Estratest Generic On Indefinite Back Order! (Page 3)

Could this mean it may no longer be produced? I had a complete hysterectomy in 2000 and nothing else has worked for me! HELP!

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REPORT

I came here looking for information for a woman on another website about getting sex drive back after ovary removal. I took Estratest for many years with good results and only discontinued when my husband developed Alzheimer's. I am shocked that it is no longer available. I guess I will direct her to this site to find possible substitutes.

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Veronica,

The doctors can't do anything about it. It's out of their hands and in the governments now. The government has made this a Class III drug (yes, that's a 3) - IMO it may have something to do with the abuse of testosterone or methlytestosterone with athletes...but again that is only MY opinion.

I contacted choicepharmacy (which is based out of Canada) and got my script filled through them. They called me a few days before my script was to come in and asked me to call my GYN to answer the fax with just a signature and return it. They said that the supply was coming out of Florida. But, I had to go to choicepharmacy (once was canadageneric) to get my medication - who went to Florida - to get to TX.......

Like I said in earlier posts - I went around my elbow to get to my *** to get my script. It's worth it!

If all else fails locally for your local pharmacy, try choicepharmacy

Good luck!

Dianne

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Brenda,

We'll give Mike the exception to that rule of no men. He has been a vital part of the conversation. It's nice to see there are men like Mike (and my sweet husband) who care about their wives health and medical issues. ;)

Have a wonderful day!

Dianne

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Here is a recap of the information available on this and a few other Estratest threads.

There is a supply distribution problem for the medication "estrified estrogen and methyltestosterone", but it appears to be sporadic as to locations and dates.

Solvay was the original developer of Estratest, a trademarked medication name. Other companies (Glenmark, Prasco, Breckenridge, Lannett) began producing a similar medication under different names. All of these companies have discontinued production.

These are all current Estratest equivalent manufacturers and the medication name:
Centrex makes Corvaryx in full and half strength.
Creekwood makes EEMT in full and half strength.
Amneal is also supposed to be the same composition in full and half strength.
ANI Pharmaceutical makes "estrified estrogen and methyltestosterone" by that name.
Any name with "HS" after it is the half strength medication

We visited our doctor and he gave my wife a shot of testosterone to go with the Premarin she is taking and that is working well for her. This was her treatment prior to the initial development of Estratest.

Diane received a script of EEMT 0.625/1.25 from Choice Pharmacy of Canada.

Colete spoke with a pharmacist. She suggested these alternatives for Estratest HS replacement.
1. Bio Equivalent Hormone Creams (Estradiol/Estriol + Testrostrone
2. OR Premarin Lowdose + Testosterne Cream (applied twice a week in thigh area (I believe)
3. OR Estradiol/Estriol + Testosterone Compound Capsule. This would require getting the medication from a compounding pharmacy.

There appear to be some solutions available until the supply distribution problem is resolved.
You may want to discuss all of these solutions with your doctor and/or pharmacist and see what is available in your area.

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Mike, your post was so very helpful. I heard about the "shot" along with the estrogen from my PCP's nurse and it seemed like a very good option. But you didn't say if your DW is getting once a month or a yearly shot?
Thank you so much for keeping us all up to date. All your info is sooooo appreciated...

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Hi Colete,

My wife gets a shot of testosterone once a month from her doctor or his staff. I'm not sure of the exact dosage. The dosage would vary with each individual since some women need the full strength Estratest and some only need the half strength.
The testosterone shots have worked very well since the initial shortage occurred. And once every 30 days works well. She does start to feel the need for another shot at 28 to 29 days.
Fortunately, our pharmacy has received a supply of the ANI Pharmaceuticals Estrified Estrogen and Testosterone, so she now has a supply of Estratest equivalent. But we now have a fall-back of Primarin and Testosterone shots in case the problem occurs again.

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GREAT NEWS FOR ALL! Yes, I looked up the ANI Pharma company & on their web site and it says they are manufacturing it. SAME DRUG! Mike, thank you again. You and my husband have been awesome in your quest for help. Woo-hoo... We need to get the word out to women who are feeling pretty bad right now. Help is on the way! They should call every pharmacy in their vicinity to ask about this.

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Dear all, I tried several pharmacies in NY. No luck yet. ANI pharmaceuticals does not sell estratest directly to patients. Any suggestions?

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Hi Hanna,

I think one problem that may be occurring is asking for "Estratest". Estratest is a specific brand name for the product produced by Solvay Pharmaceuticals, and that is no longer manufactured.
It's like asking for Delmonte canned pears as opposed to canned pears in a grocery. They may tell you they do not have that brand, but they may have some other brands.

Try asking the pharmacy if they have "Estrified Estrogen and Methlytestosterone" or it's equivalent. If they say no, then ask if their distributor can obtain some from ANI Pharmaceuticals.

The staff of our local Rexall drug store went the extra distance and contacted some distributors other than their regular one. They found one who had Estrified Estrogen and Methlytestosterone in stock and ordered it.

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Dear all,
Apparently, our problems are "natural" and, mostly, imaginary (for details look into Newsweek article).
thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2013/04/29/will-this-pill-fix-your-sex-life.html
There is nothing that cannot be addressed by exercise, soldiering through sex and some topical estrogen cream. “The conservative estimate is that just 10 percent of menopausal women need medical attentionâ€.
I do not need medical attention, I need to feel human!

