HRT HELP

[Kathryn]

I been in GID counselling for 6 months now. So at my last appointment, my therapist tells me she does not need to see me for another 6 months to know i have GID disorder. she says she will tell them she has diagnosed me and getting the HRTs is all depending on the doctors rules themselves. she said she will rite them a note or w/e if she needs to. she tells me this week that i should research prices and doctors. My insurance does not cover it, with insurance it can be between 5-30 dollars and without it can be between 10 and 85 dollars.

I don't know what website to use to look for the closest doctor from me. i live in West TN. Any help from anyone who has gone through this would be appreciated. :3

sorry i havent posted in a while... internets been out and i suppose i will have to post about my boyfriend.... Later though

[Ltl89]

This link below has a list of some endocrinologists that are trans friendly.  It's isn't complete so you may find someone else who you can work with.  There is also informed consent clinics in North Carolina and Georgia (at least one) if you are willing to make the trip.

Good luck

http://www.lauras-playground.com/transgender_endocrinologist_list.htm

[Beth Andrea]

My insurance also covers "nothing" related to transitioning...but it took them 6weeks to ok a testosterone Rx for depression, but when my body rejected that, they covered estrogen (and this was for transitioning, not depression).

Insurance coverage is weird.

[Michelle S.]

I been in GID counselling for 6 months now. So at my last appointment, my therapist tells me she does not need to see me for another 6 months to know i have GID disorder. she says she will tell them she has diagnosed me and getting the HRTs is all depending on the doctors rules themselves. she said she will rite them a note or w/e if she needs to. she tells me this week that i should research prices and doctors. My insurance does not cover it, with insurance it can be between 5-30 dollars and without it can be between 10 and 85 dollars.

I don't know what website to use to look for the closest doctor from me. i live in West TN. Any help from anyone who has gone through this would be appreciated. :3

sorry i havent posted in a while... internets been out and i suppose i will have to post about my boyfriend.... Later though

I can't help with doctors but here's what I've been paying for HRT.

Appointments with doctor are $100. So far I've seen her once to get bloodwork done ($700 at Quest Diagnostics), 3months later for a med check and again, 3 months later for a med check. Now they are 6 months apart.

I take 3 different pills, all from CVS pharmacy. Spiro, ~$45 for a months supply, Estodial ~ $75 and progesterone ~$75.

Budgeting, if you're like me at least with middle class income and no insurance, is essential.

[Alainaluvsu]

I can't help with doctors but here's what I've been paying for HRT.

Appointments with doctor are $100. So far I've seen her once to get bloodwork done ($700 at Quest Diagnostics), 3months later for a med check and again, 3 months later for a med check. Now they are 6 months apart.

I take 3 different pills, all from CVS pharmacy. Spiro, ~$45 for a months supply, Estodial ~ $75 and progesterone ~$75.

Budgeting, if you're like me at least with middle class income and no insurance, is essential.

Hon - Rite Aid Spiro = $10 for a month, Wal Mart Estradiol 17b = $16 a month. IDK about progesterone but please, go save you some money!!!

[Michelle S.]

Hon - Rite Aid Spiro = $10 for a month, Wal Mart Estradiol 17b = $16 a month. IDK about progesterone but please, go save you some money!!!

I tried Wal-Mart and had a really bad experience. They refused to fill my prescriptions and just made me feel really uncomfortable. I can afford the extra for a bit to avoid that experience again anytime soon :/

[A]

If you can't find anyone, just see any general practitioner. They should be informed (or have the means to become informed) of who are the ones who treat this in the area.

And your insurance... If it's "transsexual HRT" that's not covered... well, it's not very honest, but insurance is a business based on dishonesty, so... You can just have doctors stretch the truth a little on paper. For example, maybe estradiol is covered for women who have lost or have never had their ovaries, or for menopaused women. And maybe spironolactone is covered when used as a diuretic.

Also, am I the only one who's completely upset that pharmacies have the right to sell prescription meds at something other than a fixed, universal price? Those aren't announced anywhere so you're neither informed nor able to shop properly and many people (like me) have assumed for a long time that it was the same price... even though in some extreme cases one pharmacy can sell a medication for twice as much as another.

There should be a global law saying that medications should have a fixed price. This is ridiculous. Not to mention no one should have to pay a penny for any prescription medication to begin with...

(Sorry for the two paragraphs of off-topic anger.)

Michelle S.: That's not an extra bit; that's a rip-off, considering Alaina's prices. I didn't even know there could be a 4-fold difference. Why is this even legal?... How about you try another pharmacy? Maybe even an online one.

[Ltl89]

I tried Wal-Mart and had a really bad experience. They refused to fill my prescriptions and just made me feel really uncomfortable. I can afford the extra for a bit to avoid that experience again anytime soon :/

Even if you avoid Walmart, I tend to do the same for different reasons,  there should still be a place for you to find more affordable meds. 

