individual GPs cannot deny someone treatment like this.

4. I really feel what’s been happening to transgender health care in the UK is essentially the canary in the coalmine as other ‘specialty’ services are also being impacted in similar ways.

   There’s likely a more political motive behind this particular case but similiar problems are starting to happen to people on ADHD medication. A lot of us have to use SCA to get our medication, people have a lot of problems getting GPs to do this and lately there’s been talk of some areas of the UK where GPs are just blanket refusing refferals or SCAs and some fears people on existing SCAs will have theirs cancelled

5. Yeah they did this to me aswell they’ve been doing this for ages.

   I transitioned in my early 20’s and self medicated for 5 or 6 years before the NHS finally decided to prescribe me, after referring me through GIC’s

   I privately got my surgery and a short while after that when I moved home I was denied my repeat hormone prescription with no warning NHS discourages stockpiling, As I was post surgery this was an extremely dangerous thing they did as my body cannot produce any sex hormones. I was on NHS prescribed hormones for 7 years before they discontinued it.

   So yeah I’ve gone straight back to self-medicating. Been that way ever since.

   Sure I could argue but their malpractice makes me not want to go back under the NHS care why should I trust an institution that is explicitly prejudiced and actively discriminating against me?

   What I actually want to do is use the GDPR to delete the medical notes and record flags that notify doctors that I’m transgender so they can’t discriminate against me, as they aren’t providing any healthcare to me anyway, I have no doubt my medical record will be used to discriminate against our community later on given the eliminationist attitude this country has towards us. (See the Cass report and the political decisions that have stemmed from this) But it’s not clear if I can actually do that under “Right of Erasure” under the GDPR. I really ought to be able to.

6. To preface with the statement I’m not a GP. But as a doctor that works a lot with GPs, I would say that GPs are likely feeling unsupported by local and national guidelines in prescribing a medicine outside of its license. HRT is not a risk free drug, with well known side effects e.g. blood clotting risks (which is admittedly small) and I’ve had GPs refuse to prescribe products which are literally zero risk because it is an unlicensed use.

   I would suspect if they have the support of these guidelines (from the RCGP, local ICB) this would take away the perceived risk of litigation and they would be comfortable prescribing.

   GPs also often have had no training/teaching in this area which isn’t surprising as there are few specialist clinicians across the country who have little time for educating everyone in primary care.

7. A friend of mine had this happen to her recently. She’s been on HRT for 10+ years, has had SRS – her hormones were dropped, just like that. You know the litany of health problems that come with menopause? Imagine that, but even worse.

   GPs claim they don’t know how to prescribe HRT despite managing it fine for cisgender women and men. They say this is for trans patients health, as they don’t have the ‘expertise’ to continue approving meds that were prescribed by a doctor actually specialising in the field. Well what about the health of all the patients who suddenly are missing vital hormones for their body to function?

8. I’m just so tired of my existence being a political football. I pay my taxes, and I pay for my prescriptions. Give me my fucking meds. and leave me alone to live my life

9. Our entire way of life is on a downward spiral. With energy prices soaring, population decline, an all that comes with those you’d think we could agree to focus on more important things

10. Why do politicians insist on meddling in the routine practice of evidence based medicine to the point it affects treatment.

11. [removed]

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