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Hanna, we are only actually replacing what our body doesn't produce any longer. For example, if we were defiant in a certain B-12 Vitamin, we would take a supplement and feel better. I can only speak for myself and what I have read on HRT. It appears that with a natural menopause, the ovaries will STILL produce a tiny amount of testosterone, which is the hormone that gives us natural "energy" and sex drive. Even THAT is better.. BUT when our ovaries are "surgically" removed, we no longer produce estrogen...AND testosterone. That is the reason I take the Estratest. Just taking estrogen alone doesn't help as much as it does with the combo. I hope someone here can add more to this discussion.

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Hi Hanna,

Our body also stops making the thyroid hormone and many other hormones needed to "feel normal" during menopause (surgical or natural.) Women in menopause also need Calcium, because our body stops producing it. It is an essential vitamin, which can be replaced by food, but we need a lot to keep our bones strong, for our aging bodies - thanks to menopause.

As far as Testosterone (Estratest HS) goes, it has personally aided me with keeping away night sweats, hot flashes, mood swings and helping me sleep. It also gave back my libido (better than ever in my life,) helped with my energy levels, along with skin, nail and hair health. And it will..... IF the dosage is correct. So, suggesting "it's all in our minds" is just silliness.

To quote the website natural hormones dot net:
"Testosterone is a hormone that is not as essential to women as it is to men, but it can still play a role in a woman’s body. The androgen can help with some of the sexual symptoms of menopause including: vaginal dryness and the loss of libido."

That article by Newsweek is ridiculous and should be ignored. They have NO CLUE into what menopausal women go through - IMHO. Besides all that - who wants to "soldier through sex" instead of enjoying every minute of it?! LOL!

Thanks for posting!

Dianne

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Hi Hanna,

I believe that the Newsweek article you are quoting is really not the same topic as the discussion on this thread. The Newsweek article talks about a medication to reduce painful sex as opposed to the post-menopausal hormone replacement provided by estrifed estrogen and methyltestosterone. Even the Newsweek article has this on the top of the third page, "None of this is to say that no women benefit from hormones—in fact, the WHI found that women who’d had hysterectomies absolutely do...".

The hormone replacement is a natural problem and not imaginary. The human body parts all, normally, work together to provide all the body needs to function. But when you remove a part or parts, then the human body is placed in a state of imbalance. So when a woman has a hysterectomy, and even more so when the ovaries are also removed, there is an imbalance created by the lack of estrogen and testosterone the body produces. The use of estrifed estrogen and methyltestosterone mimics the hormones produced by the absent body parts and restores that balance.

I know when my wife tells me, "I'm leaving you and going to Las Vegas to become a blackjack dealer", that she is overdue for her testosterone shot. So I hug her, take her to her doctor and get her the shot. The following day, with her hormones back in balance, she is back to my sweet, lovable wife again. She has returned to feeling human.

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I was on Estratest for about two years and life was great with it. Then my doctor said I had to stop taking it because my mother had breast cancer. Now I have been miserable without it. And, by the way, my mother's breast cancer was so small that she didn't have to have radiation or chemo. It was all over after her surgery. My doctor put me on vagifem which helped for a while. But then, FDA changed the dosage from 25 mg twice a week to 10 mg twice a week. That was a bummer. So, I took the problem in my own hands and searched the internet for testosterone for women. I have been using both now for about 8 months. It helps but not as good as Estratest.

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Brend...my story. I had BC and a mastectomy with chemo. They said the BC wasn't estrogen dependent. I went without HRT for a year, and couldn't function. I had such horrible hot flashes and depression that I was a useless walking zombie.
Finally, I begged my Breast Surgeon Oncologist for the pill. He agreed. I took "only half a pill" of the half strength and INSTANTLY regained my life back with just that little bit of HRT replacement. (I'm 5 feet 115 pds tho)
So two years later, they found DCIS in the other breast (Not the original Cancer)... I had the second mastectomy. No chemo or followups required with the DCIS. Again, I stayed on the pill. That was all 12 years ago. Neither cancers were caused from HRT. So they say. OTOH, I did tell my Doctor that it was the QUALITY of live for me, not the Quantity. I couldn't live only half alive. My experience should not be an endorsement of HRT after cancer. It's just my own story.

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Colete,
I sooooo agree with you. I am 70 and still active with my husband. So, I really do need this medication. Like you, I want a quality life with the years I have left.

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I'll be 70 in March!!! Woo..hoooo.:)))

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My mom really depends on Estratest HS. I found her some Covaryx (full strength) that I've been cutting in half, but I was hoping to get her some HS pills. I just called Ani Pharmaceuticals customer service. They said they are making Estratest and Estratest HS, and they will continue to be producing it. The women I spoke with was extremely nice, and sent me a list of wholesalers who distribute to local pharmacies. I can contact the wholesalers and see who distributes to someone in my area. The contact information for customer service is:
[email protected]
(Ph) 800.434.1121 ext. 3607

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My doctor is having it compounded for me and it is starting to work. It is in a pill form that you dissolve under your tongue it does not taste terrible, I was surprised. I am still having some hot flashes but was off medications for 3 months. Kaiser Permanente would not pay for it at first but has agreed to pay for it now. Estratest will no longer be made. We have our athletes to thank for this!

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Hi. Ask your pharmacist to check into the ANI that we have been talking about. In fact, ASK several different pharmacists till you find the one who will order it or has it in stock. It's the EXACT same thing as Estratest...only a different company. READ MIKES posts for some helpful information...It's got to be cheaper than compounded drugs. I'd eat beans every day to be able to afford it :)

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