[Sammy]

I am taking Verospiron, which is European name for Spiro and it is about ~10 USD for month supply (medium dosage). At some point of time dosage will double and accordingly the costs will be around ~20 USD. My estradiol pills right now are Estrofem, which is quite cheap ~ 14 USD for almost a month dosage. Progynova is twice as expensive for smaller amount of pills, but I have not yet tried it out to say if I am going to switch the brands. I am yet to speak about progesterone with my endo, because I keep hearing quite opposite reviews about it - from excellent to being totally useless, but I am afraid she wont give me a definite answer either - I think this is one of those YMMW cases.

By the way, one of the things we discussed with my endo is that medications and tests needed for GD are essentially the same as those which are used to cure testicle disfunction, so here is the idea for getting insurance to work Also, I find such diagnosis to be pretty damn ironical, dont You agree?

[Jamie D]

sorry i havent posted in a while... internets been out and i suppose i will have to post about my boyfriend.... Later though

Boy friend?!  I gotta hear more. 

[Michelle S.]

Thanks for all the info ladies. I had no idea I had been paying so much Should've figured when I got a 3 month supply of e and progesterone, and it was ~$350. I'll try to find somewhere else. Maybe I'll take a ride to Daytona or Orlando, and try a Wal-Mart out there. I live in a not-so friendly town, wasn't the least bit surprised by how I was treated at Wal-Mart here.

[Jen-from-IL]

Ouch on the prescription costs. So fortunate to have insurance that pays for them. I pay around $30 for 3 months of estradiol and spironolactone. Hope you can find them cheaper than you have been paying.

[Lara1969]

What about buying it online? Here in Germany online pharmacies are much cheaper.

Lara

[Joanna Dark]

If you can't find anyone, just see any general practitioner. They should be informed (or have the means to become informed) of who are the ones who treat this in the area.

And your insurance... If it's "transsexual HRT" that's not covered... well, it's not very honest, but insurance is a business based on dishonesty, so... You can just have doctors stretch the truth a little on paper. For example, maybe estradiol is covered for women who have lost or have never had their ovaries, or for menopaused women. And maybe spironolactone is covered when used as a diuretic.

Also, am I the only one who's completely upset that pharmacies have the right to sell prescription meds at something other than a fixed, universal price? Those aren't announced anywhere so you're neither informed nor able to shop properly and many people (like me) have assumed for a long time that it was the same price... even though in some extreme cases one pharmacy can sell a medication for twice as much as another.

There should be a global law saying that medications should have a fixed price. This is ridiculous. Not to mention no one should have to pay a penny for any prescription medication to begin with...

(Sorry for the two paragraphs of off-topic anger.)

Michelle S.: That's not an extra bit; that's a rip-off, considering Alaina's prices. I didn't even know there could be a 4-fold difference. Why is this even legal?... How about you try another pharmacy? Maybe even an online one.

Put it this way if people voted their self-interest in this country, it would be a great place. But they don't. They read books and listen to radio shows that tell them how to vote and then...I'll shut up.

[Kathryn]

Boy friend?!  I gotta hear more. 

Hey, Lol. Yeah I will post a blog on the going ons of this relationship...

[Joanna Dark]

Hey, Lol. Yeah I will post a blog on the going ons of this relationship...

Or you could just tell us now! Boy crazy trans girls want to know!

[Kathryn]

Lol Its on my blog. Blogs name is Snow Kat


Sorry it took so long to respond.

[Chloe]

I don't know what website to use to look for the closest doctor from me. i live in West TN. Any help from anyone who has gone through this would be appreciated. :3

Contact Erin Swenson West TN isn't far from Atlanta at all (I-24) Save yourself some time/trouble there are Endo's here NO fuss, Q's asked!!! Getting appoint 'nuther story entirely . . .

Atlanta the "trans" capitol of Amerika??? See HERE too ( 1.4.2  )

( 1.4.4 is DEAD / My 'ex' went to him, she met more "trans" before I did !!! )

[janellebell]

I been in GID counselling for 6 months now. So at my last appointment, my therapist tells me she does not need to see me for another 6 months to know i have GID disorder. she says she will tell them she has diagnosed me and getting the HRTs is all depending on the doctors rules themselves. she said she will rite them a note or w/e if she needs to. she tells me this week that i should research prices and doctors. My insurance does not cover it, with insurance it can be between 5-30 dollars and without it can be between 10 and 85 dollars.

I don't know what website to use to look for the closest doctor from me. i live in West TN. Any help from anyone who has gone through this would be appreciated. :3

sorry i havent posted in a while... internets been out and i suppose i will have to post about my boyfriend.... Later though

Starting Jan 14, 2014 everyone will be required to buy health insurance in the USA, so Im wondering where that leaves all of us who are uninsured. Currently I'm on Kaiser but I will be taken off the plan by my unsupporting parents. So I'm wondering if each state has its own regulations as to what is considered "medically necessary" medications. Do hormones count in the affordable care act? What about for Medi-care.

If anything I hope this helps us trans folk without insurance.

[Elsa]

You could try making a list of pharmacies which sell/refill the prescriptions near where you live. Even online pharmacies might help if the site can be trusted and if it's legal. Go for those which offer discounts if possible since you would have to buy the stuff regularly.

Make a list of any generic/non-generic replacement that might be available in your area and if it's safe, go for it if it's cheaper.
Or you could ask your endo or pharmacist for the cheapest and easily available meds in your city.